Couch to 5k

Today marks the completion of my first week of the Couch to 5k program! (For the third time...but that's okay! ;) I discovered a few things and feel really good about heading into the next seven weeks. I chose to do this program along with ballet class once per week, because running is free and I can take Coco with me in the jogging stroller. It really is so much easier than going to a gym, dealing with daycare and changing rooms and lockers and getting there and back. Overall, running will take so little time and effort. It's the perfect mama exercise. When she's a little older, the gym thing might be tempting as they do have the daycare. But for now, J and I are working on coordinating so I can go to ballet once a week for myself and the other days I can run (eventually!) with Coco. 

Week one was all about the learning curve. The first day, I was having trouble with my phone and not being able to hear the commands. It was raining a little bit, so I had to have the rain cover over Coco in our running stroller and that made the phone impossible to hear. I talked to J about it, who primarily runs with the running stroller (I'm so new to all this!) and we decided that we are going to get this cool handlebar console and cup holder speaker! So fabulous.

On the second day, I almost killed myself and Coco. I took a route that meant we had to cross a busy street and somehow I started out into the intersection and looked up and saw that the light was red for me and turning green for the cars speeding our way. I screamed, threw myself into reverse and vowed never to go that way again. After our near death experience, I discovered that running by the lakeside with a stroller is nearly impossible with all the people around anyway. Fail and fail!

Today, day three, I feel like I'm getting into the groove. The extended winter we're having in Zurich has been really hard on me; I'm sluggish and depressed lately. So I have to say that getting out for a heart-pumping run/walk is really helping. This is going to be so good for me. 

All in all, Couch to 5k is genius. I wouldn't say it's a complete piece of cake, because by the time the "walk now" command comes along, I'm usually fine with hearing it. ;) But it's absolutely doable and not the least bit intimidating. It's broken down into manageable snippets and I can see how over the course of 8 weeks, I'll find myself able to run for 5 full kilometers without stopping. Incredible! Are you a runner? How did you get started? Are you (like me) a running-phobe? If so, would you ever consider the Couch to 5k program?