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

Hi All
Loving the fact that we can also discuss shopping on this thread . Love being able to justify some spending!

molly sounds painful not sure that I want to damage myself doing this!!

I went out this morning, and did w2d3. I know that I shouldn't project, but the thought of w3 is filling me with dread, running 90 seconds the few times seems to almost kill me, although seems to get easier by the end what is that about?? surely I should get more tired, not less so!!

shredded congrats - 15 years is impressive!!

linzer I would pay someone to stop and ask me for directions sometimes. Need to sort out the breathing in time to the running, seems to be one or the other at the moment .

kristina take comfort from the fact you cannot possibly be slower than me!

So - when am I going to start seeing these miraculous transformations to me.
I have given up drinking, I have given up smoking, I am now "running" in the loosest sense of the word, three times a week, and yet I still can't get to the top of 2 flights of stairs without being slightly out of breath and my leg muscles burning

Have a great day everyone
Bafana

Bafana you'll get there, I'm only on W3 but this morning managed the two 3 minute runs absolutely fine. I remember when 1 min of running left me heaving just a few weeks ago! The main thing that got me successfully through W3R2 this morning was slowing down my pace. I even kept chanting (in my head) "Slower, slower" so that I was running at a gentle jog. I still cruised passed the power walkers so I didn't feel like I was cheating. Like the more seasoned C25kers on this thread, I will work on pace at the end of the session. I will be proud of myself if I can jog non-stop for 30 mins even if I'm only covering 2 or 3k in that time!

Hello girls

Sorry you are injured Molly. Hope you are soon better. I am impressed you are doing another 10k next week. What an inspiration! I too have had 3 kids and my abs are shot to pieces.

I don't think it is worth worrying about pace. Anything which is not walking counts, however slow it is. That is what I tell myself. I did my W2 R3 of "fast"(for me) running and am actually quite looking forward to moving on to 3 m runs. I can't remember what Rawbert has us doing though, so I'll check back at the website.

I must say that I was shattered when I got home from work tonight but my run has really energised me. I must hold onto that feeling as it's so easy to give it a miss, esp in winter. Today was glorious in London and apparently it is going to be lovely for the rest of the week. Sadly, the winter is supposed to be FREEZING which is a worry. Fingers crossed it is not too snowy.

Keep on running (and shopping!) everyone

bafana Like Bssh says, you will get there. The following week's runs always seemed impossible to me, but you get through them and they gradually get easier. Well done on giving up smoking and drinking btw - I don't drink a huge amount (no alcohol tolerance any more) but am trying to get out of the habit of drinking every single night.

Bssh When I did my 3k race (before I'd finished C25k), I was a little disheartened by all those runners running so much faster than me - but kept telling myself that as long as I ran the whole distance, that was all that counted. (But I was secretly pleased that I didn't come last in my age group. ) I can still hear Laura's voice in my head telling me that it's not about speed but about building up stamina.

sybil I don't think I even have abs, but it's good to know I can blame the DC.
of your lovely London weather - it had better last until our visit.

Bafana - you will get there, if I can do it anyone can (I'm mid 40s, 2st overweight and was very unfit). Just slow down as much as you need to but keep going and avoid hills! I ran 4km last night, if you had asked me a year ago I would have said that could never happen.

Groin much improved. Sufficient to do parkrun on Saturday and hopefully get under 33 for 5k. Ran w3d2 with ds. He was not in the zone at all. Think he runs better with his dad tbh. Probably some Oedipal thing about wanting to defeat his father. He just ignored me when I tried to chivy him along.
2 10ks in just over 2 weeks wasn't planned. I didn't have childcare for the one I just did so booked to do this other one. Then got an offer for a friend to have the dcs so decided to do it. The second one is in a park but it's hilly. Not looking forward to that!

I was over 16stone when I started this and some runs really hurt. But it does get better.

Glad to hear your injury is better, molly. How old is your DS? A friend of mine (who has 7 year old triplets in DD2's class) has suggested we all go running together and DD2 is very keen. She (the other mother) has already measured out a route (800 m is apparently a suitable distance for that age).

