Couch to 5K: Week 2 to 5 Progress Update

And before you know it I've already finished Week 5 of the Couch to 5K program. Time sure flies!

Initially, I was going to do a week by week progress update, but considering my blog update rates, that sounds like a recipe for disaster! So, here is a concise summary of what's happened in the last 4 weeks since Week 1. 

All the runs every week begin and end with a 5 min walk. 

Week 2 

The program is 6 reps of 90 sec running, followed by 2 min brisk walking. 

I found this to be quite challenging. I really wanted to improve on my time, so I used the intervals as sprinting challenges. 

Week 3 

The first of the paid version of the app, the runs this week are 170m running, then 170m walking, 365m running, then 365m walking. Repeat. 

An easy week, it was nice having a break from Week 2. At this stage, my best pace is on average 4:45min/km. 

Week 4

400m running, then 200m walking. 800m running, then 400m walking. Repeat. 

Best pace in 800m is 5:28min/km. 

Week 5 

First day: 800m run, 400m walk - repeat 3 times. 

Second day: 1.2km run, 800m walk - repeat. 

Third day: 3.2km run 

This is the first week that every day had a different training routine, so I was caught unawares on the 2nd day. The 3.2km run was a lot easier than I expected - finished it with a pace of 6:05min/km because I took the first half at a very cautious pace. 

For my general review of the RunDouble app, read my Week 1 progress update. 

Wicked Walks: Churchill National Park

We originally wanted to go to the Cathedral Range State Park, but we were too disorganized in the morning to make it there in good time. So, we decided to go somewhere closer (40 minute drive). 

The Churchill National Park is in Lysterfield South and joins up to the Lysterfield Lake Park. Popular with cyclists, we thought we'd swing by to see how the walks stack up. The walk we took was the recommended  track on the Park Note, the "adventurous" 6.4km walk from the carpark to Trig Point. 

Weather-wise, it was pretty gloomy. It had started spitting when we began our walk, but we carried on anyway, because we just really wanted to go for a walk :P Some very beautiful sites along the way. 

Majestic power lines

Kangaroos everywhere!

There were roos everywhere! Literally everywhere! I think we saw about 20 or so roos during our walk, and got scarily close to some of them. We snapped some photos, and left them alone, so they left us alone too. Phew! 

When we got up to Trig Point via a fairly steep walk, the rain had started to become just a little bit heavier. You were meant to be able to enjoy a 360 degree view of Melbourne, and perhaps you could on a good day. But it was way too cloudy and cold, not to mention wet. So, we snapped some photos and began our descent. 

Broody views from the top

Our journey back was wet. It was pouring, and the tracks had begun to fill with water. It was hard to place our steps as we weren't wearing waterproof shoes. My "water-resistant" outdoor windbreaker was soaked, as was my top underneath. And my jeans were really damp. I had to transfer my phone into my sister's backpack, hoping it would stay dry. 

By the time we got back to the car, we looked like we had gone for a shower. In hindsight, not the best time for a walk. In a moment of more craziness, not only did we not head straight home, we drove to Emerald to have lunch at The General Store (highly recommended to anyone in the area) and I decided to prance around town with no jacket and a very wet top and jeans in the cold. And yes, I did have a fever later on that day. 

We completed the walk (about 6.5km all up - we took a different route up and down) in about 1 hr 45 mins, with plenty of stops for snapshots as my sister had her DSLR with her. The scenery is pretty interesting, and if you love roos, you will love Churchill NP. 

Difficulty: Moderate with some high difficulty hills