0623–0653
30 minutes
“London Calling”–”Clampdown”
10 laps
~2 1/2 miles
~4 kilometers
…jogging the whole of it without stopping!
Back in May, I went on a mission with two plucky colleagues: we would follow the nine-week Couch-to-5K Running Plan and train for the Midsummer Night’s Run July 19. I hate running (Intentional self-suffocation? No, thanks!) and happen to be quite fond of the sofa. They had never run before. Wait, why did we decide to do this again?
Too late for rationale, because, folks, I’ve established a jogging habit! For two months, excepting a couple of pretty active vacations, I’ve reported for practice at the neighborhood track every Tuesday, Thursday (0615), and Saturday (0800).
The genius of C25K is that it encourages steady, incremental change. It really works. And it works really, really well with a partner. Or, in a pinch, the Clash on an iPod.
You start by jogging just a short distance and then taking a walk break. Gradually the jogging distance increases as the walk breaks decrease. There does come a point, however, when you’re challenged to jog without stopping.
It was this challenge I faced early today. Victory was possible thanks to Jóga running interference, transmitting the glorious first half of the seminal 1979 double album directly into my brain. “Rudie Can’t Fail” kicked in just as I was sagging around Lap Five and became (with apologies to Strummer/Jones) :
Kaaaay-tie can’t fail!
Kaaaay-tie can’t fail!
“Clampdown” powered me around the final bend of Lap Ten, and when I eased into “The Guns of Brixton” to cool it on home, the adrenaline rush was badass.
High-five!
Hmm… a night run, I might be in for that.
Thanks, Barry! Yeah, maybe it will cool down enough for comfort by the 6:30 p.m. start. Join us! We definitely run for endurance (and, well, croissants), rather than speed.
I slip into reveries of yesteryear and long for that pre-dawn rousing whining drag-your-ass-around-the-track if you want breakfast experience. I’m thinking croissants. Lately, I’m eating croissants and thinking running. Today it was cool and I felt energetic and strong and actually thought, “I could run. No, really, I could.” May the powers that be work their magic, and get me back on the wagon. Off the wagon, really, and on the road. Chapeaux, Ms 5k. There was once a 10k runner in your family, and she says if I could do it, so can you….
Thanks, Mum. I still pretty much hate running (and will continue to hate it until I learn how to breathe appropriately), but you really can’t beat the feeling afterward. The sense of discipline and chemical balance has had an incredibly positive impact on me.
But it’s not magic, so I encourage you to shift your thinking. YOU are the only powers that be. Forget about the 5K or 10K, the reveries of some past life. Take a look at the C25K plan (seriously, you start out jogging merely 100 or 200 yards at a time). Grab a partner. Make a schedule. It’s up to you.