Goodbye Wk 8

[Runon]

Done and dusted - found wk 8 a bit hard to be honest. I may have been running for longer but I've been running slower so the distance covered has not increased much from last week. Somehow I feel this is cheating

Ummm.... Just thought about that phrase 'found it a bit hard' - thinking about it, that's a tremendous improvement on a few weeks ago when I would have said: 'found it impossible!'.

Week 9 here I come... (Is there a red carpet? I like red carpets!) Veni, vidi, vici - hopefully there'll be a lot of 'vici'

[petraj Graduate]

No, it's not cheating at all! Don't worry about speed and distance, and DO NOT try and go faster - that was nearly my downfall.. the secret is to go slow!!! Good luck for Week 9, and I wish you lots of vici and maybe a drop or two of vino too, if you're in to that kind of thing

[Runon Graduate in reply to petraj]

Veni Vidi Vino - sounds good Thanks Petra - I know you are right - I just have difficulty going slower - seriously. Perhaps it is my tunes - I picked all my tracks based on 150 bpm - I shall try and find slower ones - that might help, or indeed no music, but I kind of need it to cover up my breathing and the cries of 'get away goblins'. Even so I came back today with a happy grin on my face - the kind of grin that passersby avert their gaze from!

[poppypug Graduate]

Ah my favourite Southportonian, if that's a word, if not Ive just made it one ho ho Well , here you are Runon on the brink of stardom, fame and fortune ( well , not exactly ) but you know what I mean

You have done so well my friend and you have come so far . Not long to go now, the red carpet has been laid in preparation, lining the way to the penthouse suite .

Run on Runon your adoring public awaits ............................ xxx

[Runon Graduate]

Merci Poppie - and thank you kindly for support - when I do have stardom, fame and fortune (not long now ) you are definitely running the fan club. Southportonians are called Sandgrounders it seems - I need to find out why!

Happy Tuesday to all runners all over the world and beyond. XX

[MarlyParly Graduate]

Well done! I know what you mean about the speed thing, my last run of Week 8 was the opposite and I suddenly got some speed on when a good track came on and managed to maintain it from the 10 to 24 minute mark (was fading after that!). But today, back to square one, no track would do it and tbh it just added to frustration as my head wanted to run like the wind and I just couldn't. I think every run is different, sometimes you have the energy, bounce and give in your legs and sometimes you just don't. Sometimes an annoying dog tries to circle around you and trip you up, sometimes there is a heron on a river bank amongst the mist to spur you on. As long as you keep running, you are winning, and will be building strength, stamina and speed in the long term even if you don't feel it. See you in Week 9 shortly!!!!

[Runon Graduate in reply to MarlyParly]

Thank you MarlyParly - I think you have phrased it admirably - 'as long as you keep running you are winning' - I shall remember that. Looking forward to week 9

[Ejbirdy Graduate]

Well done sir , good effort the time is important now not the speed , Bon chance on your next adventure !

[Runon Graduate in reply to Ejbirdy]

Thank you kind EJ - I do love adventures and this is one heck of a one. Merci encore and allez oup. Wow week 9 - The Penthouse Suite! Does one need special trainers?

[Hidden]

A 4 minute mile and an 11 minute mile are still a mile... 30 minutes of running and covering 8km or 3km is still 30 minutes of running...

Worry ye not about pace... stamina and endurance are what you're building now!

Awesome effort - well done and all the very best for week 9... don't even think about the extra 2 minutes... just ENJOY it - don't worry about distance at all and just go for a pace that sees you through... Right now it's all about a running action for 30 minutes... that's it...

Even when I am on the longer runs it's about "pacing to make the distance" not about "pacing to make a time"... you're not cheating, you're LEARNING a very valuable lesson.. pacing is key!

Oh - and LOTS of vino will be well deserved sir! Go for it!

[Runon Graduate in reply to Hidden]

I shall go for stamina, endurance and vino. I shall definitely work on my pace - I've only had one run recently where I've felt 'oh I could go on at this pace for ever' - my last couple of runs have felt a bit anaerobic even though they have been slower. Hey ho - it's my body changing I guess. ENJOY - that's the word I keep forgetting - I need to focus my head a little more before runs and remind myself that enjoyment is a big part of it. I'll definitely take it easier on WK 9 which I'm sooo looking forward too - Thank you Australian chap - and I hope you are running again soon.

[GoogleMe Graduate]

And don't forget that these weeks when you are just moving on a few minutes are training you to deal with just getting it done, run after run, acquiring a habit - which is tougher than acquiring speed. You could go wild and dabble in Julie with a podcast!

[Runon Graduate]

Is dabbling with Julie in a podcast allowed? You are very wise on the habit front. I just need something to slow my legs down so that I am running in the right zone Strauss, Enya, Nickleback?

[atomic]

Marvellous! You must be really pleased with your progress.

All the best of luck for week 9

[Runon Graduate in reply to atomic]

Thank you Atomic. I am astounded by my progress to be honest - indeed it is earth shattering from my point of view and in large part due to coming onto this forum and receiving so much support and encouragement. Thank you all

P.S. Do you have a kitten - just asking...

[atomic in reply to Runon]

Ha ha!

Unfortunately not...

Miaowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!