Run - C25K W4D3

Today was not easy. I was actually slated to do today's run on Tuesday, but I had to abort the mission because I'd eaten badly for lunch and so weight training took a lot out of me. I ate better today but apparently still not well enough, because I felt a bit nauseous during running, which just means that I need to plan ahead better.

I feel like this attempt at running is really teaching me a lot that I wasn't expecting. I mean, I would be happy with the physical side effects - increased cardiovascular health that will hopefully lead to increased stamina and muscle tone and decreased weight eventually. But I'm also gaining a lot of self-knowledge, for example:

* TIME MANAGEMENT: I can't eat like crap before trying to run. It just doesn't work. I need to plan ahead.
* EARLY TO BED, EARLY TO RISE: Now I see why so many people run in the morning ... it's much easier to run on an empty stomach.
* PACE YOURSELF: Today, especially on my first 5-minute interval, I started too fast ... and boy did I regret it somewhere around minute 3. Next 5-minute interval, I was ready for it and slowed down my starting pace to match my breathing. Much better.
* BACK-TO-BACK ISN'T ALWAYS BEST: My gym is structured in such a way that we are encouraged to weight-train for half an hour, then do half an hour of cardio while post-training metabolism is up. I started planning my running into this half an hour because it was cold outside and I didn't want to run outside, and it worked out well because the intervals weren't too strenuous. Well, now they're getting harder, so I think I need to split my weight training and my running. I'll still do post-weight cardio, but it will usually be less intense.

Today was my last day in Week 4, and while I wasn't entirely pleased with how I felt today, I think it was more about my eating habits than about my actual running. I'm looking forward to W5D1 for two reasons:
A) It is scheduled for Saturday morning, which is supposed to be sunny and dry, and I'll be able to run on an empty stomach (or almost empty, as I still haven't figured out what works best for me in the AM)
B) I'm intimidated by W5D3, but W5D1 is run5-walk3-run5-walk3-run5. And I'm excited about it because I KNOW I CAN DO IT. And that empowerment? That, my friends, can make all the difference.