I bought my running hat and gloves from Aldi today ? the gloves are fine, but I?ve just tried on the hat and it looks like I?m about to go swimming! It?s about as comfortable as a swimming hat too, so I?m tempted to take it back. Must have another look at those Lands' End hats ? has yours arrived yet, sweaty? And, equally importantly, have you tried out your new Garmin?

Tis me! Bear! The prodigal daughter!

What do you think? Does it suit me?

Today I'm wearing this glittery sparkly nightmare to get off stuff on my nails. Oooh shiny.

Anyway I'm soooo sorry I've been AWOL for a couple of weeks, have been poorly, and working hard for a change and have had no time to get on MN grrrr and see what you've all been up to :(

But I'm back, and I'm going to knuckle down and chat nails running with you and try to get back into the swing of things as my corners have GONE. My belly is jelly and I feel like a big fat sloth.

Hope you're all well, going to read the thread and will report back for action in the morning.

Night night :) ooh it's nice to be back, do you forgive me?

Bear! Welcome back, love the new name. Sorry you've been poorly, there seems to be alot of illness about.

W4R1 tonight, was OK, the first three running intervals I managed faster but had to go back to my normal slow jog for the last one. Never mind.

Nell, lovely to see you back here. i've missed you and pistey . Of course we forgive you!

Linzer, both the hat - which is very cute - and the garmin turned up today. So I'm sitting here at bedtime wearing the garmin and the heart rate monitor to try them out just for you my pulse is wavering between 62 and 79 depending on how fast I type . We're going away tomorrow for a long weekend and hoping to get some hiking and running in, so I will try it out for real then and report back on Monday.

Bafana - it does get better. You think you will never make it, and suddenly you are running for 20 minutes. If anyone had told me a year ago that I'd be on my second pair of trainers (I wore the bounce out of my last pair), or that i'd own a pair of shorts, some running tights, several tops and a gramin, not to mention a shred DVD and an exercise ball and weights, I'd have told them they were mad. And even madder if they thought that I'd actually be using any of it . But thanks to the friends I've made on this thread and its predecessors I'm still at it

Molly - glad to hear the groin is improving. Fingers crossed for Sunday!

sybil- welcome back. I missed you too Hold on to that energising feeling. I've shredded after work a couple of times this week as I've been too tired in the mornings and it's felt goooooood

See y'all next week! Happy running everyone!

Morning
Just in the door from w3d1!!!
And I managed! Feel really good actually, felt a little bit like a real runner this morning, 3 whole minutes, which seems incredible.

Thanks for all the support, I was really dreading it. Glad that there is a countdown on my app, which counted down the minutes. What a wuss.

shredded whats a Garmin? I don't think I need anything to tell me that my heart is still beating, at points it seems to want to jump out of my chest .

molly glad to hear your injury is getting better!

bssh glad I am not the only one that's speaks to themself whilst out there.

sybil who or what is Rawbert!

Right off to jump into the shower.
Have a great day everyone.
B

Yay Bafana! Well done. It's a good feeling isn't it? I'm always worried that I might start singing to my Ipod while I do my warm up walk (no chance once I'm running)

Just done W4 R6. Still alive but very warm at its unseasonally hot here. We scots are not used to heat

Canu anyone tell me the name of the wee things that you starp on your arm to hold your phone? I cant keep wearimg a top with pockets

kristina

This is the one that I have armband

I really like it, it doesn't move about and is tight enough - and I have quite skinny arms.

The weather here is lovely, although I ran through pea soup this morning! But you are right - we are not made for heat, DS is complaining that it is too hot.

Thanks. Im not really into gadgets but will risk £7.

Im also running with red polish on my toes and nude on my hands. Wondering if i need to change to purple?

Well done everyone :)

I completed W3R3 today. Still found it hard going but I ran all the runs so feel good.

