Couch to 5k 2011: Part 5 - Polished and Ready to Run

[WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeGoes]

Yet more space for us to talk about our progress on the Couch to 5K programme, the clothes 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! Although this thread has been going for a year now some of us are re-doing the Couch to 5K, some of us are relatively new, some are doing half marathons already, we are a good mix and would love to hear from anyone who would like to run with us. Just jump in whatever stage you are at.

Linzer, Jelli, yes I programmed all the wekks from the NHS c25k into Runkeeper, I used the Laura podcasts first time round but when I wanted to use it again I couldn't face their music.

My nails are a bit flaky at the moment, so having a rest. I painted my toes a bright coral yesterday but don't think it suits me, makes yhe skin look dirty. I just bought one of thee soap and gliry foot files being raved about on MN to tackle my heels and wow! It's fantastic

There you go Neilsboar if you want to programme the plan into Runkeeper, that could work for you for the bridge to 10k. I am sure Linzer and who knows will help if you need it.

I need to get DS to rejig my iPod [old gimmer emoticon] before term starts again and it all gets too busy again.

No running for me today, am feeling a bit feeble so just did some Jillian this morning. I only have today and tomorrow left of my leave so back to work on Thursday, but my nails are in a state from the decorating and worse still the gardening. They are very broken and i only have one decent one left. Off with it's head I think, to match the other sad souls. I will treat them to a good file later but no nail garnish for me for a while.

Oops, just re read my last post, I haven't been drinking, just typing on my phone under the desk at work, excuse all the typos!

Tut Tut Whoknows!! Shocking...

Jelli The last thing I would think of if I was feeling a bit feeble would be Jillian. Running used to seem like a walk in the park in comparison.

WhoKnows of the Soap & Glory foot file. It's been out of stock on the Boots website ever since I started looking (not that they ship overseas, but I could at least get it sent to my parents' address). I got quite excited when I went past a shop in Vienna selling S&G shower gel and rushed in, but no sign of any foot buffers anywhere.

Hi all and thanks for the welcome. I hadn't realised that there were different versions of the c25k, I thought they were all broadly similar. Anyway I am loathe to change now as I'm addicted to the app and keep looking at how my pace changes etc. I may just repeat week 4 just to be sure, see how I feel. Next run tomorrow am at the crack of dawn, see if I feel better after that one!

Must buy nail varnish too! Feeling left out.

Hello everyone

I have been looking to rejoin you for some time now, but felt an absolute fraud, so waited until I had actually started the programme (again - third time lucky!) before posting. How the devil are you all ? I feel very ashamed to have let it lapse for so long but am pleased to report that I have now completed week 2 and am about to start week 3 tomorrow. I am using Laura this time rather than Rawbert so let's see if it makes a difference.

Hope you are all well and happy, with painted toes and fingers as per. What colours are you all sporting? I have managed to grate half my thumb nail into a lemon tart (microplane was very sharp!) but have a good red on my toots.

See you soon I hope.

Keep on running everyone (bit rich coming from me, but you get the sentiment )

Sybil - welcome back! Lovely to hear from you. I've been a bit sporadic with my efforts recently too, partly due to colds, coughs and now a weak pelvic floor, partly due to just being busy and lazy.

We haven't been talking about nails so much the last few weeks, my fingernails have got a bit flaky from overuse of nail varnish, my tpes are going to have to change again as I really don't suit the coral I put on them at the weekend. My current toe favourite is Maybelline Really Rosy

Hello all! sybil! Welcome back - I was only thinking about you the other day! All we need now is Nell for a full house (has anyone heard from her lately?).

I thought I'd share my latest go-faster accessory . The 10K DS1 and I did on Saturday was the Scotland Run (check out the photos!) so I invested in a plaid running skirt for the occasion. Sadly the skirt did not arrive in time for Saturday, but I will wear in in the summer as I'm sure it will be cooler than shorts (and last time I wore shorts without running tight underneath the seams chafed badly and I got a horrible rash)

Linzer, glad you got your gait sorted and have new trainers, hope that helps with the knees.

I am nail garnish free too just now.

Have just read in. Lots of us here now. Very exciting.

I love that Really Rosy nail varnish. May have to indulge. I have a course of gel manicures left from last year but sadly I keep having one, then things happen which mean that I don't get the next one til some months later, so hardly keeping my nails looking fabulous. I do my feet myself but may have to have a rethink over the summer when people other than at the pool might see them.

