I did it. Week one, run one. I think that has to rank as one of the most arse-backwards efforts given the MASSIVE technological hurdles I've come up against. I've already mentioned the complete failure of iTunes to let me use either iphone or ipod to transfer the podcasts. Well, today I remembered that dp had an old phone which didn't work for the phone bit but still switched on and had an MP3 player. He charged it up for me today while I was in work then this evening I tried transferring week one over to it without using sodding iTunes. I had to delete all the music he had on there first. It worked. Hurrah I thought. Then I slowly realised that it was a model (gives Sony Ericsson a hard stare) that needed proprietary earphones with a stupid connector rather than the bog standard smooth pin that fits everything else. Of course we don't still have these headphones - the phone is "old". But I then discovered you could just play it on the inbuilt speaker. I thought, ok, it'll be a bit awkward but I'll just go out with it in my hand and listen that way. I got togged up (it's freezing here, of course) and set out the door. I had gone about, and I exaggerate not, five whole metres from my front gate, when the sound cut out. No Laura, no music, nothing telling me when to walk and run..... At this point I thought, is it really worth it; clearly it's a sign from on high that given the previously fucked knee, this is not a good idea. But I have been so desperate to start this I just thought I'd carry on regardless and time the sodding intervals myself. The podcast was still running (soundlessly) so I used the time on that - except the phone screen kept going dark, and I had to press buttons to get the screen back, which meant every now and then the button I pressed stopped the podcast and I would be walking along with the time not moving.... After two or three run intervals I also didn't know if I'd done two or three runs as I was so busy concentrating on the time, trying to improvise a route in the cold and dark and keeping a wary eye out for the seemingly large numbers of men in pairs or on their own in cars that populated every road I went down at first. But I did it. I did it! Even if my knee did hurt on every run. I was expecting that. However I do not want to have to do the manual timing again so I'm going to have to buy a cheap MP3 player tomorrow (or splash out an an iPhone 5 - I bet even then it wouldn't work with my sodding iTunes account!!!).
Sorry for the essay. If anyone is out there just starting off on the C25K journey I'd really appreciate some mutual support. Thanks Eau for replying again so I don't feel like I'm whistling in the dark here. I wonder if I should start a new thread as I'm aware most people on here completed the programme a while back.