Couch to 5k...it's not about speed (thread number 3).

[CruCru]

Hi all

Here is the new home for our chat. Hope to see you all soon.

Love

Cru

My body is currently a very stubborn 15 stone... I feel so much better when I get under 14.7 even though that's still overweight, it's where I start to feel OK about myself, but I can't seem to persuade it to get there at the moment! And oh for the days of 13 stone..... Might go to the gym again tomorrow. Nice to have a plan to follow - I really miss the structure of C25K and having a goal for each session. I think we should persuade Mumsnet to track Laura down to record some special MN sessions!

I so agree about the structure Dotty - I tried a 10k app today which gave me something to aim for (4x10 min runs with 1 min walking between each) but the voice just says. "Start running" etc - I want praise! I want encouragement!
Still... For first time ever I made it past the 5k mark! Was the colour of a beetroot for some time after

spidey I don't think many of us on this thread are slim athletic types which shows running is for everyone. I 'graduated' nearly 4 months ago and have progressed quickly to much longer runs and I am a size 16! Please don't let your size put you off, you are doing more than those sitting on the sofa doing nothing. Good luck

Well todays run was 9 miles It was hard but, bizarrely, easier than the 8 mile run I did a couple of weeks ago. Took 2 hours and I am still sat here amazed that I ran for 2 hours non-stop - how???? My running buddies are fab though and help me through it (we are a little group of 6 and I am one of the weaker ones)...10 miles next week

My legs were aching so much and I was struggling to walk when I got home but I have just done a Yoga for Runners DVD and they feel a million times better. I would definitely recommend yoga after your runs.

Good running everyone. I am now sat watching the golf for the rest of the afternoon

Wow Spooky, that's amazing!

I'm actually really glad to read that spooky, I had visions of short fat little me invading a thread of athletes!
I've laid my things out ready for tomorrow, I'm just going to have to wear my everyday trainers because I can't go for proper shoes till Wednesday, To make sure I'm motivated to go I'm going to drop ds off at nursery at 12 and be ready before that so I can go straight to the quiet lake I've chosen, how far generally should I expect to go on week one? The lake is 1.5 miles round should I set a reminder for half way through the time and turn round then? Or try to carry on all the way round?

Wow, everyone's doing so well.

Could you link to your yoga dvd please spooky?

I actually prefer running without Laura though.

Just back from W8R1. I managed to run a bit longer and go for about 30 minutes. My sister in law is gracing us with a royal visit so I had a lot of pent up anger I needed to get rid of. I feel much better and have lost the urge to force feed her walnuts. (Long story)

Saw lots of bikers out too, which is spurring me on to getting my full unrestricted bike license.

dvd

This is it. Some of the poses are difficult but I just modified them. The standing and seated pose sections are ok and felt good.

spooky that's really fab! 2hrs running seems a long way off for me.

spidey go for the whole lake! 1.5miles is about 2.5k isn't it? I went about 3k week one I think. Do you have the strava app? It tracks where you run and let's you know your pace, distance, elevation etc. it's useful to look back on and see how I've progressed.

enormouse your SIL isn't allergic to walnuts is she?!

I did w7 r2 today around some woods a few minutes drive from our house. I felt good even after the 25mins was up. OH had the DCs in the buggy and ran with me for the last 5mins or so which really spurred me on. I smashed all of my personal records on strava - feeling like superwoman this afternoon. (I'll probably regret it tomorrow morning!!)

No she's not mummy but I am. I'm violently allergic to nuts and eggs and carry an epi pen. Dsil knows this.

She threw a tea party for her mother's birthday and bought all the food for it. There was fig and walnut bread, salad with hazelnuts in, various roast veg dressed with pesto and cake. Not a single item I could eat. Hence why I want to force feed her the bloody nuts she insisted on lacing everything with.

1.5 miles seems a horrifically long way at the moment! I'm having a wobble. I need to put on my big girl pants and just bloody do it!
If I don't do it tomorrow I never will!