I am going to take the kids to holiday club, then nip back for a quick run before my lunch out. It was DH's birthday last week so he is taking me out for a nice lunch, meaning the kids have to go to holiday club just for one day. The amount of moaning it has generated though is unbearable. Eugh. Cannot believe the holidays are nearly over. I am working on Sat and not looking forward to it. Then back to the grindstone for 7 weeks before we go to Norfolk. I do fantasise that I might have finished C25K by then and be able to run around the town for 1/2 hour without stopping. That would be a huge achievement for me.

Right, running clothes and then out. My Shock absorber seems a bit looser. Do you think I might be losing weight (or at least boobs - they're huge!)

Keep on running everyone.

Hi all, enjoy your lunch Sybil and well done on the weight loss am very . Love that skirt Shredded don't think I'm brave enough for that though!

Well w4r2 done and I was rubbish . Went a different route to the one I did on Monday and it wasn't as flat as the previous route, not a massive hill more of a gradual incline but when I was running up I could feel it in my shins. Anyway I didn't complete the first set of 3 mins then 5 mins as I had to stop for a breather (that's allowed right???) which I was gutted about but mannaged the 3 and 5 min on the way home (slightly downhill then!)

Felt down about that initially as I ran that route on the earlier weeks and managed it but maybe because I was walking the steeper bits. However thinking about it I think I will make that my main route now as I think the challenge would do me good and I don't want to be the sort of runner who can only do completely flat surfaces.

Itcouldbe I have found incorporating hills tricky, it's hard to avoid them altogether here but whereabouts in your run they occur makes a big difference, also whether they are short and steep or long and gentle. Definitely not a good idea to avoid them altogether though, you're right about that.

I have also realised since I started running that quite a few routes I previously thought of as flat having only ever walked or driven them are actually long gentle inclines. The only place that is truly flat here is the playing field.

Shredded, presumably you wear sturdy pants when you wear a running skirt? I don't think my pelvic floor is quite up to going tights free (poss TMI, sorry). I like to tena up before I go....

W3, R1 completed. Harder than I thought, but I ran all the running bits. I quite like Laura, she's got a good tone, encouraging without being patronising. Apart from the bit about "do this 3 times, so if it's your first time, you'll need to do it twice more...". Thank god she said or I'd never have worked it out. Whoknows, it is a nightmare with the hills isn't it? The car does not give a true impression of how sloping things are and a gentle incline which the car barely registers is a nightmare for my buttocks.

Well done Sybil.

I had a nice run this morning, 5k out to the next village and back through the woods. Nice and slow (gently for the pelvic floor, I have really scared myself reading the prolapses threads) but it is quite hilly and I had to walk in a few places (only once for more than about a minute though).

I was giving the hill problem a bit of thought on my way round. My conclusions are that once you are onto the longer running intervals (say 20 mins plus) the hills kind of average out and don't matter too much unless they are very steep or you are trying to beat your personal best. However in the early stages they are a real pain if they coincide with the running intervals, I was always trying to tweak my route so the uphill bits fell in the walking parts, but as soon as you get it sorted you are on to the next week when it's all different again. Definitely less of a problem on longer runs though.

Hello to newcomers and oldcomers.

I have been lurking and sort of running. I have had a cold which went to my chest. I ran Monday night and it was a disaster as I thought my lungs were on fire. However I ran tonight and all was well - hurrah.

I think I'll do one more week of the same then shorten the walking time / increase the running time again

I can't remember who mentioned it, but I have the S&G foot buffer too and it is bloody fab. I have rank feet but thanks to the buffer they are lovely and smooth.

Does running help the pelvic floor at all? Mine seems to have improved since I have been running, although maybe it was just time that has helped (ds3 is now 11mo) Did your pelvic floor get worse with your cold WhoKnows? I have found that when I have a persistent cough with and after a cold my pelvic floor seems to take a bashing.

ILike, I have 3 kids too and my pelvic floor is shot. Running does seem to help (as does swimming) but I find any cough or even vigorous nose blowing can challenge it greatly!

