The Couch to 5k 2011 Thread continued : Let's Keep on Running :0)

[RatherBeOnThePiste]

More space for us to talk about our progress on the C25K programme, the highs, the lows, the hills, the rain, our pelvic floors and our choice of running music!

All are welcome on this international thread, stay with us and enjoy success

< Piste passes out celebratory glasses of wine to all runners >

Everyone got one?
Cheers!!!!

Encyclo I'm sure you will manage. I had never run regularly in my life till this year, have always been a reluctant exerciser, and I'm 44 and three stone overweight, so if I can do it!

There seem to be an awful lot of us in our early 40s on here - must be some kind of midlife crisis .

Finished week 9 on Weds, but have only been running at 6kph, so only covered 3k in 30 mins. So today I went back to the beginning of week 4, but running at 8kph. OMG I was absolutely purple by the time I finished, so I think I may start from scratch again - another 9 weeks but faster, and then concentrate on longer distances.

WhoKnows I started doing this as I need to lose almost 3 stone; combined with cutting down a bit on junk food, I've been steadily losing at the rate of around a pound a week (8lbs in 9 weeks). I think if I can keep it up I should reach target by Christmas, which sounds a long way off but the running is helping in terms of staying power as well as burning off the cals. Good luck with it

Wow everyone is doing so well.

I went out for the first time in over a week, I had started to feel like I was going backwards thought I'd rest Friday and was then ill all weekend so I was right not to run. I started back with W5R1 which felt ok even though it was hot this evening I'm not sure wether to go on to W5R2 or just keep plodding a bit longer.

I wish I could push myself a bit more, I would ask a friend to run with me but the only one I know would runs is training for 10k race next week so is just a tiny bit out of my league

Whispers.........46......just.

Sherlock well done on the weight loss. I haven't lost any , but that wasn't really the goal for me, although I ought to be trying a bit harder really. I just wanted to get fit. I have struggles to fit in any meaningful exercise since the DCs were born and have never really enjoyed most of it anyway but I was worried about feeling unfit. I had been halfheartedly going to the gym, but used to find it boring in the extreme, starting running justified giving up the gym for me! I have been this size for most of my adult life, none of it is due to my pregnancies and I am so used to it it doesn't bother me, but obviously it would be a good idea to lose some.

3.7 miles for me tonight in 40 mins . Had to go fast as my parents had announced that dinner would be at 6 on the dot and had to get back in time.

Oooh well done sweaty - hope your dinner was yummy. Well done to everyone, you've all been out and about.

Had a good run Friday morning, still sticking to W6R1 for a bit, last five minutes was fab - my legs seemed to get a boost like SuperMario does when he has a mushroom or something, and I went like the wind - well more of a gentle breeze, but it felt lovely to be going a bit faster. I can't wait till I can run the whole 30 mins at that speed :)

Had a bra calamity on the way back though - overstuffed it and nearly poked my eye out with the underwire when I was doing my stretches - serves me right, I should've bought a BearGryllsBra .

Have a lovely weekend one and all and happy running!

Well done CT! Liking the SuperMario mushroom moment

Dinner was the usual roast that had been on since dawn. Every time I stay with them my parents seem to get older.

My Mum's theme this time has been danger. e.g.

me "I saw x and y when I was in London this week."
Mum "Oh. Did you meet up with them?"
me "no, x had us round for dinner. Y was already going so x didn't tell her so she got a big surprise when she saw me. It was great, I hadn't seen y for a couple of years"
mum "how did you get to x's house?"
me "on the tube"
Mum"on the tube? Isn't that dangerous?"
me "no, it was fine"
Mum "hmmm"

later

"where are you going on holiday this summer?"
"destination a"
"destination a. Isn't that dangerous?"

and so on....

Sweaty your mum just worries, bless her. If you are running for 40 mins you'd be able to do the Bupa 10 programme yourself !! So no more admirational faints for you .

Carmel am impressed with your stretching if you almost took your eye out whilst doing them - the mond boggles!

