C25k get your encouragement here.

[StripyHorse]

As the last thread has been going so well, with graduates aplenty, here's a new thread for encouragement. Everyone is welcome!

@stilldumdedumming have you considered doing 16/8? I wasn't losing any weight doing c25k (well very tiny bit) until I started doing 16/8 a few weeks ago. It's not really a diet, but you only eat for a certain 8 hr period in any 24hr period. You can adjust it though so you could do 14/10 to start with. I start my fast after my tea so around 5-530 and then I can eat again 9-930 the following morning. You can drink water, black tea and coffee and green tea during your fast. It's really working for me and I'm not being too strict, just sensible mostly.

Thank you for your replies. The thing is I used to love running- only 3 years ago I was doing half marathons. And it’s quick - I don’t have a lot of time - I have two jobs, two kids and study. So going out early really works. It’s not so hard that I can’t do it and I’m covering 2.25 miles in 28 minutes. It’s just not as enjoyable as it used to be and I’m kind of talking myself out of it.

Honestly, I just need to lose the weight don’t I? whether I’m running or not!

I think 16/8 could be a start. I think I’m a bit down too and finding it a bit hard to enjoy much.

Oh bugger! There’s a wider point here isn’t there? I want things to be how they were. With a dp that got up and did stuff! And where we both had a wage and he cooked great curries and we did stuff together like walking in the woods and he helped my mates out because he was so competent at stuff. Bums bums bums.

Sounds like you are having a tough time of it @StillDumDeDumming

Maybe you need to cut yourself some slack?

@StillDumDeDumming I'm sure you're right. Why wouldn't you grieve those things? It would be weird if you didn't really.

Do you think running with a friend or club might be better?

Thank you @notaflyingmonkey - not my strong suit - can you tell!

@Murmurur I’d love to run with a club. My fb wants to run with me but I’d hold him back too much.

Right, in much much better news, I cleared out a Big cupboard in the top floor and I’ve just run up and down two flights of stairs several times with bin bags and cardboard boxes. No problem at all. Before c25k I’d have taken it a lot slower and my breathing would e been a lot harder. So my stamina is definitely improving.

@StillDumDeDumming it actually sounds like you are doing brilliantly with the running bit that life in general is really hard.

I did W4R2 today, I think I was slower than yesterday but I forgot to switch on MapMyRun so it’s a bit difficult to judge. FWIW I really didn’t want to go, literally felt like crying putting my trainers on even though I wasn’t tired, it was a lovely sunny evening with no wind! I don’t know if I’ll ever get to the point of bouncing out of the house and rating to go BUT I did enjoy it once I was into it and I felt great when I got back.

Think it will be Tues when I go out again.

To everyone that finds this has much of a slog as me, thank you for sharing your experiences. It really does help me keep perspective that it's OK not to enjoy "running" still not convinced anyone would class what I'm doing as running, it's OK to dread putting your trainers on and dragging your arse out the door because no matter how slow we go we're still out there, moving and giving our heart a workout. No matter how you cut it that's a positive thing to do!

I completed W6R1 this morning so I'm starting the week on a good note. Playing on my mind at the moment is knowing that I spent last winter using a walking stick because of my lower body issues, part of me is hoping that exercise will have helped strengthen my lower body so it can handle cold weather better...but the other part accepts that I may need to pause C25K over the winter so really want to graduate before that happens.

At the moment I'm going to bask in the relative glory of knowing I've come this far and be ready to do it again on Wednesday morning. Keep going folks

@StillDumDeDumming I'm with @ikeameatballs. It sounds like you are doing amazingly with the card stacked against you. FWIW I think you should take your BF up on his offer. It's what friends are for. It's ok to lean on your friends a bit at these times. He can always run the long way home after if he's superfit.

@Justcallmegriffin you also sound like you're doing amazingly! I found W6 really tough (first time round anyway!). Just keep getting out there.

Don't worry about your friend. Steady and slow running is an (possibly the most). important part of training, and I've found that the fitter you are, the easier it is to vary pace - when I started out I had sprint (like 10 metres max), plod (still hard work), walk or stop. The more I run the more choice of pace I have, but there's still a tendency to go too fast unless I'm chatting with someone!

