Couch-to-5K Week 5 Complete!

American Tobacco Trail, Durham, NC

This morning I decided to run outside instead of heading to the treadmill in the gym, since the weather was gorgeous and pretty cool! Where to run? I charged up my Garmin Forerunner and headed to my favorite running trail, the American Tobacco Trail in Durham. It was a gorgeous morning for being outside!

Although I take walk breaks outdoors at work with some frequency, this was my first run outside in ages, and definitely my first run outdoors since starting the Couch-to-5K program. I tend to push the pace on the treadmill a bit, plus it's easier for me to maintain a consistent pace on the treadmill. And of course, the gym's air conditioning helps! :-)

So, I was a little concerned about my slower pace, plus today's C25K plan was to warm up for 5 minutes, then run for 20 minutes straight, then cool down down for 5. I decided to go for it anyway, and let the chips fall where they may. 5K races are held outdoors, after all. Time to head for the trails!

I completed my run/walk, 1.55 miles, in 32:18 minutes, a paltry 20:50 pace, but I did run (okay, jog very slowly) the whole 20 minutes. I was concerned about running out of steam, but it ended up fine. Except that I'm a little embarrassed about my pace. But now I have a new benchmark to beat in time. I have to remember that I'm in training! Speed is not the issue now. At least, speed shouldn't be the issue. *sigh*