5K Training - Week 3

Day one of week three of my couch to 5k training, six girls offered to meet me on a Saturday to train, run, walk, interval, whatever you want to call it. Well, apparently they call it sleeping, or sitting on the couch, or throwing up, or confused, because not one of them showed up. Apparently two slept late, two were "sick", one had the date wrong and one just had no excuse. But Rosie and I trained in the rain anyway.

Rosie is always looking for a nice walk/run/train. Which makes me realize that I really need to decide what I'm calling it....because it's not exactly a run, as I walk half of it. So it wouldn't be fair at all to call it a walk. Interval training sounds way too dorky. I could be really geeky and call it c25kw3d1. Yeah. Let's go with that.

I will also add to the geek ambiance by saying I have gone totally digital. I now C25K with the aid of three iPhone apps:

App1 is the C25K app which has a verbal cue from a sexy Sally voice that tells me when to walk or run based on time. It also allows me to listen to a playlist chosen by me. So even though I have an old clunky iPhone with no Siri, I can make believe.

App2 is the Nike+iPod app that wirelessly connects to a plastic sensor which I tie to my shoelaces via a little rubber pocket (purchased separately because I'm too cheap to buy the Nike shoes that come with a little hollowed out pocket in the sole of the sneaker). This sensor tracks my distance, time, pace and calories burned. Sexy Sally makes another appearance in this app to tell me my progress: "You're halfway!" The app also allows me to listen to a playlist chosen by me but with the added benefit of a power song that I can skip to if I'm feeling sluggish. Which is always, so I have never actually used the power song. At this point, they are all power songs.

App3 is the iMapMyRun app which....you guessed it, maps my run via gps through the phone. I can also map my run manually by going to the site and tracking the streets I ran on. Which I have had to do, due to operator error (inability to correctly push the START button). This app tracks my start and finish times, duration (duh), distance, pace and calories burned.

All the apps allow me to post to Facebook or Twitter.

The problem arises when I start more than one app in succession and then realize that only one app has been tracking my progress and I either have to skip the app ahead to catch up with me or run longer so that I catch up to the app and then none of them are synchronized. Or I start listening to my playlist in one app and then change the song in the other app and then all the apps are angry with me.

Despite all this technology, for W3D2 I sat and read my book on the couch instead. I am actually proud of myself that it took me three weeks to get lazy about it. I have been known to quit on the very first day of something, like "nah, changed my mind 'bout that." But I'm also happy to say that I went for a half mile walk with my son Jake and Rosie in the afternoon as my guilt exercise.

W3D2attempt2, I ran with Rosie with a treat in her mouth so that she wouldn't sniff. Now, do you realize what sheer genius this is? I was able to C25K most of the 2 miles without last week's tugging and stopping short or pirouettes! She didn't bother sniffing all over because she just concentrated on holding that little rawhide stick in her mouth looking forward to the moment she could devour it. Like a reward! It was a great w3d2. And I gave myself a pat on the back for my additional genius dog training technique.

W3D3 Rosie ate the treat half way through. Foiled.

W3D4, an EXTRA! A chance for me to redeem my laziness earlier in the week. What actually happened is that my friend, Sue C25Ked with me, and I didn't want to tax her too much by stepping up to W4D1 for her first C25K experience. And it was windy and cold and I really was on the verge of skipping the damned thing and she provided great motivation.

So on to W4!