Did I really just High 5 a complete stranger?!...and other questions.

[Honorsmum]

I meant to get out for my 4th run of the week yesterday, but as I woke up feeling dizzy and headaches - and having learnt from my previous mistake of not listening to my body - I postponed it until this morning.

I went out with the mantra "slow and steady" ringing in my ears and with the aim to run for 40 minutes - my longest previous time being a couple of 35/36 minute runs. I used the week 9 podcast, putting it back to the start after the 5 minute warm up walk, and running through the cool down 5 minutes and an extra minute or so to get me back to my starting point.

Generally, since starting the C25k programme, I've only run on weekdays, and since the weather turned warmer, I've been running later on in the day - so a Sunday morning outing is completely new to me. I chose an out-and-back route along a main road out of our village and soon realized that it's a popular weekend route for cyclists, runners and even horse riders. With other people's posts in mind, I decided to smile and say hello to everyone I met.

At one point, where the pavement runs out and you have to take your life in your hands running on the road on a blind, tight bend, I met a young (well, younger than me!) man running towards me. He smiled and I said , "morning!" in the brightest, I'm-not-struggling-at-all-this-is-a-walk-in-the-park" voice I could muster, to which he replied, "alright?".

Anyway, about 15 minutes later, on the return leg, we met again and he had a broad grin on his face as he approached...and the next thing I knew, I'd stuck out my hand and shouted, "High 5!"

Poor lad must have thought I was a mad woman, and for one terrible second I thought he wasn't going to respond...but at the last second, when we were passing shoulder to shoulder, he slapped my hand.

I was on adrenaline from then on, enough to get me up the long hill and home - 4.4 miles, a new PB for me.

My question is - I need to fit a run in tomorrow, so that I can run Monday, Wednesday and Friday this week, fitting around my husband's work and having to look after my children.

Am I right in thinking that, ideally, I should really have a rest day after a longer run?

As I can't, what's my best plan for tomorrow's run - short and sweet? How far?

[danzargo Graduate]

Ooooh you cheeky monkey! High 5'ing strange men in the village on a Sunday?!! With YOUR reputation?

BINGO!!

[Honorsmum in reply to danzargo]

I know! I hardly recognise myself these days...I blame Laura for making me so brazen

[Oldgirl Graduate]

Love it, high 5, just brilliant, well done honorsmum Try and do some gentle stretches today to ease off your muscles and see how you feel tomorrow. If you ran in the evening that would give you a further 8 hours recovery period too. I would be inclined to do short and sweet, perhaps in intervals as well. Having read quite a lot about no rest days I would say for experienced runners (not just starting out) two days in a row is OK its when you start doing 3, 4 ,5 and all long distances that you are more likely to get injuries. Listen to your body though and slow down if you have any pain at all.

[Honorsmum in reply to Oldgirl]

Thanks Old girl. Yes, I did wonder about running later on in the evening tomorrow - maybe just a couple of easy miles. I'll do some stretches and have a soak and see how my legs feel when I get up in the morning.

[Mazzero Graduate]

I've just cried laughing whilst reading your post out to my hubby. We always high 5 each other after our runs so well done to you for feeling such joy of life to do that with a stranger. I bet it left him feeling good too

[Honorsmum in reply to Mazzero]

Glad I made you smile, Mazzero. My husband laughed too when I told him...but in a "what on earth has got into you?!" kind of way.

[TurboTortoise Graduate]

Hello! I'd echo Oldgirl and see how you feel tomorrow evening - if you are raring to get out there, do a more relaxed/shorter run. I've done a couple of runs 36 hours apart (including my final week 9 runs) with absolutely no problems.

Love the high five! Excellent. It's not always as friendly in SE London... on one of my recent runs, I kept passing a couple running in the opposite direction - we kept meeting at exactly the same two points on the lap. We studiously avoided eye contact until the fourth pass when I said 'hi!'. They muttered something, and then when I got to the point where we should have met again, they had GONE... I think I was wearing a magenta t-shirt that day and had a matching face (plus the heavy breathing) but surely I wasn't THAT scary!!

[Honorsmum in reply to TurboTortoise]

People are odd, aren't they? What effort does it take to smile and say hello? I used to commute into London and yes, the attitude about personal space is very different to where I now live in Wales.

[waletta Graduate in reply to Honorsmum]

I loved the High Five. I have felt too self conscious to speak to people whilst running even though I live in Wales as well. I've sometimes thought I'd feel more comfortable wearing a big L plate on my T shirt to explain the red face & the heavy breathing. W5R3 I was on such a high that I smiled at everyone. That was last Friday & today I smiled & said hello too. Great response from everyone. (Even the lady who sped past me TWICE). I'm not brave enough to High Five anyone yet. Can you imagine him going home & saying "you will never guess what just happened to me"?

[Honorsmum in reply to waletta]

Where abouts do you live? I'm in the Vale of Glamorgan. I love the idea of an L plate t shirt! I would never normally be so confident, but running feels like a bit of a club...and the buzz of a Sunday morning run just overtook me.

[Jaciacky]

Fantastic! Go you

[Honorsmum in reply to Jaciacky]

Thank you!

[runningnotwalking Graduate]

High five to you Honorsmum You'll soon be joining these guys - en-gb.facebook.com/HighFive...

I tend to be quite focused on running but when I have looked around, I have had some great smiles (runners and walkers), hellos, some no-response and some shouting encouragement (at least I think they were).

No high-fives from dogs or their owners yet who have largely been OK, but one owner needs to buy his hound a C25k graduation T-shirt as his dog clearly liked mine too much (rip rip).

Most miserable bunch are the archers (allegedly) but it doesn't make sense to argue with someone with a weapon...

Happy high five-ing

[Honorsmum in reply to runningnotwalking]

Oh I love that Facebook group - brilliant! Those Americans must spend their whole runs with their hands in the air!

Can't believe you had your t shirt mauled by a dog

[greenlegs Graduate]

Brilliant! I'm in the midlands (UK) and I think the majority of people round here smile or say hello - cyclists included.

[Bye-Jabba Graduate]

Love, love, love the high five!

I ran past a chap who must have been half my age (at 37 it was quite hard to accept when it initially dawned on me that that someone half my age is an adult, gulp) he looked very fit, sporting small black shorts, a vest and tan. As we passed I looked at him apologetically... tubby, short, red faced, puffing... he gave me a winning smile, which I politely returned and I trotted on feeling like id been accepted into a special club I'd always harboured an irrational and unhealthy, moderate dislike for 'running types' -largely because they were doing something I believed was utterly beyond me... am delighted to discover what a nice bunch I (almost) belong to. W6r3 tomorrow, childcare and body permitting!

Ps im another one in Wales... not far from Blackwood.