Guest Blogger: Bryce Haymond is a 28-year-old Design Manager from Pleasant Grove, Utah. His hobbies include computer graphics, reading, writing, ballroom dancing, playing with his iPhone, blogging about ancient temples at TempleStudy.com , and spending time with his cute wife and two adorable children.
When I was 12, I got into competitive ballroom dancing. I continued dancing through college, where I was a member of the Brigham Young University Ballroom Dance Company. Needless to say, after thousands of hours of rehearsal and competition over 14 years, I felt I was in pretty good shape!
Then I graduated in 2007. A few months ago, I decided to do something about my lack of physical activity and increasing weight gain. I started running and found out very quickly that my body was not conditioned for running. I started getting runner’s knee in my left knee, and then my right knee, which halted my runs.
I took the plunge and bought a used iPhone 3G. One of the things I wanted to do was track workouts via GPS. The thought of being able to visually map out my runs in real-time, and calculate the speed, distance, and other factors, intrigued me. So I found RunKeeper, thanks to Lifehacker.
My first runs with RunKeeper were great! I was finally able to track my time, distance, speed, pace, and it mapped it all out on a Google Map. It was beautiful, and did precisely what I wanted it to, and all with just the iPhone and the app. It kept me motivated to continue running. But I still had problems; my runs were unguided.
I knew I needed to take it slower and shorter. Then I found the Couch-to-5K Running Plan, a 9-week training program. This fit the need. It makes it extremely easy to start running for non-runners. The reason is because it works on intervals, starting with walking. Each day prescribes a specific interval combination to do. By week 9 you’re able to run a full 5K (3.1 miles) in 30 minutes or less.
Lucky for me, RunKeeper had just released a new version with support for interval audio cues! It was very easy to set the intervals to precisely what I needed for the C25K program. There was even warm-up and cool-down toggles. Perfect!
After several weeks of using RunKeeper Pro, I couldn’t be more satisfied. It has given me the motivation to stick with my training program, and given me some tangible memory of my runs and progress, as well as being able to analyze my speed and elevation changes. After more training, I discovered problems with my running form that were causing my injuries and I corrected them.
I am now beginning week 9 of the Couch-to-5K plan. Last Tuesday I shaved off another 14 seconds of my 5K to 25:24. I’ve lost several pounds in the process. On August 22nd, I plan to run my first 5K race with Wasatch Mental Health’s 4th Annual Race for Recovery, and by doing so will help to provide services to adults with serious mental health illnesses. It’s great that I can have fun running, stay fit, and help others at the same time.