About a month ago we moved house and when I lifted my head from the boxes I decided it was time to get back to running. I had around three and a half months when I barely ran at all and I was very daunted by having to start again but to my surprise it was nothing like as awful as I was expecting. I thought I would have to go back to couch to 5k and redo some of the programme but I didn't. What I did find was that I couldn't run the distances I had been doing. Last year I did the magic plan a couple of times and ran 10k last March and I really need to get back to that in order to run the Chester 10k in July (assuming we are allowed out!) So in the last three weeks or so I have been trying to go out three times a week and in this last week I have managed to get back to running 5k, three times and, while it doesn't exactly feel, easy it feels ok.
So what next? I am going to start the magic plan again I think because I know it has worked for me before and that I really like having some sort of structure to my running week. I like the way it balances getting you to do a bit more with consolidating what you can do. I am a bit of a nerd when it comes to record keeping and when I look back to 2019 and even 2020 I feel I am a long way off what I could do then. I am slow. I am always going to be slow and that is fine. But I had managed to get my 5k time down to just under 40 minutes and I had got to a stage where the concept of an easy 5k made sense rather than making me snort and spit my tea out! So let us see how we go. I know I can do it because I have done it before. I know the magic plan works and that it suits me to have someone taking me by the hand like that. And I also know that at 66 taking three months off is not the brightest idea and that if I want to run (and I do) I have to just keep getting out there. With luck the magic plan will also distract me from how very bored and fed up I am with lockdown!
I always read here. I read even when I wasn't running! I will try to post a bit more in the interests of being accountable. I have done 5k this morning so first magic plan run is set for Monday! Onward and upward!!
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Gwenllian1
Graduate10
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Oh well done Gwenllian1! I enjoyed reading your post and admire your determination. I am also on a mission - mine is to run more regularly and build up my distances again too. At least we are still getting out there, one way or another. Enjoy your Magic Plan revisit, I may well be doing the same in a few weeks. 😊
The magic plan is so good! Left to my own devices I tend not to challenge myself enough but just do quite a bit of pootling. Now I’m a fan to pootling in its place but there’s not much doubt that the magic plan takes you further and faster (faster for me being relative).
Thank you! I think box moving probably did help and the fact that I’d been running for getting on for two years made a difference too. I don’t think I’ve ever done any physical exercise for such a long time!
I hope so! For me it’s a mental thing. When I’m running I just have running days planned out in my mind instead of waiting to feel like going running (which then oddly doesn’t happen!)
Welcome back! You've done great managing 5k stright off - the speed will come back. I'm on the comeback trail as well and after only a few weeks I found the 'speed' (well.... my version 😉) came back. I'm back on the timed version of the plan and working my way back to 60 mins - then I'll jump over to the next step up on the distance version. Looking forwards to reading your comeback posts!
Thank you Fiona! I haven't quite decided whether to jump into doing the distance version of the plan or to start with the timed. I'd wondered about doing the distance version but expecting to take longer than the eight weeks so I could repeat and consolidate as I go. I think that's where I am right now with the first run of the distance plan tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it now!
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week3run1 ✅. 3 x 17 mins with 1 min walks. 
How did your parkrun or (not)parkrun go?
week 2 begins! 
