Last night I completed my first 25 minute run on the C25K (Couch to 5K) running program without taking a break. I am on Week 7 and from Day 3 on Week 6 the runs have been in 25 minute blocks. In the grand scheme of things I know that 25 minute really is not a long time. It’s less than a half hour. I know people who spend longer in the shower. Even still, 25 minutes is a long time for someone who still proclaims not to be a runner.
I had tried two other times to make it all the way through the time period and ended up stopping and walking for a minute or two during the run. It was frustrating and discouraging especially after running 20 minute straight weeks before with very little problem. I could not understand why it was so difficult all the sudden. Due to unrelated reasons, I ended up taking off five days off. This was the longest I’ve taken off since I started in December. I was concerned that it would set me back more than a few days because I was already struggling. So Thursday I backtracked a week and “for fun” ran a 10/3/10 (10 minute run, 3 minute walk, 10 minute run) just to remind my body what it was supposed to be doing. That run was easy but it brought something to my attention.
When I started this program my goal was to finish a 5K. I never set a time goal. I never once said “I will run a 8 minute mile.” No, it was always “I want to run a 5K. I want to run the Race for the Cure instead of walking it.” Somewhere in the past couple weeks I stopped focusing on the goal of making it to a 5K and started paying attention to my speed. I believe that is where I started to slide. One day I started to try to time my runs around the track. The sign on the track at my gym says that 6 1/4 laps equals a mile. When I realized I was not running a 10 minute mile I started unconsciously focusing on “fixing” my time. I started running at a different pace and counting my laps (not to mention the other problem of running on a busy track and having to pass people often which messes up your running pace, too). My focus was not on finishing the run it was on increasing my speed.
I am a yoga instructor. I work at the gym (when I can find a class to sub) not at a traditional yoga studio. I have had many (most) student that struggle with flexibility and try to force themselves further into a pose, flexibilty-wise, than their body is ready for. That is a dangerous place to be. It courts injuries and is discouraging to the student when they just can’t accomplish that “perfect” yoga pose. Any of my students can tell you that I am always encouraging them to focus on their form and the flexibility will eventually come. It is all about modifying and letting your body find its way into advancing the pose when it is ready.
With that being said I find it ironic that I managed to lose my focus on form and started working on speed. I definitely did not practice what I had been preaching in yoga for six years. So, on my drive to the gym last night I gave myself a little mental pep talk. It’s a pep talk that I continued as I started my run around the track. It went a little like this..”You are not running a race to win. You are running a race to finish. It’s okay to go slow and steady. STAY FOCUSED.” I refused to allow myself to look at the clocks around the track. I did not once let myself count how many times I completed a lap. I just ran at a steady, slow pace around that track until my time was up…25 minute complete without stopping. I have to confess that I almost cheered when the run was finished. I did do a little fist pump as I started my cool-down walk.
While I know that I have yet to run the actual distance of a 5K and I have more challenges ahead (Week 8 is 28 minutes and Week 9 bumps up to 30 minutes) I know that I have to stay focused. Going through this running program is a sort of physical metaphor (don’t freak out word police) for other goals I have set in my life. I’m hoping the lessons I am learning through this program will translate to these other goals. It’s about keeping steady pace and focusing on the goal.
On My Mind 