Anyone fancy starting Couch to 5K on Monday 5th Aug?

Well done Workate! You did brilliantly! I hope you're treating yourself/celebrating tonight

Slev - I think the "no point watching the minutes" mentality which you've had in your latest run helps with the 20 minutes too

Lurking - I am also avoiding inclined for now. My plan is to conquer the stamina and endurance to cover 5k then build up speed and inclines. Had a look at 5-10k plans last night and they seem to include incorporating some inclines.

Lurking - I think I saw compression trousers for running for sale in Lidl today. Don't normally go in there so have no idea what their quality is like though.

Tomorrow I'm due to go out for w4r1 and my app says two x 3 minutes and two x 4 minutes for running. My last run had the longest as 3 minutes and I literally counted down the seconds and had to really push myself not to stop sooner. I know to trust to programme but my mind is really getting in the way and I'm thinking about chickening out and not doing it. It sounds petty but those extra 1 minutes added on seem like hours?!?! Need help/advice/confidence boost please!!

workate, I bow down before you. Another Proper Runner in our little team . Amazing!

It really is quite extraordinary to think that little more than a month can get us from the couch to actually Properly Running. I am looking forward to getting out there for W3R3 on Wednesday.

Just popping by, will catch up later with a proper post but woooop workate on the 20min run !!bet you feel awesome!

Just back from W3R2. Am really pleased as it was definitely easier than W3R1 in that it wasn't until I got past the halfway point that I wanted to sob .

Also, I just looked at the stats on my phone and I went a bit further and a bit faster than last time. Still quite slow though (running speed is only 12 mins per mile) but I don't care about that just yet. Also I don't feel like I've been kicked by a donkey today (although that may come later).

I'm going to have to change route, though, as yet again I was running into the wind both there and back, and this new route I've been taking includes a giant hill just at the last long run, when I'm really struggling anyway. Honestly it feels like I'm scaling Everest and yet it's probably barely on an incline at all . Am determined to find a route that is nice and flat.

I actually think I'm beginning to enjoy this. .

I'll third what Tinwe and work said - I surprise myself with how much I can actually do if I push myself, so I think press on unless you really can't manage it.

So I did W4R1 last night and it really was okay. I think somehow I'd prepared myself for it being awful so it could only have been better! It also helped in a weird way because it was that bit further - with the 3 minute runs I'm trying to estimate how much longer I have left to run, with 5 minutes I know it's at least one full song so just go with the flow. Really pleased with myself - as dotty said, I almost felt like a runner - just hope tomorrow's W4R2 goes as well as I'm starting to enjoy it now.

Oh, and I actually ran 0.6 miles in one of my 5 minutes - that's nearly a whole kilometre! I haven't done that since school and that was far too many years ago. Okay, it wasn't super fast, but I'm still quite impressed!

Hi, ilove, I think their advice is good, you know! I think if you waited until you were truly comfortable with each stage you wouldn't push yourself as hard as you need to. BUT, if you do feel you're really struggling, perhaps instead of repeating a whole week, which I do think woud be excessive, perhaps just do one run again, so you're doing 4 instead of 3.

I say that, of course, because I cannot imagine that in only two more runs I'll be ready to move up to W4 so I'm holding on to the thought that I can sneak in an extra W3 run if I have to. Would love to prove myself wrong, though.

Interesting what people are saying about how in a way it actually gets easier as you progress through the weeks because you're running for long enough to find a rhythm. I have a friend who runs marathons and she is always telling me "If you can run for half an hour, you can run for an hour"

I will report back after W3R2 later on. Anyone else going out today other than ilove and me?

Oh, as an aside, has anyone heard anything about compression leggings? I am wondering whether they would be good to protect against (further) injury but they are a little bit pricey to invest in (as opposed to the H&M ones I currently wear ).

Thanks Tinwe and work, I thought that might be the response . I fear I am much less fit than the rest of you though so I really am struggling through the weeks.

I'm next due to run on Tuesday morning so will try w5r1 and report back.

Hi Ilove- can only speak from experience but I had a terrible run not long ago where I was surprised I even completed the 3 minute burst at one point but I ploughed on and after a few days did the 20 as planned. It was nowhere near as bad as I'd anticipated. Once you're in a rhythm i find it's not so hard to extend the time. I will be able to speak more confidently when I've done 20 mins on the road not a treadmill though.

I personally would keep going until you can't complete a run as advised and then repeat until you're able to do it before moving on. You will probably surprise yourself! If I waited til I felt confident at each stage I wouldn't have pushed myself so hard or achieved what I have, but that's my preference you do what you need to keep you on track

Ok so I ran w4r3 today and ran all the bits I was meant to, so I was pleased with myself for that. However, I've discovered that I much prefer "nailing" a week before moving on to the next week. I think it's a confidence thing as much as a comfort thing so I'm wondering whether to repeat week 4 and become more comfortable with the 5 minute runs. At the moment I still count the minutes to the end of the ru and I can not imagine that I'll be able to run for 20 mins come the end of this week. I know people say "trust the program" but I think I know my fitness just isn't there at the moment
Would appreciate thoughts and advice on this one.

