#week5run2

[jddoesc25k]

Hello pals!

It’s been a funny old time these past few weeks, and I haven’t had the brain to post about c25k when more important things are going on. Nevertheless we kept at it, so here’s the RUNdown 😉! Beware, this one has 5 runs, so it’s another long one.

Week 4 Run 2

Friday. I finished work later than expected today, just lots of things to do. I really did not feel like going running because I was feeling rubbish, but it was the last day we could do run 2 and have a break before then next one so we got to it.

As with run 1 this week, run 2 was 3m run - 90s walk - 5m run - 2.5m walk - 3m run - 90s walk - 5m run. It was quite a bit more running than last week and I knew that this week’s sessions were quite a push so we tried to pace ourselves to make sure we had something left for the 5min portions.

We were okay on the 3min runs but we were really counting down the seconds on the 5m runs (literally). Because we paced ourselves a little better, our chests weren’t as painful, but my calves were still giving me grief. Pat struggled with his feet but we both kept plodding on, really slowing down on the last run. Finally we finished and actually felt very accomplished in doing this run again. Very tired though!

Pat had said I should take a break and go for a run towards the end of my normal work day to try and revitalise myself and get my head back into work but I wanted to continue, so we had set off quite late.

I should have listened because I felt refreshed after this run, it was hard, but the extra effort seemed to burn off some of the rubbish feeling I had and I really felt the endorphins rushing about. Pat now has decisive power over when we go for a run haha!

Week 4 Run 3

Sunday. I took Pat for drive to his parents and had a socially distanced drink. We thought it would be nice to go for a run down the canal close to their house for a change in scenery as Pat was getting a bit fed up with the 5 min runs.

The canal was a good place for our first 3m run as it’s pretty flat so we didn’t find it too hard to keep going. I had to tell Pat to pace himself as he really found a fast stride at one point! I got a few midges in my nose as we were running which wasn’t ideal!

Soon the path climbed as we went past a lock or two. We jogged past one and kept a wide berth as there was a mumma and dad pair of geese with their gosling who hissed and flapped their wings at us. I was certainly glad we’d been training to move faster than normal in that minute, although my calves were already protesting that!

At the end of our second run, we had an incline up to a bridge which my calves really hated but luckily we got a reprieve shortly after and we turned into one of the neighbouring fields to make our way back to Pat’s parents.

Pat was really in his element leading me round the fields he had grown up playing in and it really took my mind off of the run watching him playing. He took us over stiles and through a mini wood (which I hated - I got MORE flies in my nose, mouth and ears 🙈)

We were soon on our final run, and although my calves and chest were hurting, the change to the scenic route was really enjoyable.

This week has been a hard one, but the runs slowly have gotten slightly easier and more bareable as we kept at it. I suppose practice makes perfect, even with running. I never believed my P.E. teachers about this, and I still don’t want to believe it now! 🤯

Week 5 Run 1

Tuesday Morning, breakfast and a cuppa demolished, and ready and raring to go. This week is 5mins x 3 with 3minute breaks in between, which is actually 1min less than the total run of last week. Just an extra 5min run, but we knew we could do that stint in one go because we had done it last week. Okay, let’s go!

We step out of the house and we are hit by a wave of heat. Okay...so this could be a little harder than expected. Probably should have had water instead of tea or coffee, but anyway, we go for it.

All 3 runs are sweaty and way harder than last week. With burning legs and chests, we tire easily and I struggle at about 3mins into each run. The 3minute breaks are way too short and we home in on any available shade. My belly is churning and I am basically shuffling along to the end. The final run, my legs are in agony before we even get half way. I am breathing very deeply to try and relieve the aching in my calves and quads* and in the final minutes I’m dizzy and can’t see very well, not just because of the sun in my eyes. We finish and I want to collapse on the floor, but I can see the shade up ahead and make a beeline for it. My legs don’t recover very quickly today at all. I now know I DO NOT LIKE RUNNING IN THE SUN!

As we finish our cool down walk, glad that it’s over, I look at the app to plan our next run and see that this week isn’t the same everyday as it has been for the last month. Nope, the next run is 8mins x 2, 5min break. Uh oh! After this run, I’m not sure I could do 8mins!! But...well, it’s only the same total time as last week, and has a 5m break, it might be hard, but doable?

I check the 3rd run of the week thinking it might be 2 9min walks or something and my heart stops. 20minute run, no breaks? That can’t be right! But it is...oh dear. I really don’t think that is possible. That’s a big jump! We’ve only run 5mins at once and this is FOUR TIMES that. And it’s an extra 4mins total time! How can they think we can do that so quickly??

I’m pleased we completed this run in the horrible heat, it really was a hard one to do. Unfortunately I also have a sense of foreboding that I haven’t had for the whole programme: we might not be able to complete the runs this week. But I then think about our first two weeks when we couldn’t even complete the first day of c25k and resolve to keep trying until we get there. We might have to repeat but we will do it eventually!

We’ve not come this far to only come this far!

