Help please...ready to try a bit of panthering🐾

[Bluebirdrunner]

Hi everyone,

I wasn't ready to do the C25k to 10k plan that Rfc, Poppy and ju-ju ran 8 months ago as I hadn't quite got to running 5k outside comfortably, and went down the Sammy route which fizzled out after Week 3. Then Weddings, hubby retiring, frozen shoulder got in the way and I stopped and just ran for 30 mins for months again. Recently I have reached the 5k non stop and a bit further and...started to think🤔...

I have found ju-ju-s plan in the pinned posts and written all the runs down and pinned it to my fridge ready to go...I know lots of you had success with this and Im excited to give it a go.

I think I may have asked before, but can you tell me how to get my android smartphone to either tell me or chime when I do each km?

I currently run Strava on it to record my run, but don't look at it, as my phone is safely stashed in a waist belt. Hopefully there is something that can run alongside Strava. My music is separate on an mp3 player.

I think you can do the three runs in the week in any order. Last week I ran two 5.7ks so will start with the shorter run on Monday when I begin my challenge...

Wk 4 wasn't in the pinned posts, but I found it on ju-ju's posts.

I know this will be hard, I have recently found a new flat route where I just run in a straight line on a kerb which will give me plenty of route. I am running for a time, then turning and running back. The run back is better than the run out. I just need to be aware of my distance whilst I'm running so I can measure when to turn. I will probably do the shorter runs on a different route.

Thanks for your help, and I'm looking forward to Wk1.😊xx

[Irishprincess Graduate10]

Can't help with the phone question Jan but just wanted to wish you good luck and enjoy the ride 🙂

[Bluebirdrunner Graduate10 in reply to Irishprincess]

Ah thank you IP.. I realise it will be tough, but I know that Jacs-w and Davoda and Razouski amongst others used this plan successfully so I am hopeful I will manage it.

Fingers crossed.😊x

[Decker]

Good luck Jan! I dont use Strava so I am not sure how it works. C210k by zenlabs has a voice prompt for when to run and stop which I like too. See you on the podium!! 👍🏼

[Bluebirdrunner Graduate10 in reply to Decker]

Thank you Decker😊...you are already well on your way, and doing great. I am following your runs with interest and hoping I can get some distance under my belt too...

I'm going to use the plan Ju-ju devised on here with a short, medium and long run for six weeks finishing with 10k😕

Good luck with your running, keep posting as you are inspiring me😊x

[Decker in reply to Bluebirdrunner]

You go Jan!! I'll keep posting if you will. We will inspire each other! 👍🏼😀

[mrrun Graduate10]

I run with free app Endomondo. A lady tells me when I passed each km and in what time. Afterwards l can read the full breakdown and view the map where l ran. Good luck & enjoy

[Bluebirdrunner Graduate10 in reply to mrrun]

Thank you mrrun, I will take a look at Endomondo and see if it will work for me....

Im a bit nervous, I know I will enjoy two of the runs each week and Im hoping the longet one just happens.. nice and slow I think.😊x

[Kimterry]

Map my run tells you when you have run a km. It also tells you your pace. I use this on my iPhone - sorry, I'm not really technically minded - but I'm not sure if you can use it with an android phone? Good luck with it - I'm feeling excited for you!🏃🏽‍♀️

[Bluebirdrunner Graduate10 in reply to Kimterry]

Thank you Kimterry😊 I will take a look....Actually, I will probably get hubby to do the techkie stuff, I just want to know when I've done each k as up to now just run using timing and looked at the stats afterwards.

I know it is exciting, I was dreaming about it last night. I do realise how tough its going to be though...but nothing ventured...😆x

[SuzyKK in reply to Kimterry]

Yes, I have map my run on my Android phone.

[JaySeeSkinny Graduate10]

Brilliant, Jan! Good luck and enjoy the new plan. The main thing is to have fun - I'm sure you will!

[Bluebirdrunner Graduate10 in reply to JaySeeSkinny]

Thanks Jaysee, I was reading your post about your runs the other day..phenomenal..in so many different places too..

What an inspiration you are.😊

I know I will enjoy two of the runs each week and I'm hoping the longer one will just happen. I'm trusting that others have succeeded. Its a nice time of year for this now too...cool not cold.

