There is a little part of me that wants to fling myself about, gracelessly grunt and sulk like Kevin (in Kevin and Perry). I don’t know why; the run wasn’t that bad. I just feel grumpy and my right ankle, knee and shin hurt a bit after this run. I am a 43 year old mother, so I won’t sulk; I shall just make dinner, drink a cup of tea and tell my fellow runners about it all instead...
Work has been difficult. My heart rate rose from 60 to 103 just sitting having a conversation the other day. I’ll figure it out, but it’s having an impact on my sleep and mood.
I did the school run, got home, laced up the shoes and went. I had new toys to play with after all! A Garmin Forerunner 235 and a little running backpack. This should have made me very, very happy but I do get a bit worried when I spend a load of money on something; and the load of work seemed a physical weight.
It was quite hard going. I don’t know how to use the watch yet, and hadn’t made any decisions about what the run held in terms of pace/heart rate/distance/time/route. That could have been freeing on another day with another mindset. I was listening to another Headspace session, ‘Mindful Miles’, a 50 minute Recovery run. I enjoyed listening to the chatter but didn’t feel I was in my own headspace.
It was hard to find a rhythm; this may have had something to do with the fact I was running a very rural route across some seriously wet and muddy fields, with gates, some of which had to be climbed, and some inclines. I had to jump over some flooded areas, but couldn’t prevent my feet becoming absolutely saturated. The mud bits were slippery and I had to pick my way through some sections carefully.
Despite the challenges and the fact my heart was drumming away like a humming bird again, I kept running past 5k and so logged my first 5k Run. Third time lucky!
I thought it might be fun to video myself running. I have videoed myself climbing and dancing, and find it a brilliant tool for making improvements to technique.
I was horrified to see when I slowed it right down that I am heel-striking a little! 😱 I was convinced I was landing mid foot! I am hoping that I was striding out more than usual because I knew I was being filmed (I am almost certain that vanity made me run faster); but I am going to film myself again and really work on this.
All in all, I felt a bit low and even the stats didn’t cheer me up. I feel achy and shivery and a bit old. ☹️
Loved the backpack, by the way. I have worn my waterproof for some runs just for the pockets; I don’t like the feel of a waist band; I liked the fact I could carry a tiny bottle of water, stuff a layer away, access phone easily... I felt like I had options.
I need to spend some quality time with the Garmin as I had no idea what I was doing with it on the run. I pressed the wrong button and paused it a couple of times and I read this as laps. I’m going to take it for a walk and get to know it properly. 🙂
I have just realised that hormones may be a factor. Grrrr 😠
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ktsok
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Ah hormones! They can make the greatest of days feel like a failure! From what I can see you did a speedy run considerbig all the slipping, sliding and climbing involved! Well done you for getting out there! I had a bit of a weird run today too one of my blue tooth ear phones flew out of my ear into the mud underneath a holly bush and while I was rummaging for it my garmin paused and then saved my run, my phone died and I didn’t find me ear phone thing! I even took the children back to the park after school to see if we could find it but no. Amazon here I come ... again ☺️☺️ you will love your garmin once you know how to use it properly 😊
Oh no! How frustrating for you. The technology really can get in the way of a good run sometimes. Maybe the one ear phone can become your ‘road bud’ - you can keep one ear out for traffic 😉
Work stress and hormones probably aren’t the best formula for a great run. And you are right - considering all the pauses for gates and the terrain, I was going a solid pace - faster than I wanted to, really. I’ll get to grips with the Garmin and take back control! 😆
Well done to you! Your first 5k! Congratulations! 🍾🥂🏅👏🏻😊🎉👍☀️ 💥⚡️ 🏃♀️🤸♀️🏃♀️🤸♀️🏃♀️🤸♀️
Experimenting with a new watch and moving into filming and appreciating a new back pack even though work is in a challenging phase. Lots of positives even if you are not feeling them as much as you would like.
I have the Garmin Forerunner 35, I think yours will have even more features than mine. I so prefer being able to wear a watch and glance at it for pace, rather than holding my phone with a running app as I did previously. I hope that you have fun getting familiar with it.
Thanks 61. You are quite right; there are lots of positives. I don’t usually get grumpy but I guess the doldrums found me today! I ran 2 5Ks in the last week but the technology failed and they didn’t record! Hence the excuse to buy the Garmin.
I had this sense in my last run of the road stretching ahead and just wanting to keep going. I guess it’s hard to feel that when you are having to look at the ground and lift your heavy feet out of water and mud!
