Running and me? We have a checkered past. Depending on how you look at it, I’ve given it a go at running a 5K at least four times officially and at least two more unofficial tries. So what’s my game plan to master this 5K goal?

The plan this time around is not to do it alone. I’m partnering up with Meegan to conquer Couch to 5K once and for all. Since I’m running in the gym, I’m using this treadmill version for all of my runs. Here was the breakdown for today:

Overall I did 1.92 miles in 30 minutes, giving me an average pace of 15:37 or 3.84mph. Honestly… I think I could have pushed myself a little more. I think I could have both run and walked a little faster or run for longer segments.

And then the more I thought about that, the more I thought that maybe trying to do this C25K thing in full on BEAST MODE is why I haven’t followed through with it in the zillion times I’ve tried. Maybe this time I try to take it a little easier, following the general advice I’ve seen to try and run at the slowest pace you can actually maintain a run instead of pushing for faster times. I think if I keep my eye on the goal of endurance versus speed, I’ll be much better off.

So in the end, I finished today’s run feeling strong and content and happy with myself. I’m looking forward to the rest of the week’s runs and trying really, really hard not to freak out about the end of week 5, when I am suddenly expected to run for 20 straight minutes. So scared.

If Meegan gets the chance to blog about her run, I’ll link it up here!