*Pat told me that’s what they’re called after the run

Week 5 Run 2

Pat made the executive decision to run on Friday, not Thursday, I think the 8min runs were putting him off a little...So despite my warnings of pain on Sunday (we were going for a bbq at our friends’ house who we hadn’t seen for a while on Saturday night, I was driving, and Pat would be drinking. A lot. 🍻🍻🍻) we skipped Thursday and ran on Friday Night.

I was scared of today’s run. 2x 8minute runs! I’d been whittling about it since the sunshine nearly killed us on Tuesday, so we went after work around 20:30. My new sports bra had arrived earlier that day, and it fitted(!!) so I strapped them in and we got going. (Best purchase I’ve made this year by the way - they didn’t move! No pain! Woohoo!)

The weather broke earlier in the week, so it was quite cold on the walk out before we started running and we were basically power walking to get warm! We geared up for the 8 minute run, and I started feeling the burn in my legs just as Sarah said we were half way through the first run, so I decided to slow down a little and made a mental note to drink more water and STRETCH properly before Sunday! After a minute or two the burn had lessened and when Sarah said to slow down for our 5 min walk, I felt like I could have kept going, which struck me as odd.

Pat recovered quickly and said that he was almost bored of walking! Ready to get the next run over with I’m sure, hopefully not my company! 😂 We thought it might be a good idea for him to have some music on the longer runs anyway to keep him going.

We started the second run and my shins and calves were instantly remembering the last run. I slowed down even further and soon the pain eased a little. Our final stretch is a bit of a hill (it isn’t but it feels like one when you’re tired!) and at the half way point I was ready for giving up, and then it started to spit! 🙈 Luckily it was a false alarm, but it distracted us a little. Those last few minutes really were a drag, my legs were burning and my breathing was heavier than usual trying to get up that last hill, but we kept on going and we did it! I did walk a little weird for a minute afterwards, stretching will be needed next time!

We ended the cool down walk and were happy with what we had done. We then remembered our mission in two days - 20minutes on Sunday... how were we going to do that????

Despite our worries, we still commended ourselves. We ran for 8 minutes in 60 second intervals the first week of c25k and we had ran the same amount of time all in one go, TWICE, today. What an improvement!!

Week 5 Run 3

Sunday arrives. OH MY GOSH. THE DREADED RUN. 20 minutes...can we do it???

After a particularly rowdy night on Saturday, poor Patrick was hanging: McDonald’s was necessary, naps were mandatory and our tv viewing had to be drivel. At 6pm, I reminded him of his terrible decision on Thursday and we set about the slow rise from the sofa. I even “made” a salad to help along the process! Those of you who know us, know I’ve forgotten where the kitchen is, so this shows the level of Pat’s hangover.

We set off for our walk to a duet of encouragements from Sarah Millican and wails from Pat about his stomach. Soon the dreaded time came: our 5 minutes walking were up and we were to begin our TWENTY MINUTE run. We opted for a light jog as instructed, with the option to push a little if we felt we could and slow down if needed. We had decided that as we weren’t stopping and starting, we’d have no time to chat in between runs and listened to our favourite bands to cheer us on: Bowling for Soup for me, Tenacious D for Pat.

Pat always dislikes the first few mins of a run until his chest opens up and he feels he can breathe a little easier. Whereas I’m the opposite, the beginning feels easy and after a few minutes it gets harder. I didn’t feel too bad to start, I was a song and half in when Sarah told me we were a quarter of the way through the run! Earlier this week I was struggling with 5 minutes! How has this happened? I assumed I was going mad and continued....a few minutes later we started a very shallow incline so we slowed a touch to allow for it.

We kept checking in with each other and we were both pleasantly surprised to find we were both doing okay. Soon we were half way through our jog and feeling alright. Some calf burn for me, but after a while it seemed to go off as though my muscles had stopped protesting because they knew there was no point!

Soon we were down the “hill” and I found that my strides were opening up a little and was “running” a little faster than usual which felt great! We turned the corner to start our usual slightly steeper incline just as we were told we only had 5 minutes left to go! Where had the time gone?? We were doing well!

As we were running late-ish and it was cooler, we were sweating but doing okay because the breeze was keeping us at a good temperature. My new sports bra was doing it’s job and I was beaming because I never believed I could do anything like this! Pat was feeling the hangover a little as Sarah told us we had two more minutes left. My calves were really starting to burn, because of the hill I think now, not because of my fitness level (!!) and very quickly we were hi5ing at our mission completed!!

Yes, we were breathing heavy, our legs killing and sweat was running in our eyes but WE RAN FOR 20 MINS STRAIGHT!! Wooooohooo!!!

I didn’t believe her at the beginning of the run, but it’s just like Sarah M. said. We were fit enough, and this was a mental challenge more than a physical one, but I still couldn’t believe we did this!! Triumphant, we set off home for our warm down walk and a hot bath!

(Excuse the shiny face!!)

💖🦄JD🏃‍♀️🤯

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