couch to 5k

I am so extremely out of shape. Ever since starting grad school I put exercising on the back burner. I have totally let myself go and it is pretty gross. I kept telling myself that it was no big deal, because after grad school was over, I would hire a personal trainer and kick myself back into shape. Well, I can't take it anymore. I don't like being this unhealthy. Since I am taking the summer off from school, I am going to dedicate the time and energy I was using toward school and use it toward getting healthy again.  

So, to make exercising more exciting, I decided to sign up for a 5k.  A 5k translates to 3.1 miles, which to most people is not a far distance, but I do not run at all and I really do need to train for this. It's pretty pathetic that I have to train for such a short distance, because lots of people I know run marathons and half marathons and a 5k is like a warm up to them. But I am me and I am not them so... that is that. 

I found a program called "The Couch-to-5k Running Plan".  Their whole philosophy is that people try to become runners and they push themselves too hard at first and they tend to burn themselves out and lose interest. Well, this plan is a 9 week plan... and the race I signed up for is exactly 9 weeks away... eek! You run/walk/jog 3 times a week for no more than 30 minutes. I read through it and it is totally doable.

I also found a bunch of podcasts on iTunes that have people who talk you through each week. So, you just play the podcast and they tell you when to run and when to walk based on "The Couch-to-5k Running Plan" and they have even synced their music to go along with it!

Wish me luck... I am headed to the gym!