A couple of weeks ago I decided to break the habit of my running lifetime and have a go with the NRC running app. I normally run with only my breathing for company and I would have said that I like it that way but I had read so much about people enjoying the company of coach bennett that I thought I would give it a go. I have had quite a few breaks this year with health issues and moving house so I picked the eight weeks to 5k training plan and jumped in halfway through to see if it could liven up my running and stop me feeling that I hadn't improved in months.
The first unusual thing for me was to try to run five times a week. It felt quite wrong at first. I must have imbibed the instruction about the importance of not running on consecutive days! But I have been running in my own slow way for three years and it seemed that there should be enough miles in my legs now to be able to run more often without the threat of injury.
The second unusual thing was running intervals and speed runs. I have just been pottering along at my own slow speed for ages. Maybe that is why I feel that I have got stuck in a rut! I remember trying intervals about 18 months ago and hating it so I was a bit wary of trying again. How wrong I was! Coming to the end of week 2 now I would honestly say that the most enjoyable part of the plan is the speed run. It is so so clever, this plan. The recovery times are so well thought out. The easing of you into making a real effort is brilliant. The focus on starting slowly and recovering properly is brilliant.
So a couple of weeks in I am definitely sticking to the programme I find running five times a week really makes me feel like a runner. Most of the runs are short so half an hour sees them done and I am managing to fit that in. I have gone back to my habit when I did c25k of putting my next run into my diary as soon as I have finished the latest one and treating that as a commitment which other things have to work round rather than slotting the runs into other commitments. I find doing the speed runs surprisingly fun and I am amazed at how many of my runs show negative splits, something that I have always had trouble with. That is the plan making me pace myself properly I suppose! This week my long run is supposed to be 6.5k which is the furthest I have run for a while. I am going to do that tomorrow and putting it down here as a statement of intent! I feel much more engaged with my running than I have for months.
If I can get my 5k time down to 45 minutes I have promised myself that I will run parkrun again. So you can tell that I am a slow and not a speedy runner. But there is room for us all here I think! Wish me luck!! And thanks for all the recommendations of the NRC app. You are right. It's great!
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Gwenllian1
Graduate10
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I can’t remember if I was someone who recommended it to you but I’ve recommended it so much that I might have done! Really glad you’re having such a good time with it. I was in exactly the same thing feeling stuck in a rut, just doing maintenance runs and not feeling like I was making any progress. I got shaken out of that pretty quickly!
One of the things I love about the NRC runs is that’s it’s all about effort not pace so it doesn’t matter how fast you are.l-you can still have a great run and feel like you’ve achieved something good.
I’m following the HM plan but I bet we’ve done some of the same/similar runs. Absolutely loving the speed ones which I never would have thought.
I’m also laying down a marker that tomorrow is my long run! It was supposed to be today but my legs are aching so just a short one here. Hopefully we can keep each other honest!
I think you were one of the people who talked about the nrc app! I totally agree about the focus on your own effort. I think it’s easy for a slow runner like me to feel somehow less of a runner and if you do there can seem no point in running hard. But the nrc runs seem to make it easier for me just to focus on my own body and my own performance!
Have you done the “Worst Advice Ever” run? If I remember rightly, coach b explicitly deals with the misconception that you have to run hard to be a proper runner. I enjoyed that one!
Good luck for your long run. I ended up doing mine last night so feeling very pleased with myself. New longest distance of 11k. Just a 15 minute recovery run today which should be lovely if I can time it to miss the showers!
Well I did 6.5k this afternoon which was the furthest I've run since February when I had some health problems. All went really well and I even felt I could have done more which was brilliant. Really feel I'm getting there again!
Well done Gwenllian! NRC seems to have made converts of all of us. Who knew that speed runs could be fun, and who on earth would imagine we’d look forward to them more than other runs!?
This is my 2nd year with Coach Bennett and his pals and it sounds like they’ve pulled you in too! The HM plan is fab isn’t it? The fact that it’s not rigid is great. Enjoy it. It gets even better! 😀
It’s true! I was never a fan of plans (except C25K) but I was losing my way a bit with my off piste HM training. Enough people had mentioned NRC so I thought I’d give it a go. I’ve since done the HM plan twice and between times I’ve picked individual guided runs. They’re ace, and I love all the coaches. I’m a big fan, can you tell? 😂
I can totally see why. I've been badgering my husband to have a go! I quite understand his reservations because I felt just the same before I tried and now I'm a convert!
Well done! Speed is overrated, some of us are built for different talents. Glad you're enjoying NRC, like you I've found it surprising what it's taught me
One of the things about running is that I can see from my blood pressure readings that running has brought my blood pressure down. That’s pretty wonderful and that, along with the way it makes me feel, is part of what I run for. So speed is not really important to me but it’s great nevertheless to find that I can run faster and that it’s fun!!
That's fantastic! I'm using Garmin coach to get to a 34 min 5k. I love the fact I get a range of different runs and paces to try. Mixing it up, really keep it fresh. I might try to NRC next but I don't really like taking my phone or having headphones!
I don't like headphones either I just carry my phone which I did when I did couch to 5k. I wasn't too keen on the idea but I'm finding that I get so much from the coaching that it's worth carrying the phone and in fact I hardly notice!
Well done you... like MissU... I have extolled the virtues since I found NRC... all so different and something for all eventualities! Tweak factor in there too, if you need it..
I shall be glad to get back to it when i am back on form again!
Hope you are back on form soon OF! Yes you were one of many people extolling the virtues of nrc and because what you write often strikes a chord with me you helped me to put my prejudices aside! So glad I did!
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