I'm gonna do it, a 5k help!!!!

I posted a topic about this last week, and a kind person shared this link with me for some helpful tips to prepare

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/279198-running-tip-so-you-are-about-to-do-your-first-race?hl=running+tips


I'm running my first 5K a week from this Sunday, I'm so excited and nervous at the same time!!

It sounds like C25K is a great approach that works for a lot of people. I'm taking a slightly different tack, and maybe it will be of interest to somebody.

I'm a very comfort-oriented person, and I love food. So for 30 years I've been avoiding diet and exercise, because I always assumed that either one would involve lots of pain and sacrifice. In the realm of diet, I was completely ignorant of calories, carbohydrates, and a lot of the most basic nutritional info. Tracking calories, cutting back on junk carbs, and learning to be mindful of "boredom snacking" and portion size has been working great so far : no need for hardship and suffering.

I wanted to take the same approach with exercise. I was a runner (jogger) in high school, 30 years ago, and I remember mostly hating it. I'm certainly in no mood to force myself to endure THAT again. So I decided just to try walking. Just a little bit at first; maybe 15 minutes a day. I always assumed that such a small amount wouldn't matter at all, but I was very surprised at how quickly I began to feel some muscles firming up and my heart rate and breathing staying lower. And my body felt better, and I had more energy. (All that BS they tell you about exercise...) The best part was that there was no pain or unpleasantness, and I never felt any hesitation about getting up and going out for a walk. So I made my walks a little more regular (walking 1 mile to work each day) and just kept upping the pace a little bit at a time, but only when it felt good.

Around that time I discovered that a local pub sponsors a "running club." They have an informal 5k every Tuesday night after work and several hundreds of people show up, many with kids and dogs in tow. So I started doing this, but only walking. My last time for a walking-only 5k was 45 minutes, including a few stoplights. I actually passed a jogger or two.

But I recently realized that I was at kind of a dead end : this pace is really as fast as I can move my legs with a walking motion. Sure I'm still burning calories and having fun, but if I want to up my heart rate a little, I'm out of options.

Unless I run.

So what I started doing is walking briskly like normal, but once I'm good and warmed up I'll let myself fall into a run. In some ways it almost feels easier, since I don't have to try quite so hard to move my legs as fast. Since my aerobic capacity is still pretty low, it doesn't take long before I feel the old ticker hammering away and my breathing getting heavy. As soon as it feels the slightest bit unpleasant (more exercise than I want) I go back to a walk.

I didn't measure anything, but I'd say the running intervals this week were only 30-50 yards each. When I am running, I try to pay super-careful attention to my form; good form is important to avoid injury and develop a comfortable, sustainable, efficient way of running. After I return to a walk, I pay attention to how my body feels. What parts have I over-used or mis-used ? Note to self : "Don't do that next time !"

Anyway, it sounds like an informal version of C25k, but the approach I'm taking is a little backward. For one, I'm *already* doing a 5k every week, and enjoying it. And I'm not using the walking to "make up for" my inability to run the whole way; I'm using the running to add to the effectiveness of my walking exercise. As long as I can go out and get my heart rate up to a level I find enjoyable and not inflict pain on my body, I'm already "there". If it turns out that I *have* to run the whole way to get a fun workout, in a way it will be kind of sad : I always promised myself I would never be a runner again !