I am going to run tomorrow with DH. It is the first time my programmes have told me to run 3miles continuously, so I am feeling a little nervous (and excited) about it. I will come back tomorrow and post my time. I am posting this so I have an extra reason to run more quickly than I often do - you know, since you are all watching me !!

Jelli I'm very bendy, like a Flump . In the words of Roz from Monsters Inc., we are 'a l w a y s watching, always watching', so get out there and do your stuff!

at your mum sweaty, heaven only knows what she makes of Central Park then! When I used to fly, no matter where there was a disaster/planecrash/pile up on a motorway in the world, my mum would always ring me to make sure I was ok - even if said disaster was on a different continent - mums eh?

Night all, sweet dreams.

Oh God yes CT, I've given up telling her about running in Central Park - indeed anywhere in NYC

Jelli - hope your three miler goes well!

Hi everyone,

Can I have some moral support?

I got up to week 8 of C25K and was enjoying running for 25 minutes at a time. I then pulled a muscle in my leg and took two weeks off as I tried taking just a few days off and it kept 'going' again.

Anyway, I then (after 2w off) did the Race for Life yesterday. It was a total disaster. It was a really hot day, race started at 11am and it was high 20s. I don't really 'do' hot weather, more so since I got fat.

Anyway I managed to jog veeeery slowly for about 25 minutes - just short of half way 2.5k - and then I had to walk the rest. Walked pretty quickly, but my finish time was 49m42s.

I'm a bit gutted actually. Probably the worst part was the fact that I genuinely WAS running the same speed as other people walk (a tall friend of mine fast walked it round in 42m without jogging once). Prior to the race I was joking about how slowly I run, but seeing myself in context made me realise that it's actually true.

How can I myself a runner now? I felt (and feel) quite humiliated. Is this all pointless? Is it possible to become a runner when things are as bad as this after 2 months' training? (I am 5'4", short legged and fat - BMI 33)

Morning all,

Kate - what a shame, I doubt I would have been able to run in the midday heat yesterday at all. You completed the race, despite having had a fortnight off for injury and it being hot weather, also you only started 2 months ago, I would say that is pretty good going. As for calling yourself a runner, well, I am also very slow, I do find that it is difficult to overtake people who are just out walking sometimes because they are only marginally slower than me, and I regularly get lapped on my 2.5k circuit by fitter runners, but I intend to keep at it and try and get my speed up gradually. For me it is the fact that 6 months ago I couldn't run for more than a minute without getting puffed, now I can run (albeit slowly) for 40 mins, that is a real achievement and so is what you have done.

Kate. Kate. Kate.

What a shame (hugs) Now this running lark isn't actually about anyone else, its about You, so cut your comparisons woman. You are running to be fitter and healthier like the rest of us are I'm sure, its not about anyone else...

I found I lost stamina and speed incredibly quickly both times when I was hurt running. Hot weather is incredibly draining so that definitely wouldn't have helped you. You've only been doing this for 2 months, that's hardly any time at all.

You did it and I salute you!

Kate DH was reading over my shoulder and read your post he says you ARE a runner because you care about you running - you've made that mental leap. If you've had an injury you need to be realistic about the goals you set yourself. Just finishing your first run back after the injury was an acheivement - you could've not bothered. If you have an injury you can continue to develop your fitness which will help with your running, possibly through low impact sports like swimming or cycling. But the main thing is you are a runner because you want to run, and as long as you keep that mind set it doesn't matter if your times are fast or slow, you will keep getting better.

Don't forget the running isn't about speed and what others do around you. Remember the changes you have made to your body - just think how much more you can do now than you could manage on the W1R1 run. I know you MUST be in a different league to how you were when you started out on this adventure.

Consider how well you actually did do yesterday, running 2.5K in the midday sun. I bet if someone told you at Easter you'd be doing that you'd never have believed them would you? Don't put yourself down, you're doing great!

On a practical side if you are still happy doing your 25 min runs, why not insert 6x 1minute sprints in the run, say at minute 5,9,13,17,21 and 25 to create a manageable challenge? As you get better at them you can increase the times you do them for and/or increase the speed of them.

