Couch to 5k 2011 Part Four: Post even if you haven't run!

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

Yet more space for us to talk about our progress on the Couch to 5K programme, the stuff we wear, the music we listen to, the gadgets we use and our nail varnish.

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!

Some of us are on our second time round now, so don't worry that you will be behind, just jump in whatever stage you are at.

Hi scarlett and welcome. Good for you for startimg C25k as part of your diet. Unless your doctor has told you otherwise, there is no reason why you cant do light to moderate exercise throughtout your pregnancy. Many women who are alreday fit do strenous exercise umtil quite late in pg.

You need to go gently with stretching etc as its easier to pull things. But i woudl imagine that you are taking things pretty easy at present

Getting your weight down and your fitness levels up wont just help you get onto the assisted conception programme. It will help you have a better pg and have health benefits for you AND you baby. You can continue to diet throughout pg and breast feeding as well, as long as you get advice on how to do it safely

There are some posters here who have lost a SERIOUS amount of weight and i hope will be an inspiration to you .

My dh has just lost two stone though execrise and healthy eating ( and has another 4 to go) and he is feelijg better than he has in years.

Good luck

Forgot link
NHS choices, exercise in pregnancy

Thanks so much Kristina - that's really reassuring, specially for DH, and just what I'd hoped to hear :)

Yes, taking things very easy at the moment as still on the first week. I imagine by the time I do (hopefully!) get pregnant I'll be much further into the programme and generally fitter.

I'm a lot slimmer and fitter than in my youth, when I had a serous weight problem and a bad back and glandular fever , but there is a way to go and I'd so like my body to be in much better condition before putting the poor thing through pregnancy and motherhood, so all in all I'm glad someone recommended C25K...

Anyway thanks for the welcome and I'll be hanging around!

Ooo and thanks for the link - I'll look it up...

Hello Scarlett and welcome!

I agree with Kristina. As long as you aren't starting anything new and vigorous when pregnant (and I don't put C25K in that bracket - I was thinking shredding or kickboxing ) you should be fine with moderate exercise. Anything that gets you fitter and healthier is going to help you when you do get pregnant (said with the benefit of hindsight ).

I popped on here to tell you all that I'm going out for a long run today. I thought if I told you it would make me get off the couch and out of my pyjamas and into my running gear. A bit of tele-porting to the park wouldn't go amiss either . I am going to wear my free long sleeved tech top from last week's 5k

Hiya Scarlett and everyone,

Scarlett, I agree with the advice so far - you should be just fine. Stick with it and by christmas you'll be amazed at what you can do .

No exercise for me again today - sigh - well at least not so far, there is a small chance I'll go and do some 6W6Ping in due course. Just me and DD home last night and today and this morning we stayed in bed talking till about 2.30 this afternoon !!! Yikes, not really what I'd planned for the day but it was fun and The List of jobs can wait!

I hope you won't mind me sharing my PRSP with you all

So I walked to the Park - 1 mile
I ran in the Park - 11K, my furthest ever, and did it half a minute faster than the 10k I ran 5 weeks ago
I walked home - 2 miles (stopped for a starbucks on the way)

Am now considering hibernating for the rest of the winter

Evening all, can't stop for long, but just wanted to say Well Done to Shredded and Ristretto and hello to Scarlett.

Planning to go out tomorrow, DH has been at work all weekend so haven't had a chance to go, hoping the weather is as gorgeous as it was today, can't remember ever feeling too hot at the Remembrance Sunday parade before......

Yy, well done shrdded and ristretto

Must be that free top shredded

ristretto that's great! Once you burst through the 20 mins barrier there is no looking back!

Jelli and WhoKnows, hope you get out tomorrow.

Kristina - you're right (though I spent most of the run with it tied around my middle

Well done to all those who've been out running, especially to Shredded on your speedy 11k and ristretto on your 20 minutes, and welcome to Scarlett.

Nell If I can find my way round London despite having absolutely no sense of direction, anyone can. I am already starting to think about when we could visit next (am thinking next summer pre/post Olympics)... you must come and join the nailfest next time.

WhoKnows Hope the sciatica is better, that you manage to get out today and that the weather is still as good. Tis absolutely freezing here - in fact, it was below freezing when I took the DC to school, so I shall definitely be needing my gloves soon.

