I'm in week 4 (or the 2nd week of week 2) in the C25K Program (The Couch-to-5K Running Plan) and I'm beginning to hit walls in my training. The whole reason I added an extra week to each single week program was to allow my body to adjust to the exercise and be better prepared for the increase in training, but instead my body feels like it did at the beginning.
Yesterday I felt like I was gonna die running on that treadmill. The only reason I was even able to finish my 20 mins was because I can be a very stubborn Bitch when it comes to being defeated. Where that comes from...you'll have to ask my mother...;-)
I made sure to stretch before my run (like any responsible runner) but from the moment I started running, it felt wrong.
My knees hurt like hell, my gate was off so I was running with a bit of a limp, and by the time I was half way through I was so exhausted and in pain I wanted someone to kill me. When I finally finished my run through hell, I found I could barely talk, and had pain from the top of my head, to the tips of my toes. I realized (after the blood returned to my aching brain) that next time I might have to give myself more time to recover if I decide to spend another Saturday wedding shopping with my aunts. -_-
Granted...the next day I was grateful that I had pushed through the pain because I'm still continuing to see more noticeable changes in my body everyday, and the great thing is, I'm not the only one.
My stomach is flatter and my over all waist is smaller. The 3 rolls of fat that I had on my back (aka my three wise men) are almost completely gone. My saddle bags are smoothing out and my bra band size has gone from a 36 back to a 34. So I haven't even finished my first month of this program and I'm already seeing results. The last thing I want to do right now is slow down....
I know intellectually that I can't push myself like other people, and that if I do, I can end up doing more damage to myself in the long run, but it's so hard to tell yourself to slow down when you finally begin to see the results that you longed for.
I'm doing the impossible, I'm turning back the clock. Forcing back the hands of time. Undoing all the damage I've done, so why would I want to slow that down?
The real question is...how far can I push it?
If I slow down too much, I could end up stalling like a plane, loosing the motivation that my noticeable body changes are giving me. But if I continue to ignore the pain, I could hurt myself to the point of becoming immobile which would definitely bring me back to square 1.
So once again...it's all about compromise.
I continue my routine as usual, but if I notice more pain like I did on Monday, I stop running and just walk the 20 mins. That way, I'm still getting some exercise in but without the risk of further injury.
Will it annoy me? Yes...
Will I want to cheat? Yes...
Will I cheat? No...
Will it be worth it? Yes...as long as I practice the fine art of patience....
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