So even more congratulations due if you have run 3 5ks! 🍾🥂🏅👏🏻😊🎉👍☀️ 💥⚡️ 🏃♀️🤸♀️🏃♀️🤸♀️🏃♀️🤸♀️ Brilliant!
I love being on paths and away from traffic, but mud stuck to ones shoes does make for very difficult running and really slippery mud across the whole path makes turning back and choosing another route necessary. Wonder whether you have managed to sort Garmin Connect out yet to view all the available reports, graphs and statistics? Hope your work moves to a less painful phase soon.
Yes, I have Garmin Connect and am positively wallowing in stats! They seem to go on and on... I’m going to give in to the latent OCD streak (that has been jumping up and down, demanding to be set free since I started running) and set up Connect on the laptop, keeping a running diary going alongside. Research for the C25k book 😉
Yes, I love being in the country but can see the appeal of the road now too... wet feet and mud increase the effort you have to put in massively! It’s hard to relax and be in the zone when you are squelching every step; and it’s hard to spring ‘up’ when the mud is acting like glue on your feet!
Thanks Jell. I’m not usually a grump, but I guess we all have off days. I have just been foam rolling my legs. Oh my word my shins were tight. I actually groaned, it was so painful. I think I pushed it a bit too much today without intending to... I didn’t think I had expectations... ah well. Time to get to know the Garmin and take myself in hand! 🙃
Good for you! You did it and that’s all that matters! Am in quite a similar position to you, early 40s, kids, work and hormones and I am only starting w9 so be proud you have gotten yourself this far. I am proud of you so you should be too.
Well first of all ktsok, massive well done on your run. It sounds challenging with its mud and gates etc, so don’t beat yourself up. You did brilliantly! 👏💪🏃♀️👊😀
As for your Garmin, you’ll grow to love it and eventually work it out. I have the same one and I’m discovering new features all the time.
And some runs are like that. Even with all the stars aligned correctly, they just don’t feel right. But you ran and you didn’t bail. All good. 👊
Happy running and have fun playing with your Garmin! 😍
Thanks cheeky! When did you get yours? I lost about an hour of my life looking at watch faces on Connect IQ last night. Soooo much choice.
My shin aches a bit today, which isn’t usual. I’m going cross-eyed massaging it with a spiky ball. I think the mud and wet and climbing of gates over that distance was a bit more of a workout than they are used to!
Congrats on your first 5k, that's such an achievement. In terms of the additional kit, I can appreciate it's nice to have these things, and like you, as you are conscious of your stress levels caused by work, it's probably quite important to keep an eye on your data. I don't have a Garmin, I'm just using Strava on my phone for logging the run stats. I'm a 47yr old mum myself and really appreciate the feeling of age at the beginning of each run, but somehow as I progress it's making me feel younger, despite a tad of runner's knee which has put the kibosh on things as of late. 😒 My brother who I follow on Strava will be 50 this year, he's an ultra and duathlon runner and really inspires me, gets out and does at least 10k a day, but he says listening to podcasts or comedy is a real no no for him, strictly sticks to music with a good beat. I also find music is great, if it's familiar I can lock into the beat but allow my mind to drift into my own thoughts, resolving issues and planning things, having creative ideas etc., so I value the time away from my desk even more...I don't have a backpack water but what I have found useful is a small (palm size) silicone bottle with a sucky top from Decathlon which moulds to the inside on my hand, and I carry that for mouth rehydration during my active recoveries. Brilliant. Lightweight and practical! My ideal is to end up without any dependencies on anything - phone, music, Strava, water etc and just be able to leave the front door, run sustainably for 10k, be in the moment and get back to get on with the day. Whether I'll achieve it or not remains to be seen, but that's my goal over the next year. ☺️
I wonder why podcasts are a no no for him? I guess we just have to keep experimenting and find what works for us. Maybe some days are music days, others aren’t. I’m beginning to enjoy a bit of silence now...
Running without any dependencies sounds a great goal. Being in the moment. I’m after that too, just coming at it from a different angle. I feel I can be more in the moment if I have options. At an extreme end of the scale, that would mean carrying what I need for survival. Obviously there isn’t much you need (hopefully) to survive a 5km run in the English countryside! But it’s that mindset. I feel freer and more in the moment if I know I can just keep going... so water tucked away, a layer, or somewhere to put it, hands free to climb trees and fend off fierce sheep...