Slides back in under the cover of darkness, and pretends she's been here all along....
Evening all

Well ...

I've not been running.

I've not been shredding.

I've not even been on MN much.

But I have bought this. China Glaze For Audrey mmmm.

It's raining here again, that will be the Indian Summer over!!
Sneaked out this morning and did W3d2. Funny how much it improves my mood.

DD is baking in the kitchen baking cakes for my mum's birthday and her dad's birthday. I am lying on the sofa watching the first series of Downton Abbey, I am hoping that it is good as the reviews!!

It's hot here, but quite a nice dry heat, we're all just mooching around at home. Did W4R2 this morning, was doing OK till I got cramp in the arch of my foot in the last running interval and ended up walking it out but never mind, was a perfect morning for it. Shred has been neglected somewhat this week though.

Bafana - I didn't watch series 1 of DA but am trying to follow series 2, however I am finding it quite confusing.

All this talk of Downton Abbey here and on FB is going over my head. Even my parents rave about it whenever I'm back home. Maybe I should invest in some DVDs.

Lovely to see you back Nell. I quite fancy turquoise fingernails; I think I've overdone the purple recently. And... and... and... I have just discovered that I can buy OPI on lookfantastic (and they offer free international delivery), so my life is complete.

Missed out on my run yesterday and was too tired and hungover to go out this morning after a night out with the girls, but I did run 1.6k this evening with a friend, her three DC and the two DDs. DD1 did amazingly well; DD2 was by far the slowest, despite being the same age as the triplets, and kept complaining that she couldn't do it, she had a stitch, etc. but she did run all the way in the end (we ran 800 m, had a break and then ran back). Their mother suggested we go running together but I couldn't keep up with her over 800m and she runs 12k every day and she runs half-marathons and sometimes even marathons I think, so I don't think we're well-matched. Plus I can't imagine running without music or talking to someone while I'm running, so there doesn't really seem much point. Oh, and she has the thinnest, brownest legs I've ever seen so mine look huge and pasty in comparison.

Hello everyone! Can I join in? Got to go out in a min but just thought I"d pop my head in and say hi!
Have done weeks 1 and 2 of couch to 5k and LOVING it!
Haven"t read whole thread but will have a look later.

(a little scared about wk 3 as 3 mins seems an awful long time to run for!)

Hi Babycham - welcome to the thread. We're all at different places, I'm on my 2nd time round having done it earlier in the year I'm now using it as a tool to increase my speed. Good luck with W3, I'm sure you will be OK. I actually preferred it to week 2 as there are fewer running intervals!

Thanks for the welcome back Linzer. :) I do feel really guilty reading all your posts while I'm not actually doing anything at the moment. But I'm planning to go to the gym on Tuesday and start again. W1R1. Even though it feels depressing to have to start again, I've done it once, so I can do it again. Right? Not that keen on the treadmill but need to be sure I can do it before I let myself and my humungous norks back out on the streets!

Oh oh oh. I'm just reading WhoKnows post and you're on your second go even though you're doing it to speed yourself up , so I don't feel as bad now.

Welcome Babycham. I used to drink that when I was young. With gin. It was like rocket fuel. I got up to W8 then got an injury and have been sort of out of action since then, well half heartedly, but it really does work.

Linzer the turquoise is lovely on - tis very summery in this lovely weather, although having said that, it has now gone very dull and overcast. But my nails are brightening up the garden in the absence of sun. Get some when you come over. Your friend runs 12k every day? And has brown, thin legs? Ditch her and get a nice little wobbly running buddy like moi.

Must go, children are clamouring for food. Hope everyone else is well and having a good weekend.

Happy running :)

Morning All

Well obviously the weather has decided after raining all weekend, to be beautiful this morning .
Have been out, not great - had a cramp right under my bra band during my first 3 minute run. So had to slow down to a crawl.
But that is me completed Week 3!!!
Feel I am totally deserving of the PRSP.

Off to jump in the shower before mentally preparing for the week that lies ahead.

Happy running everyone