Wk 7 Run 1...let's try this app out! (Oh dear...)

[selenityshiroi]

Since I love music and have a huge iTunes library just waiting for me to run to it, I decided to replace my podcasts with the C25K app (especially now I'm on the long stretches).

I set it off and the warm up walk went fine (reached the same place as Wednesday in five minutes) and the app seemed great. I set off on the run and was happily listening to my songs and as I reached the approximate half way point to my run (4 songs into the run section) I was surprised to have not heard any time checks from Laura. But then I thought that maybe the programme is encouraging us to not focus on the time passed and carried on a bit more. One and a half songs later I suddenly heard 'Well done, that's 5 minutes!' and I almost tripped in surprise at how wrong that was! Unless I'd somehow wandered through some sort of dimensional rift that lets five and a half 2.5-4 minute songs play in 5 minutes!

The worst thing was that this run was going really, really well-I felt really good about myself (especially after the bad run I had on Wednesday where sheer stubbornness was the only reason I got to the end). I was in control of my breathing, my legs felt a little heavy but not painful and I had a good rhythm going.

So there was no way I was going to let a faulty app bring me down! I decided to go a bit farther than I managed on Wednesday and to judge my time by the songs I got through. Even on reaching my decided stopping point I felt like I could have run for longer, so this run still ended well for me. And I just threw the songs that I heard during my walks/run into a playlist and it times at 36 minutes, so not bad timing at all!

I'm really surprised at how easy I found today after how bad I felt after W6R3. I don't know if it is my own music that made the difference (I had something to distract me from focusing too hard on my breathing, my legs, my rhythm etc.) or if I was just in a better place. But I shall try the app again on Monday (this time keeping a careful note of the time I actually start my run, just in case because I daren't lose whatever boost my own music may have given me)!

[Rockette]

Well you can try the app , but it will happen again , I've tried it 3 times ,it's rubbish . May as well just listen to your own playlist .

[selenityshiroi Graduate in reply to Rockette]

It's really that bad? That's a shame, since it's a really good idea in theory.

[Rockette]

I know ,but it let me down every time

[tygfuz Graduate]

You couldn't have accidentally pressed pause while running and then accidentally started it going again later could you? The app would be better if the screen could be locked to prevent that happening.

I have just tried the week 7 day 1 run ( without actually running it) and it seems fine. Can't say I've had much difficulty with the app when I have been running.

[selenityshiroi Graduate in reply to tygfuz]

I changed the song just after the walk ended which maybe somehow paused the app (how, I don't know...poor design?). But it would make sense because I paused then unpaused my music when I needed to cross a really busy road and was jogging on the spot for a little bit and the '5 minute' thing piped up about 5 minutes after that if I guesstimate correctly. I guess whatever I did then could have kicked the app back into life.

I think I will try it again tomorrow (without touching the music and maybe checking that the timer is running properly intermittently!) because I would rather not have to mess around with alarms and I am awful with keeping track of time.