C25K Update and Some Questions

You all may remember that I decided to start Couch to 5K (C25K) around the beginning of the summer. I started out strong, and I was surprised at how easily my body adjusted to running/jogging. Yet, over the entire summer, I'm still on week two of the program! Haha... I found that I kept skipping weeks, and that hampered my progress, so I would have to fall back a week. Boo.

Time for a new plan. C25K recommends running three days a week, following the program's weekly progressions. No good for me. I keep pushing off the days I'm supposed to run. So, I'm amping it up to every day. I may not make it out every day, but at least if I tell myself I'm going to go every day, I'll end up fulfilling the three days a week.

I'm also not necessarily requiring myself to run every day. If I'm struggling, I'll go for a long speed walk instead. Not a big deal, I'm still moving, still exercising. It counts. Right?

Last week, I managed a short run one day, with two long walks on alternating days. Not too shabby for my first week of Plan B.

This week, I have scheduled time in my calendar every day to run. I will be tackling week two, which is alternating 90 seconds of running with two minutes of walking for 20 minutes total. Today, I ended up taking a mid-morning break from work (ah, the pleasures of working from home) to run and clear my head. 

My playlist for today:

I'm with You -- Avril Lavigne

Call Me -- Blondie

More than Fine -- Switchfoot (great running song)

Champagne High -- Sister Hazel (appropriate song for today since it was drizzly and gloomy)

Jesse's Girl -- Rick Springfield

A note about my playlist: songs are randomly selected from my crafted "workout" playlist. I downloaded a free trial of a program that analyzes my iTunes library and determines the BPM (beats per minute) for each song. Google "BPM counter," and you should be able to find one. I then created a smart playlist built off of songs with BPM of 120 or higher (what is recommended for exercise). I find up-tempo music motivates me to push harder when I'm thinking about giving up.

I'm always looking for new music, however, and there's some songs that snuck into my playlist that I don't think belong there. So, what do you listen to when working out? Do you have any favorite workout songs that you would recommend for me? I'm all ears! 

Today's run was good. I had some challenging moments, but I completed it, and I felt a lot better when I got back. The goal of clearing my head, lifting my mood and shrugging off my sleepiness worked.

I also need to start mapping out some three-mile loops around my neighborhood. Does anyone know of any free, Web-based mapping tools that I could use to create running trails? 

{Image via Your Fitness Partner}