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

Well done bafana! Enjoy your PRSP, tis many a week since I've felt that!

Welcome babycham, keep going. At the beginning of last week (W3) I couldn't imagine doing 3 mins but this morning I did W4R1 thinking the first run would be 90 secs but it was 3 mins and it was absolutely fine. I found the last 5 min run of this morning very hard and had to walk a minute in the middle but I know from experience now that next week 5 mins will feel fine to run. Goodness, a few weeks ago I huffed and puffed through 60 secs!

Well done bafana :)

Thanks everyone for making me feel welcome!!!

And ROCK ON - I did first run of week 3 this pm. Yay!!!

Can anyone answer why the hill bit is always on the running bit???

Looked like a fat beetroot but I was NOT going to let it beat me!

Evening all, W4R3 tonight, it was hard on the way out as not only is that the uphill direction but there was a strong headwind, much easier on the return. It is true about the uphill bits always being in the running intervals!

Hey babycham we are pretty much at the same stage , well done you!!!

I have kinda chosen flat routes in order that I don't have to tackle the hill [shame], the only morning I did, I thought that I was going to have a heart attack, and that was when I was on 60 seconds!

whoknows and bssh I am looking to you as my inspiration - being a week ahead .

Does anyone else find the first running section of the day the worst one?? That seems to be the one that I always find the hardest, and leaves me thinking that the rest of the run is going to be pure torture!

nell do you think that you will need to go back to the very start?

Happy running everyone
Bafana

Evening all,

Nell I shall join you in feeling guilty about reading everyone's posts while not actually doing any running myself. Maybe we should just stick to discussing nail polish. I really should go out tomorrow, so will think of you treading that mill at the gym and force myself to tread the streets. Yes, I shall definitely stock up on some new shades of varnish when I'm over, although I'm thinking they will probably have to be quite wintery. And yes, I would love to have you as a running buddy (I feel far too intimidated to run with anyone capable of running a half-marathon and/or with stick-like legs).

bafana I always find the first few minutes of my run very hard, before I get into my stride, but then have about five minutes of enjoying it before I start to feel gradually more exhausted. I only have one small hill on my run, which involves me running uphill for all of about 10 seconds, and it usually takes me about five minutes to recover afterwards.

WhoKnows It's been so hot here recently that I've been quite glad of any wind, even headwind. Suspect I won't be feeling the same way in a week's time, however (the summer is supposed to be over on Friday).

Welcome babycham and well done on your run.

bafana Well done on completing Wk 3. I've had bad stitches a couple of times where I've had to slow right down, but often find that really bad runs are followed by really good ones.

Really must go to bed now, otherwise I'll be too exhausted for tomorrow's run (we're an hour later here).

Well done you newbies!! Keep at it. It fascinates me that the programme makes you do as much as you can, and keeps you doing as much as you can as you get fitter. Clever stuff.

I am back . I've had my folks here for a week or so staying, so time for exercise and MN has been minimal. We then threw a wine tasting party and had prep for that and a massive hangover afterwards so overall I have been pretty lax since my Birks of Aberfeldy adventure up the waterfall. However I got a grip yesterday and we went out for 3 miles and was back Shredding this evening. I think I have missed the exercise!!

Sadly I have had three tragic breakages on the nail front (gardening ) so I am "off nail garnish" for the time being.

Glad to here everyone else is doing better than me, keep it up!

hear not here

Hello everyone! I wrote a lovely long post on Friday morning before going away for the weekend but the server ate it. DH was ready to go, and we were already 15 mins behind our ETD, so I didn't try to repost.

So I have made good use of my lovely little garmin - we walked, biked and ran over the weekend and I have it all downloaded and stored. What I really like is the bit that tells me how many calories I burned with each bit of exercise so that I could make sure I ate enough chocolate to replenish them.

Bafana this is my garmin. It's a wristwatch/GPS thingie which tells you how far you've run, your speed/pace and so on. I like my gadgets .

Welcome babycham, and hello to everyone else, including returnees

Hi Jelli, good to see you back. Btw are you sure you have your priorities right? If it was me, I would be off gardening rather than nail varnish.

of your Garmin, shredded. I still can't decide which one to get, but my runner friend said she would ask her DH, who apparently knows about these things.

Said runner friend also reminded me of how important it is to stretch after running - she had a lot of problems with her legs because she didn't. Admittedly she runs further and more often than me and, as I may have already mentioned, has legs like sticks. Anyway, I had lots of good intentions about doing some stretches today. Which I promptly forgot in my PRSP.

