Podrunner 173bpm 5k Experiment...and where’s my gnome friend gone! 🤔

[mountaindreamer]

Well today was W12R1 for me and the C25k programme, and I decided last night that I will move to starting Juju’s Magic 10 programme with my Saturday run. My plan is to keep Saturday Parkruns for my weekly 5k, then to do my longer runs on Mon or Tues, and my shorter recovery runs on Wed or Thurs. (I’m not sure if any speed intervals will get included or not at this point, as I mainly want to concentrate on building distance first rather than speeding up.)

Anyway, after looking at my Runkeeper steps per minute charts, and deciding these seemed to record a bit low when I ran with the Stepping Stones podcast (running at 150/155/160bpm - but seeming to record at about 148/150/151bpm), I looked at some of my faster 5ks (averaging steps at 164bpm), then added a fudge factor and decided to try and run 5k this morning to a Podrunner track at 173bpm (called Passo Vivace - step lively - the hint should have been in the name!)

Interestingly, for the first 0.5k of running, my pace (ie km per min speed) ended up quite a bit slower than normal, despite my legs getting a bit of a shock trying to step that quickly straight after the warm up walk!😣 My usual habit seems to be to do the start of the run faster, then to settle into a more steady pace later, so I figured perhaps this was good. I seemed to end up then speeding up a bit later on today, though. I guess I was striding out more once I got going, and suspect this was also the long slightly downhill section. 😊

Once I was going slightly uphill again, I found I was having to miss some beats out (sort of 1234, 1234, 1234...1234, but oh, 1 is suddenly on the other foot now! 😂), and Runkeeper showed my steps per minute to shift from about 173bpm for the first 2k, then to about 153bpm for the last 2k, with a bit of crazy oscillation between the 2 step rates for the middle 1k!

Looking back at more Runkeeper charts, I sometimes seem to keep my steps per minute pretty constant for the whole 5k, but I also sometimes have this sudden shift to a lower step rate about halfway through. My fastest 5k so far was last Saturday’s Parkrun, when Runkeeper showed me consistently at 154steps/min for the last 4k (but 167-175 for the first k, when I set off far too fast!)

So my plan is to experiment more with some slower Podrunner bpm tracks later, and with the C25k+ Stamina podcast (which starts you running at 158bpm, but I haven’t listened beyond that yet).

To be honest, though, at the moment I seem to run faster and more comfortably with my own music and by letting myself just set my own pace. So while starting my 10K journey, I think I’m going to let myself do just that. (Sorry Laura, I’m sure you had better plans...😂❤️)

This was the first time I’d listened to a Podrunner track for 30mins, and I did start getting a bit concerned when a quiet voice within the track started whispering “stay with me” and various other phrases. Fearful of subliminal advertising, I was half expecting to find myself diverting to Tesco’s on the way round to buy a certain brand of toothpaste or something! 😂😂😂 Thankfully I didn’t seem to behave anymore weirdly than normal, so Podrunner seems safe after all. 👍😎

My only real shock today was to head round my normal route and find my big, loyal supporter gnome with his “welcome” sign and cheerful grin had GONE MISSING! I know I’ve been swanning off to Parkruns and to local sports fields to do speed intervals, so I can only think the poor guy is wondering where I am and has set off searching...🙁 Hopefully we’ll find each other again soon. Maybe he’s sulking because I planned to take him on my away day run to the seaside then chickened out of kidnapping him. Or maybe he’s also been supporting other C25kers, and one of them has taken him out somewhere else more scenic today instead! 😀

I’m now off to write Juju’s Magic 10 plan out and stick it on our fridge... 🌟😎🌟

Happy Running everyone who’s out today! 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️❤️😎

[UpTheStanley Graduate10]

Having just started Ju-Ju's bridge myself, my plan to begin with is the opposite, i.e. to do the short run on Monday after Parkrun (where I'll be chasing best times), then take the long run comparatively easily on Wednesday. That worked for W1 - whether the plan will survive the first real encounter with the enemy …… we'll see on Saturday!

[mountaindreamer Graduate10 in reply to UpTheStanley]

Just read from your profile that you do a Parkruns in 25 mins, UpTheStanley! I’m not that fast, so don’t need my recovery run after my own slower Parkruns, even if I push for my own PBs. I’m banking on needing it once those long runs get longer instead, though. 😊❤️

[Hericus Graduate10 in reply to UpTheStanley]

That works well for me. I go out before breakfast on Mondays and do about 5k of 10:20:30 intervals when no-one is around to see the crazy old man who can't make up his mind how fast to run, then a steadily incrementing 10k-17k on Wednesdays, and Parkrun on Saturdays. It works well for me as I get two rest days after the long run.

[mountaindreamer Graduate10 in reply to Hericus]

I did wonder whether 2 rest days after the longer run might be a better idea than a recovery run...I may well experiment as I go. As long as Saturdays are free for a 5k Parkrun, the rest can be more flexible.