It's not running that far tho, Spidey There is more walking than running, if that helps at all? I've got a shock absorber in a GG from these folk who usually have an offer on.

Enormouse Thats awful! Can I send you some egg free ? Hope you've managed to find some food.

I am 34h and I have an enell sports bra. It was very expensive but I couldn't do any exercise without it. It is still going strong after 10 years! I am overweight too - as long as you don't injure yourself, you shouldn't wait - susie orbach talks about how women are always thinking about what you will do once you lose weight - but there's nothing stopping you from doing it all now!

Week 5 run 1 done! Three five minute runs felt really easy, and I even managed to increase the speed of the last one. I have looked ahead and it does seem to step up quite quickly this week but I am feeling strong and positive.

Someone asked about sports bras. I am small up top and find the £5 one from tesco is just fine. I think I'm in the minority though!

The scales are frustratingly still not moving for me :-(

Almost time for w1r1 and it's absolutely peeing down.
I don't want to be defeated before I even start but not sure what to do, I don't think I'd be able to see where I was going in this but if I don't go today I might not be able to persuade myself to try again.
Does anyone run in torrential rain or can I just go home and do the davina DVD instead?
I wear glasses, when the rain gets on them too bad I can't see at all! If it was just raining a bit I wou still go but it's really bad.

If it slows down I'm going. At least in the rain no one will see me cry lol

I quite like running in the rain, however not down pour.
Its lovely and cooling!

Science, my weight loss started after week 6, when it was constant running all the way. I was shrinking before then, but the scales didn't move for the first bit.

Go for it Spidey! Do you have a baseball cap you could wear low over your glasses to keep the worst off?

I'm not far off your weight Spidey and an old gimmer! I feel very self conscious running but have tried to get over myself and just get on with it. Wearing headphones helps me ignore most things/ppl around me!

Bit of a fail today on my last W4 run . I really struggled to finish my last 5min run. Looks like I will be staying at this level got a bit. Hoping it is because I am knackered from being woken at 4.30am for the last three mornings by poorly ds with tonsillitis.

Science, you sound as though you are flying!

Ok no excuses. It's only drizzling now.
I'm at the lake and I'm gonna bloody do it!

Yay, go go go!

I don't want to say I fail because I'm exhausted and bright red but I was too embarrassed to run when people could see so a couple of times I paused it and kept walking till I was out of sight, I didn't stop though I managed four runs, I don't know how many runs there was because after the fourth I knew I couldn't run anymore so did the rest of the way round the lake at a fast walk. I made it all the way around the lake though, 1.5 miles. Better than nothing.

Well done Spidey! And Science!

Well, I seem to be getting a bit faster (for me) - I ran at less than 7min/km for the first time yesterday. I can't imagine being able to run at 6min/km for any length of time though!

I think I tried to run too fast, Wednesday will be better.

Well done spidey! I have had to pause some of my runs in the past damn fellow dog owners wanting to coo over my mutt but the important thing is to make sure you get them all done. And you have!

Daft I don't think you should be dispirited. Struggling with a run is not failing. You did it, that's the main thing, and that's incredible considering how low your energy levels must be. I'm not flying at all, but plugging myself into Desert Island Discs while on the treadmill today seemed to mean I was caught by surprise each time Laura told me to slow down.

addictedtosugar thank you for giving me hope that the weight will come off. I have about a stone and half to lose for me to feel like I have got to where I want to be, though in reality half a stone will take me to the healthy BMI range.

Have crawled up the stairs for a shower, We visited that lake for a walk a couple of weeks ago, we didn't get more than 1/4 of the way round.
How many runs is in the first one because I'm annoyed I skipp some.

Well done Spidey! That is brilliant. You made a start!

Thankyou Science. I think I need more than 90 secs to recover before the final run - it seems to go by much too fast, I'm sure there must be an error ;-)

If the same happens again, I may give myself longer to recover so that I give myself the chance to complete the running.