Couch to 5k

There are heaps of things in life I want to do, and goals I want to meet, but I never really seem to get around to most of them.  One of those things is running.  Like really running, getting into a routine and actually enjoying it.  Ya'll have heard this before.  Well, I hate running right now.  I think it's because I usually do too much too soon, and get completely frustrated that my body just can't take it... 

But with so many great races around the year, and a bunch of friends that also run, I think it's an achievable goal.  Last spring, I ran (and I use the term "ran" loosely....) the St. Patrick's Day 8k, and it was miserable.  I was injured leading up to the race, ran it anyway, and then had a nasty stress fracture the following month.  I want to do things differently this time around. 

I've read a ton of reviews of the Couch to 5K running program, which seems to be the most popular beginner running plan, so I think I'm going to give it a shot.  I'm doing the nine week version, which is very moderate and should be doable.  Here's the workout plan for the first week (which I'll hopefully start on Monday):

Workout 1 -  5 minute warm-up walk; alternate 60 seconds jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

Workout 2 - 5 minute warm-up walk; alternate 60 seconds jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

Workout 3 - 5 minute warm-up walk; alternate 60 seconds jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.

Not too bad at all!  I'm going to try running on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays, since I usually spin on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. 

Has anyone else tried this program or heard anything about it?  Fingers crossed that I make it past the few couple of weeks... :)