[Dexy5 Graduate10]

Well done on taking the leap mountaindreamer. I wish you well. I think the gnome must have gone on his summer holidays- you’ll probably get a postcard soon

[mountaindreamer Graduate10 in reply to Dexy5]

Thanks Dexy. I hope you’re right about my gnome friend. He deserves a break somewhere nice. It was quite a shock not to see him there to urge me on this morning! 🙁❤️😎

[sallenson Graduate10 in reply to Dexy5]

We did that with a colleague's shoe in the internal mail many years ago. The shoe sent postcards and photos from all over the world. But never came home again....

[Dexy5 Graduate10 in reply to sallenson]

☹️

[mountaindreamer Graduate10 in reply to sallenson]

Nooooo...I want my gnome friend back!!! (I’m starting to suspect my husband of evil deeds. He hates all poor gnomes. On the few times he’s run my normal route with me he did keep threatening the poor guy...😳) I think my gnome’s safe from getting posted anywhere, as he was pretty big by gnome standards (up to my waist!) 😏

Perhaps I should start sticking posters on lampposts with a drawing of him, asking if anyone has seen my missing pal...🤔

[sallenson Graduate10 in reply to mountaindreamer]

Yes!! Do it!! Find "Gnome Alone"....

[mountaindreamer Graduate10 in reply to sallenson]

😂😂😂

[Saartjie Graduate10]

Good luck! I'm still lurking 😜

[mountaindreamer Graduate10 in reply to Saartjie]

Before just reading your new post, I was about to comment “come on in the water’s looking great”! Seems even more fitting now I know you’ve been paddling! 😂😂

You said you felt you could keep going after your 5k, Saartjie, so I’m sure you could come and join in too now if you feel you want to make a start? I’d love a Week 1 buddy for big school! 😃❤️👍

[Saartjie Graduate10 in reply to mountaindreamer]

Aw...feeling the peer pressure! (In a nice way) let me see how my Parkrun goes on Saturday x

[mountaindreamer Graduate10 in reply to Saartjie]

😃😃👍

[sallenson Graduate10 in reply to Saartjie]

Stop with the lurking!! It's like being stalked!! ❤❤

[Saartjie Graduate10 in reply to sallenson]

Ok then...let's just call it waiting in the wings!

[sallenson Graduate10]

Try one of the 160BPM Podrunner tracks and remember "patter, patter, patter"

[mountaindreamer Graduate10 in reply to sallenson]

Yes, I was thinking of trying about 160 next. Think 173 was way too much of a jump. There’s a 159 bpm one I’ve downloaded called Road to Joy (series 1/ episode 231) that sounds vaguely more bearable (at least the bit I’ve listened to). If you remember the old Hooked On Classic albums - that sort of thing, with speeded up classical pieces with a loud beat behind them.

[sallenson Graduate10 in reply to mountaindreamer]

It still sounds bloody awful tho. C'mon. Admit it. Lol. I fear that Podrunner will turn my brain to mush, but it does its job... 😂😂😂

[sallenson Graduate10 in reply to mountaindreamer]

I just had a look at the track listing. It really does sound "hmmm" and worth doing for the experience 😂😂

[mountaindreamer Graduate10 in reply to sallenson]

Just don’t blame me if your brain turns to mush then! 😂

[sallenson Graduate10 in reply to mountaindreamer]

I'll either be crying with uncontrollable laughter or banging my head on the ground in uncontrollable rage. Either way it's a "must do".... 👍👍

[YoureDoingGreatPet Graduate10 in reply to mountaindreamer]

There’s one of the varied bpm mixes I found ok, from a running point of view anyway. I think it’s 150 to 160 to 150 and was called something like grade school 1? I did my last long run to it, it’s only 30 mins, so I just played it twice. The nice thing was there’s no jump in pace, no warning bell to make you panic that there’s a faster bit coming in. He just blends it in nice and smooth.

[Hidden]

Chuckling reading this! Hope your friend gets home safe! 🤣

[Razouski]

I'm intrigued as to where you find these Podrunners. Maybe I need one to help improve my pace.

[mountaindreamer Graduate10 in reply to Razouski]

Haha...They sound like great little guys, don’t they! 😂😂

Podrunner.com is the main website. They provide free workout “music” (tonnes of it - all with loud beats in the background at different beats per minute tempos). I’ve downloaded the free Podrunner app to my iPhone and download podcast episodes with the music in from that.

[Hericus Graduate10]

I'm really intrigued by this. I am virtually a one-pace runner. If I deliberately slow down, I realise within 30 seconds that I have quickly moved up again to my regular speed - 180-182 steps per minute.

On the other hand, I read research recently that found that (if I recall correctly) runners in the 65-69 age band had strides that were 13% shorter than those of runners 20 years younger, because of reduced flexibility, so maybe I'm compensating - using the same amount of effort to take more strides, to cover the same distance.

[mountaindreamer Graduate10 in reply to Hericus]

They say optimum steps per minute is 180 for top class runners, whatever there size, Hericus...so you’re pretty much running perfectly! 😃❤️