I haven't been out since last Monday's run, partly because I haven't had much time and partly because I wasn't sure whether it was a good idea after my knee was so painful last time. I was speaking to a friend who had the same problem and she said that the two things that helped her were gel insoles and switching from running on the pavements to running in the woods. Am really not too keen on the latter (would have to drive there, which would take even more time, I have no sense of direction so am bound to get lost, there are likely to be dogs around that are off their leads, etc etc), but insoles do sound like a good idea.

Have just been to see the doctor for the first part of my annual check-up and I mentioned my knee to her, so she had she would have a look at it next time (basically just had a blood test today; I've got the detailed discussion of the results next week).

Am wondering whether I should just try going out for a 2k run, as it wasn't until 2-3 km that my knee started hurting last time. Or go back to the beginning of the C25k programme. Or whether I should order some insoles and then go. Or whether I should wait and see what the doctor says next Friday (although that would mean not running for almost another fortnight at least). I don't have time to go out today (our visitors don't fly back home until this evening) or tomorrow (DC off school) anyway, so have time to think about it.

Hello again and thanks for being so welcoming :)

Jelli I've been calculating the weeks until Christmas and honestly can't bring myself to believe that by then I should be doing a 25 minute jog

No. No, I simply don't believe it possible. But I shall try

Yesterday was Week 1 Day 2 (I am SO early on it's embarrassing) and weirdly it was harder than Day 1 but I am less sore this morning. Ho hum.

anyway you lot are bloody inspiring, that is all. I have always wanted to be one of those wonderful golden girls with bouncing pony tails and special lycra trousers, darting lightly along the canal. It never occurred to me until I actually chatted to one of said wonderful golden girls and she said she'd started with C25k ! We all start somewhere I guess!

neitherShredded I am in AWE of your run. What does PSRP stand for pliz?

Hi everyone

Linzer -could you nit try running in the park rather than the woods? I assume its about runnig on grass or compacted earth rather than on tarmac, to reduce the impact on your knee?

Kristina I can run on the paths in the park (but those are tarmac too), but you're not allowed to walk (or run) on the grass here. Am racking my brains to try and think of somewhere nearby where I could run; the nearest place would be along the river, which would lovely if it weren't for all the huge dogs bounding along (I can cope with them when I'm on my bike, but wouldn't want to run past them) - have talked to a few friends who run there, and they've all said it can be a problem.

Scarlett PRSP = post-running smug phase. Something I haven't experienced for a while.

Have you tried wearing a knee support Linzer? Maybe go into a pharmacy and ask.

Scarlett - well I've got the swishy ponytail and the lycra trousers (albeit in a rather large size) although I still feel as though I'm thundering along rather than darting lightly. I still have to pinch myself sometimes too, I had never really run until this year. Determined is the way to go.

Haven't been out today . Have done a lot of housework and decluttering though and spent the afternoon making Christmas goodies with DS's class at school though, so not a wasted day. Might go later...

No, I hadn't thought of that WhoKnows. I've been googling and it sounds like the kind of knee support you need depends on your injury, so getting some advice sounds like a good idea.

The GP I saw for my MOT today shares the practice with an orthopaedic sports specialist, so maybe I could go and see him if she's not too sure about the cause. I've also ordered some gel insoles from Amazon so I'll probably wait until they arrive before I go out for my next run.

Just a quick message as I haven't any nail garnish running news. I managed to squeeze in a quick shred this evening but that's the limit of my exercise for about the last week .

Shredded glad your long sleeved top made you 'go faster'

Linzer* Yikes! about your knee. I think with it being a knee (and I wouldn't want to mess one up in the long term for the sake of a few runs) I would wait for the doc's advice. I know it'll be a bit frustrating waiting but if all is well you'll soon get any lost fitness back but if you continue to use it when it needs rest you could do some long term damage and affect your running forever !

BTW have you gone from warm to blummin' cold very quickly? You don't seem to have had much autumn....

Nell how's the running?

Eveing all. I'm still laptopless hence my absence - only allowed on this ancient old contraption when no-one else is using it, ie. 2325.

