The final week of the Garmin 5k training plan I’m following ended a bit messy: I had the virtual “race” scheduled for tomorrow and two pre-race workouts in the middle of this week. The first midweek workout I didn’t want to do because of Storm Barra and the torrential wind and rain it brought; the second I couldn’t do due to a last minute family issue.
I tried to reschedule but the website returned one of those “Oops! Something went wrong. It’s not your fault, it’s ours. Try again later”. I tried again later and got the same message. Oh dear, life’s too short etc.
So, I did my 5k run today (tomorrow being another day I couldn’t run due to family duties).
As you know, to set up the Garmin plan, a goal time has to be entered. My best parkrun time is 25:10 and my PB over any 5k was 24:51, so I thought 24:00 was a reasonable goal time.
I’d planned the route the day before to include a 10 minute warm up jog. I’m usually not too hindered by the “toxic ten” but the first ten is always the hardest so it’s better to get it done before the run!
I have felt better before a run, mentally, and for the first half of this route, the wind was gusting straight into my face, and the sun was in my eyes and reflecting off any big puddles in the road. The pace on the watch didn’t look too good at times for that first half but the second half faced away from the wind and sun. Even so, it took some mental willpower not to abandon the whole thing and try another day! Get on and do it, Ian!!! Dig deep, said the virtual coach.
A new PB from Strava and a (confirmed) “PR” from Garmin: 5k in 23:55.
A bit of a walk before a light jog home for my favourite post run protein & carb lunch - boiled egg sarnie! 😋
Happy running, folks!
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Ian5K
Graduate10
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23 Replies
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Oh just wow!
Ian, what a time. I can only dream of that. That is a fantastic effort. My best is 28:29 so I have a long, long way to get anywhere near that.
You have worked really hard on that plan so top marks 👏 👏👏👏
I chopped a fair chunk off my 5k PB accidentally Hidden , so you wouldn't necessarily have a long, long way to go.
For me, though, the real question is "Do you want to?" If you do, fantastic, go for it. If you don't, then don't. I'll happily run up and down hills in a ridiculous manner for hours, I just can't handle running fast!
To answer your question my answer at the moment is I am enjoying myself now at my steady pace so I have no immediate desire to get superfast.
If I happened to get quicker naturally over time then great but I'm not specifically training to get faster currently. It would be too much like hard work 😀
I think you have done brilliantly following the plan and holding back sometimes is so so hard at times.
I started the 10k plan at about the same time but didn't have the patience so ended up ditching the Garmin plan and running my 10k when I felt like it about 7 weeks early 🤣🤣
I’m relieved it has to be honest because of the long commitment. A lot of time not going for PBs which I’ve tended to do before. Run slow to run fast - it works! 🙂
Interesting to read about the Garmin plan. 🙏Super time - nice improvement of a minute as well! 👍Takes some discipline to follow a plan for 11 weeks - think it might spoil the fun of running for me. 🤔
I've been running not quite 19 months ForbiddenPlanet , and apart from C25K I've only ever followed one training plan. Yes, it worked, but oh how I struggled.
I just don't get on with being told what to do, when and how. I really admire people who train properly and get satisfaction from following plans.
While I certainly became a physically stronger runner, it was also just as much the mental strength gained from following a plan for about five months that got me through the event.
Since then I've been back in "running for fun" mode and am likely to stay that way, unless and until I find another tempting project.
Interesting - I'd like to understand the ideas behind the training plans and then maybe use those ideas to inform my own running, but I don't think I would like my watch nannying me to stick to a strict regimen!
Also, it seems to me that the ethos of many training plans is to always be improving, whereas I just want to reach a good level of health and fitness, and then maintain it.
For the foreseeable I think the best training plan I can follow is to aim to lose some more weight, as I've been holding steady @ 2 stone overweight for a couple of months. Pretty much a literal "elephant in the room". 😂
Yes, running that's informed by the ideas behind training plans, but not dictated to by them, is much more my style. Garmin hates me right now, because I'm just playing around, not training. Having fun is not something its algorithms know how to measure.
Similarly, most training plans focus on times or races, and assume that everyone's goal is to to go faster, or maybe further. That's not me - I'm more interested in elevation and techically challenging terrain. If you asked me to talk about my running, I could burble on for ages with anecdotes, but I'd be very hard pushed to give you an accurate figure for any of my PBs!
Yes, I also please myself rather than look to please the Garmin. 👍
Having said that, as I do the same run every day at the mo' I do look at the times, after the run, as during it I have the watch just show my HR.
It so happened that on Friday I got a couple of PBs. As I'd also done a faster run a couple of days before, I took a day's rest on Saturday. (And to mark the PBs!).
Today I was really sluggish, though by the end of my usual 6.25K I'd got up to speed. I am surprised how much my body loves to run every day and seems to hate it when I take a day off! I guess that's my definition of fun. 😁
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W8R3 of Ju-Ju’s plan = 5k finally! 
Parkrun with Coach Greg on Garmin
Magic Plan Week 1 Done and a 5k PB (Twice!) 😁but Still Slow
