Starting Couch to 5k next week ( 17th May) and looking for company :)

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Does anyone wish to join me

mrsDepp I'm nearly in the same boat as you, about to finish C25K and wondering where the motivation will come from.

Do you have any Parkruns near you? They are regukar weekly 5k runs where all participants are timesd. I've found one near me and plan to aim for a sub 30 min run. Currently taking about 38 mins.

Alternati ely can you find a friendly running local group ?
Maybe sib up for a charity 5k to give you something to aim for?

It would be a shame to stop now after all that hardcwork. Maybe best to join the other runners thread, see you over there!

That other runners' thread is a bit HARDCORE. They're all doing fell-running and triathlons! I'm not sure I'm brave enough to move over

Well, what did I do today?

Set off on my w6r3 25 minute run. Decided part way through that I'd run through the 25 and keep on to complete 3 laps of the lake. Then decided to press on and do 2 miles.

32 minute run for me then.

Shame I'm so slow!

I thought I'd get to the end of week 9, then see if I can find some interval training to get the speed up.

Mrs Depp - you can't go off to the hardcore groups, it's like the prenatal groups I was on. I had end off month due dates and everyone kept disappearing, with ds2 there was only me and a very late lady left!

I've got a couple of questions - does everyone run on their own? I still can't be seen running in public so go on my own along a very rural stretch of canal. When I ran yesterday it was dusk and I realised with my ipod on I can hear nothing, was getting dark so couldn't see much and had a bit of a mass muderer image. I do take the dog but she's not realy a killer, would probably lick them as they stood over me! How to solve the winter dark problem when living in the country?

Nobiggy - hat off to you - 32 minutes!!!

Week five on wednesday - that means 20 mins on sunday (when I planning on having a hangover - very worried!!)

I run on my own and as it was a little darker this evening I was pondering the safety thing. Although I do live in an urban area so will stick to the pavements and main roads (all streetlit) as the nights draw in. I'll get a hi viz vest as well too I think.

I run alone, but I go in the day while DDs at school/preschool.

I have done a few early ones, but getting dark in the mornings now.

I have pondered using the treadmill at the gym when the daylight runs out. Get's a bit hot in there though.

Looks like road running for a while - hi-viz good idea. I hate winter any way but the running think has brought in another reason for me to hate it (on a good note though - seems to be less flies to spit out or dive bomb my eyes!)

I have lapsed.... was doing the C25km programme and feeling good up until July... could run about 12 mins in one go and felt very positive, but then i just lost the will: did some exam paper marking which took up my evenings.
When i tried again a few weeks later i found my stamina had dropped back down to 3 mins of running.
I really want to get back into it... i feel i need a kick up the butt.

Wow Nobiggy, well done! Sod the speed; it's the time that counts.

Hi Loler, good to hear it's still going well. I don't envy you having to run with a hangover - I find it wipes me totally. There's always next Monday....

Hi Josette, come on, you know you can do it again! Amazing how quickly the stamina goes, isn't it? Keep posting on here for some great motivation!

Hmm, yes, this running alone lark.....I definitely run alone, in fact I can't bear running with anyone else as it ruins my zen-like concentration . But I do go out fairly early (before 7am) and in our quiet village I rarely encounter anyone but the odd bleary-eyed dog walker and the paperboy. I have pondered whether an axe-murderer could be lurking round the next corner but I figure they're probably not early risers!

I have to say, these dark mornings are starting to cause an issue because my circuit has a couple of unlit pathways between houses; if I stick to the roads the camber is a bit dodgy (I think that's what knackered my knee earlier in the summer). Hmmm....I'll have to see how the next few weeks go. I might get a chance to wear my snazzy new running jacket with reflective bits, at least!

I did my first run of week 4 today! It was comfortable to run three mins - which is huge improvement... but I had to take a breather on my second five minute run. It's a cumulative total of 16 minutes running so I'm very impressed by that.

nobiggy ... AMAZING!! I sometimes think that I could continue running once Rawbert says stop but I've never tried it. Congrats on your stamina!

Loler... I have huge issues with safety! I have finally got comfortable running in the woods without thinking someone is going to come up behind me . I do carry my mobile phone in my hand. God knows whether I would be able to use it if I actually needed it!!! I only have one earpiece in of my headphones so that I can still hear around me as well.

Well done kiwibella! I finished Week 4 today - the first 3 and 5 minute runs were great, I began to tire on the second 3 minute and the last 30 seconds of the 5 minute one were torture - but I did it! Off to download week 5 now. :)

Hey kiwibella! Can I tempt you to a Moonwalk? Registration opens on the 29th.

Did w7r1 this morning, 25 minutes again, but I did 27 to make it 3 laps of the lake, 1.85 miles.

Now, I'm thinking, the last little bit today I did proper running, knees up proper arm pumping stuff. If I went back to week 1 running like that, rather than the shuffly/jog thing I'm doing, maybe, in time I could do 3 miles in 30 minutes as the programme thinks I ought to be (and I'd like to be).

So maybe drop a week 7 run, sub a fast week 1 and keep the other long run as stamina training. Then stick a week 2 in with week 8 maybe.

