C25K

Two weeks ago I had never heard of the C25K. Now I think about it day and night. It nearly consumes my every thought. So what is it? It’s the Couch to 5K running program I found on coolrunning.com. The idea is to turn a couch potato into a 5K runner in just over two months. That’s exactly what I need because I, Couch Potato, want to be a runner.

My wife was a runner in high school and, over a dozen years of marriage, I have heard many times that she is going to be a runner again. She has spoken many times of her desire to run the annual 4th of July run in Hood River, OR. I believe it is a 12K. As the years passed, my skepticism increased (though I never expressed it to her).

Last July, as we watched the runners (including one of her brothers) cross the finish line, she told our kids that she was going to run it next year (2006). Our older boys (9 and 11) expressed interest in running it with her. Despite my skepticism, I strongly encouraged her to do it. In fact, I told her that if she was serious about it I would do it with her.

Today, I am eating my words. About a month ago, she really got serious about it. She has been out doing walking/jogging intervals (“wogging” as she calls it), pretty much every other day. This morning she called me at work and informed me that, for the first time in many years, she was able to run for 30 minutes without walking. She was so excited to finally be a runner again!

Needless to say, my skepticism is gone. She has proven true to her word. I now have no doubt that she is going to run the 4th of July race this year. The problem is, I have committed to a race that I may not have time to prepare for. From what I’ve read on the internet, I’m not likely to go from Couch Potato to 12K in four months. But I’m going to work towards it and see what happens. If nothing else, I can always walk it.

In contrast to my wife, I’ve never been much of a runner. I’ve tried a number of times to start running, but I always get winded so quickly it never seems worth it. There is no question that I always try to do too much, too soon. But then, when you get out of breath in less than a minute, it seems impossible not to overdo it.

That’s where the C25K comes in. I start out doing 20 minutes of “wogging” (60 seconds jogging, 90 seconds walking), three days a week. Each week the jogging intervals become longer. By the 9th week, I should be able to run 3 miles (in about 30 minutes) without stopping or walking.

Before stumbling onto the C25K program, I had never heard that by starting out this way, a person could rather quickly work up to jogging non-stop for 20-30 minutes (or more). I have read enough posts on the coolrunning.com message boards to become convinced that it is possible. So I have committed to it.

In fact, I have found a local upcoming 5K fun run, which I will be entering. It just happens to take place the week after I complete the C25K. It’s one of those laid back kinds where dogs are invited and such. I plan to take my lab. It will be the happiest day of his life. If I am able to run the distance, I’ll be pretty happy too.