Gone Running

One of my goals for 2014 is to run more often. I've been running for about 3 years now, but not very regularly. I started out doing the Couch to 5K (C25K) program, and to anyone who is thinking about trying it - do it!

It's a fantastic program. I honestly had trouble with the 3 minute running intervals in the third week (the 60 and 90 second intervals in the first two weeks weren't too bad) and was absolutely terrified of the 8 minute run in week 5. But now I can easily run 5K. I've even run 10K a couple of times.

My problem is, I don't run often enough so I'm not building my endurance or my speed. I am seriously slow. I'm averaging 34-36 minutes for a 5K. I really want to break that 30 minute barrier. But I have to keep reminding myself,

I think I'm going to start the Bridge to 10K program, the next level up from the C25K. I obviously need someone telling me what to do.

So I went out and bought a few gadgets to make running a little more fun. First I got some new headphones/earbuds. I have weird ear openings. I don't know if they're really small or just a strange shape, but I have trouble keeping regular earbuds in place. I bought these Sony Active Sport headphones and I'm loving them already.

They wrap around your ear and the speaker just kind of rests in your ear rather than being jammed in there. The loop is so lightweight it's almost like foam. You know how your sunglasses arms can pinch behind your ear if they're too tight? You don't get any of that. And they stay in place.

I also bought an armband to hold my phone. I'll admit, I'm a flailer. Somehow I always manage to snag the headphone wire with my hand at least once per run and nearly knock my phone off the treadmill. And when I run outside I don't like to hold anything in my hands. So this is just perfect.

And of course there are paint splatters on it already. I was doing touch ups on the basement ceiling and listening to music at the same time. If it wasn't covered in paint or dog hair how would I know it was mine?

So there you go. My tools and my plan. I use Map My Run to keep track of my progress. Some of my friends are on it, so that keeps me accountable. But you won't see any photos of me running, because I'm pretty sure it would be something like this:

Do you run? Do you enjoy it? How long have you been running? Do you have any tips?