Right, I am starting 'couch potato to 5k' again and I WILL finish

[giddykipper]

I WILL NOT nesh out again like I did last time.

DP has even bought me an iPod Shuffle to run with so that I don't have to lug my big iPod around (oh the inconvenience).

this is what I'm talking about and here's the podcasts I run to.

I'm not starting today though, got about 3 hours sleep last night.

Well done everyone.
I managed to do wk6 r3 today although I found it hard. It was the first 5 minutes which were the worst so am thinking I should be Ok to move onto week 7 or should I do week 6 again.

Work tomorrow - first day back after mat leave so am planning my week so I can fit a couple of runs in

hope your first day back goes well mithered.

yay suga w5r3 relly seems to be make or break, congratulations on making it.

gk great news you're still with us

pennies have you tried going at a slower pace? i've certainly found that i have a particular pace i'm comfortable at (about 10.5min/mile) and deliberately trying to go slower is harder work, but maybe if you're having stamina problems it might be worth a try - 8min/mile sounds pretty fast to me!

no running for me today i've caught the earache my girls had last and it's brought back the labyrinthitis i had a year or so ago (which means i'm constantly dizzy). i'm doing well if i can making it across the room without holding on, so going running doesn't seem particularly wise. pah

Hi again,
Well yesterday i finished i did wk 1 run 4 ! (Am doing each week twice so 6 runs ).
I am really proud of myself because i have never been able to run .
I went out in daylight for the first time which means i must be feeling a bit more confident !

Did anyboby else struggle even wirh week 1 ?

I mean i could never imagine moving onto wk 2 yet even tho i`ve managed wk 1 4 times ?
I was gouing to keep doing it until it was much easier ?

Cheers x

Someone pinch me I think I'm dreaming.I just did W5 R3 and managed the whole 20mins. Not only that I went up the road which mean hitting a large hill within mins of starting to run. My goal was to manage the 2 hills up the road (1min up hill 1/2 min down hill 4min to get up the next hill)and run back down again. So it took me about 10 mins to do that. I didn't feel to bad so thought I'd see how far I could go for. At 18 mins I hit a hill again if I turned round it a slight incline or keep go up hill. Knew it took about 1min till the top of the hill so I kept going knowing I would finish with the easy bit of down hill.
I'm in shock I really can't believe I just run (well only just a run) 20 mins.

Forgot to say well done giddykipper it really nice to have you back with us.
There were days I never though I'd made it this far but thanks to you starting this thread and all of you here I have I've had the motivation to keep going.

Forgot to say well done giddykipper it really nice to have you back with us.
There were days I never though I'd made it this far but thanks to you starting this thread and all of you here I've had the motivation to keep going.

It's a good feeling isn't it Lex, I'm excited to start Week 6 now.

FakeB why don't you try a Week 2, iirc it goes to a 2min run with a 90sec walk. Give it a go, and see how you managed. You might suprise yourself.

Sorry about the double posting there brain in shock for the run.

yay lexcat it's all pretty flat round here, even the tiny slopes wipe me out. you've done fantastically well.

i went for a walk earlier and felt loads better so i thought i'd use that as my warmup and head straight out for w5r1. i made it, but only just. i really don't see how i'm going to manage r2 let alone r3, this has to be the hardest week of the lot.

blondie it's only 90 secs running in wk 2, if you've managed all the runs for wk 1 you'll be fine i'm sure. i don't think you need to wait for them to be much easier, but just to feel manageable as opposed to using every last scrap of energy (which i usually feel for the first run of the week!).

keep up the good work everyone

I'd say the same as everyone else blondie - week 2 isn't a big jump up from week 1, the run is longer but the rest is also a lot longer too.

I'm really impressed with all of you who are onto week 5 and 6. I just can't imagine running for 20 minutes.

Hope your first day back was good Mithered - and hope you can find time to run as well as work!

I'm only on week 2 (W2R3 today!) but so far I've found that each week starts off hard and gets, well, less hard. Not easy though. I am trying to trust the programme that says that on Wednesday I'll be able to run for a whole 3 minutes at once So don't know if that helps blondie.

W6R1 I was all psyched up for another 20 or 25 min run. Imagine my delight when it was a 5min/8min/5min. How good is that! It went really well. The last 5mins had my decline/incline so was a little tougher, and it was trying to snow, but I've learned now that once I'm running, the cold goes away.

Happy Running this week everyone!

HI there,

Well done on starting W6 BrownSuga, that's why I decided just to move on because I knew there were walking bits!

Yay to lexcat for the 20 minute run! It still evades me but it was becoming more of a mental block than anything else so I've moved on now.

How was it back at work Mithered? had you been off for the whole year?

W6R2. Loved it. Could have gone for longer after the first 10 mins and decided to eek out the add an extra 2 mins onto the second run as well. It seems I have my mojo back. Will be interested to see if I can do the 25 mins stretch that is W6R3 but even if I manage 20 mins I'll be chuffed.

Well done everyone, I'm so jealous of all the progress!!!