Ten seconds off my PB today, which I could quite likely have beaten if I hadn't stopped to chat to a friend half-way through. Entirely my own fault, though - it just seemed like a good opportunity to ask what her DD wanted for her birthday.

Gardening is one of the reasons why I tend to only paint toenails in the summer, fingers just end up getting trashed. Now the heatwave is over I have one final big push to do on clearing the garden and I can switch to my winter nail colours.

I never remember to stretch either, I do make sure I walk for a couple of minutes though which is better than nothing.

Hello all, I am just about to start W5 - I cant believe I have gotten this far, and am finally starting to enjoy this program now.

Sounds like everyone is super-fit on this board, I am very intimidated impressed.

I have a quick question - can anyone recommend a good sports bra? I am a 32FF, so I need something really good, I don't like any wobble whatsoever when running, esp as I have now changed my route onto more public roads.

Any recommendations would be great - I can't keep washing and wearing the one I have between every run anymore!

Oh yes vanimal I shall also watch with bated breath for sports bra suggestions.I am wearing pre-children sports crop tops which I have to admit hold the twins close to my chest being a tad small for me now! I"m pretty average size really but I"m a little worried about stretching parts that shouldn"t be stretched with all the jiggling and accelerating their southward movement!

vanimal and babycham I have a Shock Absorber, which seems to have a good reputation. However, I can't really comment on its effectiveness as I have very little to shock post-DC. It's handy for stuffing my keys down, though.

Vanimal -i have this shock absorber bra which is fine for my 32Fs

Talking of stuffing keys down bras Linzer I"d love to know people"s solutions to having to carry stuff. I fit in my sessions mainly on the way to somewhere else so I can do double duty on the time.But this means carting about a bit of money,keys,mobile etc.

My bum bag jiggles as much as the twins and my saggy belly & bum

Anyone got any (cheap) solutions?

I carry phone in an armband and my door key on a ring in my hand, but don't carry anything else, so not much help I'm afraid. My house is at a crossroads, all the places I go are in the four different directions so I always come back past the house on my way back from my runs and can pick stuff up then.

You can get tiny little purse things that you attach to the laces of your shoes, think they are meant for keys, but would hold a few coins, saw one in Sports Direct the other day. Maybe one of those and a phone armband?

WhoKnows the arm thingy sounds great. Practical and I"ll feel like Lara Croft (albeit a bit of a fat Lara Croft)

I run either before or after work, so don't have your problem babycham.

I leave my phone at home.
I have a teeny tiny ipod shuffle which clips on to my top.
My shorts have a zip pocket across the back, so I stash my cash in there.
I tie my key on to the drawstring of my shorts.
I carry a bottle of water.

I have an armband from when I used to have an ipodshuffle (DS2 lost it for me on a flight).

I carry my iPod in an armband and put my keys either in a pocket (I only take my house key out with me, otherwise they jangle around too much when I'm running) or down my bra if I don't have a pocket/put something else in it. Occasionally I take my mobile out with me, which just about fits into the pocket in the back of my running trousers, and some money if I stop to buy something at the baker's on the way back (in pocket; I only ever take a note or one coin to avoid the jangling effect!).

I stuff it all down my capacious bra as you all well know. Well I would if I actually went out there instead of procrastinating. Need big kick up the bahookie.I need a new bra too to keep norks in check when I go back to W1 which will be soon.

You are all doing so well. Am .

Where has Pistey the Head Girl gone? Is she too busy knitting ;). Soon be time for a new thread.

Got to go to work

Morning, just quickly checking in!
Week4 day 1 done! And still alive. Managed to go 4.34 km and my running speed was relatively good, definitely feeling prsp!

Hope everyone else is well

Hello everyone!

LinzerTorte and KristinaM thank you for the bra links, I'll have a look at these now.

Just completed week5 run 1, and I am feeling good :-) It was 3x5min runs, and was much more achievable than I thought it would be.

By the final 5 min run, I could have carried on for longer, I have definitely noticed the difference in my fitness levels now.

I know it's very small distances compared to everyone else on this board, but as I couldn't even do 60 second runs a few months back I am very pleased with myself :-)

Hope everyone's having a good day!

Well done vanimal :)

I'm still struggling with week 4. I completed W4R2 this morning but am only managing 4.5 mins of the 5 min segments so may repeat the week next week to build up my stamina. I only have one run outting next week anyway as we're holidaying in NYC for a long weekend (yippee!) and as much as I'd like to run in Central Park, time will not be on our side.

I'll keep going until I crack the full 5 minutes though :)

I keep my keys in a tiny sports belt and clip my Nano to it too.