The bloomin' acorns all over the footpaths are an issue though....😆x

[IannodaTruffe Graduate10]

Good luck Jan.

You might be better off ditching the MP3 player and putting your music on your phone too.

Strava, Runkeeper, Endomondo etc all (I believe) can be set to give voice prompts at set intervals and they dip your music to enable you to hear them.

This means only one device to carry, so less weight, more speed..........you arrive at your destination quicker.

[Bluebirdrunner Graduate10 in reply to IannodaTruffe]

Thank you Tim, I had forgotten about Runkeeper..

So tomorrow will take a good look and see which option is best...ditch the mp3...hmmmm maybe as I do want to hear the distance prompts..

I am looking forward to the two normal length runs it's the longer one I know will be tough. I just hope by building up it happens somehow..but I'm not going to be speedy...I just want to run it all if I can.

Hope your knees are getting better with the cycling and that you are having fun whizzing along...carefully 😊.Whats worse have you found, running up a hill or cycling up one?

Get better soon so you can enjoy this lovely running season. 😊x

[IannodaTruffe Graduate10 in reply to Bluebirdrunner]

I am sure you will love your long run, Jan. 10k is such a lovely distance because it needs no special preparation, is long enough to cover some real ground and doesn't leave you exhausted for the rest of the day. Can you tell I am missing it?

I have covered 65k this last week with few major hills, which I would find much easier to run up than cycle. It is working different muscles and the knee is feeling good, so target date for first tentative run date is next weekend.......... hopefully.

The bike is okay but a poor substitute for the real thing.

[SaskAlliecat Graduate10]

I use RunKeeper and can set up the prompts to tell me what I want to know on a set distance or time interval while listening to my own awesome tunes 😆. I also wrote down ju-ju's training plan last week and have decided to tackle it this week. I've looked at so many different bridge to 10k plans since graduating a few weeks ago it was making my head spin. I like the gradual increase with some variation between runs during the week. We'll be ju-ju's new b210k group 🏃🏽‍♀️🏃🏽‍♀️

[Bluebirdrunner Graduate10 in reply to SaskAlliecat]

Great idea...thank you I will look at Runkeeper tomorrow as an option too...

I'm under no illusion that this will be easy....

Good luck 😊x

[SaskAlliecat Graduate10 in reply to Bluebirdrunner]

I hear you. But we also didn't find C25k easy and here we are running 5k now. Amazing! We got it though....1 run at a time (and possibly a few practice runs in the mix 😉). I like that each run isn't longer just 1 run per week. Just have to remember to go at a slow sustainable pace for the long run, as we were told on the longer C25k runs, which will be my struggle. My legs want to go faster than my cardio will allow.

[Millsie-J]

Looks like you have good advice above Jan. I use Mapmyrun which does the job, just go into 'Settings' to say which prompts you want.

Good luck Jan, you will definitely get to the 10 k 😆🏃🏻‍♀️

[Bluebirdrunner Graduate10 in reply to Millsie-J]

Thank you Jacs... I will look into the options for prompts suggested...

Will start on Monday, eeek already nerves are building... I think I will have virtual company though, so that will help a lot😊

Hope you are well, how are you doing lately?xx

[Millsie-J in reply to Bluebirdrunner]

I'm doing ok thanks Jan. Reduced down to three x 30 min runs over summer as we have been in sunny clims quite a lot. Now ready to extend again over autumn/ winter.

Yes, we will all be running with you, I'm looking forward to it! 🏃🏼‍♀️😃🏃🏼‍♀️😃🏃🏼‍♀️

[Bluebirdrunner Graduate10 in reply to Millsie-J]

Ooh, sunny clims sounds nice...

Will look forward to running with you..watch out for the acorns/conkers all over the paths😄..all starting to look so pretty with the autumn colours everywhere now. xx

[Millsie-J in reply to Bluebirdrunner]

I am going to try more trail running if Im brave enough so very timely advice thanks 👍🏼

[Anniemurph Graduate10]

Hi Jan,

You will get there! If you're already using Strava and like it, it has a voice prompt for your kms, but most of the other apps do too. I have found Strava to be the most reliable in terms of keeping track of me - I broke up with Mr. Endomondo because he couldn't keep his attention on me (I suspected he was off flirting with other people) and Mapmyrun swiped left at the start of our relationship and wouldn't even entertain me

You can also find an app for timings such as Gymboss which will chime at intervals you set up. This is quite good if you want to set up your own interval runs. Or you could buy a Gymboss, I suppose!

