Couch to 5k Run 1 done....the jogging continues!

[GuyFawkesDay]

Thread 2

Well I did a 25 min run yesterday. Been doing shorter ones recently due to shin splints. It didn’t seem to make them worse so that’s good. I was just going to go for 15 mins but I was in such a lockdown grump that I kept going. It was great. I’m glad I haven’t lost all my fitness. Ran really slowly and it was fine. Just want this bloody leg to heal now! It’s so annoying.

I’m reading a book called ‘your pace or mine’ by a woman who runs marathons really slowly. It’s quite good to read about a slow runner. She doesn’t care. She loves it.

W3R3 done this morning. Felt ok, I ran maybe an extra minute at the end as I got the fear over the 5 minute runs in week 4!

Just attempted w4r1. Worst run ever. By the end of the first block my shins were so painful and tight. Had a walk to see if they’d loosen up but they are still painful.

Don’t know if it’s because I’ve already been for a walk today, I’ve not drank enough or my new running shoes.

Will attempt to run it again on Monday, and if that’s crap repeat week 3

Finally got out again today. Shoulder is still really aching, translated nerve pain all down my arm.

4km in 26 minutes, so it was ok but I had to stop twice and I didn't enjoy it much whilst running. Normally I do, but today felt like "work" not pleasure.

Still, hoping a few more week 8 runs and I'll do week 9 again.

@ChanklyBore I think I might do the same. I've lost some mojo and I can't seem to build my stamina at all....I managed 20 ok weeks ago but these 25 minute runs I stop for a short walk.

I don't know how to fix it as it's the bloody hills that are killing my running, I just end up walking the last bits and it's not helping me!!

Feel a bit lost. I might try the same as you.....

Next run tonight, so I'm exploring different routes on map my run and discovering lots of interesting places to explore that are definitely too far for me right now but hopefully something to work towards. I've found a route which is about the same distance I've been managing so far which I'm quite tempted to try tonight. It has one steep hill so I'm wondering about pausing the C25k app so I can walk up that bit and restart at the top so I still get in all my runs.

Who are people using for their trainer on the app? I randomly plumped for Sarah Millican but wondered what the others were like.

I’m going to do some hill training I think. Don’t get me wrong, the very idea gives me the wobbles and sounds like something I really, really don’t want to do. But I think I might do it anyway, because finding a hill in my way is stopping me running properly.

I’m going try try these exercises. It says here you build more speed by training on the inclines. www.runnersworld.com/training/a20630818/hill-running-workouts-for-speed/

@ChankleyBore hill training really does improve your times. I’ve started to incorporate it on a very steep hill and it’s made a big difference. If nothing else I know I can smash hills now. 😁

I love Sarah Millican but I'm using Jo Whiley for training. She really empathises as she's a runner.

I live in a very hilly area. So also trying to incorporate hills. Not sprinting up them but including it in my run sometimes. There’s a really steep hill right at the end of the run. So each time I finish there I run a bit further up the hill before walking.

I used Sarah Millican for the shorter runs but longer ended up switching to Jo Wiley

@ThickFast that's good with the hill. After I've done my 5k route I have about 0.2 of walk and then a steep hill but once I get back into the swing of things I may just aim for getting up that hill slowly at the end.

Congrats to all the new 20-minuters, welcome to newbies, and hope the healing continues for those who are injured.

I've got a headache today so I'm not running despite having had 2 days off. I am not beating myself up about extra days off. I'm not all that well and I need to be gentle with myself. I've given up due to shin splints in the past (running through them for too long, I think) so I feel for those of you suffering with that.

I liked Sanjeev in the early days, but my app seems to have glitched and won't let me switch back to him, so I have switched to Jo Whiley. She's fab. Not sure I will be able to run without her after this.

How are your legs feeling @TryingToBeBold ? Any better? That’s exactly what I’m gonna do with my hill. I aim to make it to the next lamppost each time.

I use Sarah Millican.

Week one done! My new route was nice (though probably a bit of a summer only route as it's not lit) and I even managed do one of my 60s runs up the hill I'd been worried about - though I have never been so glad to hear those beautiful words "you can slow down now"!

I liked Jo Whiley, very encouraging and included some tips I'd not heard from Sarah M - think I might stick with her.

@ThickFast they're doing well.
I was going to go out tomorrow but my DP would look after DD and then the pressure is on really.
Will start Monday when I've finished work and everyone is at work/nursery and doesnt know I'm out. Then a 2 day break. Thursday. Then Sunday if all is well.

@Murmurur I ran through them for 2 weeks and just struggled and realised I really needed to rest.

Hope Monday goes well for you @TryingToBeBold. I really hope they don’t hurt. I might try tomorrow. Short run. Maybe 15 mins again

@thickfast the nerves are unreal but that's why monday is good because noone knows I'm out. So no pressure.
If I feel them tugging at 1k then I'll circle back. Same with 2k. Once I get to 3 I may aswell just carry on my route

That’s good you’ve got a few choices of routes you can try. Think I was going maybe 2-3k when I was back to it. Did 4K two days ago. Might go out today or maybe tomorrow. Not sure whether to go back to every other day or leave two days between each run for healing. Good luck tomorrow!

I'm feeling a bit dispirited. My last two runs have felt really hard and slow. I'm week 8 but have been doing 5K for a couple of weeks (by carrying in, obviously not doing it in the time!) and it's now feeling much more of a struggle!

Sorry to hear that Alamindah, are you doing anything different in your running or in your life that might account for why it's harder? (Well done getting to 5ks in week eight btw, seems an impossible dream at the moment!)

Alamindah are you putting pressure on yourself to get to 5k every time? It sounds like you maybe need to relax a bit and try to enjoy the process - find a comfortable pace without thinking about distance or speed. Enjoy the fact that you can run for so long, that you are ‘a runner’! It doesn’t matter if you do 3k some days or if sometimes it takes 40 minutes to get to 5k...it’s all good!