Ooh, phone, back in a minute

ILike - I hadn't really given much thought to my pelvic floor with regard to the running till last week, I've been running for a year and it has neither worsened or improved really. However < TMI alert > I do have a bit of a prolapse, so I need to be careful, it hasn't caused much problem so far (youngest DC is 6 now). Occasionally it does all drop down a bit though, and I was really uncomfy on my run a week or so back, which made me feel worried that maybe the running wasn't doing it any good. This coincided with buying the DCs a trampoline and venturing on to it myself, which also felt pretty uncomfy.

Anyway, I have dug out the sheet of pelvic floor exercises I was given after I had DD2 and am going to do them from now on, and try and use those muscles while I run too. And I am going to use the trampoline but in a very controlled manner!

Sybil - I definitely prefer to cough and sneeze sitting down with my legs crossed!

Well I feel shite!!!

Ran this morning and still had to stop for a quick breather during the 3 min and 5 min run up the slight incline!

However...I made the mistake of weighing myself in Boots later on and I'm disgusted!!! I've actually put on weight and I don't get it. I'm 5ft 6 and 11st 5lb!!! I haven't been this heavy since my last dc and he's 7. I've been hovering around the 11stone mark for 2 years since suddenly jumping up from 10 but for a while I have been watching what I eat, cutting down my portions etc still drinking too much wine though and combined with the 3-4 times a week running for the last month or so and I've bloody gained weight.

Why do I bother???

Morning all!

Itcouldbe how are your clothes feeling? It might be that you have gained lean muscle through your running. I too am heavier than I would like to be, but am the same dress size as I have been on and off for years. Wine is my downfall as well.

I haven't dared venture out in the skirt, with or without tights. I had a quick run (4 miles) in shorts (without tights ) yesterday which cleared the streets.

There's a women only half marathon on today so we are steering clear of Central Park. I have just clocked that I have only a month to go to the Brooklyn Half .

Four miles a quick run, Shredded? Well it might be for you, I suppose.

Itcould I was also wondering whether you might have gained muscle. And I'm another one who falls down when it comes to . (Well, not literally. Apart from a couple of weeks ago. And it was a very steep slope.)

I did W6R1 this morning and felt for the first time that I'm getting back to my old levels of fitness. I'm finding the running quite time-consuming atm, however; four 8 minute intervals with two minutes of walking in between plus five minutes of warm-up and cool-down walking mean I'm out for 50 minutes altogether. Still, as long as my knee is OK (and it is so far, touch wood), I don't feel like I can complain too much.

Wow, there's loads of fit ladies on here now!

Forced myself out earlier, did 3 miles in 25 mins but had a slight hangover. More tired than anything as only fit 5 hrs sleep. But pleased I did it! Came home, had hot bubble bath with a glass of vino & sunday mags, fab! Now lying on sofa, watching last nights The Voice and about to snooze do my nails!

Shredded you'll be fine. You'll walk it cruise through it!

Shandy that's a fine and respectable pace you've got there! No need to make apologies for it!!

Ive been back at work this week and went shopping in a City yesterday for a dress, so no exercise for me Friday or yesterday but I had planned to run today but when it came to walking out the door this morning I couldn't quite face it (the weather - snow showers) so I came back in and did BFBM with Jillian instead, much warmer!

Will plan to get in a run tomorrow or Tuesday if is not snowing and is a little less cold.

On the less wimpy front I tried a dress on in DP and the size 10 was too big !! Yee-ha!

Blooming heck IFAS, that is jolly fast!

at Linzer's falling down . Glad that the knee is holding up!

You reminded me that I fell down some steps in the middle of the day last week. No vino involved, and I managed to grab onto the handrail to save falling completely, but quite a few people saw me and smirked

Itcouldbe I've also put on weight since starting; but my clothes are definitely looser, so its either a weighing error or muscle...

Sadly DS brought home D+V as a lovely present for us last week; it seems to have hit me in bouts, so although I've been off the bike mostly and haven't swum, I've still managed to do W4D2 + D3. And my legs; particularly shins have definitely been feeling better; so that's good.

Today was not a great day ; have managed to keep down 30g of cereal and a slice of toast (do you see what I did there with the deviant use of the 'envy' smiley...) Still, we'll see what tomorrow brings

If I can get in the runs then this week has D-Day in; the first solid run (3.2k) and I've decided if that goes ok then I'll put my entry in for the Wilmslow triathlon and start telling people - then there's no backing out (unless I make up a plausible injury story )