From Couch to 5k to...who knows? About This Page:

[OhToodles!]

Sorry you had a bad day, but glad you got back out there and had a better run today!
I completed week 1 yesterday. Week 2 starts tomorrow!

[Big Baloo]

The fact that you wanted to get right back at it after a not so good run shows just how strong you are! Good job!

[Angela531]

Love your thread and following your progress...I just read it this weekend. Congratulations for all your hard work and not giving up. You are inspiring! I added the app and am trying my luck out as well. I finished my first session this morning for week 1. I took it easy and it wasn't so bad, definitely broke a sweat, but not as bad as the thoughts in my mind would have made it out to be.

[Tinkerboo]

Thanks so much, and how fantastic that you have joined Club C25k! [emoji3] Silencing those pesky thoughts is at least 75% of the hard work involved I think... [emoji57]

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S3 using Tapatalk :-)

[lsugirlinutah]

Originally Posted by Tinkerboo

Silencing those pesky thoughts is at least 75% of the hard work involved I think... [emoji57]

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S3 using Tapatalk :-)

I've also learned that about running, and really just exercising in general. Running is 90% mental, and learning how to silence that little voice in your head that says, "You can't do this. Start walking. This is too hard." I've been working out with a trainer, and that little voice always comes in telling me I'm not strong enough, this is too hard, just quit. And then I tell myself, "Don't listen to the lies." Sometimes I have to repeat this little mantra over and over in my head until that voice goes away. I do it when I run, too, or also when I don't seem to have the energy to get off the couch to workout.

You're doing great!

[Amy L]

Sorry you had a bad run. Happy to read that you got back out there and had a better run the next time. Just shake off those bad runs and try not to let them get to you. We ALL have them and it is so easy to let them get to you. If somebody could figure out why they occur and how to prevent them they would be a multi-millionaire!

Keep at it, you are doing great!

[Tim Sullivan]

Sorry, been away at meetings for a week, so missed the last few updates.

AMAZING that you got the 20 minutes straight in....such a great hurdle to leap over, well done on that one!

As far as the bad run goes....I think everyone else nailed it, but bad runs happen. I coach/mentor a lot of my co=workers, and one of the things I'm fond of saying to them (when they are focusing on bad results) is that last week/month/quarter is gone, nothing you can do to change it, so let's look forward to the next opportunity and make THAT one a success story.

We've all had bad runs...they happen, but I just toss it in the bin and forget about it and look forward to the next run and focus on what I can do to make that one better. Get more rest...make sure I fuel properly etc....all things that could have added up to the bad run, and things that can be fixed to ensure you've got a great run in the next time.

Also, to comment on that voice in your head you're worried about...there is a great inspirational quote I found somewhere that says, "The voice inside your head that says you can't do this is a liar." You're the only one that can hear that voice, you're the only one that can shut it up!

Keep up the great work!

Tim

[Tinkerboo]

Week 7 Run 1
When: Tuesday 10th June, 7.00pm
Where: Private road by 'our' beach, Andy walking the dog
Weather: Bright and blustery, with RAIN!
How long: 25 minutes
How far: 1.87 miles
What's the plan?: 5m (mins) warm-up walk - run 25 - 5m cooldown.
How'd I feel?: Can I start out by just saying...BOOM!! Week 7 and I'm still doing this!! Never in the history of time and space has anything so unlikely happened!! The planets have aligned in the aspect of Mercury and...okay, I exaggerate...but it does amaze me that a) I've stuck with it and b) it has gone past so fast. I'm sure that a good deal of the reason I've kept going is the encouragement from all of you so a huge for that.

Weather has been crazy all day - bright sunshine yet with heavy rain at the same time (how is that even possible?). I decided that IF it was dry as I pulled into the driveway from work then I would go, even if it looked like it might rain imminently. It was dry, so I went. Andy brought the dog [side note on Andy - he hasn't done a session for a while as his shifts have been jigging around to cover other people on holiday. He works with disabled adults and it can be quite physically tiring, so he doesn't always feel up to exercising after work (unlike me, who sits on my bum all day at work and can't wait to go out and move). I haven't pushed or nagged him about it as I know for sure it will put him off...I'm sure he'll keep going, but as and when he can, as opposed to on a stricter schedule like mine.]

So yeah - 25 minutes. But what's 25 among friends? And what's 25 when I did 22 just the other day? 25 is nothing, that's what. Or at least that's what I told myself! It's amazing how much better and more prepared I feel, going in the PM instead of the AM, I truly felt that although it would be tricky it was definitely doable. Can you imagine the me of 7 weeks ago thinking that?! Again there was that same strong headwind so I did my warm up into it, to enable the turning point to come quicker and therefore more running to be done with the wind. Started gently and then The Rain Came. Such a weird feeling, having the warmth of the sun shining on me, but also feeling the cold wet raindrops on my legs?! Luckily I always wear a cap and sunglasses so my hair and face was kept dry (I go all girly and "ugh" if I get wet!). It stopped after a few minutes and before I knew it I reached the turning point, turned, the wind 'stopped' and Stacy said I was halfway through. Hurrah!

Knowing that I was on the downward slope to the end, I experimented with doing longer slow strides, faster shorter ones and so on, just to see how it would make me feel and how much more distance it might enable me to cover. The answer to the second question was 'not much', to the first 'couldn't really feel much difference'. At various points I felt pretty strong, at others my legs just above my knees (was that quads? not the whole muscle though, just the half above the knees) felt a bit strained. My breathing got as heavy as it usually does, but not unbearable. All in all I was really pleased.

