I don't think anyone would ever call me a runner by nature. And if I ever were to utter such a stupendous fabrication, my physique would belie my claim. But, according to... science, running is a great form of exercise for weight loss and overall fitness. I am particularly attracted to running since I am a recovering smoker. It's been six or seven months now since I last had a cigarette and I am obsessed with undoing the damage that-at one point was-a pack every two days habit had done to my heart and lungs. So I started running. At first, the treadmill seemed like a good place to start. I could choose my own pace and make it as challenging as I wanted. I'm also a huge numbers junkie, and some of the better treadmills will give numbers like average pace, average incline, time, distance, and calories burned. With numbers, I can track my progress fairly easily and make training into a game about beating my previous benchmarks. But running for running's sake really sucks. It feels like I'm just running in circles, moving my legs but not really going anywhere (I try to be funny on occasion). So that's when I decided to sign up for a 5k. One of my favorite webcomic/blog sites is the Oatmeal, and they're hosting the "Beat the Blerch" run.
This way, I figured it would provide me with a goal to reach. Having never ran a race before, I decided that 30 minutes was a completely reasonable time in which to run what is essentially 3.1 miles. After all, if a nice stroll pace is about 20 minutes per mile, twice as fast can't be that hard. Well, as it turns out, while 5 kilometers in half an hour isn't breaking any land speed records, it is a whole lot faster than I was prepared for. So I found a great app in the Google Play store that I highly recommend. It's called "Zombie 5k."
It may cost $1.99, but it's worth every penny. Every week it takes you through different running drills. The first week is 15 seconds of running and 1 minute of walking. The second week it challenges your endurance with 30 seconds of running and 1 minute of walking with 5 heel lifts after each run. All the while, this app narrates for you a world in which you and a band of renegades are trying to survive against hordes of zombies, other people, and who knows what else? It's hinted that my camp is embattled with another camp of survivors. I'm two weeks in to training, and I'm loving it.
The 5k is November 20th, so hopefully I'll be up to the half hour task, Right now, thanks to the app, my 5k time is around 38 minutes or so, Althoughm that's with switching between running and walking. I want to be able to RUN! the whole 5k. Well, wish me luck.
This way, I figured it would provide me with a goal to reach. Having never ran a race before, I decided that 30 minutes was a completely reasonable time in which to run what is essentially 3.1 miles. After all, if a nice stroll pace is about 20 minutes per mile, twice as fast can't be that hard. Well, as it turns out, while 5 kilometers in half an hour isn't breaking any land speed records, it is a whole lot faster than I was prepared for. So I found a great app in the Google Play store that I highly recommend. It's called "Zombie 5k."
It may cost $1.99, but it's worth every penny. Every week it takes you through different running drills. The first week is 15 seconds of running and 1 minute of walking. The second week it challenges your endurance with 30 seconds of running and 1 minute of walking with 5 heel lifts after each run. All the while, this app narrates for you a world in which you and a band of renegades are trying to survive against hordes of zombies, other people, and who knows what else? It's hinted that my camp is embattled with another camp of survivors. I'm two weeks in to training, and I'm loving it.
The 5k is November 20th, so hopefully I'll be up to the half hour task, Right now, thanks to the app, my 5k time is around 38 minutes or so, Althoughm that's with switching between running and walking. I want to be able to RUN! the whole 5k. Well, wish me luck.
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