Another day, another run and a question

[SexyBexy]

W7 R2 completed this morning. I treat every run with a little trepidation just putting one foot in front of the other for the allotted time. I'm getting through the plan but I still find it tiring and hard work. My breathing is definitely better but my muscles are still working really hard. Think its all the weight I'm carrying. So the plan is to complete all 9 weeks and then just concentrate on getting out 3 times a week for 30 minutes. I've looked at my current route on Map My Run and I'm not covering anywhere near 5K but hopefully that might improve in the future. I am now running in the park where the Park Run is held every week. They do two circuits of the main park area including running up an incline (twice) so I was thinking that once I've completed the 9 week plan I'd try and incorporate an incline in the run to get practicing and perhaps increasing the length of route.

Question: I'm a very slow runner - are there any podcasts any of you could recommend to use after C25K that aren't about speed? If not I could just carry on using W9 with Laura I suppose but it'd be good to vary things a bit.

Thanks!

SB x

[Beek Graduate]

I carried on with week 9 for a while and it was fine, but I guess it may become boring after a while. Why not mix yourself your favourite tracks and just run for yourself. The main thing is to just keep on getting off the couch - and ENJOY it!

About the incline. I was running 6-10k every other day and then introduced a long but very gentle incline into the equation. I have been crocked ever since. Do listen to your body and be cautious. You sound to be doing really well and it would be a shame to get stopped in your tracks now.

[atomic]

There are more Laura podcasts aimed at C25K graduates. Have a look on the NHS website and see if any of those take your fancy

Good luck with the rest of week 7

[runningnearbeirut Graduate]

If you're "just" aiming to go out and enjoy running for half an hour 3 times a week (and why not? Great way to keep fit and get some fresh air), then as Beek suggested, you could try putting together your favourite tracks.

I did W9 for about 3 weeks before venturing on to something new. You might enjoy Laura's stepping stones and stamina podcasts (attempt them in that order - stamina is a bit harder). Or you could try listening to a podcast from the radio or an audiobook. I find that listening to speech helps me to run at a pace where it would be ok to talk (perhaps because I'm listening to someone talk) and this is one of the secrets to being able to enjoy your running and not overdo things. Someone once suggested Desert Island Discs, and I've enjoyed those - you don't get the whole track of music that they choose, but enough to make you run a little faster or slower for a minute (depending on the beat).

[huffnpuffin Graduate]

I completed the same run this afternoon, don't worry about the speed at the moment; just keep doing the 25/28/30 mins. I ran 3.24k @ 25mins = 7.2pace (not inc warm-up/down) Almost all of us are slow and dont get any were near 5K while on C25K. I use runnkeeper and it's set to announce every five mins. - (You can set it to distance if you feel masochistic.) On my next run I'm just going to use that with music I've downloaded and give Laura a rest to see how I get on.

Also see healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

After C25K there are the stepping stones and speed and stamina podcasts to help increase speed and stamina - see nhs.uk/Livewell/c25k/Pages/... - life after couch to 5K

Good luck - Just keep going, I know you can do it. If I can get this far anyone can.