The Couch to 5k 2011 - Part 3 : Keep Holding My Hand So We Don’t get Separated!

[RatherBeOnThePiste]

Yet more space for us to talk about our progress on the Couch to 5K programme, the stuff we wear and the music we listen to! New runners are warmly welcomed - come and give it a whirl, you know you want to! There has been a lot of success on this thread, both in the UK and internationally, moral support is abundant, and there is always a kick up the arse for anyone who needs one!

If we stick together we will enjoy success, I thought song lyrics were appropriate so in the words of Gwen Stefani..

Run, running all the time
Running to the future
With you right by my side
Me, I'm the one you chose
Out of all the people
You wanted me the most

Running, running, as fast as we can
As fast as we can
Do you think you'll make it?
Do you think we'll make it?
We're running, keep holding my hand
It's so we don't get separated

Be, be the one I need
Be the one I trust most
Don't stop inspiring me...

Good luck everyone x

I am very careful not to go out too soon after mealtimes which I think helps with stitch prevention and one advantage of running in the evening. If I ran in the morning I wouldn't dare go out without eating first in case I come over all faint miles from the house (whereas if I pass out doing the Shred at least its in the comfort of my own living room).

I usually go out about two hours after breakfast, although I've been running much earlier in the summer holidays so have just had a banana beforehand - I haven't noticed any difference stitch-wise, though. I did go out straight after breakfast when we were in Italy but felt slightly sick towards the end of my runs so decided it wasn't such a good idea (it may also have been the heat, though).

Thanks for the tip about belly breathing through a stitch. Will try that. I have to run tomorrow morning I think now, despite going out today, as I'll be too busy until Monday and really don't want to miss a run. Can't believe I don't want to skip a run. I must be enjoying myself!

Back from running, having shredded this morning. I did what I said, and did W1R1 again, but with the running intervals at a 10km/hr speed, which was upping it a bit for me. It was good, hard but not too hard, and I definiteley think it is the way to go, just having a vague goal to get my speed up was not working, step by step is better. I think with hindsight I didn't push myself enough first time through (although it felt hard at the time, it wasn't overwhelmingly so).

BsshBossh glad you are feeling so enthusiastic

Shredded hope it has stopped raining

Night night all

WhoKnows, upping the pace on the C25K sounds like a great idea. When if I complete C25K at my usual snail's pace then I'll follow your lead. 30 minutes running suits my daily schedule ascI won't be able to fit in longer so 30 mins at ever increasing pace sounds perfect for me. Another thought to increase intensity but stick to 30 mins is to include more hills and mixed grass/path/pavement terrain.

But I'm getting completely ahead of myself now. I need to get out of W3 and into W4 first :)

I haven't run for so long I have forgotten how

Pistey, just a step at a time...

WhoKnows - nah, still raining. I went to work in my wellies and forgot to take them off because I was so busy. I didn't even notice until I was in a meeting with big cheeses 1 and 2 and noticed them looking at my feet . Although Hunters are de rigeur here, I am the only person in New York with muddy dirty wellies instead of pristine city wellies .

We saw so many people wearing Hunters in NY when we were there, but even on lovely days. We wondered if it was a new fashion craze

Pistey - me too :( - thanks for your email twas very kind of you to think of me/them, I'm still suffering the effects of teenage angst, still not completely sorted out but thought I'd better poke my head in and see what you've all been up to. Lots by the look of the thread - it had been so long since I'd posted it had DROPPED OFF the threads I'm on! How can that be?!

sweaty my little country bumpkin in NY in your muddy wellies, did you get my thank you email about the glittertastic nail varnish that my cheeky little postie brought me? THANK YOU so much - you need to let me know how to pay you now or else.

And Linzer, personally I think a thread about nail varnish would be fabulous more useful especially since I do more painting of nails than I do shredding or running at the moment.

Good luck to all of you who are managing the running and/or the shredding, you are all marvellisimo and put me to shame. I'll try and catch up with the ShredThread/C25K over the weekend, but must be off to work and earn a crust.

Hope you all have a fab day ahead :)

Pistey and Bear I haven't been running for ages either. Apart from a lack of time, I'm now stuck in bed with a stomach bug. Feeling slightly better now but still very achy and I don't have time to be ill either. Aargh. I haven't even had time to apply my new Vivid Violet yet, Bear. That's obviously why it's all going wrong.

sweaty Loved the thought of everyone in the meeting staring at your wellies and that moment when you realised you still had them on.

WhoKnows That sounds like an excellent plan for increasing your speed.

Bssh Hope your run this morning went ok.

Saw Mo Farrah today - he was limping It seems all us 'good' runners are a bit crocked at the mo.

