#23: Just keep running

Over the past few weeks, I've been working my way through the Couch To 5k program, and I'm proud to announce I just finished week 3 tonight! Shane is already on week 4, but I had to repeat a couple days until I felt comfortable with it. 

I should be done with the program sometime in early May, which leaves me plenty of training time before the Color Me Rad 5k here in Nashville on June 22. We did it last year (see below) but I was only able to make it for maybe one minute of running at a time, and that's being generous. With C25k I am feeling more and more comfortable with running and I feel that I'll really be able to run the whole 5k without stopping come June!

Here are some of the apps and the gear I've been using to keep me going while I'm a run: 

 1. RunKeeper

This app is amazing if you do street or trail running (or a variety of other outdoor distance sports like biking or skiing) because it tracks your time, your route, distance, estimated calories burned and pace. It will also tell you if you've made a new record for time/distance/altitude change, which is pretty cool. Another nice feature is the notes section, which I use to note which day of C25k I'm on and how I felt after the run. The basic app is free. There is an upgrade option which would be handy if you're REALLY into running and your stats. The absolute best part about this app is that you can sync it with a variety of other apps, like MyFitnessPal. When I log into MFP to log my dinner calories, it already shows the calories I burned during the run a few minutes before. 

Stock photo from the 'net, not my actual RunKeeper

2. My Camelbak Quick Grip Water Bottle

This was an impulse purchase at REI because it was on sale, but it was well worth the money I spent and then some. After the first few runs, I realized I was huffing and puffing so much that I would give myself the worst case of cotton mouth ever. A quick sip from the bottle and I'm all better! It might seem cumbersome to have to carry a bottle while running, but it does have a nice little hand strap that is adjustable. I tighten mine up so I really don't even have to hold on, it just sits there in my hand. It also has a handy pocket for keys and whatnot. Unless you just NEED to have both your hands free for some reason, a bottle like this is the way to go. 

3. Charity Miles

This is an absolute MUST DOWNLOAD for everyone reading this blog right now. This app is amazing. Basically every time you are walking, running, or bicycling, you just open it up, choose which charity you want to benefit, and go. Corporate and other sponsors donate goods, services, and money based on the distance you cover. The above charities are now only a fraction of what you can support, and they're adding new charities all the time. The other day I ran to support veterans, a few days before that it was Stand Up To Cancer, and today I donated 1/2 a polio vaccine with my 2 mile run. The more distance you cover, the more you donate. You could even keep this running while you're walking around the mall or if you have a really active job and walk a lot. 

4. Last but not least, my favorite C25k app, 5k Runner

Why deal with a pesky stopwatch to time your intervals when you can just use an app? This is the only app on this list I've spent actual money on, but at $2.99, it's worth it. There are a lot of apps like this out there, but this one is my favorite because it's easy to use and you can listen to your own iTunes music. The alerts are nice and loud and it even tells you when you've reached the halfway mark so you can turn around and go back. 

Yes, that's a lot of apps, and yes, I use them all at the same time. I don't have any problems running them all, but I've figured out an order to open them so nothing crashes (Charity Miles first, then open RunKeeper, then 5k Runner). It can be a bit tedious to get going when you're just ready to run, but I really like all three apps, so it's worth it to me.