Started W2 yesterday and at some points seriously thought Rawbert was trying to kill me! However I kept going despite my concerns over my Quorn in that I found my feet were more creeping over the ground rather than running at some points if that makes any sense?

Anyway got my new running t shirt I ordered and back out for W2R2 tomorrow.

I've also realised that I must have been doing it all wrong before as I used to ache so much I had to take long gaps between runs but since starting this properly I feel great.

Blondie you know when I said W2 wasn't a big step up from W1? Well I was talking bollocks.

That was tough, I had a stitch before I even finished the warm up walk. Perhaps I shouldn't have had the two Krispy Kreme after tea. I managed it though

Hello all, well yesterday I finished the 2nd cycle of W3 so I really should go on to W4. Thing is I am not struggling with the runs in W3 but I am not sure if there is any extra in the tank for another 2 minutes IYSWIM.

GK - thank you for starting this thread and welcome back.

mithered - hope first day back was ok.

brownsuga/pennies/lexcat - great going! I am (in a warped way) really looking forward to getting to those length of runs without dying!

mileniwmffalcon - how's the week going?

hello all having a bad week this week re running.

did a run outside on Saturday, but as I found outside so much harder the time before I went right back to the beginning and did a week one schedule, but I did it!

no time for a run sun or mon, and yesterday I got up too late, so decided to walk into college instead to give me some exercise. I walked solidly for 50 mins to get to college, but have rubbed blisters on the soles of my feet (in usually comfy shoes)... it hurts to walk let alone run. Am hoping I will be more comfortable and able to run again by the weekend, otherwise my fitness will have gone back to zero again.

oh no blisters i've heard good things about compeed blister plasters. could you fit in a swim at all while they're healing to make you feel like you're still doing something?

and sorry you found w2r1 hard going mwm & gk - hand on heart i swear it gets easier through the week

yay for your mojo pennies

libra - teh only way to find out is to try! you might surprise yourself and if it's impossible you can always backtrack to w3.

no running for me today, my cold is getting worse and seeing how it's flattened the rest of the family i'm not taking any chances overdoing things. r1 was hard going so i'm going to wait until i'm well on the way to being over this thing and start the week again.

yes, might try a swim sometime... will def swim if I can't run by the weekend.

Managed W8 R1 yesterday - did NOT enjoy it though. But felt great afterwards. I seem to have "oh god when will this be over?" playing in my head all the time when I am running. I am sure I should be having more positive thoughts. Does anyone else actually enjoy the running?

Kittywise - as a fellow 10 min miler - when you finish the programme are you going to concentrate on speeding up at doing 5K or increase the distance?

Tchibo are selling running capri shorts for £9.75 at the moment. Have only seen them on their website so not sure what they are like in the flesh - but for under a tenner ..... they might be good for when it gets warmer - although I will have to be brave.

Hi and thanks for the messages re work. I have been off for 10 months and have to say not missed it at all. I could be negative but I have no choice but to get on with it.

Unfortunately I haven't been able to go for a run this week - just when I really need to. DH worked late Mon and Tues and gone to footie tonight so I can't get out. Think I may have to do my Davina DVD just to burn off some stress.

I really cannot believe this is me saying that I miss going for a run! Feeling really motivated now.

Keep going everyone you are all doing really well (apart from MWF who should rest if you have a bad cold!)

Halster Yes I have days I can't wait to finish but normally if I'm finding that horrid I stop and try again a few dayes later.
Even on good days I do find it tough but I do enjoy the running. Makes me feel good about myself I picture 7stone lighter, fitter and running faster. I like been outside so it gets me out doing exercise. The best bit is the sense of personal achivement that keeps me really going.

mileniwmffalcon - hope you feelbetter soon.

pandag - anything that will keep up your heartrate whilst you can't run is good!

halster - wow! W8 is just a distant dream at the moment

argh I've got W4r1 today AND I HAVE A HANGOVER. bleurghh.

W6R2 Feeling tired, but went out, and struggled in the last 10mins at about the 8min mark, but managed to run it all which was good.

Feel like another cold coming on, that's the worst thing about having a wee one in daycare, all the bugs they bring home, or maybe it's just the insane tiredness. I don't think I've been this tired since DS was a newborn.

Still, I'm looking forward to the next run, it's a great way to clear your head, or do some serious thinking, and that takes my legs, lungs, and mind off the running!

Happy Running to you all.

Updated Roundup - Please update yourselves where I have ? or if I have you listed incorrectly. (tired brain not working)

We've all progressed along, and the crowd grows bigger.

Odette W8 R2
Halster W8 R1 (sneaks ahead of us all!)

Mithered W7 R1
Kittywise W6 R?

Pennies W6 R3
BrownSuga W6 R2
Lexcat W6 R1

Mileni W4 R2
LibrasJustice W4 R1

PandaG W3 R?

DrTrillian W2 R3
MadWelsh W2 R2
MissAnthrope W2 R1
FakeBlondie W2 R1
Giddy Kipper W2 R1

Santababi W1 R3

KeepingitRia W? R?