For my second week of training to run a 5k, I still took it slow. I didn’t want to rush myself and ruin the idea of running for myself, so I did the first two days as a faster paced walk. I noticed as the days went by I found it easier to walk for longer distances without feeling out of breath or having to slow down, so I decided to increase my difficulty for the last day of my second week. I started this last day like usual, with a fast paced walk on my usual trail, but after around 5 minutes of walking, I ran for 30 seconds. It may not sound like a lot but I don’t run often, and because I had to keep the health of my foot in mind, I had to start very slow. I continued the pattern of walking for 5 minutes and running for 30 seconds until I returned back to my starting position, and by the end of my day I felt good. I had successfully shaved 5 minutes off my time without hurting myself, and I was able to stay with the pattern without getting discouraged.
I found that by the end of the week I not only found that my stamina had improved, but that I also saw an improvement with my mental health which is super important this time of year. I also found myself running more often than just my scheduled days, even if just across the parking lot to my car at the end of the day. Overall I think my second week was super successful!