It’s still surprisingly warm. When I look out of the window, it’s grey and the wind is rocking the treetops back and forth; there’s a prevailing threat of rain and when I eventually get outside, it is actually spitting. But it doesn’t last and the air temperature is pleasant despite the overcast sky; like living under Tupperware (thanks Bill Bryson).
Today is my suck-it-and-see run on resuming the Garmin plan after resting a knee niggle. Resuming was painless, I just had to pick an excuse from a list:
Resting an injury - Life getting in the Way - Dog ate my Running Shorts - Temporary Amnesia.
(I think I made up one or two, I can’t remember them all).
The plan appears to have set me back a week as the the “Time Trial”, which I didn’t want to face with a funny knee, has disappeared and I continue with a week of “Easy pace” runs, which I love. I was really worried about the knee and this return run but it was all fine.
I’ve been reading up about knees and causes of injury and there are many potential causes, it seems. My main suspect is adding too much too quickly. This would be a result of the plan which requires running four times a week, whereas I’m used to just three. If it occurs again I must abandon the plan. The second culprit is weakness surrounding the knees. The excellent James Dunne has a video of knee exercises which I will use.
The run was a real joy. I even entered it as so in the feedback required after each run (normally, I’ve been a bit reserved in previous runs just saying it was “okay”).
I met two runners on route which never happens; just one other is rare enough and mostly I don’t meet anyone except perhaps horse riders and cyclists. Within two kilometres of each other, I saw a runner coming towards me (on the wrong side of the road but what can you do or say?) and engaged in as much conversation as two runners passing can manage in about four seconds. “Hi! Warm for the time of year, innit? Have fun!”
I don’t know what the etiquette is with meeting runners going the same way as you. Do you catch them up, tag alongside and engage them in conversation? Coming across a fellow walker or cyclist, I would, but then we’re less concerned about pace or anything. Running is different, maybe, unless running with a friend.
Have a good week running, folks! 🙂
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Ian5K
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Haha, great post! I don’t know what the etiquette is, it’s not happened to me yet. But I do see runners and walkers on the wrong side of the road and I always think it’s so dangerous and you’d think they would know better 🙄 And they mostly wear dark clothes so if I’m driving I can’t see them well 🤬
Anyway, well done for the return run and hopefully the knee niggle will stay away. I can vouch that clams and crab walks work wonders for knees as they strengthen all the muscles in the glutes 👍
I’d have thought by now the highway code would include “runners” amongst road users. But we’re still pedestrians, of a sort. So, right hand side of the road, unless approaching a right hand bend. 🧐
I occasionally mix clamshells into my morning workout. If crab walks are the sideway strides, with a resistance band under the knees, I add those from time to time too (my dailies comprise four exercises to keep it down to 10 or 12 minutes - just the time it takes to make stove top coffee for breakfast!)
"like living under Tupperware (thanks Bill Bryson)"
So that's where I picked it up!
As to other runners. I don't tend to linger long near them. Very few are doing exactly the same speed I'm doing. Usually they've zoomed past in the time I've been able to say "Good morning/afternoon/evening" and received a reply.
If I'm (rarely) the one overtaking, I'll always give a thumbs up or similar sign of encouragement.
And most of the ones I'm passing on my parkruns are huffing and puffing more than I'd be comfortable in expecting them to talk back.
That makes sense. I did feel like asking them where they were coming from and where they were going. I’m probably a nosy runner. 😁
I'm afraid I have suspended the garmin plan Ian for the sake of both my mental and physical well being.
I felt as though I was being controlled and failing the challenges. I was pushing myself way too hard and having just awful runs to the extent I convinced myself I was not a runner and wanted to stop.
After my last failure at the pace run, I switched the plan off.
This morning I was really apprehensive about going out for fear of feeling awful again but I forced myself. I had no plan other than to get round 5k at whatever pace felt comfortable. After the first 7 minutes of struggle I settled down and had a great run.
For me, I need to listen to IannodaTruffe and take it steady. Fast is not always good. I was just doing too much and hating it.
Hopefully normal service (and confidence) has returned. Phew!
Sorry to see that, Alan. I’m prepared to stop too if I have trouble again and I suspect it’s the plan.
Plan B would be to create workouts on the Garmin myself, and go back to 2 or 3 runs per week as I was doing before, but, who knows, I might find something else when the time comes. 🙂
The thing about Garmin is that it simply doesn't have a "fun" factor. I went out today and ran what I've called on Strava an utterly ridiculous 10k. It involved steep (20%+) uphills and downhills, getting lost in the forest, walking and hop-skip-jumping over branches, rejoining the tarmac and achieving probably my fastest pace ever over a few metres and in the process totally accidental negative splits over the first 5k, going properly slowly over the next 5k, exploring unknown tracks, getting lost again, and finally spotting the right track home.
I loved it. Garmin appears to have docked me another VO2Max point, and would probably like to confiscate my running shoes for a week and tell me to go and sit on the naughty step to reflect about what a terrible runner I am.
Well, Garmin can naff off. It took me the best part of 60 years to discover that I can actually run, my way, and there's no way I'm going to let some algorithm take that away from me.
Thank you for your response Cmoi (sorry Ian, I have hijacked your thread). You have summed it up perfectly for me. I have had to learn the hard way unfortunately.
The plans will obviously be good for some people but for me, as you also mentioned, the fun just disappeared and it became very stressful to even think about running.
I'm pleased I went out just to run again and your 10k sounds wonderfully perfect. Fantastic and thank you for your support.
I don’t mind, Alan. It’s just a post to give insight into where else we can go with our running, adding to the rich mix of Ju-Ju’s, Jeffing, Parkruns, 10ks and HMs.
It’s useful that it’s understood it’s a challenging programme, which it is. 🙂
Thanks Ian5K . Yes, you're right, there's a rich mix. In my case C25K took me to a trail marathon with rather a lot of elevation and some fairly technical sections. That sort of thing seems to suit me, but it's somewhat ouside the scope of Garmin plans. 😀
I have always learned to walk or run on the wrong side of the road, so you can see the cars coming towards you. I think this is a generally accepted thing amongst runners / walkers? That way you see the traffic coming towards you and you can jump out of the way if needed. I do it always...
That is the reason as stated in the highway code. But it’s a weakly worded document on the whole and I think not too many people bother to read it anyway. 🙂
You were right to adapt the plan. Something I wish I’d done earlier this year when preparing for the Brighton 10k.
I run with a permanent grin on my face unless I’m in a state of over exertion in which case it’s definitely a grimace. 😂 Seems to work with most runners coming the other way; mainly the older ones I notice who smile back and we exchange a brief hello. The younger ones probably think I’m just weird 😂
That is something I wonder about. On my running route it's the really fast runners that seem most friendly - or it could just be barely contained laughter! 🤣
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week3run1 ✅. 3 x 17 mins with 1 min walks. 
How did your parkrun or (not)parkrun go?
