Week three: done! New Shoes! Early morning madness!

[Miles_Yonder]

Good Friday good mornings to all C25Kers!

Finally I'm able to post after a run; I'm usually rushing around getting ready for work when I return from a run, but today being a bank holiday, no rushing is necessary and I can take my time and post here.

Despite being off work today, I still got up at 0420 (well, 0417; I seemingly have Alarm Clock OCD!) to go for my early morning run. Others assure me this is 'madness' and that I'm 'not reight', as we say here, but to me it's keeping structure and schedule. And come next week when I do have to get up really early, there won't be the feeling of dread, so there is some method to it!

The run was amazing; I felt so good after. The streets were all but deserted; so very peaceful, calm and really, really enjoyable. For reasons of which I'm not aware, I chose to route myself today up a looooong steady incline of a hill. Not the near-vertical thing that nearly killed me on run two of last week, but I still felt it. Why I did this I couldn't honestly say but the downhill section after felt soooooo good! I just wanted to mix the route up a bit. This is, where I live there are hills aplenty. Loads of them. In every direction, so there's really no avoiding them! I got through the run with a great sense of achievement. This program really is working; I can't stop talking about it to friends and workmates. I'm sure they're getting bored.....

So, today went well, as did run one on Monday, it's just run two; it's a common theme now, it seems. Run two is by far the most difficult of the three, for some reason. I'd have thought it would be run one, but no, it's the second which is the worst. :-|

On Wednesday I went into a running shop near where I work to finally get fitted with a proper pair of running shoes. Really enjoyed the experience; found the staff so attentive and helpful. Tried a couple of different pairs and finally settled, after a little session on the treadmill and a mini-run outside, on a very comfortable, light pair of bright orange shoes. They're very, very orange. Nary have I seen anything quite so orange. There's oranges in Seville not as orange as these things. But they're great; wore them just now for the first time and it was like wearing a pair of slippers. I don't have the usual lower back twinge (yet!) either, which is a good sign.

The running shop also run a 'Good Running Workshop' in which a couple of running professionals and experts help a group of runners with running form; practical drills and talks about the subject are given so runners can see how good form should be and how to include it into one's program. It's only £10 for the hour, which is great so I booked onto that for the end of the month. Can't wait!

Now, I apologise for the essay and for the ramble; I've tried to squeeze the whole week's worth of running occurrences into one (very long!) post!

Happy running, all - and happy Easter!

[Redskins03 Graduate]

Good morning from me as well. I too was out early this morning (not as early as you though it was about half five when I went and only saw one person) and finished run 3 of week 3 (can't believe we are half way through!!!!!!) Keep up the good work and rest ready for the big jump next week

[no-excuse Graduate]

Well done, sounds like you really enjoyed that run this morning! And new shoes too, how exciting. The hills are good training for you and that running workshop sounds like a great idea too, there will be no stopping you! Enjoy your running x

[ju-ju- Graduate]

well done, I hope you log your runs on the Nike App as you will get the Early bird medal!!!! I had a glorious 10k this morning, but what made it wonderful was that it was light, I can't run in the dark ( fall risk, rapists, cold etc etc). Good progress and well done!

[ju-ju- Graduate]

also...love the sound of your shoes...mine are just as crazy and described as 'Carribean Nightlife' ...wahey!!!

[Miles_Yonder Graduate]

Thanks everyone for the replies!

KittyKat: thank you kindly for the advice; I was tempted to try and avoid big hills but there's no real escaping hills here so may as well embrace them and try and get on with them, but I will be careful of injuries and to pace back a little when tackling them. And yes, I love the community here so will be staying and posting; feel free to mother away! Oddities? Welllll, my favourite colour is pink, which is unusual for a fellow, I know.... Talking of which, I've just ordered some pink laces from eBay for the shoes; if I'm going to go with bright, I may as well as make a proper job of it! Good luck with W6R2; I'm sure you'll be fine!

I'll be sure to post to let everyone here know how the running workshop goes. I'll post details of it if anyone's in the Sheffield/South Yorkshire area and feels it would benefit them.

Redskins: well done to you too on completing week three! You're right, it is next week where the big jump appears. *gulp* I've just been to download the week four podcast and look properly at what's involved. I've been trying not to look too far ahead and frighten myself; it's quite the jump, but five minutes is only a bit (!) longer than three, so I'm sure we'll be fine for it! Can't believe how quickly the weeks are flying by. Seems like just yesterday I was preparing for the first run of the first week! Good luck for your week four; let us know how you get on!

No Excuse: Thank you! It was a very enjoyable run indeed - far more so than run two!

JuicyJu: Thanks! And no, I haven't got the Nike app; I've been using the Endomondo app to track my progress. I'll go have a look at the Nike app too though. I love how crazy and colourful running shoes, and gear in general, are. Bright is definitely the way to go, I feel, if only to cheer us up on a struggle of a run! Your 10k sounds brill; I notice you've got a thread about it so I'll go post in there to give it my proper attention.

[Hidden]

Well done on getting week 3 completed and so you are now one third of the way through the programme. It goes quite fast. You'll be fine on week 4 and it's not too much of a jump - bear in mind you have already done the preparation and trained up to it. Just stay slow and steady. Good luck and best wishes.

[tomlertoos Graduate]

Just love your description of the orange shoes...AND pink laces...are you MAD???!! Lol...I'm thinking about treating myself to some new running shoes soon ( perhaps when I've completed WK9 ) so hopefully will find something equally funky. My husband says my current ones are still ok but, what does that matter?? Felt quite daring recently as have worn new lightweight loose shirtsleeved top over my regular neon orange and pink tops. My heavier zipped long sleeved top was way too hot in this lovely weather.