Good luck with it all

[Bluebirdrunner Graduate10 in reply to Anniemurph]

Ah thank you Annie😊..

Six weeks of make or break...already beginning to feel nervous, the initial excitement on Friday has become...right so start tomorrow...😕

Just need to get this phone thing in place and full steam ahead! Well not FULL steam😅

Hope your running still gives you a boost, take care😊x

[Millsie-J in reply to Anniemurph]

Ooooo Im going to look at Gymboss thanks Annie👍🏼

[dubnde]

Runkeeper app can be set to update you per distance interval and/or time interval of your setting.

[Bluebirdrunner Graduate10 in reply to dubnde]

Thank you dubne😊

[JaySeeSkinny Graduate10]

You sound nervous, Jan, so I would like to point out a few things. You have been running now for well over a year, consistently and persistently. In the grand scheme of things you are not fast, but there are many others on here who have gone on to do huge distances at a similar pace, Realfoodieclub springs to mind and there are many others. You obviously want to run longer distances and you have the rest of your life to get there (that sounds awful!). Take it slow and steady, repeat weeks and runs if you want. There is no time limit, we're not racing against each other, we're not even racing against ourselves. At our age we are just doing this for health and fun reasons, a new hobby that brings so many advantages. If you stay running for 5k forever you'll still be doing yourself some good.

I know you'll get there, because you want to. And I really admire you for carrying on after the frozen shoulder and other things. Go, Jan, go - and tell us about it!

[Bluebirdrunner Graduate10 in reply to JaySeeSkinny]

xxxxx thank you so muchxxx

[Hidden]

This is very reminiscent of how I felt (?you felt) at the start of C25k. It won't be easy but it will be possible 👍you have lots of experience now and your journey demonstrates your grit and determination. You have shown that you are not a quitter🏃‍♀️

Good luck Jan. I look forward to hearing about your run😊

Oh and I agree ditch the MP3 and put your music on your phone and the apps (mapmyrun etc) will interrupt with progress updates

[Bluebirdrunner Graduate10]

Ha, yes thank you Helen.

You're right of course but TEN is such a big number and so is nine and eight😅

Jaysee is right though...its only for me and no hurry if I don't quite make a run just have another go another day.

One run at a time eh? 😊xx

[ju-ju- Graduate10]

Yay I'm sooo pleased you are doing this and have come back to it..... I hope you enjoy it.... and if you download the Nike app that tells you at each k or mile. Or get a garmin as that will buzz at you!!! Good luck and keep us posted on your progress....

[Bluebirdrunner Graduate10]

Oh thank you Ju-ju...😊

Yep, hubby has been busy all day...now have mapmyrun and my playlist and Sammi's tracks all on my phone.

We just went for a 4k walk to test it, and yes, the lady comes on, the music goes quiet....clever things these phones aren't they, wonder if it will catch on.😄

I will miss my little mp3 player but the armband was coming unglued so I can bin it.

Just a short run tomorrow to start me off...😊xx

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate10]

Hi you!

Sorry I missed this! DUH! This is all sounding very exciting and positive and you will totally do this! I am looking forward to getting back to 10K too, as you know

The tech bits are a pain to set up, but great when they work!!!

Go you!!

[Bluebirdrunner Graduate10 in reply to Oldfloss]

Thank you Floss,

My tech bits are now set up, MapMyRun is on my phone and my music is too, so as Lannodatruffe suggested I'm running light😄...

Yes, lets do this...I think Im going to be fine with the first two weeks, but I am looking at the next weeks with slight trepidation...but excited too..

Shall we post our progress on the Quest site?

How do you usually measure your distance, I was using Strava (the free version) and didn't have any prompts telling me how much distance I was on so I never knew until I finished how far I had run.

I'm only using the free Mapmyrun with a voice telling me at every 0.5k. We can be friends on there and share stats if you like.

Good luck on Wednesday, which run will you choose first I wonder...😊🏃🏆xxx