This morning it was time for me to start C25K Week 2, Day 1. Since it has been cold outside (in the 40s, which is FREEZING in the SF Bay Area), I knew I was taking this walk/run to the gym. I was sort of anxious about two things:
- I had skipped Week 1, Day 3 and wasn’t sure if I was ready to move up to today’s longer intervals.
- I hadn’t done C25K on the treadmill and wasn’t sure how it would go.
I started off the walk at a good clip – 3.5mph. In the past, I have never been able to go faster than 3.3mph without really feeling it in my shins/calves, but today I had no problem keeping up this brisk pace. The entire 5 minutes of the warm up, I was nervous about how the running portion would go.
- Would I be able to keep up the running for 90 seconds?
- How fast should I pace myself for the runs?
One thing I wasn’t worried about was how I was going to look while I was running. I’d recently bought some Old Navy Max Compression capris that fit me really well, and didn’t show much jiggle in my at-home-full-length-mirror-bounce-up-and-down test. Plus, I’d found a treadmill in the back, so the only people behind me were the ones in the Group X room.
I had a great RockMyRun playlist on (today’s was Wogging My World, which is funky and upbeat), and was as ready as I could be to start the running portion. I bumped my pace up to 4.2mph, which I was able to maintain for the entire 90 seconds. It wasn’t easy, but it was smooth. I noticed that a lady on a treadmill in front of me was walking at a 4.0 pace, but I didn’t let that get in my head. I’m starting out, I’m short, and I wanted to give myself a pace I could maintain the entire time. Which I did.
I finished the walk/run intervals and felt strong. I was definitely ready for the running portions to end when the 90 seconds elapsed, but I was able to complete each of them in a really solid way.
Running on the treadmill was so much easier than running outside on the track! First, my lungs weren’t affected by cold air, as they would’ve been outside. And I really liked the way I could set the pace and know exactly how fast/how far I was going. I’m planning to push myself a bit more on Day 2 and see how 4.5mph goes. Based on today’s workout, I think I’ll be just fine at that pace. I know most runners prefer to be outside, and maybe when I get to be a better runner, and the weather warms up, I’ll feel the same way. But for now, I am so glad that the treadmill went so well. (I do plan to do at least one C25K session out on the track, just to keep in practice because my 5Ks will all be outside).
The entire time I was on the treadmill, I felt so proud of myself. I wasn’t thinking about how I looked on the treadmill. Or, I should say, I wasn’t thinking anything negative or self-conscious. In fact, I felt like I fit right in, which is a first. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve never really felt too far out of place at the gym, because I’ve always given it my all (insofar as whatever that meant for my fitness level at the time). But today I almost wanted other people to notice me and to see how great I was doing. THAT is a first!
That smile really says it all (I snapped this at the end of my workout).
What do you prefer – treadmill or outdoor? Any advice for this newbie runner?
Bella on the Beach 
Nice job!!! I never make it past week 3 in c25k – – I let mental games take over! Glad you didn’t!!! And people who walk at 4.0 are crazy. I am jogging at 3.7 pretty much! ha
Week 3 is still ahead of me (next week), so we’ll see how it goes for me, but I’m hopeful.
I struggled for a couple of years on the treadmill on my own and this year joined a beginners running class. Five months in and I haven’t been near a treadmill since. I’m still pretty slow outside … around 4.6 to 5.0mph. Don’t worry about your pace that’s the biggest thing I learnt at my class. I realised my struggles with the treadmill were probably down to me trying to go too fast. Good luck! You can do it!
Thanks so much. I’m going to join a run club in the new year – this is just my precursor to that.
Cool. Good luck. I know you’ll do fab
Great work! Love the t-shirt 🙂
They sell it at http://www.noexcuseswear.com
I use to love the treadmill but had an epic fall on it and since then I haven’t been able to get back on. I love running outside…
For what it’s worth, consider setting the elevation at 1.0 on a treadmill to make it comparable to outside — since the belt is moving for you, setting a slight incline compensates for that. No big deal if you don’t, it’s just been my experience that when I keep it at 0, I can’t sustain the same pace outside, but I can if it’s at 1.0. Just an idea, either way works! And sometimes I can sustain a treadmill elevation 0 pace outside because I have race day adrenaline, etc. As for keeping track of your pace/distance/speed outside, that should be do-able at track with a stopwatch (that you could keep separate from your run-walk interval timer), just hit lap each time.
I will definitely set the treadmill to a 1.0 incline next time – great tip. I know eventually I’ll need to get a stopwatch, especially if I start doing 4/1 splits. Thanks for the ideas – I value your expertise.