PART ONE | PART TWO (this post)| PART THREE |  PART FOUR

Three months ago, after nearly killing myself by trying to keep up with the jogging club at work, I started Zombies Run! 5k Training.

I’ve been keeping a record of all my runs and taking photos as I go, but I’ve hesitated about posting too much of it here — I don’t feel like a “real” runner yet. Maybe I never will feel like a real runner, but I’m out there, and I’m running, and that’s what matters.

Getting to run from zombies is jut the icing on the cake.

Week 3

5 min walk
5 min free-form run
__
1 min run
1 min walk
10 sec knee lifts (note: in-game audio says 10 knee lifts)
(x5)
__
8 min free-form run
2 min stretching
8 min free-form run

Day 1 (10th March):  W3D1 done yesterday, went okay even though I’m still recovering from food poisoning (I swear “Zombies, Run! 5k” attracts weird illnesses and injuries…).

I’m not yet up to running 5 mins without stopping, but I’m closer than even before. I’m hoping to have it mastered by the end of the week. :)

(My run went surprisingly well even though I’d been ill over the weekend. If you think that’s not going to last, you get a gold star…)

Day 2 (12th March): W3D2 went badly. Struggle on the first free-form, dragged myself through the drills, and managed 2 mins of the 8-min free-form before my legs just gave up an went “nope, we’re walking this”.

Okay, so maybe running in bright sunlight after food poisoning, three days of liquid meals (er, soup and such, not booze), and giving blood was unwise… I’m pretty sure my body is crying out for protein.

Gonna have to try that run again after I’ve had some rest… and maybe a metric ton of steak.

(So, yeah, lesson learned: don’t run after three days of soups and toast, giving blood, and throwing up. DON’T BE AN IDIOT LIKE ME.)

Day 3 (14th March): W3D3 was a bit rubbish as well. I didn’t struggle as badly as D2 but wasn’t happy with my free-form runs.

I’d be tempted to re-do this week, but it looks like Week 4 shakes up the order of things a bit. I’m going to continue on with Week 4 and see how it goes. :)

Week 4:

5 min walk
5 min free-form run
__
10 knee lifts
1 min slow walk
1 min fast walk
(x5)
__
1 min walk
30 sec run
(x5)
__

15 min free-form run

Day 1 (17th March): Alright, Week 4 Day 1 done. Really enjoyed the change of pace, added quite a bit of variety. I’m having some difficulty getting my breathing right (I tend to run out of air even at a slow pace) but I’m working on it…

(I think this was the first time I hit the infamous “wall” runners talk about — a mental block stopping me from running further. I knew, by this point, that I had the stamina to go further than I was going. But I just couldn’t do it. I couldn’t get past my regular stopping points.

I was also adjusting to the dietary changes needed for running. Getting enough energy for my runs from my normal meals was becoming a problem…)

Day 2 (21st March): After another long rest, I hit Day 2 after work, and found it surprisingly easy going especially compared to Week 3.

Day 3 (23rd March): Another easy-ish day, but also an important one. When I started this course I struggle to run for 15 minute intervals, but by the end of Week 4 I was running for full minutes without breaking a sweat.

Improvement! Real, visible improvement! I still wasn’t brave enough to consider myself a runner (runners were, in my mind, people who ran for half an hour without slowing to a walk. I was still regularly slowing to a walk). Run blog over here.

My “Zombies, Run!” Playlist

For Mood:

Blue Stalhi: “Metamorphosis” Life Theory Remix
Imagine Dragons: “Radioactive”
My Chemical Romance: “Save Yourself, I’ll Hold Them Back”, “Bulletproof Heart”
LMFAO: “Party Rock Anthem'” (A must have as you shuffle away from zombies.)
Michael Jackson: “Thriller”
The Used: “Wake the Dead”

For Motivation:

Bon Jovi: “Have a Nice Day”, “It’s My Life”, “Livin’ On A Prayer”, “Wanted Dead or Alive”, “You Give Love A Bad Name”
Jimmy Eat World: “The Middle”
Lonely Island: “EVERYTHING IS AWESOME”
Maroon 5: “Moves Like Jagger”
Fall Out Boy: “The Phoenix”, “Young Volcanoes”, “My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark” and some of their older stuff too (but their newer singles are best for running).
My Chemical Romance: “Na Na Na”, “House of Wolves” a bunch of others
Less Than Jake: “My Best Friends Are Metalheads”, “Overrated”
Florence and the Machine: “Shake It Out”, “Dog Days Are Over”
Katy Perry: “E.T.”, “Firework”
A ton of Green Day classics, but “Warning” is particularly fitting.