Zen Labs C25K Couch to 5K Week 2 Day 1

Week 2 Day 1

Yesterday was Week 2 Day 1 of Zen Labs C25K Couch to 5K. I was super excited to go out for my run for a few reasons. The first of which was because I had brand new running shoes and running socks! I love my shoes. They are bright blue and oh so comfy. They are Nike's and I'll write more about them later. I think they are my first pair of Nike's in my entire life. I was a Reebok fan as a kid and as an adult, I would never spend $100 on a  pair of sneakers! I would spend that money on clogs since I love clogs oh so much and have never really liked wearing sneakers as an adult. I also had a brand new arm band for my iPhone 6 Plus and I was using hubby's Jawbone UP3 since he didn't like it. So many new things all on one day! I almost wish I had paced myself and spread out the new things. What will keep me running if I don't have new things to play with?

Okay so first....the shoes! The shoes were awesome. My shins didn't hurt nearly as much. I'm going to say that it was because of the shoes and not because I'm somehow magically a better runner after only a week of C25K.

Second....the socks! I think everyone should wear running socks even when not running! The extra arch support was fabulous and the socks were so soft and comfy! I'll write more about the socks in another posts.

Third....The arm band. I'm still undecided about the arm band. I liked not having to hold the phone and worry that I would just let go and have it go crashing to the ground where I could step on it and smash it to bits and pieces. It was a bit too tight to be comfy on my upper arm and I didn't think that I would be able to see the screen up there, so I put it on my forearm. It was a bit awkward and I felt like I was a cyborg with this gigantic thing attached to me. The iPhone 6 Plus wasn't really built for running, but I got through it. Because of the plastic cover, I couldn't use my thumbprint to unlock the screen, so I just left the screen unlocked and didn't worry about my battery. It was awkward when I wanted to fast forward through a song, but it was easy enough to see how much time I had left for the interval and the for the workout. 

Fourth.....The Jawbone UP3. I'm not in love with this device. I'll write more about this one for sure. The screen shot above all the way to the right is from the app. I really like how the app looks and I like that you get the cute little graph that shows the steps by the minute. The device isn't exactly comfy though and I question the accuracy. After the workout, it asked me if I had been exercising during that time. That was interesting that it knew that and asked me about it. It made putting in the workout info easier. However, it shows that my only activity the entire day was during that 49 minute walk/run, but I clearly moved more than 49 minutes during the day. I have some issues with the calorie burn listed for my activity. I listed it as a moderate walk when it asked for what I did and what level I did it at. I did run for part of it, but there was more walking than running. I went with moderate because the running was intense for me, but the walking parts were easier so I went with an average. That 49 minute run shows as 1988 calories, but the same 49 minutes on Body Media show 599. I'm not saying that BodyMedia is perfect, but I'm fairly confident there's no way I burned almost 2000 calories in 49 minutes. I've seen workouts on YouTube that are called the 1000 calorie workout. They are crazy intense and you do them in an hour. I didn't work twice as hard as one of those workouts. That alone makes me seriously question the accuracy of this device. I've decided that it's not the device to replace my Body Media Link. I love my Body Media Link, but I'm tired of the monthly fee. However, I haven't found a replacement for it yet. 

Finally......The run! This workout was a 5 minute warm up followed by intervals of 90 seconds of running and 2 minutes of walking, followed by a 5 minute cool own. My warm up was longer than 5 minutes since I walk to the track before I start the running intervals. My cool down was also longer than 5 minutes since I walk home. It was a little chilly, but I just wore a t-shirt and was okay. It was a bit windy and I was running into the wind for most of the running intervals. The 90 seconds of running was about my max. I could probably have gone a little longer for the first few, but by the last few running intervals, I was definitely a clock watcher. I didn't do as much coughing during the running intervals as last which though. I'm very happy about that improvement. My shins didn't hurt as much during this run, which was another thing that I was very happy about. Overall, I felt pretty good about this run. I've got this same routine twice more and then next week turns crazy! There are parts where I have to run for three minutes. I was a clock watcher for the 90 seconds. I can't imagine 3 minutes straight! Hubby says I can do it. I probably can. The first time I attempting running, I actually ran from the track to my house which is an 8 or 9 minute walk, so I was probably running for at least five minutes. However, it was just that one little burst. I then sat on the couch and nearly died. That was several months ago though. It might have even been before spring. I remember it being pretty chilly and feeling stupid for only wearing a t-shirt. Now I'm rambling. Couch to 5K is going well! I'm kind of enjoying running on the track. I feel dorky to admit this, but sometimes I think of people in the stands cheering for me at the end of a race. I did not have any mishaps today with the app! This was my fourth day of the program and my first day without screwing up the app. I guess that's a positive note for the arm band.