New year C25K. Anyone care to join me?

Aaargggh I can't get back out there - help!!!!!!

Started W8 today, a struggle as expected, mainly through lack of motivation I think and I took the hilly route again - silly me.

I had a few days' break and I think I prefer to space out the runs a bit, so next one will be early next week.

Sorry to hear of the difficulties people have been through, I'm sure you'll all get back on track soon enough! Waiting you are the inspiration, you'll be on W9 soon and finished! Fantastic :)

Sycamore sorry to hear about ur foot.

Evilstepmum hope you feel better soon

Hope everyone else is ok, sorry just a quick flick through.
Done w3r2 tonight

Thanks! Norovirus became gastroenteritis and has wiped me out completely. Taking this week off work, running and gym til I feel better. Have lost half a stone though, silver linings and all that! Nice one waiting! Sycamore, did u find a gentle exercise to do?

Thanks! Norovirus became gastroenteritis and has wiped me out completely. Taking this week off work, running and gym til I feel better. Have lost half a stone though, silver linings and all that! Nice one waiting! Sycamore, did u find a gentle exercise to do?

A little better, thanks @Waiting. But still makes me howl if I accidentally move it the wrong way.

Well done on week 8r2. Are you on the eight-week or nine-week version of the programme? It will be marvellous to complete it.

W8R2 completed. Thanks to tube strike traffic was awful so OH came home and let me get my run in before he went out for the evening. Felt quite hard most of the way round, but also surprising how quickly the time went. And a whole minute quicker! I do think the podcasts keep me going. Probably a tail wind helped too .

How's the foot feeling Sycamore?

Evilstepmum hope you're feeling a little better by now.

Jesstar - any news on W8 yet?

Oh gosh, there appears to be a plague upon the thread this week! Norovirus sounds utterly awful and I assume will leave you feeling wiped out for a good while? My sympathies.

Thanks for the good wishes for my poor foot - i never should have instituted that 'no shoes indoors' rule. Pain is still fairly awful and they say it will be 4-6 weeks to heal. I fear for me it might even be more - I am thankfully very rarely sick or injured but when I am, I always seem to take ages to get better. I'm going to try to find some exercises like swimming or indoor rowing to help progress my fitness in the meantime.

Aaaah, my bi-annual round of norovirus has struck again, leaving me unable to run and complete W4R3! Pants! This means I have to do W4 again. Not bad as I did struggle with W4R2! If only I knew how to tell the app this!
Sorry to hear about your foot sycamore-hope its better soon!
Welcome Zampa, well done, I'm glad you;ve grasped the basic concept!
I do that, go for a run, then sneak some choc to congratulate myself!! One to console the loser and all that!
Interesting to see how waiting and jess get on with W8. Im struggling running 5 mins, not sure how i'll cope further on!

Hello! Week 1, run 1 just completed. Drinking Prosecco as a reward ... That's how it works right?

Decided I need to be fit before trying for DC2!

Oh no Sycamore what a disaster! Have you been given any idea how long it'll take to heal?

Well done on your W7R3 Jesstar. I found I my legs were very tired by the end of W7, I think because it's the first time they've had to do three runs with no stopping.

W8R1 done tonight. Even though the legs had a couple of days rest I went out feeling quite tired - also a little miffed as OH promised to be back in time so I could run with the Monday club I joined, only to be late home.

Anyhow, surprisingly, the legs felt okay on the run - bit tired for the first 10 minutes but after that they settled down, I listened to the music on the podcast and apart from nearly coming a cropper on a stretch of pavement where the streetlights weren't working, it was fine. I even managed a 'sprint' for the last minute!

So W8R2 beckons. Trouble is that's tube strike day and OH isn't back until 9.30 p.m. No idea when I'm going to get out. Very annoying.

I'm afraid I'm hobbling off the track for a while with a foot fracture from a silly trip. Best wishes to all those continuing, especially those so close to the end of the programme.

Any suggestions for exercise that doesn't really involve the feet or toes gratefully received - I think I'll try some exercise biking, rowing and swimming and see if I can do those without pain.

It's quiet on here, I hope that means people are busy out running :)

Finished W7R3 today, legs were struggling a lot so I might space out the runs a bit more to make sure they're rested as the runs are getting longer. I also changed my route for R2 which included more hilly areas, so that's probably not helped me today. A few days of rest are in order I think.

