I've got nothing against Laura, but she does have terrible taste in music, and given that I am about to tackle run 3 of week 5 tomorrow evening I was thinking of ditching the podcast in favour of Dave Grohl.
Does anyone reckon I'd be missing out on much in terms of tips by doing this, or would running to more enjoyable & motivational music make up for it? Also, any advice for the 20 minute run (particularly the first 8 mins or so - I seem to get a second wind on the way home) would be appreciated, although I'm weirdly looking forward to it
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Cymraes84
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Yup,I was weirdly looking forward to it too...and completed it 20 mins ago
All you will be missing is Laura giving you a time check every 5 mins (which I did appreciate). So if the music is driving you mad, I'd go for your own, especially if the tracks you use give you guidance on time through their longevity anyway. Enjoy
You will never have any real cred with this community if you haven't suffered for the whole nine weeks, but if it is just about sanity and running for thirty minutes, why not?
W5R3 just take it steady and you will surprise yourself and be not just a little bit smug.
I waved bye bye to Laura on R2 of W7 in favour of my own playlists, and found listening to my own music gave me a good boost. I found I was running up to five minutes longer than the stipulated times for some of the later runs. And Monkey Wrench certainly made me pick up my pace!
As a lot of the process is mental rather than physical in the latter weeks, anything that helps to keep you motivated is worth trying (including ditching Laura if necessary). But I did return for the last 2 runs of W9, where her musical taste seemed to improve (slightly......), as it felt good to graduate with the programme.
And completely irrelevant to your question, but I'd even consider ditching my husband for Dave Grohl, so dropping Laura for him would be a no-brainer in my book........... ;-D!!
Yep, I didn't get on with Laura on the long runs as the time checks demoralised me (I found this out when I first attempted W5R3!). So I switched to my own music for my second attempt and it made it much easier. I went back to Laura for the two interval runs of W6, but used my own playlists again from run 3 to the end of the programme. I did flick through the podcasts before I went out on each run to see if I was missing any useful tips, but at this stage they were mainly 'you may be tired but you can do it' type remarks which I actually found quite negative and happily ignored!
Best tip for W5R3? Don't think about it too much, but remember you've done nearly 5 weeks preparation now, so you ARE ready. Just enjoy it!
I think you have to suffer the music to call yourself a Graduate of the C25K. Crikey it's terrible what we have to suffer. It was like torture sometimes, but I stuck with Laura and got there. No pain, no gain. LOL
Thanks for all of the great advice guys! I think I might just make my own playlist and skip though the podcast (on my couch ironically enough) for some tips and make a mental note of them. I've selected a route that involves darkness, bats and hungry farm dogs so that should keep me running! A tad worried about a short but steep hill, but I can walk up easily so jogging at a snails pace shouldn't be too bad... I hope!
And joolsp.... loving the mutual love of Lord Grohl... phwoar! Have you seen the Foo's live? They are insanely good
Thanks everyone
I shall now put head above the parapet and say that I have NEVER listened to Laura! There, I've said it, and as far as I'm aware, the world is still spinning on its axis.
I hate running with things in my ears as they always, always fall out. Maybe I have wierd ears...!
I used the plan for times and just relied on my watch. I completed the course without incident, and I have watched and listened to the seasons pass from Spring to Summer to Autumn along the river as I plodded along the road to the reservoir at the end. I'm now on speaking terms to several sheep and Highland cattle!!
I did it! Managed to keep going up the steep hill too which I'm chuffed about, really though I'd have to walk up that one. Glad this run's out of the way, going away for the weekend tomorrow so will treat myself to a nice meal and some wine. Looking forward to week 6 now, happy happy happy
She used to have "music"... it was pretty horrific but did act as a motivator to get your run done and stop the torture 😂 Pleased to hear there is an app by now - I was relying on the original podcasts when I gave C25K a go.
Same. I use the app. It's silent between prompts so you can play your own music or download a podcast. Yesterday I was listening to Uptown Funk as I ran and nearly started dancing. That would have been an odd sight for the local dog walkers.
Yes I abandoned the app in weeks 8 and 9 because I was running in unfamiliar locations and wanted to hear my surroundings (especially traffic). It wasn’t the music because as others said you can choose your own music if you use the app rather than the podcast. I just didn’t want to use headphones for safety reasons and once you’ve passed the interval runs you don’t need Laura for timing as you can just use an ordinary watch. I found it OK.
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20 mins done and ditched Laura!!!
Prefer longer runs to interval runs, anyone the same?
Post Grad Runs - Laura or no Laura?
Bye interval runs! W6R2 ✅ Hello solid runs W6R3
Impact of interval running on joints
