C25K encouragement continued continued

[redcandlelight]

all welcome

total beginners
re-starters
recent graduates
fell runners

lets keep running

Oh, and if you're a Taskmaster fan, there's a Taskmaster podcast too. I've only just subscribed to that one so haven't listened to it yet.

gardener's question time
crowd science
curious cases of rutherford & fry

for long runs
in our time

I also have a couple of forrin language ones that I like.

I’ve only listened to music so far. I downloaded a running album so there’s lots of songs with a strong beat/running theme. To be honest I’m quite bored of it now but I find it helps that pop songs tend to be about 3.5 minutes so I mentally work out how many songs till I’m roughly halfway through and how many till that run is complete. Obviously the app tells me both those things but it stops me looking at the time and helps me to keep going by thinking that for eg “by the time this song finishes I’ll have completed the run” etc. I seem to spend at least a portion of each run longing to stop. I fear that if I listened to podcasts the runs would just seem endless, or do you focus more on distance covered and use that as a guide to how far through you are?

I remember when I did C25K previously I did, at least occasionally get to the point where I was running easily and enjoying it. At the moment I enjoy the runs once they’re over!

I’m also using Strava as additional motivation this time around. I like seeing the record of what I’ve done and getting the medals

@EmilyDickinson I also calculate mentally how long I've got to go , based on the songs!
I set up my own playlist with lots of songs with a strong beat.. I've got 93 songs on it including lots from the 1980s.. ABC, Adam Ant, ELO, pet Shop Boys but also Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars etc. When I did the big w5r3 I made myself a special playlist with my absolute favourites on

Managed w5r3 this morning!! Still quite shocked. Had been absolutely dreading it.
I think I could have walked some bits quicker than I was ‘running’ but I’m thrilled to bits!

Brilliant!

The first time I did C25K, and completed that run, I was congratulated by someone else with the words 'you're a runner now!'

Also just goes to show how much of this is psychological. I've always wondered about the thinking behind suddenly ramping up the length of the runs - I presume there must be some kind of theory behind it?

@BIWI thank you!
I was quite emotional when I finished - not just because my legs seemed to turn to concrete!!
I’m not lying when I say I’ve never even run for a bus, so it is absolutely huge to me.

[quote longlivetheking]@BIWI thank you!
I was quite emotional when I finished - not just because my legs seemed to turn to concrete!!
I’m not lying when I say I’ve never even run for a bus, so it is absolutely huge to me.[/quote]
I've posted on another thread but I've just done this run too! Congratulations to you! 👏 It feels quite an achievement doesn't it. Never thought I'd be able to do it 5 weeks ago!

Congratulations @longlivetheking . W5r3 is a big step forward.
I think apart from w1r1 it's the most significant run you will do. Well done

Congratulations to you too @teaandbiscuitsforme

Thank you @wizzler, and well done to you @teaandbiscuitsforme - woohoo!

well done king and tea

Congratulations @teaandbiscuitsforme!

It's looming up for me - I'll be starting week 5 this week

Well done king and tea!

I've just done W7R1 and my lungs feel like they've been sandpapered (definitely not the rona, I am testing twice weekly!) It's always my breathing that gives out before my legs do. Does anyone have any suggestions? I used to smoke and that obviously hasn't helped

karma very good!
wrt lungs - go slower, your lungs need to be trained as well as your muscles and tendons.

Wow Karma, well done!

Well done king and tea, great news 🎉

Well done @longlivetheking and @teaandbiscuitsforme
I joined this thread just before I did W5R3 because I was terrified of it - I remember how astonished and thrilled I was to complete it. My next door neighbour must have thought I was (more of) a lunatic when I came home grinning wildly!

Well done @longlivetheking!
@KarmaViolet I'm the same - it's my lungs that get tired long before my legs. This might sound weird but I'm wondering if my bra is too tight I'm wondering if just like I need running shoes half a size bigger than my usual size, do I need to go up a band size in my sports bra to allow my rib cage more room to take deep breaths?

Sports bras is definitely a balancing act between tight enough that you don't get boob sneaking into the band (or the band shifting around and chafing) and too tight enough to affect breathing.

If you wear a Shock Absorber definitely go up a band (I can get away with going up 2 to get a big enough cup). Other brands behave differently.

I find bras with the two separate sets of hooks (like the shock absorber multisport) more comfortable than a more traditional 4 hook band, plus less of a bastard to get in to as well!

I have found if I have too many layers on the bottom strap of my running backpack (which I mostly use when it is cold/snowy for emergency layers) is too tight and affects my breathing and that's a tiny (but rigid) strap

Interesting @randomsabreuse. I swear by Panache sports bras. It's a shame they're so bloody expensive - I don't want to splash out on a new one in a bigger size only to find it doesn't fit! I definitely don't want it riding up.

I can't cope with the Shock Absorber ones at all, it's like being strapped to a board

My favourite are the Decathlon zip front ones like this www.decathlon.co.uk/p/power-zip-crop-top-navy/_/R-p-117165 - for some reason it's just the right amount of sturdy to stretch for me. Typically, I've spent more than I want to think about on trying to find one that works only to find it's the twenty quid version from Decathlon that fits me best!

I really wanted to like the Panache one but I couldn't get it to fit - I bounced inside it and couldn't get small enough to stop that without wires sitting on boob.

It's a complete pain as I don't think that sports bras necessarily need to obey the normal fit rules if they are comfortable for the planned movements and pass the jump up and down in the changing room test...

I have the underwired and non-underwired versions of the Panache bra and they're both great for me but then panache is a brand that's always worked well for me in normal bras and swimwear. I've just remembered you can get bra extender things. That might be a cheaper way for me to experiment with band size rather than investing in new bras.

Part of the running learning curve for me has been the absolute necessity of a sports bra as opposed to a normal one. I forgot to change my bra once. Ouch!