Right us people who seem to be falling off running - we all know who we are......How can we give ourselves a kick up the arse? We mustn't give up! I feel myself giving up, and i don't want to.

Linzer hope you get better soon

piste I know exactly how you feel, I have been running this morning but not shredded. I found my run very difficult, ran 20 mins (slowly) then walked up the hill, then ran for another 5 mins. I was planning on doing the shred too, but it's not going to happen.

Could you plan a little reward for the end of your run?

I need to do something about my nails...purple nail polish to go with my purple velvet trousers when I can get into them is my aim!

Pistey - having a new plan is what has spurred me on this week, I have had periods of CBA with the running, and I think a lot of it was not being able to progress levels any more, I wasn't motivated by trying to increase distance on my 30 mins runs as you have no idea really how you are doing till you get towards the end, then it's a let down if you have just missed it again. I also have no desire to enter races. Having decided to follow a set plan again has cheered me up quite a bit.

Linzer hope you feel better soon.

Aww Linzer, hope you're feeling better this evening, and have managed a little nail therapy.

Pistey - I know what you mean. I am tempted to go right back to the start and do it all over again and see if I can get back some of that va va voom that I used to have when I first started - will tear the cellophane off the Shred tomorrow and have a look at it maybe, and contemplate running. I'm missing the PRSP and my corners are sadly lacking.

Well done GettinTrimmer, you're doing well, 20 mins is fabulous. And good luck with your new plan WhoKnows.

I've managed to run without getting a stitch! Thanks everyone ! I tried to belly breathe again on this run with much more success than i have manged before. Oh hurrah! I am sooo please . The stitches are a killer. And also I ran my best time since my PB so double hurrah!

Well done Jelli!

Bear - I was seriously considering the same, combining it with going back outside. I thought, this might sound mad, that I might be motivated by the programme again and by easily achieving the early weeks? Does that seem silly?

I don't want to stop, but at the same time I'm not sure about how to
Improve it.

Oh Pistey, I feel exactly the same. I am tres disheartened - events this week plus no running/shredding have conspired to turn me into a miserable old bat :(.

What will become of us HeadGirl, pray tell?

Excellent news Jelli, well done!

hello everyone

I am a complete shocker and have not run since Sunday, and even then I was crap. I am working 3 days a week now, so can only run Tues, Fri and weekend, and DH had to leave at 6 (for a meeting with the Chancellor!) so it won't happen today either.

I must get back into it, as I am in danger of turning into a ready meal. We are 3 weeks into the build now, but I think the chances of them finishing in 3 weeks are slim as we need to wait for the windows. Boring, boring, boring, sorry.

I can't shred as have no room. I must make time to run. I will go out tomorrow before ballet (kids not me) and again on Sunday. Not ideal.

Running the programme again at speed sounds great. I never get a stitch so guess I need to push myself. Getting running at all would be an idea.

Sorry to dash after me me me post but I can hear men downstairs (and not in a good way).

Love to all

Morning all,

Well, it sounds as though a lot of people are feeling demotivated right now. I would really recommend doing what I'm doing and going back to the start and doing it again but faster, I feel much more motivated now since this brainwave occurred about a week ago. Having said that, it sounds like it is external circumstances in many cases, so I would say to that, don't beat yourself up, all your good work isn't going to just go away because you can't get out much at the moment, when you do get going again you will get up to speed far quicker than before.

Just got back from W1R2, I haven't downloaded my stats yet, it felt quite hard for the last two or three intervals. I also shredded this morning, but there was a 2 hour gap in between. I don't know how long I will keep up this level of activity for!

W3R3 done! Hurrah!

WhoKnows, I like your idea of re-doing the programme but at speed. Will keep that in mind for the future. Alternatively, can some of you now try a new challenge eg Couch to 10K? I've even heard of Couch to 8K programmes/podcasts (via Google).

Thanks BsshBossh - I did wonder about the longer programmes, but really want to stick to half an hour otherwise I will find it too difficult to fit into the week. Also being middle aged and fat I don't want to put too much pressure on my knees, at least not until I've lost a good bit of weight. I think some of the others have moved on to longer runs though.

sybil, builders in - you deserve a medal. No wonder you can't shred. Even if you did have room, you'd be on tenterhooks thinking they were going to poke their noses in and chortle in my case ask for a cup of tea while you were legs akimbo on the floor. No, wise to wait till they've gone.

I've still not been out running, nor in shredding due to external cicumstances like WhoKnows mentioned. Sometimes life just takes over for a bit. I might just do as suggested and start from scratch but draw the line at going faster.

Hope you all have a great weekend, happy running.

PS Well done Bssh.

Right, just worked out my stats, if I extrapolate my running intervals I would have run 5k in 31.25 minutes, today it would have been 29.9 minutes. Just got to keep that up then.