Counting minutes, not miles...

It's been a few weeks- I thought I should check in and let everyone know that I haven't stopped running for the cause. Thanks to my possibly over-enthusiastic promise not to run a mile this summer until I find a summer training sponsor-- I've been keeping true to my word and not running any miles. But I have been running for minutes-- up to 30 at a time actually.

----the pre-run breathing treatment----

This summer I have the awesome experience of being a pace leader for the DRC Couch to 5k program. This is a group for beginning runners and walkers who want to work up to participating in a 5k by July 4th. I love being a part of this program! It doesn't seem like that long ago I was in the same position as many of the participants in this group, so it is very exciting to see their progress and share their enthusiasm.
The workouts for this group are all based on time rather than miles. We are working up to running a continuous 30 minutes, so currently the workouts involve a mix of walking/jogging. Last week we ran for 5 minutes straight, and tonight we ran for 10. I was wondering how a lot of these newer runners would handle doubling their running time in just a week, but they all looked GREAT out there tonight!
Another benefit of this program for me is that I can take my own training much slower for the summer and find out how my body will adapt to running in the Dallas heat and humidity. My running abilities have changed DRAMATICALLY with the change in climate. Heat has been physically been a big struggle for me for several years now, so I'm trying to be patient and take it slow. I'm also learning a lot of technical running tips by doing this program that I missed out on when I started running. I can't wait to see how far this group will come by July 4th!

--- the post-run stretch---

So I am keeping my promise-- all my workouts are being logged in minutes rather than miles. But as soon as I find a summer training sponsor I will gladly make the switch. Like I said before, I won't be logging NEARLY the same number of miles per week as I was in the spring.... likely not more than 20 miles per week in case you're working out the math. If any potential sponsors are concerned about the unknown donation amount-- just let me know your limit. I'll do my best to earn all the dollars I can for Susan's Foundation this summer-- but don't want to drain out all my generous sponsors before the Texas marathon in December! :)

---group stretch---

(Thanks to Debbie for the pictures!)