Change of plan- both sports bras have been washed with holiday clothes and are too soggy to wear so I'm relaxing with soup and tear and share garlic bread

Lurking - I think the first few weeks are just as hard as the bigger jumps in week 5. Once you can run for about 5 mins without counting the seconds til it's over then building the time from there is imaginable IYSWIM. I agree with Dotty - when you run for a minute or 2 you're always thinking of the next break to stop your heart rate going up and up but when you've done 5 mins you have a rhythm and your heart and breathing rate have probably plateaued so can imagine adding another minute or 2. DH kept teasing me as I worried about 20 mins saying it's just pushing the shorter runs together and keeping your legs moving and I think I see what he means now.

Thanks Lurking, Dotty and Slev for the cheers of encouragement, much appreciated!

I'm shocked I've ended up so far ahead but think it's because I've run day on day off most of the time, not skipped 2 days at the end of each week. Well done to all those who have got back on the wagon after long gaps, I find my motivation to run increases a bit then decreases with length of time since the last run, with a peak of interest around the end of the next day and a significant tailing off after that!

My next run is due to be Monday after a 2 day break. Can't do Monday as I've got pilates so will try to go today I think (not leave it 3 days for the reason above). It will be much harder in general to run from now on though as DH is a teacher and will be back to leaving for work very early in the mornings so I'll be running in the evenings. Living in the countryside I'm now trying to figure out flatish runs which are lit. I know I need to start working on hills etc (one of the reasons we moved here was so DH could hill run) but just want to build my stamina and endurance first.

Just back from w3r3 on the promenade and it HURT! I was planning to go early (6.30/7ish) but fell asleep again so didn't go until just after 8.30 and it was busy and the sun was a lot hotter than any of my other runs so that didn't help. I also read last night that you shouldn't need a drink if its only a short run and waiting until you finish is fine and because I'm away and didn't have my smaller bottle I decided to be brave and not take a drink but that really didn't help because I was in serious need of one! Back home today and back to normality (work etc) and am going to try to leave for a run by 6.30 and fit it in before work. Also only been going out twice a week so not building up the stamina I should be.

Hoping back to work/reality will make having a routine easier!

Ellie xXx

Hey lurking glad you're feeling good, if achey, I won't lie, w4r1 wasn't easy but it was an awesome feeling after, somehow 5 mins felt like a 'real' runners interval iycwim - even if its not really! . I managed to keep my running pace around the 10 minute mile mark so was really chuffed, and felt for the first time that I got into a rhythm which shorter intervals hadn't allowed me to. It also felt quite autumnal today with a nip in the air which was nice to run in, if a bit tough on the sinuses! (Im a runny nosed runner unfortunately!)

Sorry bit of an essay that!

slev hope your run goes/went well today!

Welcome back tinwe our chief cheerleader! What's your next run?

So yesterday I did W3R1. Man, it was hard. This is the first time I really felt it quite difficult and was pretty tired. Not helped by the fact that I seemed to be running into the wind for the entire time (even though I kept changing direrction, now how does that work? ).

However, I did it, felt great afterwards and the legs are fine. I ache all over like I've been kicked by a donkey today, mind you, but I'm figuring that won't do any harm as long as I'm not actually injured. I can't imagine I'll be ready to move on to W4 in just another two runs, though. I can see myself having to repeat this week ...

Welcome back tinwe. Hi, dotty and slev - are you both going out to tackle W4 today? Eeeeeeek! Come and report back on how gruesome or not it is. Anyone else around today?

On my home now, dreading the weigh in and back to work and other sensible things :(

Oooh, yay, a buddy!

I was very sensible and downed a lot of water when I got home which probably helped. But actually yes, I've felt surprisingly good all day despite having 3 glasses of champagne, 2 glasses of wine and a Cointreau (DS is at his grandparents so we went out to play and got a bit carried away ). So maybe the exercise does help - although it was blimmin' difficult to motivate myself to go out this morning!

Ooh slev we're run buddies - I'm off out on Sunday too, will avoid the 10 day gap this time!

Btw, did you feel you ran off the wine head?a friend has a theory you can run off a hangover, so curious whether that's right!

Wow, 20 minutes - does that make Tinwe our first Proper Runner? (apologies if someone else has already done it and I missed it). And I wouldn't worry about the half a stone, that always happens on holiday - you'll lose it again once you're back home and eating normally.

I did W3R3 this morning - was quite impressed with myself as I got up at 6.15am to go out, despite going out for dinner and a glass or five of wine last night so really wanting a lie-in. But knew I wouldn't be able to go later and wanted to keep up the every other day habit otherwise I'll start making excuses. I did it, but slowly - on the morning/evening debate I'm definitely better in the evening! So W4 on Sunday - slightly alarmed at how much the pace steps up, but it's working so far so I'll have faith!