Barely been running this week - trying to fend off colds acquired from DC at school although had to run the school run as we were late!

Having completed originally at start of May and then lost it completely (locked down and wfh with two toddlers!) I've adopted a back to school mind set and jumped back in at W4R1 today and it went pretty well- forgot how much I love getting out and starting the day with some fresh air.

Am also looking at trying to do a cross trainer session on non running days to help build fitness as I am another who is seriously overweight and needing to get my act together

@StillDumDeDumming I'm sorry to hear about your husband's stroke. That's a huge amount to be coming to terms with.

It sounds like running is a good fit for you but you're finding it frustrating at the moment. Honestly, I don't think it is great for weight loss (although wonderful for stamina and fitness and it seems to change the shape of your body if not the size), and really the only thing that works is diet, however works best for you to approach that.

Week 6 Run 3 today, after a 4 day break due to ankle pain. I got a new pair of running shoes to see if that would help (trainers were 10 years old albeit had seen little wear over the years...). It was weird - kind of like running on a big cloud! So, better hopefully and certainly no worse.

I graduated today! Not quite 5k in 30 minutes but nearly there (4.64). Now what to do with myself? I think I’ll start running to 5k and see ho long it takes.

I can’t believe I’ve done it. Could hardly run for a minute when I started!

Amazing - well done @HamishDent That is an impressive distance in 30 minutes too!

Hamish I graduated a few weeks ago and that is what I've been doing. Back at work though so finding the time is harder. I'm finding it quite hard going at times and easier at other times but I think I'm going to try and continue to do 5K a couple of times a week.

And same here, couldn't run at all when I started and hadn't run since school, 30 years ago, it's quite amazing really isn't it?

Well done Hamish! The sense of achievement is something else, isn't it?

And as hard as we all find it, strapping those trainers on and setting foot outside, the feeling on the warm down walk is something to cherish.

StillDumdeDumming, that's a lot to be processing, and it sounds like you really do need to go through a bit of a grieving process. I'd take your friend up on his offer too. Having someone with you makes the time go faster, helps as a distraction, and can help pace you. Almost all seasoned runners I know are very willing to go out with all abilities, they just like running and company!

Congratulations, Hamish!

I finally did W6R2 this evening, after being put off by rain on Saturday and back-to-school madness last night. I was frankly dreading it, and had convinced myself that it would be awful. But it was actually fine - I even did a couple of extra minutes at the end because I was doing what Strava calls a "segment" (particular sections of route that lots of runners do). This segment was a 1k stretch of road that I covered twice during my run (there and back), so I was keen to do the whole thing while running and not walking. I beat my PB in both directions, which I was chuffed about, but I am still miles slower than the fastest women in my area (3:38 for 1k, which seems amazing to me, and is surely sprinting?! ).

I'm not going to say how fast my segment was because it's still embarrassingly slow - there's no way I'm going to reach 4.6k in 30 minutes when I graduate!! - but it's definitely faster than anyone could walk now, and not far off the average 5k pace for a woman my age .

Drizzling and I'm a bit late this morning so decided to do a shorter but harder route and have managed to conquer two nasty hills which I have studiously avoided. Feeling proud and surprised!

Congratulations Hamish. Advice I've seen is to consolidate for a few weeks by running similar times/distances to what you were doing before, then you could try a plan to start building up to 10k?

For those they are trying to lose weight. I can recommend taking photos every month. Then use a collage app to put similar views side by side. My back view is now particularly changes in two months. It’s the encouragement I need. Think I might be graduating by the sea side!

Well done @HamishDent - that’s brilliant and to @mackerella for running when not strictly necessary - that’s huge

Congratulations @HamishDent - that's brilliant!

Well done @mackerella for getting W6R2 done...and for topping it up with more too, I'm definitely not at that point although will be attempting W6R2 tomorrow morning.

@sleepyhead what trainers did you opt for? I have metal work holding my ankle together so it's one of my major weak points, the idea of running on clouds sounds amazing. I'm currently wearing under armour trainers and they're OK but definitely not cloud like.

My new ones are Under Armour (Women's Charged Intake 4) so maybe that's just a measure of how old and stiff my previous trainers were!

They're certainly much, much lighter.