Have burst through 5k barrier!!!

[petraj]

Hi everyone..

I did my second run after graduation this morning.. Bloody dog decided NOT to follow me AGAIN - last Wednesday he ended up running home alone coz I dared to take him on a new route, on my first post-graduate run, which involved going past A COW IN A FIELD... so he just sat by the side of the lane looking pathetic and watched me run off into the distance! Today I lost him not long after I started running (although I had reverted to our normal route), and I wasn't going to go back searching for him.. his lookout if he doesn't want a nice long run!

So today I was determined to beat the 5k barrier, but I really wasn't bothered about my pace, and I just went along at a pace where I could breathe easily (it was also the first time I didn't use my asthma inhaler before going out - my husband thought I was getting a bit reliant on it and said how about trying without - but the truth is I actually forgot this morning... but I was fine!)

It was a beautiful morning and I just enjoyed being out. When I was pretty sure I must have passed the 5k mark back near home again I took out my phone (always a hairy moment, as I often manage to turn Runkeeper off by mistake a few minutes into the run) and apparently I'd run 5.49k in 42.15 minutes.. so I'm pretty happy with that. Feels really good to beat that 5k bogey!

Last week I didn't manage the 3 runs, but will try very hard to do so this week. I'm enjoying very much just running for me, with my own music, being able to try out new routes, see how far I can go, and feeling like a proper(ish) runner. It feels quite liberating after the podcasts! However I did find myself when I got back this morning mapping out a 10k route round the lanes on Runkeeper "to maybe work towards some time in the future.. it's as well to have a route planned" ..you know, no pressure...

Happy running, everybody.. I hope you all have a good week

[Tomas Graduate]

Congratulations with breaking that 5k. It's a great feeling, isn't it? And to know that when you can do that, you can do pretty much anything you put your mind to. Well done you

[petraj Graduate in reply to Tomas]

thanks very much, Tomas.. yeah, feels like I've joined the club now!

[Maysie1 Graduate]

That's brilliant.

Breaking the 5k barrier and actually just running 'free' is a very liberating experience after the structure of the c25k podcasts. I went a bit crazy when I was first let off the lead and picked my own music, but have found the AudioFuel music quite good to get my feet into a rhythm and it actually slows me down if I pick the right BPM.

I am going to try some audio-books soon to see how they work on my chill-out runs...

[petraj Graduate in reply to Maysie1]

Thanks Maysie! gosh, yes.. I bet audio-books would be very chillaxing on a run.. what a great idea

[Runon Graduate]

That is amazing - that you managed to run past A COW IN A FIELD - I would not have been able to keep going personally.

Seriously well done though on the 5K (and a bit more) it is a tremendous achievement - sorry the dog doesn't have your sense of determination - perhaps a canine version of C25K is needed

[petraj Graduate in reply to Runon]

Très funny, monsieur.. but to be fair to the poor mutt, we don't get many cows round here, so he's probably never seen one before! It's all arable land and plum orchards for the Pruneaux d'Agen (very famous prunes, renowned worldwide.. apparently)

[Runon Graduate in reply to petraj]

Even better - YOU RAN PAST A RARE COW (and some plums)!

[Nellyharte Graduate]

First of all is the dog home? Just want to make sure he is ok! So good to still keep up momentum after graduation as it can be some peoples downfall. Having aims, goals etc is a great idea and should keep your enthusiasm up. Great time and distance today well done, not slow at all for a new graduate.

[petraj Graduate in reply to Nellyharte]

Yes, don't worry Nelly.. the dog's fine! He always finds his way home again

[Hidden]

Congrats on your 5k, great time too! I'm pretty much at the same stage as you, sometimes I still listen to the podcasts, sometimes I run with no music. I intend to try the stepping stones podcasts this week.

[petraj Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Curly! Yes, I've been reading people's experience of those stepping-stones, speed and stamina podcasts and I wondered about trying one tomorrow.. I'd downloaded them already a few weeks ago, so they're ready and waiting on my phone