Any Couch25K new starters?

[ASecretLemonadeDrinker]

I got abit fitter a while back (had a trainer), he moved away and I kept it up and jumped in at about week 4 or 5, but that was months ago now I really need to get fit for a job and lose at least 1 stone (ideally about 4!) Anyone want to start with me? Or are all the newbies jumping straight onto the massive thread? :)

Yes! Tomorrow for the next run!

And then I will start W8 next week - DH is working away Friday-Mon, so I can only run on Tues and Thurs next week.

Good luck with tomorrow's run - are you going early morning again?

Early morning is the only time I can do as a rule, as I'm either working or studying during the weekdays. I've got quite fond of 730am though, as the world is relatively quiet then and it's a nice little bit of thinking time.

I've started recognising regular people who are out at that time of day as well: there's Scruffy Man With Loads Of Dogs, who makes me laugh as he's always walking at least 2 Border Collies and 2 GSDs, with assorted other mutts and one miniature dachshund tearing along behind as fast as his little legs will go, trying to keep up. Then there's Elderly Asian Power-Walking Couple, Odd-Looking Man With Staffy Dog, Other Slow Jogger Woman (we give each other a small smile of sympathy when we cross paths), Super-Fast Running Man With Alarmingly Long Legs, Street Cleaning Man and various others.

Just hope it doesn't rain tomorrow. Good luck with yours! W8 is nearly in your grasp...

I run at night when DH gets home and after the dinners on the table. I normally eat after I run or if its a hot evening I eat and then run at around 7.30-8pm (am in NZ so its getting into summer here). I usually miss the Dcs bath time which is an added bonus!!
I am going to run tonight but as its quite hot still, I'll wait a couple of hours.

I'm back. I had a good run just over 5k. I even tried a few 'sprint' intervals (read slightly faster hobble) and it felt good. Still feel like I could/should push myself a bit more though!

febes - excellent planning to miss the DCs bath time, its a win-win :)

I am off for my run now, will report back in an hour or so.

Wierdly looking forward to it, as I have managed the 25 mins twice without wanting to cry now.

OTHM hope you had a good run this morning to erase the pain of the rubbish one earlier in the week.

Back from my run, it was great!

Tough as always, but not leg achingly, I-want-to-cry bad, just tough.

I probably could have pushed myself to run for longer than 25 mins, but, again, decided not to as this is W7 and I don't want to start W8 till next week.

This never ending W7 has been an absolutely bugger for me, I am glad it's over, and I think I have now made that mental readjustment to doing longer runs without a break. And changing music has definitely helped, I do a countdown of around 5 songs, and then I am finished running!

I thought I was running very slowly (even slower than usual), as I have stopped tracking distance and just concentrating on doing 25 mins. But I ran the same track today as I did on Tuesday, and had actually run around 100-200m further today. So progress again!

TBH I cant wait to finish it all now, I want to get to 30 min comfortably, and then not think about progressing, but just enjoy running at my own pace to music for a few weeks whilst I get used to it, and then take it from there.

My waistline is feeling smaller though - belt is 1.5 notches further down than it used to be!

Huurrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!

oh, and OTHM, today I met:
Lovely Older Looking Man With Loads Of Dogs
Slow Student Jogger Woman (but still faster than me)
Super-Fast and Super-Fit Androgynous Couple (strange, but fit)
Lovely Older Woman Running Was Better Than Me (put me to shame, she was running with such ease, too)
Lovely Older Women Going For a Nice Group Walk (they always say hello, and it reminds me to be grateful that I have my health and can run)

I am looking forward to spotting Another Slow Middle Aged C25K Runner like me, but no success as yet.

Elderly Power-Walking Asian Couple were out this morning. EPWA Woman had a natty fur hat on, which made her look like she had a very bushy white mullet hairdo.

No sign of Man With Many Dogs Including Tiny Comedy Dachshund though, which was a let-down as the dachshund always cheers me up. I think I must identify with it, as like it I also get overtaken by so many speedier runners.

Was another shockingly slow effort though. The recent lack of weekends (am now in my 3rd week working without a weekend) is properly taking its toll: it should take me about 17:00 to 17:40 to do a lap of the park, and I wheezed in at 19:00 today. Still, at least I got out and ran.

Well done everyone else, and congrats vanimal for completing W7!

Hiya,

Hope your runs are getting better Mjanatee, three weeks workings straight sounds tough, well done for keeping up with the running.

