1st ran-all-the-way 5k :D

[Tikiczocky]

Hellooooo all. Been a while since I last posted..have just been getting on with it (reading lots of your brilliant posts, newbies and grad's, when I can)...getting stronger, not necessarily faster, but have learned to slow down pace properly (when needs must and not all the time) and enjoying the run for the run.

Still at it three times a week...bloomin' getting cheesed off with some of the extremes of winter - it's my run day...been looking outside waiting for the snow to melt a bit...I was not feeling the love...winter is back - one day 13 degrees, the next sub-zero and snowing! Today in the Highlands it is pretty awful, but after skimming through the FB photo's from the No Fuss Events Runduro, held in Fort William at the weekend, running up a mountain and down again, pretty much - very cold with fresh snow fall on the ground - I thought, blimey, I should stop complaining about a bit of sleet and mush on the road and get out there - so I did!!

Being a competitive (mostly with myself) kind of person, I have had a tendency to break myself, by overdoing it - since October graduation, I've been mixing up the Galloway method run:walk ratios, to see what fits best - me and 60:30 run:walk seem to get along okay...have managed a few 10k runs (when the ice finally bogged off), have been trying to beat my previous 5k PB (no joy there, but seconds away from beating my 2nd January Crimbo cake & excess fuelled best...I might have to consume more crimbo cake and booze to beat that one again!!) and have had no injuries - phew!

But today, I set out in the sleet (horizontal, in ya face kind of stuff) and decided to ignore the 30 second interval bleeps and just carried on running in a #thisgirlcan kind of way, saying to myself, 'Tiki, you can do this!' which is odd, coz it isn't my name...!! I had set out to run up and down a few hills, because it's about time I did, but didn't fancy it and the urge to keep on running, thus proving to myself that I don't have to stop and walk for 30 seconds after every minute or so, just took over!

My time - nooooo PB - over 37 minutes, so more than three minutes slower than my crimbo cake run:walk best - even my 10k pace is faster! But... I am not broken, I did do it, I kept it good and steady, and felt that I had achieved something that I haven't done since the end of c25k...running-all-the-way-for-5k!!

Happy running week, all

[GoogleMe Graduate]

Congratulations and thank you so much for sharing this. Did that snail get that snow all by itself or did it have help?

[Tikiczocky Graduate in reply to GoogleMe]

Hia GM. Thanks :D...I can't say if the snail was set up...I googled 'snow snail' and got this - I hope no snails were upset during the taking if the pic...I'm rather fond of snails - they make for great conversational running!

[Hidden]

Wow Tiki! Nice to hear from you and well done on your 5k non-stop! I've been doing a lot of running/walking lately too. I've also been suffering from a loss of staying power since Christmas, but I've finally got myself back to getting out there the time a week - even if my distances and speeds stent up to much.

What a lovely post, and the pic of the snail with the snow on his 'roof' is so cute.

[Tikiczocky Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Babs Yes...it's been difficult to find a rhythm to my running since Christmas, in my case mostly to do with weather conditions reducing the variety in routes to take or just making it impossible to take a regular run...too much ice around and I hate running over the same bits again and again! (Work got inthe way of a few sessions, too, so I've ended up running in the dark on our local single track roads...interesting) Woodland tracks have suffered too, now with fallen trees blocking many...booo. I think the worst, though, is running in thermal layers into a headwind!!

I know what you mean about staying power...I think that's why I went for a run all the way run yesterday, although I knew that it would be slower than run/walking, I needed to see if I could just endure...sometimes in need of a challenge!!

well done on getting back at it

Google search is responsible for the pic...it was a toss up between this one and a snail made from snow! xx

[Irishprincess Graduate]

That sounds like a lively (oops lovely!) run. Prescriptive text!

Credit to you for slowing down your pace and "enjoying the run for the run". A lovely place to be. And 37 minutes is a decent time considering you were running slower and just enjoying the ride. Lovely post.

[Irishprincess Graduate]

Oh forgot to mention. Love the snail with his mobile fridge!

[Tikiczocky Graduate in reply to Irishprincess]

Thanks IP i wonder if the snail was off south for the winter...

[poppypug Graduate]

Well done Tiki, good to hear from you .

That snail is very very cute ! xxx

[Tikiczocky Graduate in reply to poppypug]

Hia Poppy. Ta!

[useitorloseit Graduate]

That sounds brilliant. And I love the pic!

[Tikiczocky Graduate in reply to useitorloseit]

Hello...thanks!

[Ullyrunner Graduate]

Well done Tiki - just shows what you can do when you want to!

[Tomas Graduate]

That's a wonderful spirit. You did it, and you kept at it, and you confirmed that you can do it. Well done and congratulations. Particularly given the nasty weather.

[Tomas Graduate]

Oh, and yes, I love the pic. It is - to borrow an Americanism - awesome!

[Tikiczocky Graduate in reply to Tomas]

Thanks Tomas! I love snails I hope this one didn't get too chilly!

[ju-ju- Graduate]

sounds like a great run...and I totally love your piccy