Hello everyone, my name is Julia and I've just started the Bridge to 10K programme following Ju-Ju's Magic Plan (distance edition). I decided to start this thread to log my progress during the course of the programme and hopefully I'm providing a motivating read for the other members of this community.Here's some background information on me as a runner: I started Couch to 5K following the NHS plan on March 1st, 2021. I graduated C25K on May 15th, 2021 and I ran my first 5K on June 18th, 2021. Prior to doing C25K I was entirely sedentary, out of shape and an absolutely dreadful runner. I'm just a mere mortal! 😅
I'm an indoorsy video game nerd so I'm not too keen on running outside. I first started C25K on a treadmill and later found Zwift to supplement my runs. A video game that you control by running? Sign me up! I'm definitely hooked on both running and Zwift at this point and I'm looking for a new challenge.
Enter Bridge to 10K. After completing Couch to 5K I got that familiar thought: "what next?" I searched for various training programmes and stumbled upon Ju-Ju's Magic Plan. It seemed like the perfect continuation to C25K and after consolidating 5K's for a month I'm feeling ready and pumped for a new challenge!
Today's run was going to be the shortest one I've had in a while: 2.5km. However, not everything went according to the plan.
I noticed a friend of mine was running on Zwift and I decided to join her. As I started running I noticed my footpod's readings were way off (reporting my usual 8 km/h pace as 9.5 km/h) so I had to stop and recalibrate the pod.
My run turned into an impromptu sprint challenge as I tried to catch up to my friend! I was planning to get some speed work done during this short run anyway, so this was a welcome extra kick of motivation!
I ran at a pace of 10 km/h and bumped up to 11 km/h for a short while when a fellow passed me, but I had to swallow my pride and go back to a more manageable speed when I realized I still couldn't keep up with him. 😅 In the end I managed to catch up to my friend JUST as the distance meter hit 2.5km! I said a quick hello to my friend and logged off to hit the showers -- I had forgotten to turn on my fan. A sweaty mistake!
Hi and welcome across the bridge, that was some run today - vey fast. Tips - pop the fan on, enjoy your speed runs on short run days, slow right down on your longer runs, plenty time to speed up again when you reach 10k. Happy running 🤗
Oh yes, that's a quirk of Zwift and Strava. They had to map the GPS data to the actual world map so they chose uninhabited islands in the Pacific Ocean in order not to mess with any real life segments, I'm pretty sure. The map on Zwift shows the actual route I ran in the game.
Thanks, Stocksy. I'm aiming to run my first 10K during the lululemon SeaWheeze Virtual 10K Challenge (strava.com/challenges/lulul.... I haven't set a time target though. My philosophy is to get distance first, then speed will follow 😊
How exciting! Zwift looks so great, but I lack a treadmill ☹️😉. I might just get an account as long as it is free, as I don’t know if they will put a paywall on at some point. (It is still free, isn’t it?)
If you ever find yourself running outside, you might be interested in trying the Zombies, Run! App, which also has a free version. It’s an immersive audio-based run tracker that provides you with a whole unfolding world of post-apocalyptic Zombie world full of runners trying to survive. It is great fun, and also something inbetween a run tracker, a audio book and a game.
Welcome to our running community!
Just also to note and promote our sister forum, Strength and Flexibility, which is a great sister forum and activity to complement your running. healthunlocked.com/strength...
Running on Zwift is free, cycling requires a monthly subscription. I haven't heard of any intentions to change that, but I suppose it is entirely within the realm of possibility.
I'm quite sure I've heard of Zombies, Run! years ago when I was contemplating starting running (unfortunately nothing came out of that back then). Thanks for your suggestions 😊
Fab! Just got myself a free account, I was just too intrigued.
And have just come across info on how to hook up indoor rowers to Zwift! As I have a concept2, I’ll be heading soon to Zwift, once I figure out how to connect the tower to it.
I will look like a very slow runner (named CBDB, and somehow I wasn’t able to chose a female avatar), slow as I will be rowing, but I am really excited!
Well, this week has been embarrassingly little about running. I got my partner, who's a cyclist, hooked on Zwift and then we splurged on a Stages SB20 smart bike when the ol' spin bike just didn't cut it. Riding the smart bike has been incredibly fun, although combining a beginner with a long while in the saddle results in... pain. Thankfully for my perturbed posterior, today was a running day.
I joined a MHG group run on Zwift today. I'm not a member of MHG, but anyone is welcome in their events and they're a very friendly bunch. The run was paced at a very reasonable 8 km/h. I've done faster 5K's but I decided to take it easy as I'm still recovering from my cycling craze.
The run was hosted on Zwift's New York map. I actually ran my very first 5K with the same group in the exact same map! This time around, the 5K was much more manageable and I could actually pay attention to the group chat instead of huffing and puffing in a sweaty mess. Running and chatting in a group definitely makes the time go by much faster!
And as a bonus, Zwift's New York is mapped to the actual New York's GPS data which means that on Strava it looks like I ran in the Big Apple itself. No random uninhabited Pacific Ocean islands today!
I didn't go all out today and I definitely have some gas left in the tank for W1D3's 5.5K run. Now I just have to exercise enough self-discipline to keep off the bike! 😅 Stay tuned!
I actually tried hooking up my rower to Zwift with limited success. I can make it only work with a rower-to-cyclist connection, and that only if I don’t use the Zwift companion app.
So I might need to get an old 2nd hand Android, as the rower-to-runner connectivity only works with android.
But it was great doing one round with the rowed-cycle, testing the connectivity.
Sounds like you had also fun! A great way of enjoying your time on the treadmill.
The article talks about certain brands of rowers and rower-to-cyclist connections, so it might not be applicable in your case. Hopefully it can give you some pointers though.
I'm glad you had a good time during your test anyway 😊
The mind was willing today, the body was not. I was rarin' to go after having a rest day yesterday. My plan was to join a Pace Partner bot running at a steady 9 km/h on Zwift and hang onto the bot's pace for as long as I could.
After doing a warmup, I joined the pace bot. I almost immediately suffered a short Bluetooth dropout and I had to sprint at 10 km/h for a while to catch the bot. I managed to do so, but it came at a cost. At roughly the 8 minute mark I started feeling nauseous and a nasty side stitch threw a wrench in the works! I managed to hang on at 9 km/h until 13 minutes when I had to drop my pace in order to survive the run.
Near the 4 km mark, I tried to adjust the music volume on my treadmill. The dang thing absolutely refused to budge (due to the touch screen getting drenched in sweat, I'm assuming. Did I mention it's sweltering hot today?) and it kicked me into an angry runners' high!
I upped my pace back to 9 km/h, no matter the renewed side stitch! The combination of adrenaline and anger pushed my performance to new heights! As I pushed my pace to 10 km/h I let out a battle cry like a Viking shieldmaiden of old, but it came out as a weak 'rawr' like of a kitten. Nevertheless, I finished the 5.5K with a great little sprint and as I was done I felt absolutely brilliant! Thanks, stupid treadmill. 😜
Today's run had the potential to be a disaster, but I managed to push through with sheer willpower. I'm really proud of myself for doing so! I'm not sure where the side stitches came from. Maybe it was the heat, maybe it was me putting my HR strap on too tight, maybe it was just a bad day. Who knows. 🤷♀️
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