Linzer bad news re. knee. You poor wee thing. Maybe you should rest it like I have been doing for the past four months, not that I am encouraging you and have a lie on the sofa and paint your nails instead. . And yes to London NailFest!

WhoKnows, hope your sciatica is improving. I could do with a spot of decluttering, it always makes me feel a bit smug and organised. A bit like PRSP but PDCSP iyswim.

Jelli - something I would do well to remember. Excellent news about the shredding - and it's freezing here tonight. Maybe winter is finally upon us. My cotoneaster is chock full of berries. Do you think that heralds a hard winter ahead?

Well don ristretto, see it was easy after all! And you will soon be there and so would I if I got my fat arse into gear again Scarlett - before you know it, you'll be ponytail swishing and running away from coyotes and mad cyclists like the rest of us! Welcome to our thread full of blether about running, nails, shredding and bras!

shredded 11K is bloody brilliant, you are tres marvellisimo! Still no sign of dangerous goods I presume? Didn't get to the PO today as was late back from work but hoping to pop in tomorrow after work and chase it up hound them.

Nell - no, no sign of any banned substances in my mailbox (though I got 2 credit card bills, so postie is deffo at work ). Thank you for your PM, I will reply properly tomorrow

Linzer - I agree, don't risk your knee (says the person who could barely climb steps a couple of weeks ago with creaky knees).

Scarlett, like WhoKnows I only started to run this year with C25K. I would have laughed in the face of anyone who told me that I could run for 5 mins, let alone 5K this time last year.

I'm thinking of signing up for the Jingle Bell jog next. Bells on my trainers, Christmas music and free hot chocolate at the end sound a winning combination to me .

DH has signed up for this madness .

That sounds fab-u-lous shredded, do it!

Whereas this is quite simply ludicrous. What is he thinking?

Went to see my little PO Man today and he's given me a claim form and instructions but says I can't report it MIA till 25 working days have passed . And I posted it on 28 Oct so he says it might well get there and could just have been held up at Customs . What was in it says he? Oooh waffle, waffle, cosmetics said I looking like . Well I didn't realise that nail varnish was quite possibly prohibited did I or I would have written something else on the little green sticker.

Fingers crossed it turns up, and if not, I'll send something to the UK address.

Hope everyone is well. Where has that Pistey gone? And sybil and molly?

I nearly went out running this morning, you would've been dead proud of me if I'd gone.

[overuse of emoticon emoticon here]

On phone, and just lost message grrrrr!!
In prsp - 20 minute run done!! Whoop whoop

So impressed with the 11km. And everyone else's achievements.

Keep running

Ooh! Shredded you must join in the Jingle Run - what fun the post run treats will be !

Come on Nell get a grip!

I've been put off running by the dark again so I have done L1 6W6P so i have got hot and sweaty today at least. I need to get a grip too it seems!

Just off to eat as I'm starving a bit peckish. See you later.

Hello all!

There's been some great running going on by the sounds,what with 20 minute -ers and 11k - ers. Well done!

Hope those with injuries improve soon.

Hello Scarlett and well done you.You'll be glad you did it.It'll improve your confidence and energy levels as well as everything else.

I would like to report that I have graduated
I have officially gone from couch to 5 k and I am very proud!

It's a life changer,for sure,and I've been preaching to anyone who'll listen!!!!

My next step is to work on improving the speed and ease of 5k,before increasing distance,I think,and to add some (gentle starting)shredding (in trainers) with the DVD that DH has bought me (in his proudness at my commitment to my running).

Sadly I have let the side down as far as nail varnish is concerned,but we can't have it all!!!!

Morning all!

Reading all this is keeping me inspired :)

Many congrats to Countess - we need a 'laurel wreath' emoticon. Amazing.

I haven't been able to go out for the last 3 days because of working (I am a big strong brave girl but don't much fancy wheezing running around the means streets and parks of Tower Hamlets in the dark.

I intend to do W1D3 tomorrow, then all 3 days of Week 2 on Friday, Sat and Sun (those are my not-working days when I am able to go out in daylight!)

I know technically you are supposed to have a rest day but I am hoping I'll be OK, given that so early on in the programme it's very gentle??

HOwever I will Do As I Am Told if advised otherwise!