First Post-C25K Run

[BigLebowski]

My first run a week after completing C25K was a good, 30-min effort on the treadmill.

I cop to a mental slump for an entire week following W9R3, part work fatigue (29 12-hr shifts in 35 days), part disbelief that I could do it. I just rested for a week but stuck to my keto eating plan to avoid weight gain, deviation from which has proven a major stumbling block in previous slumps.

I don't feel that I'm out of the water yet as I have yet to hit solid ground for 30 min again. I cannot rid myself of the notion that real running is done on the road, park, track and trail. For me, the treadmill is a bit of a substitute for the real thing, a way to retain fitness by getting the old ticker racing until the weather improves.

[Hidden]

A run is a run wherever you do it. However if you feel a hankering to run outside why not go for it? Not sure where you are but the weather in the UK is just about perfect for running at the moment, not too hot and not too cold (well maybe a bit chilly this weekend!)

Having just graduated, my advice to you would be to run regularly. Discipline is what you need right now in order to establish the running habit. Running outside helps because it is so much more interesting than the treadmill.

Good luck

Just seen you are in Canada, few Canadian runners on here who might have good advice for running in your climate

[BigLebowski in reply to Hidden]

Canadian weather at this time of year is a mixed bag of nice warm days followed by cold, snowy ones. When I describe as frigid the Winter weather where I work in the region of Fort McMurray, not too far from the arctic circle, -30 deg C routinely, I can be forgiven for being, as I am in golf, a fair-weather runner. The slightest chill outdoors where I live in Cochrane, 8 hours South of Ft Mac, sends me scuttling to the car to head to the gym and the treadmill.

I spend alternate weeks at work on an oil sands mine where the quality of the air is poor so we tend to opt for air-conditioned gyms for our athletic activity. A few of my C25K runs were on the treadmill at home, but the rest were on an indoor track in the gym at work. I'm especially lucky that we have a decent squash court there too. These small running tracks are not ideal as you're turning corners every few seconds, and they're crowded by several other runners and walkers.

I'd say we're about a fortnight away from predictably good weather for outdoor activities in Alberta. When that happens, I'm going to douse myself in insect repellent to ward off the dinosaur-sized bugs around here and hit the trails in our beautiful surroundings in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies.

[Hidden in reply to BigLebowski]

Sounds like a fantastic place to run; I hope the sun comes out soon!

[JonathanP Graduate10]

Congratulations on your c25k graduation, particularly given the context you describe! Hope you're able to get outside soon.