It's super windy here today. Gales are blowing, nice excuse not to go running, but I am dressed and about to head off to the park. Wish me luck. I'm going to start W8 today - it's by birthday next week, and I want to be on W9 by then.

I am not feeling so scared of this run now that I feel I have mastered W7 properly. But I am scared of the weather. It's really cold outside!

Will report back in an hour or so, and let you know who else I spot out and about (a nice running distraction!).

I hope you are all well!

Woohooo! Did it! And, found it surprisingly easy doable!

I paced myself super slowly, and got into a good rhythm early on which really helped, but, apart from achy legs whilst running, no huffing and puffing, I found it much easier than I thought it should be. I think the many repeats of Wk7 really helped to build up my stamina.

Am very, very pleased with myself

Oh, and today I met Strange Man Feeding Ducks. As I ran past him he shouted over to me and offered me a piece of bread. Did the same on my return journey too.

Off to do W8R2. Wish me luck. Quite looking forward to getting it over and done with, and getting closer to W9.

Did it, it was great, managed it fairly easily, but did realise that I am running very slowly - around 4K in 30mins instead of 5K.

But I am going to stick with it for now, concentrate on the 30 mins and build up speed later. I feel like 30 mins is within my reach now.

I hope you are all well, I am going to look for a new thread, I think this one has finally deflated.

Hello vanimal. Sorry have been quiet, have not abandoned you - was just super busy.

My intense burst of work stuff caught up with me at last and I got another cold this week, so I skipped Tue and Thur but ran again today. Seemed to go ok, though my lung capacity still feels a bit off. I'm going to have a go at hill-training next week and see if I can build up my aerobic wossname a bit.

Glad you made it - hope your W8 is still going well! You're so nearly there now...

Hiya Manatee, I hope you are feeling better. Your work sounds super-stressful.

I've had a busy day too, I'm going to finish W8 tomorrow now instead. Feel fine about running it, and I think 30 mins on W9 will be fine too. I'll look at upping my speed after that.

Wierdly, I weighed myself this week, and I have put on a little weight. I am heavier than I have been in ages, and around a stone above pre-DC weight. But I am getting into my pre-DC jeans no problems. Go figure.

It's not so much work as the fact that I'm combining 4 days a week in paid work with a part-time course for a 2nd career. Usually it's v manageable, as I have skool on my non-work weekday, but occasionally there's a flurry of training weekends and essays and the like. The recent bout was because I've just started a training placement and the organisation had their own induction course that ran over 6 weekends.

You're probably heavier because you're replacing some fat with muscle, which is much heavier so you can be slimmer and still weigh more. V confusing.

Good luck with W8R3 tomorrow! I am planning a jolly bout of hill reps in the park tomorrow morning - brisk run up, walk down, rinse and repeat, for as long as I can stand it followed by a gluttonous breakfast of some kind

Just did my first proper run in 2 weeks. It felt good I did 5k. The last couple of weeks have been manic. I did have my second duathlon on sunday and although overall it went really well -in the run which was 1k and then 4 k I walked during the 4k run!! It was really hot and muggy and I did go hard in the bike (15k) but I was really disaapointed in myself for walking. Overall my time was 1 hour 11mins so I was pretty pleased. I have the final triathlon in the end of January which is 800m swim, 20k bike 5 k run

Manatee at training over 6 weekends, poor you! How did the hill-training go?

Febes you sound like you did really well, don't worry about walking, the fact you got through it all in good time means you must have been really going for it. After a 15K bike ride I am amazed you could even walk, I'd be in a heap on the floor by then, you must be super-fit.

I have not run at all this week - it's been far too busy on many fronts - work is very busy, had my birthday and night out (followed by hangover day ), Xmas events with the DDs nursery, and now moving house this weekend. So realistically I won't be running again till next week sometime. But I am confident of finishing, even if it is closer to 4K than to 5K. Onwards and upwards :)

Vanimal - how is the C25K? Did you make it?

My hill running has become a regular weekly thing - Hill Reps Tuesday - I do 5x brisk run up a short hill (60 seconds to the top) then 2min walk down. It's definitely getting easier, and I reckon it's improved my pace too. I'm now doing a 40min long run at the weekends, and covering 6K in 40 mins. That means I'm still a bit shy of consistently covering 5K+ in 30 mins, but I'm getting closer.
I also worked out that 40min run = 1 bottle of wine, so have been running more over Christmas to offset the gluttony