You can get faster if you want to and just like the first step of W1R1 was the first day, next time you run will be the first step of a new stage for you. Don't lose heart you're doing better than me as I am still trying to enjoy running!!

Just back from my run with DH - what a fantastic morning for running, a glorious day - I did my 3 miles continuous in 30.00min exactly!

Is anyone else a 'goalpost mover'?

I realy suffer from it... I wanted to run 3 miles in 30 minutes and now I have I am genuinely slightly disappointed I wasn't faster. Is it because I run with DH - who is fit and has been for years - and I feel a bit rubbish compared (eg he ran 5.2 miles in 33 mins the other week)? He doesn't make me feel it, he is very supportive. When I look at my records I can see my times have improved - I guess I need to remain patient and try not to compare with him......

Thank you all SO much. I was so despondent yesterday as I really had focussed on being able to give it a try running all the way around - but the heat just FLOORED me - I felt like a complete beginner again - I have only really run in cooler weather ie just before the sun goes down.

I am going to start back at week 8 I think, then work on my speed a bit. I'm sure I can get to 40 minutes running - might just take a little longer.

JelliBelli WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes RatherBeOnThePiste you're LOVELY. {mwah}

Kate Well done on getting round. It really is good to have done that.

Don't forget how hard you would have found it to do that three months ago. Also - heat is a killer, especially when you aren't used to it, and a two week break will set you back around a week of training, so even making the 25 minutes was a great achievement. And you've done a host of other things that are good for you - running is good for the heart, good for your bones, good for your metabolism, good for your circulation. I've finished the C25K but I'd never put myself into a real race with other people, so I think you're brilliant and brave just to have entered a race!

I can see why you might be disappointed to have others walk faster than your "full speed" but the real race is with yourself - your personal goals are what are important. Only one person on earth is the fastest - the rest of us will always be beaten .

Why have you started running? Are you achieving any of the things you set out to do? What sort of speed would make you think you were a "real" runner?

It's definitely possible for you to get faster. You've already shown how you can push yourself past your own limits by getting to the stage where you can run 25 minutes without stopping. This one will fall too.

Kate like you I got to W8 then injured my foot and was out of action for a few weeks - now I am considerably slower (and I was slow before), and I felt just the same as you feel. However like all the others have said, I tried to think back to W1 when I was huffing and puffing after a minute, and realised what a leap I had made - like YOU. To run The Race for Life is an achievement you should be proud of, at any pace, and you most certainly ARE a runner! Well done for completing it, and raising money for such a good cause.

I have lurked here for many months (more than I care to admit) . I did my race for life yesterday and as Kate said it was very hot and I didn't run anywhere near as much as I thought I would/could. I am trying hard to keep up-beat and have found all the supportive words on this thread a great help. Thank you all for being so wonderful.

Well done PeskyPiskie, and welcome! Come and natter here anytime - I find this thread keeps me motivated too :)

Kate you did brilliant girl! You completed the Race for Life in the heat of the day. I think that's fantastic.

Jelli, 10K?? I am really interested to see how your training goes.

I had a great few runs this weekend, then one hideous one, where I seemed to really lose ground. What's that about?

Pissing down here in Ireland this evening so I chanced Jillian Michaels Shred Level 3. Sweet mother of God, give me a run any day of the week!

Kate and Pesky, hats off to both of you for running the race for life. That's amazing - I daren't run with anyone else or enter a race as I'm so slow and unconfident (I'm also 5'4" and short-legged Kate).

Well done to everyone else who got out this weekend.

Hello my running friends!

I am sorry to have been AWOL for so long, but RL got in the way, then i was too embarrassed to come back until I had actually done some running! Went out this am for a gentle 2.5miles, walked a bit, ran most, had to be silent as Ipod broke dutring warm up but it was WONDERFUL. Hot, sunny, quiet - just me, a few other runners and lots of tweeting birds. I am hooked again.

I haven't caught up with anyone but hope to do so later. Hurray! It's great to be back. Hope you are all well.

Lovely to see you again sybil!