It was my third 5k this week, by the way. My first two failed to record - one stopped at 30 minutes and the other paused halfway into the run, losing 2k of running. Because they weren’t recorded, they don’t feel real, which is silly; another reason to ditch the dependencies!
Ahh, annoying when you don't get recorded, it's true though, you do feel like you haven't done it when the device doesn't agree with you!! I totally get where you're coming from re having the things you need to support the run, and it's where I'm at now too, especially as there's a constant dialogue in my head arguing whether I can or can't finish the run. I do, and it's because of the feeling afterwards that I succeed, but I would like to get into an autopilot state, where I just know I can do it and don't keep second-guessing myself, also I think if I achieve the autopilot, I shouldn't need the stuff. Sometimes it takes me 10 min just to get out the door - is there enough battery in my phone? are the apps on and working? which music do I want? are my Bluetooth headphones adequately charged? has Strava found GPS yet? where is my water bottle? is there enough water in my filter? will I need a waterproof or warm jacket, shall I take gloves...? Arghh! I just want to go out the door and get on with it! Maybe I'm just impatient... 😬
My bro I think is like me and likes to have the freedom to think, which is hard when you've got someone telling you stuff...and I think comedy is the worst 'cos it's hard to run when you're in stitches!! 😂
Haha! I was laughing out loud listening to one podcast and found my run greatly enhanced as a result, but then I’m not a ‘serious’ runner 😉
Yes I know what you mean regarding faffing before running. Although it’s become part of the routine for me now and I kind of like the ritual...
Have you tried running without anything in your ears? The first thing that attracted me to the Garmin was the fact I wouldn’t be reliant on the phone any more. In theory, I can now press a button on my wrist and go. No earphones, apps, no phone even...
Those first 6 or 7 weeks of C25k, I really wasn’t sure whether I would complete each run. In hindsight, I was going a bit too fast and it was a struggle to bring it home every time. If I don’t actively think about it, I still gravitate towards a faster pace than I am fit enough to run comfortably. That autopilot you describe, that amazing floating feeling of being in the moment, I have only experienced when I have slowed my running down. Another reason for the Garmin - I want to try heartrate zone running, to force myself to slow jog. When you slow jog, time and distance seem to float away. As you get fitter, your slow jog becomes faster - but your heart rate stays in the low zone. You have probably know about the Maffetone Method but it’s new to me! I want to do at least one of these a week...
I shouldn’t be reading this...I’m a voyeur in this forum as I’m still a wet whipper-snapper stumbling through week 4of C25K. Shhhhh, don’t tell. The bouncers will be frogmarching me out.
I’m trying really hard not to buy one of those Garmin watches, but I’m not sure how much longer I can resist.
Filming yourself is a great idea, but over data always leads to over analysis.
Massive well done on your first 5k! 👏👏👏 Sounds like a challenging run. Funny thing, how work stress/hormones/general mood can affect a run. I am having a tough time at work right now and it’s also affecting my sleep a bit. Sometimes my run clears my head beautifully, sometimes my low mood can ruin a run - never know which way it’s gonna go!
Hope you get the Garmin sussed soon. I ❤️ mine, it is a joy! I got so sick of tech fails on Stava/mapmyrun etc, but the Garmin has never let me down. My favourite ever piece of running kit.
I hope your work sh*t settles down soon. Keep up the foam rolling. Better than stretching some say! And rest up for your next run.
Thanks Sadie. Sorry to hear you are having work troubles too. I think a bit of sunshine and birdsong and dry tracks to run on might do us all a bit of good!
I feel like I need a Garmin tutorial! The choice of widgets and apps and watch faces is quite overwhelming. I’m looking forward to using it on my next run 🙂
Thanks Deals. There is a lot to learn, isn’t there?! I guess I’m ok with being knackered if I have deliberately pushed the pace and effort; I think I underestimated the toll mud and wet and gates have combined with a fatigued/stressed mind in a premenstrual body 😝. I went to London today and walked over 16,000 steps - didn’t feel much of a rest!
Ooo, sounds like a tough run on top of an already tough day...and sounds like you were coming down with something - a cold perhaps; or perhaps those horrible hormones 😬.
By the way heel-striking is now acceptable, yes it's o.k. to do so! Read an article in last month's Runners World that it's now no longer a no-no, so relax and just enjoy running.
Anyway, I hope you're feeling a bit happier, it's the weekend and the sun is shining...well it is here, so lovely to see.
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week3run1 ✅. 3 x 17 mins with 1 min walks. 
How did your parkrun or (not)parkrun go?