What do we think?

I did about 1 minute of proper running at the end of my last outting - it felt really good.

Could be an idea for MrsD - go through whole thing again doing running rather than jogging (I'm assuming here - sorry if you already do proper running!)

NObiggy, you are doing better than me. I went out for my first W7 run on Tuesday and could not manage it all. Had to walk after about 20 mins, so very long cool down. My youngest had kep me awake for a long time though in the night so I'm blaming that. Oops, hope I am not backsliding.

I got my running shoes yesterday and the woman in the running shop said I had a very natural action. I explained I found it difficult and she said it is just building stamina until you get to the time you can do it and enjoy it. I looked a bit sceptical until she said that in the first couple of weeks most runners struggle with even a couple of minutes, but now in W7 even 20 mins is a huge increase on the early days. She was a big fan of Rawbert. I am less keen.

It's my birthday tomorrow and I am off for a run with some friends, and my son in his buggy. I hope the running and pushing thing works. A friend swears it's possible, so we;ll see.

Keep on running everyone.

We used to do pram racing in post natal exercise - easier in many respects, as you have something to lean on.

nobiggy... nope!!! I've done the full and the half marathon. Hope that you enter though .

I was thinking back to the early days as I ran today and how difficult it was running for one minute. I ran week 4 again today... it wasn't any easier than last time but I prided myself on the fact that I could comfortably run three mins when two months ago, I couldn't run for one minute.

Happy Birthday Sybil! I found training for the moonwalk much easier with a toddler in a pushchair than on my own last year. Perhaps it was having something to lean on? I hope you have a wonderful day.

Panzee... how is week 5 going?

Don't lean too hard on that buggy Sybilfaulty or you'll send your ds flying!

Hmm, interesting Loler, do I jog or do I run? I would definitely say my pace has picked up since I started - I used to do teeny weeny little strides, a real "housewife jog" but I have lengthened my stride and slowed it down as I got better at it. Not sure I'm exactly "running" though.

But I have to ask myself - what am I doing this for? Basically I wanted to get to a position where I could just go out for 25-30 minutes, get a quick blast of exercise on a regular basis, and tbh I'm pretty much where I wanted to be. I've gone from being completely unable to cope with ANY kind of physical exertion to a point where I have got a fitness regime that works with my busy life. I have no particular wish to run further (haven't got time) or faster.

My only problem is keeping motivated to do the same thing day in day out (OK, every three days). So far it's OK, but it is very strange not to have a constantly tougher target to strive for. Maybe I will think about improving speed (particularly as I run the same route every time).

But for all of you still working towards that 5K - don't stop, keep at it, because it really really works!

kiwibella I start tonight - I'll let you know!

Panzee - I'm doing week 5 today too - have redone week 4 too many times ecause I really like the music to it (can't remember who's I use but it's a bit shouty loud music - finding it's making me go quicker (or is it that I'm just putting off doing the 20 mins

hi loler, am half way through week 5 (actually started on week 4, about four weeks ago, but was travelling etc so just kept repeating when I did run....) and convinced I can't do the 20 minutes. I think I shall redo w5r2 tonight and try to psych myself up for the 20 minutes next time. Somehow going from 8 minutes at a time to 20 is an enormous leap.....

loler... "operator" hahaha! The tune after that one is quite jiggy . I can't achieve week four though. I can't quite finish the second five minute run. I hope you and Panzee are feeling fantastic after starting week five!!

I have a couple of questions:

• Do you have a rest day between each run? I find it so hard to get going again after this rest day and wonder if I would be better off just keeping going... especially while I am motivated! Sometimes I run one morning and the next evening so there is about 36 hours between.

• Do you run each week until you are comfortable that you can successfully complete it? It's taken me about four runs each week so far... but maybe a few (dozen?) more with this one.

after reading your post desertgirl, I am convinced that there are two versions of Rawbert's podcasts out. I know this has been mentioned before and I'm not the only one who runs the same run / listens to the same music and guidance three times. I rather fancy eight minutes to build up to twenty!!

Hello everyone

Kiwi, I didn't mind "operator" but did not like the week 6 music at all. I was daunted by the 20m run but you just have to go for it and tell yourself you can always stop if you need to.

I've had an up and down week. After the disaster of Tuesday, I ran on my birthday with friends yesterday (only 1 lap of park, but mile in 11m) but this am I ran with my ipod (and no Rawbert) for 27 min non stop. I found not having Robert's music and having my own rather camp tunes was really good. I think I may have had my first high whilst running! Let's see if I get another one.

Hope you are all having good weekends.

Sorry, my last post was really to Desert girl.

Kiwi, I run each of them 3 times then move on. I did one 4 times but it didn't seem to help with the week coming up. I do have a rest day but only because I need my DH here to look after the kids and his work patterns mean that I can only generally get one in every couple of days or so. If you feel OK, I would go for it, although I would be wary of running, say, 4 days without a break for a few more weeks yet. I'm just not fit enough. DH is working tomorrow so if I can get up and back before he goes I'll run, but otherwise it won't be til Tues am.