[disney_duke]

I believe this is how you spell progress!! Yep. You're excited to get out there and run, the time goes by without too much pain and nagging thoughts, and you don't even mind the rain drops. Indeed, that is successful progress!!! I'll dance a little bit with ya!

[OhToodles!]

So glad you had a good day - even if it rained!!

[lsugirlinutah]

Nothing like a good run after a terrible one! Keep it up!

[Tinkerboo]

Week 7 Run 2
When: Friday 13th June, 6.45pm
Where: Private road by 'our' beach, by myself after work
Weather: Cloudy and raining, then the sun came out
How long: 25 minutes
How far: 1.91 miles
What's the plan?: 5m (mins) warm-up walk - run 25 - 5m cooldown.
How'd I feel?: I wanted to go on Thursday after work, but my hay fever was acting up like crazy and I spent the whole day literally sneezing and blowing my nose every two minutes. I don't think I could have carried enough tissue to get me through a run...plus the power of the sneezes would have propelled me backwards! The pollen count was predicted to be lower today so I packed my gym bag to go straight after work.

Typically, all day it was sunny and warm, then the very moment I decide to leave work, it starts to rain. It's a 15 minute drive away from home though, so I was hoping it would not be falling at 'my' beach...but no such luck. But I zipped up my super-lightweight running jacket, donned my cap, and set off regardless. When Stacy said "begin running" I activated MapMyRun and was so urgently trying to get the phone away and out of the rain that I forgot to start any music, so I decided to see how I got on without it. It's weird! I mean, my god - my breathing sounds like I'm giving birth or something!! I don't think I like it, but I couldn't be bothered to fiddle about with the phone so I stuck with it.

As seems to be the norm now, I started getting a stitch in my right side somewhere between 5 and 10 minutes. I'd been talking to someone at work about it today and she suggested exhaling on the opposite foot to what I usually do, so I tried that - and it worked! I usually breathe in over two paces and out over two paces, starting on the right foot (perhaps why the stitch is always on the right?), so I consciously changed it to the left foot and not only did it not get worse, it actually went away altogether. So hurrah for that!

The time seemed to pass relatively quickly, but I think that being able to hear my breathing more than usual made me too aware of it and I was getting to the point of starting to struggle (not to breathe in itself, just that it was getting really heavy and laboured). When I started the cooldown walk, my legs were also aching quite a bit more than I've noticed previously - maybe because I travelled slightly further? I must have taken some bigger steps somewhere along the way! They're okay now, post-shower and tea though. I'm pleased that I travelled further, but really wanted to crack the two mile mark! Maybe in R3...

[Tinkerboo]

Week 7 Run 3
When: Monday 16th June, 6.45pm
Where: Private road by 'our' beach, Andy walking the dog
Weather: Sunny and much too warm
How long: 25 minutes
How far: 1.87 miles
What's the plan?: 5m (mins) warm-up walk - run 25 - 5m cooldown.
How'd I feel?: The weekend here has been so nice weather-wise and with yesterday being Father's Day, meaning we had to do the obligatory visits to our dads with gifts of beer (my dad) and whisky (Andy's dad), it just felt right to not force myself out running when I felt like chilling. But mindful of the four day gap that wrecked my motivation the other week, I set my mind on going after work today to stop that happening again. But ugh - it is so warm. And it's not even proper summer yet...it's not hot, just warm (somewhere around the 60s I think?). I have no idea how I'm going to cope as we go into July and August...

This time I experimented with listening to a podcast - I discovered the Mickey Miles one with Mike Scopa a couple of weeks ago...till now I've been listening to it at work but then I thought, where better to listen to people talk about running than while running myself? And as luck would have it, the episode I'd downloaded was exactly 25 minutes long, so matched this week's run time. It was quite good - I didn't have to listen to my heavy breathing and it gave my mind something to concentrate on, which was great. Not that it made things easy of course, the feeling of overheating put paid to that - I was actually glad to be running into the wind because at least it was cooling!

The other thing I tried for the first time was taking longer breaths. I think breathing in over two paces then out over two, as I have been, is perhaps too fast and so might be too shallow and therefore making me feel overworked (and giving me those stitches?). So I tried stretching it to three paces in/three paces out and it did seem to help. I felt less...I don't know, flustered? Less like I'm trying to rush myself along, even though I never have actually been doing that? I'm sure you know what I mean! It was harder than I expected to regulate it though - I think I missed bits of the podcast because I was concentrating so intently on in-2-3, out-2-3, etc.

And so completes week 7...only one week left!

[disney_duke]

Hey! I read your comments about Friday the 13th but didn't have time to comment, and then forgot. Yeah, story of my life.

Anyway, I'm glad you figured out the side stitch thing. But I've got to ask - is counting your breaths and your steps a personal thing or something you got from C25K? I've never even heard of doing that before, and never thought of it myself. I guess I just sort of breathe without much thought. I know sometimes I give out big sighs in the in the middle of running, which is maybe weird. I'm glad you found the podcast though, that's good!

I've never run with music outside. On the treadmill, yes. But not outside. I couldn't even tell you what I'm thinking about, I don't really think. Just sort of run. So for your first time running without music, good job!

[OhToodles!]

Great job! If it makes you feel better, yesterday when I did Run 1 of Week 3 it was 72 degrees out and that was at 5:45am! Tomorrow is going to be brutal as it's getting humid too! I listen to Disney music when I run - Mouse World Radio.