Couch to 5K - to infinity and beyond...

[cinnamongreyhound]

A new thread for those of us who started in January 2012 and anyone starting now. Everyone welcome for support, encouragement and occasional arse kicking :)

cinnamon that sucks! :( for you. You HAVE to stick around-and it is your thread after all!

Three months does sound daunting though, maybe by breaking it up into smaller stages it won't feel so long?

Have some and a on me, I have really appreciated this thread-did w4r2 today, and I always think of you all as I pant along the footpath!

oh dear cinnamon, gutted for you.

parkrun tomorrow, and I'm going to listen to laura pacing me and see if it makes a difference...

Thanks for taking the time to post, you are one of the names that had inspired me to keep going. Hope you mend quickly and are back at it by spring if not sooner.

Cinnamon what a bummer :( makes my cold seem very trivial! Do stick around though!

Still too sickly to exercise, hopefully back on track next week...

So sorry to hear that cinnamon. How disheartening for you. But you will be a runner again one day!

I think I had a good run today, but as I missed the start oops, I missed out on aiming for a pb and it wasn't quite the same!! Did catch up with the two ladies at the tail of the race so didn't come last despite starting late...

Sorry to hear that cinnamon

Well done chocchip

I am on w4 and plan to do r3 Monday. My heels ached a it yesterday, but am amazed that I can do it and how manageable it all is!

I realise I just need to set my alarm clock for am rather than pm....

Sorry jchocchip I had to lol!!

My friend completed her first half marathon today which has made me realise if I can run again once my foot heals I want to run further. She was running the same as me until July when she started doing 6 miles twice a week (about an hour) and 10 miles at the weekend. I think I would like to give it a go anyway and see how I get on. Really surprised how much I miss running already.

Hope those of you still able have had some nice runs this weekend :)

Did week 2 run 2 this morning as cold seems to be gone. I really like running first thing but could never get up early enough on a school day! Rain forecast all week so dunno when I'll fit the next one in, don't fancy getting drenched...

I haven't run in the rain before and need to get out tomorrow. Will it be really hideous?

Interesting (and inspiring) about your friend, cinnamon

I was supposed to run with a friend this morning but she had to stand me up so I did the NHS stamina podcast instead. So I swapped a 30 minute gentle jog and chat for 35 minutes of running much faster than I normally do, alternated with running much, much faster. Finding the C25k+ podcasts challenging, not for distance but for speed. But as the lovely Laura says, it gives me something to aim for next time...

dotty, I really like the c25k+ listened to half of speed and half of stamina during the parkrun and it really helped my pace. I am finding it much faster than my usual leisurely pace, too.

Running in the rain is great as it keeps you cool! As long as its not totally pouring as it makes you a lot heavier then!

don't forget a hat if its raining :)

I love running in the rain, it is very refreshing :)

I went running today in my new trainers, which I bought as I was told that my old trainers are likely to be the cause of my right knee pain. Certainly I had no pain whilst running today, so I really hope these new trainers are the solution.

I had a really good run, covering 3.3 miles in 46 minutes which is fast for me. :)

jchocchip - good to know am not the only one who finds them challenging. Will give stepping stone a go next - done speed and stamina and managed to complete speed, though finding it challenging. Had to walk little bits of stamina to get to the end.

re. the rain - I don't mind a bit of drizzle but anything more is a pain for me because of glasses. My DH also dislikes running in the rain because he doesn't like the feel of rain bouncing on his bald head! (though a hat helps with both those hazards) And I would advise caution if it's really chucking it down unless your trainers are waterproof - most aren't. Quite likely to slip in a puddle or go over on your ankle if your feet start slipping around in your trainers. (Sound v. boring health and safety there!)

my trainers are soaked from this morning - a good run and I was glad I went as I think it helped me cope with the funeral I had to go to this afternoon. Did stamina today and managed about 5 k including a walk to the shops before I started and an extra bit at the end...

hope it wasnt too bad chochip

I didn't go out in the end, it was the wind that scared me.

Week 2 run 3 DONE. Quite hard getting going today - maybe because my legs were tired after a long tramp round the woods with DS2 this morning.

Took a sneak peek at Week 3. Three minutes of running

Hi everyone - fear not Meg - you'll be running for 20 minutes solid before you know it. Is it windy with you? it is here, and I always find that makes it harder too.

Just done C25k+ Stepping stone. Bit more manageable than the other two I thought so I'd recommend doing that one first perhaps if you're thinking of giving them a go. Still very hard though - have found it a shocker to realise how slowly I (used to) run.

One thing I can't quite get my head round is how the pacing thing works for runners with different length legs. I'm tallish - 5'9 with longish legs (DH is the same height but much shorter legs) so my natural stride is quite long. To run at the pace in the podcasts, am having to shorten my stride and move my legs more quickly. But is the principle a good one? Or is it slightly misleading to think that everyone - however long their legs - could think about running at the same number of strides a minute?

That quibble aside, I'm enjoying the challenge of getting faster and thinking of alternating the podcasts, doing maybe two a week plus one longer, slower run.

Yes, it was windy AND sunny which is my least favourite weather, because with my hat on I get a hot sweaty head, but hat off and I get cold, aching ears.

I'm 5' 10 with a long back and shortish legs.... Don't think it really matters, if I can up my strides per minute I'll go faster. Haven't done the stepping stone yet, maybe tomorrow! Very very soggy here today, don't know where any dry paths will be.

But might more, shorter strides actually get you over the distance less quickly than more longer strides? I guess I need to time myself using different techniques over the same distance and see!

Hope everyone finds somewhere dry to run...

I agree with you Dotty2 it sounds like more hard work to run lots of short strides than less longer ones. I'm far from an expert in running but would have thought messing around with your natural stride you are more likely to injure yourself too. I haven't looked at the podcast so not sure what you're trying to do exactly. Can you not keep the stride the same size but do it more quickly to get more strides per minute? Sorry if I'm not understanding!