Finished week 2 yesterday. Novelty starting to wear off now so I'm hoping to get motivation and accountability from here!

W7R3 done. Bit of a struggle as the last bit was uphill.

W8 next week is going to be difficult as I have a guest staying and leaving them alone whilst I go out for a run won't be an option.

Jesstar - it's only you saying you're not a proper runner - I think several thousand park runners would disagree with you!

W7R1 done this morning, not easy but I felt more comfortable than on my last run. It's so good to hear others are keeping at it as well, helps me stay motivated when I'm struggling. I'm not doing a loop, just a straight run and back, as it's the flattest route I've found.

I don't feel like a runner, not like those proper runners you see out and about. As long as I can run around 20-30 mins twice a week I think I'll be happy with that in the long-term.

That's a great idea sycamore, thanks! Think the dog will like it as we end our run in the park usually! Just about to go and do W4R1 now, nice night for it! Think I have the beginning of an ingrowing toenail, hoping my running trainers don't rub it!

Thanks waiting, well done on getting through what sounds like a tough run today. I think I'll try and keep up with 3 runs a week until the end, and then maintain on 2 runs a week. I'm glad I managed to run 25 mins but I'm not sure it's going to get easier!

You're all right about the route, I think I need to make it more exciting. But there's not much variability unless I decide to incorporate more slopes, and I really think that'll finish me off!

W7R2 just done. I know each run makes us stronger, but it just seemed so hard today - spent the first five minutes feeling like I was running on a treadmill going nowhere. Fortunately the worst of the threatened rain held off and having planned a route which finished on a downhill, the last five minutes weren't as bad is they could have been. Now tucking into a late lunch and hoping my legs don't seize up.

Jesstar a 25 min non-stop run is a huge achievement! Also, remember, the last five minutes of any run is going to be a struggle as we're always adding to it from now on! And why some runs are tougher than others is often a total mystery.

I think the problem with the plan as we progress is that all the sessions are the same length, so the option of different routes can be limiting/boring, hence the motivation slips. I'm planning a different route tomorrow and although it's longer at 3.5 miles it's much more interesting than running round the local housing estate (essentially a grid of interlocking roads to cross and re-cross). The weather looks to be okay so I shouldn't get cold with the extra walking before and afterwards.

For me, I put each run in the diary - Monday; Wednesday; Friday. In my mind, it's non-negotiable (unless I'm physically ill, obviously) even if I don't want to go. There are things in my life that I can't control - keeping to my diary running schedule is something I can, so provides most of my motivation on the days I don't want to go out.

You need to do what's best for you - twice a week; alternate days - there's no time limit. Have you thought about seeing whether there's a running group in your area? This is where I found the Monday group I've started going to runtogether.co.uk . Mine is ladies only and takes beginners. May be worth a look? We do 5k in total, but it's run with breaks. I just made sure on Monday that I left out the first walk break to get my 25 minutes in. May be worth a look?

Well done on your run Sycamore - good idea about going in the opposite direction!

Week 2 day 2 complete.

This might sound obvious but to stave off boredom, try running your loop in the opposite direction. It's amazing how different it looks and feels.

Thanks waiting, I did W6R3 this morning, the last 5 minutes were a struggle. Am feeling less motivated to carry on, is this normal at this stage? Perhaps it's because there are no walking intervals, may be I should reduce to twice a week to try and avoid falling off the wagon...

Hope you had a good run Tsoto

Jesstar the good thing about getting W6R3 done is that all the W7 runs are the same, so once you nail that, you know W7 is possible. If you can, plan a route with a bit of interest and as flat as possible!!

Sycamore - your plan does seem harder than the one I've been following. W2 for me was "Begin with a brisk five-minute walk, then alternate 90 seconds of running with two minutes of walking, for a total of 20 minutes" (plus an additional walk to finish). Here's a link where you can check out the schedule www.nhs.uk/Livewell/c25k/Pages/couch-to-5k-plan.aspx Can't help with the zombie podcast.

So, W7R1 done for me today. 25 mins continuous jogging - same for each of the three W7 runs so a bit of planning needed to avoid stop/start at traffic lights.

Lost my way due dental drama but will get back out tomorrow for W5 R1 on repeat

Heading out shortly to do w2r3