Day 17 (week 3, day 3)

Perhaps the best part of this couch to 5k running program as that it is in manageable chunks. Since the goals change each week, and since each week is broken down into three separate workouts, it seems less intimidating. That's not to say it's been easy, however. At the end of last week, I talked to Mrs. F about repeating Week 2, but she wanted us to try at least the first day of Week 3 before opting for a repeat. We still could end up repeating a week. I think that would be tough for me to handle (mentally--it would feel like a failure). I'm just hoping we can complete the program as written.

It wasn't as easy as I had hoped it would be this morning. Our plans for a 7:30 PM movie start in the living room got delayed, and though we considered breaking our watching over two nights, a compelling plot kept us watching. We didn't get to bed until 10:30 PM. So, we had about an hour less sleep than we had planned.

I believe one of the greatest evils in this world is the snooze alarm. I was introduced to it years ago and have had mornings where I've reset the snooze over and over again without ever realizing it. I've been at all out war with our snooze alarm lately--I'm trying to get up right away--but my success has been mixed with failure. Today, the snooze alarm won one round, but we were up and moving shortly thereafter.

As I sit now, writing this, I have a couple of minor reminders of today's session. I still have a little discomfort just below each knee, but that is likely to fade in a few hours. I have one tight spot that's bringing some discomfort along my right shin again, but I guess I'll see how that feels later today. I was well winded on the longer running sets, but didn't feel like dead weight until I got to the end of the second three minute run.

We extended our warmup walk by a little over a minute, did some final stretches, and set off. It is nicer running along this segment of trail--we get much more light from the lights of town over the lake, and from the open space on the other side. Fewer overhead trees also means less chance of tripping on sticks or branches--something that became more likely on the other segment, with its thick canopy of trees.

My shoes are holding out well--no obvious signs of wear. I know I've only had them for less than a month, but when you weigh nearly 300 lbs., you find that a lot of things can wear out more quickly than expected.

It was a colder morning, so I did wear my gloves--a really lightweight fleece. I had tried putting on the arm warmers we received from Asics, but my arms are too thick for them to fit right now. That might change in the future. So I just wore three layers: a long-sleeved elastic/spandex type shirt (it does so well at wicking moisture that it almost always leaves me feeling cold), another long sleeve athletic shirt, and then a plain cotton t-shirt for the top layer. I figured the t-shirt would keep me warmer than without it, but that it wouls also be cooler than wearing my fleece vest. It seemed to work well--I was neither too hot nor too cold today.

I tried running with my hand down and loose, "almost brushing my thighs" as Mrs. F related from the site she was reading, but it felt awkward. I tried to remain conscious of any times I was fisting up, or pulling my arms up high. Other than that, I just tried to ignore my arms, and that worked better than trying to think of brushing my thighs.

I allowed myself to slow my pace on the longer segments. My heart rate was still up, but it allowed me to finish without being so winded that the recovery period would have done nothing to settle me down. I think that was a good call for today. I think Mrs. F had a tougher go at it today, but I'll let her speak for herself.

I guess I just enjoy getting the time with her, too. We don't get to converse much, but we're together. For me, at least, that means a lot.

We only have one more training day left in Week 3, then our weekend rest before starting Week 4. If we make it through Friday, we'll have completed a full third (1/3) of the program. That's exciting to me.

I'll probably post another update later today after I get a chance to feel the effects in my body.

Before our run, I half of an English muffin with peanut butter. Afterwards (while I was writing this), I had ham and egg on an English muffin with a slice of American cheese. I'm going to nab a cup of coffee now, before heading in to work.