I have been wondering what makes week four so difficult.  It seems so much harder than week three.  I now know why.  I took a look at the program and added up the total run times for the interval run segments.  I think my calculations are right.  Here is how the runs add up:

• Week 1 - 60 seconds X 8 = 8 minutes
• Week 2 - 90 seconds X 6 = 9 minutes
• Week 3 - 90 seconds X 2 + 3 minutes X 2 = 9 minutes
• Week 4 - 3 minutes X 2 + 5 minutes X 2 = 16 minutes
• Week 5.D1 - 5 minutes X 3 = 15 minutes
• Week 5.D2 - 8 minutes X 2 = 16 minutes
• Week 5.D3 - 20 minutes running (no walking)
• Week 6.D1 - 5 minutes X 2 + 8 minutes = 18 minutes
• Week 6.D2 - 10 minutes X 2 = 20 minutes
• Week 6.D3 - 25 minutes running (no walking)

The remaining weeks are run only, progressing up to 30 minutes. Here is what we can see from the run time totals.  Once you start, the entry levels don’t change much for the first three weeks, only  increasing by one minute of running time.  However, there is a substantial increase from the nine minutes of running in week three to the sixteen minutes of running in week four.  This is why it feels so difficult.  There is 77% more running in week four than in week three.  But, you’re prepared for it.  The first three weeks teach you how to push through when you don’t feel like running.  In week four, you push through again, going at a little slower pace if you need to.  It seems there are two gently sloping plateaus in the Couch to 5K program.  There is the initial jump from nothing to the entry level plateau.  There is a second jump from week three to week four, which gets you from the entry level plateau to the finishing level plateau.  Once you get through week four, the percentage increase per week and per workout reduce.  The mixing of the intervals in week six after only running at the end of week five teaches you that it is easier to keep your rhythm and to keep moving, than it is to stop the rhythm and then have to reacquire it again for the next run interval.  Completion of the Couch to 5K program is within your grasp.  Keep at it!  You can do it!

The C25K program consists of three workouts per week for nine weeks. This is the results of the workout for week four, day two. Program: Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then two repeats of: three minute run, 90 seconds walk, 5 minute run, two and a half minute walk. Brisk five-minute cool-down walk. Result: I completed the workout as planned. My heart rate averaged 131 bpm and peaked at 151 bpm. Including the warm-up and cool-down, I did 2.00 miles in 34:10 for an average speed of 3.52 mph. The workout today was a little better. Though the temperature was nice in the mid-60s, humidity was 90% when I started, not so nice.  It balanced out to 70F/70% by the end of the workout.  After downing half a PB&J before stretching, I had a bit more energy than on day one. I started the first run segment a little slower also, which saved some energy for later. I normally run with my elbows bent and hands loosely held up in front of my chest. Later in the day one workout, I found my hands dropping down closer to my waist. This time, I had the energy to keep them up, barely. I’ve heard it said that new gadgets can provide motivation. I had done a pre-order on a Garmin Forerunner 405CX, which included a ‘free’ Garmin Forerunner 50.  The 50 has done well tracking heart rate for a while, but it will be nice to combine the GPS and timing into one device.  The 405CX arrived yesterday.  But, back to the gadget motivation.  In the second five minute run, Ullrey makes a comment about picking up the pace for the last minute.  As nice as this gadget is, it did not provide more energy.  It did let me see that my speed dropped below 4.0 mph for that last minute of the run, though. I got a bit of a treat at the end. The second five minute run interval ended just onto the grass of the park. So, I pulled off my VFF Classics and did most of my cool-down by walking barefoot through the cool grass. That was lovely, like getting a foot massage. The cool grass is one benefit of changing from an evening to a morning workout. I’ll have to try to time future workout routes to see if I can get a repeat.

The C25K program consists of three workouts per week for nine weeks. This is the results of the workout for week four, day one. Program: Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then two repeats of: three minute run, 90 seconds walk, 5 minute run, two and a half minute walk. Brisk five-minute cool-down walk. Result: I completed the workout as planned. My heart rate averaged 136 bpm and peaked at 157 bpm. Including the warm-up and cool-down, I did 1.97 miles in 33:10 for an average speed of 3.57 mph. Combining the start of week four and a change to a morning workout, this workout really wore me out. I began struggling part of the way through the first three minute run segment. Tapping into my newly found abilities, forged through prior workouts, I pushed through that run segment and the remaining run segments. With the feeling of additional difficulty, seeing the uploaded workout results was a pleasant surprise. Average speed and distance increased compared with week three. It certainly felt like I was going slower than before. But, I’ll take it. To make 5K in the same amount of time, I will need to up my average speed substantially. I’m less than half way through the program. Perhaps I’ll make it yet.

As part of my exploration of minimalist footwear and the barefoot movement, I bought one of the huarache kits from Barefoot Ted. The kit I bought included 4mm Vibram Cherry rubber sole material and leather laces. The one thing I did not like about the standard huaraches is having a thick knot of leather in the front, right under the webbing of the first and second toe. As a much thinner alternative, I applied a different method. A leather dog lead we have has a twist in the connection of the handle loop. I applied a similar twist design to the front knot of the leather huaraches strap. The result was a flat leather “knot” that is almost the same thickness as the original leather strap.  Here are a few pictures of this flat leather “knot.” Here are the instructions for making the flat leather knot:

The C25K program consists of three workouts per week for nine weeks. This is the results of the workout for week three, day three. Program: Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then two repeats of: 90 seconds of jog, 90 seconds walk, 3 minute jog, three minute walk. Brisk five-minute cool-down walk. Result: I completed the workout as planned. My heart rate averaged 134 bpm and peaked at 157 bpm. I did 1.75 miles in 31:24 for an average speed of 3.35 mph. I started off fast (for me), which may explain the slightly longer distance. But, I then had to push to keep going through the remaining run segments. The second ninety second and last half of the second three minute run segments were the hardest. Though I had to push and was glad when they were over, I ran a little more anyway. My shoes for today were my Vibram FiveFinger Classics. As is my norm with these, I did not wear socks. The FiveFingers are minimalist shoes and I had been wanting to try running barefoot. But, I had been reluctant to do it earlier because of worry that it might interfere with my workout. Today, I decided to try it out. After the last three minute segment, I pulled off the VFFs and ran an extra minute barefoot on cement sidewalks. It felt fine, not much different than with VFFs. As the form is the same, this makes some sense. When I reached the end of the sidewalk, I stopped running and took a right. This led me through the grass of a park beside another street. The cool grass felt great! So, when it was time to cut across the street and toward my house, I left off the VFFs and completed the cool-down barefoot. It was easier than I had thought it would be and my feet were fine. Week three is complete. The second two workouts of week three seemed harder than those of the week two, but I was better prepared mentally to push through them. I suspect I will need this new found ability even more in the weeks ahead.