Couch 2 5K – Week 5

Couch 2 5K – Week 5

Well, if you have been keeping track, you read about my fear of this week’s runs. Not so much the first 2, but the last one – which was tonight.

The first 2 runs in week 5 consisted of a 5 minute walk and then a 5 minute run, 3 minute walk, 5 minute run, 3 minute walk and a final 5 minute run. I wasn’t worried about moving on to this week as I had already done a 5 minute run the previous week – although I had not done 3 of them in the same run.

The first run of the week was fine. Really good in fact. I felt like I managed really well and I could have even run a bit further, but I wanted to stick to the schedule.

The second run of the week was TOUGH! I don’t think it had anything to do with the actual run, as I had managed it 2 days before, but it was me. You may have seen me talk about it on my Facebook page that my workout that day seriously sucked. I didn’t want to go anyway and my legs just felt so heavy and I felt like I was going to throw up the whole time. It was a real struggle to get through the run, but I did do it – reluctantly.

I took the next day off from working out, as I didn’t want to feel like that for the final run of the week and I was having some heart problems too. As you can imagine, I wasn’t looking forward to feeling like that for the final run of the week, especially when there is a massive, and completely random jump to a 20 minute run. 20 minutes? The run before that is only 5 minutes – what is that all about.

I went into the gym thinking that it just wasn’t going to happen, but I would at least try. I wasn’t being negative about myself, I just thought it was far too big of a jump in run time for me and that there was no way that I could run for 20 minutes just yet – even 8 minutes seemed daunting.

But, I hit the gym anyway, I spent 10 minutes stretching and then I put my earphones in, turned the music up loud, did the warm up walk and started running.

I covered over the time because I didn’t want to clock watch the whole time. But I was counting the run down in songs. I thought if I just listened to 5 of my favourite songs, then I would nearly be there. The first 3 songs went by really quick but then the forth song DRAGGED. By the time the 5^th song ended I REALLY felt like I was going to throw up. We had curry for dinner a few hours before the run. NOT the best pre-run food. You learn from your mistakes at least. I was also drinking a lot of water, because I was so hot, and this was not settling in my stomach well. I had my husband running alongside me and I turned to him and told him I couldn’t do it. He told me that I could and to keep going. I then thought about all the messages that were left on the Facebook post I posted before heading out to the run (I read them during the warm up walk) and I can honestly say that they pushed me through it. Hearing so many people say that they had done it and reading other people having so much faith in me and reminding me that it would not be my body that couldn’t do it, it would be my head. I had gotten to 17 minutes running by this point and it was only 3 minutes left. I could do this…surely…..and I DID!!! I finished. I have run 20 minutes non stop, with no walking breaks. I have never, ever done that in my life. I am not going to say that I enjoyed it, because I really, REALLY didn’t. It was a struggle. But so was losing weight, and I did that too.

I did the cool down walk and then I went and sat down for a while. I very nearly had to rush to the bathroom, as I was seconds away from throwing up, but it passed. My heartbeat then started to get irregular, as it does, but I did some yoga breathing exercises to regulate it a bit and that passed too.

I still can’t believe I have done it. I know to some of you who have been running your whole life, you might think that this is a bit of an over reaction. I mean, it’s only 20 minutes right?! But to those of you who have been in this position before, or for those of you who are wanting to be in this position, you know what a huge deal this is for me. I sit here writing this, thinking about the 240lb girl I once was, who never in a million years would have thought she would be running 20 minutes straight a couple of years later, and that a 5k was well within her sights. That 240lb girl just didn’t know how strong and capable she was. I am still surprising myself every day and every time I think I can’t do something – I will read this back.

Thanks for believing in me – you have no idea how much that pushed me!

Much love,

Dannii <3