I did the conga when I got home from my run today! Admittedly, it was a bit of a pathetic one seeing as there was only me and I had to be quiet so as not to wake Mrs Dan. Didn't want a shoe thrown down the stairs at me. Again.
But the reason for my jollity was that todays run went especially well.
I set off later than usual (7am) because I didn't have to start work until 10am today. The temperature was perfect - not too hot or too chilly. I had this "feeling", this "belief" that I might do a good time today. I felt it in my water. You know how it is.
Having already experienced going way too fast on the first K once before, then feeling totally knackered, I was careful to pace myself well. I set off Mrs Endomondo woman on my iPhone and I started off. I ALWAYS find the first K a bloody nightmare. After about thirty paces, I want to stop, collapse on the ground and be all dramatic and shout "I just CAN'T do this! I tell you. It's imposssssible!"
I never do, do that though.
Once the first K was in the bag, I had an incline to negotiate at the start of my 2nd. Mr Power Legs here kept pushing and I reached the top of the long hill and then sped down the other side, like some sort of gazelle like creature on roller skates. I wasn't half travelling I'll tell you and I felt very comfortable. 3rd K, same thing, but this was on the flat and across Old Deer Park, (where Henry 8th used to shoot stuff back in the day.) I was saying to myself "You can do this Dan lad. You can do a good time here if you're careful"
4th K and fatigue set in. BUGGER! I'd reached Richmond town centre and had a hill to run up. My breathing was like a horse and my legs felt like lead weights, but somehow I got to the top of the hill and run/rolled down over Richmond Bridge towards the Thames path for my return home along the river. I reached Thames path and then this absolutely awful wave of nausea came over me! DISASTER! I don;t know what happened - maybe it was too much effort or what, but I had to stop for a walking breather. "Well, damn and blast!" I thought. "That's my flamin' good time down the toilet." (followed by at least three or four choice expletives, unprintable here...). What made it worse was that a female jogger passed me, looking fabulous, gliding along without a care in the world and I felt soooooo jealous.
After half a minute or so I regained my pre nausea state and bounced off once again. Feeling a bit peed off now as I'd bloody well blown it.
Last K. The 5th. Amazingly, I had enough va va voom to push a bit harder and I reached the finish line with a flourish. Time to get my phone out of my pocket and look at my stats........
"LET'S ALL DO THE CONGA, LET'S ALL DO THE CONGA, DA DAAAA DAAA DAAAA, DA DA DAAAA DAAAA"!!
WHOOOHOOO!!! 5K in 28'25sec if you please! My 2nd fastest time! AND THAT INCLUDED A WALK! Sorry to gloat.....but I was sooooo happy!
Hence the one man conga.
Sometimes you wake up in the morning and get a feeling (no NOT that feeling!) and you just know that the Gods are smiling at you, the planets are lined up and something is gonna go right for you.
This running lark is a powerful THANG.......
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danzargo
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You are an absolute fruitcake but your blogs are so ENJOYABLE. You make us laugh out loud and that is GREAT! DA DAAA to you too! Congrats on your performance!
This has made me laugh out loud - you're off your head !!!!! Well done to you , at this moment in time I can only dream of doing 5k, never mind one in that brilliant time!! I applaud you sir!
I find the first 3k a breeze, but it's always the damn 4th k that wrecks it for me. My 5k times are similar to yours (though I'm out of it at the moment with a torn hamstring - which, it has to be said, is a lot less glamorous than a tender groin - but hoping to be back running next week...).
You've just got to get a Garmin. Then you can upload your runs to the Garmin C25k group and we can drill down to the real data (there are just so many levels to this running thing..).
What a fantastic post and a great achievement. I wouldn't have had the energy to do the conga afterwards so you have my full admiration.
As a newbie on the site, it is good to know I'm not the only one who finds the first K very hard and I often what the shout " to hell with it" but once I get past this point I'm usually ok until I hit the 4 K mark. Your post has inspired me for my Week 9 Run 2 tomorrow.
Dan, you've got me thinking, (yeah I know that's dangerous) but maybe we could all join in your conga for our warm down walks. With only you doing it, it just looks like one crazed weirdo, but if we all finished our runs with a one person conga it would get noticed, maybe into local press, via neighbourhood watch curtain twitchers and from there the national news media would no doubt pick up on this strange behaviour sweeping the nation. Heck! It would become a movement, possibly go international. Maybe Laura could record a special solo conga workout and we could blame it all on her and get C25k noticed by the whole world. Just imagine Couch to 5k conga!!
DA DA DA DAA!!! That's Mrs Dan's man on top form with his running and writing. I agree with everyone Dan your posts are a joy to read. I'll bet Mrs Dan was impressed with her man today Impressive time and not even a new PB either, well done.
That's a great time....I love the roller skates.. I so want to get some roller boots with my daughter... Great fun!! And we used to live in Richmond... I so loved it there and miss it!!
I wish!!!! we lived right near kew... And I remember so well getting back from my night shifts in A and E and waiting for the wine shop to open so I could have a glass so I would sleep... I knew that man well...oh and going to the newsagents for my 7 diet coke, 5 freddo's and a packet of marlboro lights to get me through my night shift....I loved going to the outdoor pool pretending I was on holidays
I think Richmond is probably glad I've gone!!!!!!!
Great writing and encouragement. I'm just a newbie starting week 2, but already I've felt the 'gliding' (not sure I'll ever match a gazelle on roller skates) and the 'lead weight legs' range of feelings ... weird how doing the same thing can feel so different on the same run! Guess it'll never be boring!
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glorious morning run
Glorious run in the evening sun
An awful start to a glorious run!
Glorious morning for exploring new routes - week 9, run 1 
A happy 5K and a Personal Best!
