Couch to 5k- Cage your inner chimp and get started!

I know, running in the dark is another reason to put it off to the evening, when you realise it is dark when you get home from work too! At least with the xlocks changing we have an extra hour of light in the morning....

I haven't run for 2 weeks either, Buda. The longer it goes without getting out there, the harder it is!

We have people staying at the moment and although I'm awake and up now, and it's lovely and sunny here - I can't go out because my running gear is in the room our friends are asleep in.

So I'm going to try and go later, once they've gone. I doubt very much I'll manage a sub-30 minute time after a fortnight off, but I'll just be glad to get back running.

I also need to find a route I can do in the dark. Now I'm having to actually go to work I can't just go out running when I feel like it, so I will have to run before (or after) work, when it will be dark, and I really don't like the idea of running on my own in the park when it's dark.

Hi all.

Having not run for two weeks I went out today. Was up to week 7 so just tried that again telling myself I could just do what I could do. Managed to run the 25 mins. Although embarrassingly was overtaken by someone walking. . Oh well.

I will do another week 7 run before moving on to week 8.

Ahh armband thing seems so obvious! I'll have a look on amazon.

I go for the phone in an armband thing too, but I find the armband thing quite irritating - it will be better when it gets cold enough for a long-sleeved running shirt.

I have downloaded a 10k plan from Endomondo and did session 1 today which was peasy but involved 6x20 second intervals of faster running. I haven't done intervals for ages and had forgotten how knackering they are!

Longer run tomorrow hopefully.

Ah looks like you don't need the other parts anymore

My iPod nano do ancient (2nd generation I think). It has a white bit that goes into it (like the part when you charge it) and I have a chip in a pouch that ties onto my shoe laces. You calibrate it when you first use it. The parts on my shoe and in the iPod talk to each other and it knows how far and how long it took me to run. You can plug it into the computer and look at them all or they are stored on the iPod as we'll.

On my phone there is also the nike plus thing but it is in there already and so you don't need the plugging in part.

But not sure what up to date iPod nanos are like

MirandaWest. Can you tell me a bit more about the nikeplus thing please?

I'm clueless when it comes to technology and have no idea what that icon on my iPod nano means!!

Have you got the shoes with the insert thingy in? How do you get the information out of it?

or even

hiya ruby [grins] Good to see you have made a start on c25k!

I really liked making progress and reporting back to the thread when I was running c25k every other day, nearly two years ago!
I have been out one morning this week and have my music sorted out for parkrun tomorrow, I'm trying to speed up after a couple of months of bursitis. Foot seems to be ok now so looking forward to running more often :)

I have a big phone which won't fit in my running trousers so use a bum bag.

I have a strap that it fits into and goes round my arm.

I did one with DS the other day - he's 5 so has boundless energy. I was dying by the end. I'm still on week 1!

I think I'm going to just repeat week 1 until I can actually do it before I move on I meant to go swimming today but I went to the bank and by the time I got to the swimming pool it was lessons only.

I used a different app when I went with DS and it didn't save any stats at all which was a pain.

Can I ask - those who use phones, where do you keep it? It's been pretty warm here and I get really hot running in a hoodie, but I don't have pockets on my jogging trousers. Probably won't be a problem in a week or so as winter is starting to arrive, but obviously if I'm still running next summer it might be - it can get up to 35 degrees here.

Sort of tempted by an ipod nano, one of the tiny ones, but I wouldn't use it for anything else so it seems a bit of a waste of money. I really like the way that the apps track your progress though and find that really motivating so I don't want to lose it.

Bollard I use mapmyrun.com

I think I'm going to do 5 k a few more times, and then start a training plan to run a bit further.

bollard I have a nike plus thing that connects to my iPod nano and tells me how far I've gone. I can set a workout for different times or distances. I have got it on my phone as well but prefer running with my nano as it's lighter and less cumbersome. Need to put some more music on there though

Glad the run has helped you feel better pirate.

I think I want to keep doing 5k in under 30 minutes as I know I've done it before. I never feel very quick but I can go quickly right at the end when I know I'm nearly done

Anyway I've just been out for a run - I didn't feel very good for the first couple of kilometres and I sweated buckets (although it is very mild here) - but now I'm home and have done some stretches and had a shower, my headache has lifted and I feel much better. Just goes to show!

I am trying not to get too fixated by the 5 km in 30 mins thing - I did loads of running last winter and spring, got a lot fitter, built up to running 10 k but I STILL never did 5 km in 30 mins - my best time was 31 mins 10 seconds.

Thanks Iwish and Crystal. I'm going to download a few and see which one I get along with best.
W7R3 today, gorgeous weather and I felt I was running super fast, but according to endomondo (today's app!) I ran 3km in 25mins. I think 5k in 30 minutes is quite a long way off. I'm intimidated impressed with some of the speeds on this thread.

muddy I went through similar after succeeding in getting up to 10 k in June. I did the Guardian beginner runner podcasts but just skipped through the bits that were too easy - I thoroughly recommend this because you are still doing proper exercise but you will feel a sense of achievement, rather than feeling downcast because you don't do a speedy 5 km every time. It has worked for me, anyway!

I meant to run this morning but have had a stinking headache all day and feel really sinus-y (I know that's not a word) and my heart is doing loads of little fibby runs which is usually a sign I'm coming down with something

So I'm going to put on my running gear shortly and see how I get on but I'm not expecting great things .

Congratulations on graduating I wish!

Bollard. I use a free app called distance pinner to plot where I've run.