Run - C25K W4D2

As I've mentioned previously, I've been plugging along at the Cool Runnings Couch-to-5K Program. My attention to the program has been a bit lax due to weather conditions, but I've been getting much more consistent lately and I can definitely feel it in the way that my body is reacting to the program now.

I did W3D4 (shhhhh) on Wednesday and W5D1 on Friday, both of which were on a treadmill after weight training; on Thursday I went to an extended spinning class; yesterday I spent all day in grad classes and eating lots of delicious Indian food ... so when I woke up this morning, I was lazy and sore. Especially my lower abs. I was planning to go to weight training and then run, but my abs were practically screaming to me, begging, "No more butterfly crunches!" So I figured I'd take the day off from weights and instead just go for the run outside, especially as weather.com listed today's comfort level at an 8 (it had been hovering between 3-5 for weeks).

I really enjoyed my run today. Week Five has much longer jog times than I'm accustomed to, varying between 3 and 5 minute intervals, so I made a conscious effort to not worry about the speed in my jogs, instead just trying to get through the full length of time. (I think that's the hard part about the treadmill - I press too high for my jogs.)
I'm developing a newfound appreciation for my town, especially for its relatively flatness. I live about a mile from the Charles River so today I jogged up there and around the Upper Charles River path, which was different from just hitting residential streets. My total distance according to MapMyRun was 2.06 miles ... which means I should re-calibrate my iPod, which told me it was 2.37 mi.

One of the great parts about today's run was the music. Every year for Lent I tend to give up secular music ... a few years ago this pushed me into talk radio, which has made subsequent Lents considerably easier. However, I'm not one to run to podcasts, so I went through my Christian music selection to pick out some upbeat tunes4Jesus. My playlist, called "2 Tim 4:7" for the Scripture verse about "I have run the race, I have fought the fight," has a tendency to align with my needs. For example, my walking intervals often aligned with Charlie Hall (specifically the song "Running with Your Heart," which gave me strength because it no longer felt like I was running alone or that my heart was the only one pumping blood through my veins) and my running intervals tended to align with David Crowder Band - my last 5 minute interval was "Foreverandeverandever" followed by "We Win," both of which kicked my butt to continue onwards.

On a down note, my kitten got his paws - and even worse, his teeth - onto my favorite Sennheiser MX75 headphones! At first I was mad at my iPod Touch for not reacting to my prompts (another entry soon about the glorious iPod Touch!), so I went home to switch back to the Nano, and it was only then that I discovered the teeth marks. I had to pull out the backup headphones and remembered easily why I invested $50 in the MX75s to begin with. Guess I need to stop at the Apple store tomorrow after work ...