The Plan

So, I am going to follow the Couch to 5K plan for the next 9 weeks to get myself ready for my first race. This is the plan:

Week 1 (repeat routine 3 times): Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

Week 2 (repeat routine 3 times): Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

Week 3 (repeat routine 3 times):Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following - Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds), Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds), Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes), Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)

Week 4 (repeat routine 3 times): Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then - Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes), Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds), Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes), Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes), Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes), Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds), Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)

Week 5 (repeat routine 3 times): Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then - Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes), Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes), Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes), Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes),
Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)

Week 6 (repeat routine 3 times): Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then - Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes), Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes), Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes), Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes),
Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)

Week 7 (repeat routine 3 times): Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes).

Week 8 (repeat routine 3 times): Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes).

Week 9 (repeat routine 3 times): Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes).

I DID IT!!!

While I am anxious to start with Week 1 today, I will venture to say that I will repeat these more than three times a week. That is my absolute bare minimum for exercise. Rather, my goal is to do the routine 5-6 times a week. If weather is bad, I will hit my treadmill. NO EXCUSES!

I'll keep you posted on how well I stick to these goals. If I stay motivated and hold myself accountable (and you hold me to it, as well), I'm confident I will rock this!

Here I go...