W5R2... and I am not as slow as I thought!

[TheHistoricalPresent]

So I've been continuing with my long rest, great run approach after I accidentally discovered that my running improved 10-fold if I leave a week between runs.

I've also recently realized that I am using a different app than the rest of you (I kept wondering who "Laura" was!). I am in Canada but I am FROM the UK and I prefer this HU community over the American one.

But back to the run... my app actually states a distance for this run "run 3/4 of a mile or 8 minutes". SO I purposefully ran on a quarter mile track to see how slow my shuffle really was.

I was expecting the worst becasue some times I feel like a snail, BUT... I made 2 and a half laps in the first 8min running right on the outside of the track. Moved to the middle of the track for the second 8 and was almost at three laps when 8 min was up. I even had enough energy for a faster push at the end.

I had no shortness of breath at all during the first 8 min and was only a bit puffed on the second 8. Heart rate around 130 after the second run but quickly went down after the cool down.

Let me say this again... I STILL marvel that I am doing this and that I haven't been defeated by a run. I've never really been able to run and have been dogged by chronic fatigue issues for years—which is part or the reason I am no longer keeping to the 9 week schedule, but that's fine by me.

I'm sporting some delightfully rosey cheeks here, right after the run. It's 23 degrees today but muggy.

Next run is THE BIG ONE (in my mind at least). 20min.....I can't wait.

[GoogleMe Graduate]

It does sound quite a different approach if it is talking about distance as well as time.

The only thing about the once a week approach is how this advances any goals about health benefits (thinking in terms of '150 minutes a week moderate intensity'). Obviously if that's all the activity a person can do, then it is worth doing - but I'd be wondering if it could be too intense a form of activity in that case, depends what else a person is doing. The NHS 'Laura' version of C25K is thinking in terms of a person acquiring a fitness habit long term, and is really just giving you the tools to be able to do that ie teaching you to run continuously for 30 minutes (distance irrelevant), a structured programme.

Of course your goals may be different and that's fine.

[Dunder2004 Graduate]

Well done on your progress so far, THP.

Running just once a week is fine as long as you don't have ambitions to run marathons and the like.

W5R3 is "the big one" for pretty much everyone. Most people dread it (but get through it), it's great that you have such a positive attitude towards it.

[Coddfish Graduate]

I have also seen a version of C25k that has distance as well as times, the distance version being a plan to get you actually running 5k. Many of us using the UK version graduate on quite a bit less than 5k but gradually work up to that distance (even if some of us, realistically, will never manage 5k in 30 minutes).

I agree with Googleme that it's important for health to have more aerobic activity in a week than you will get from just doing one run a week. You might find you have less impact on joints, muscles etc from the UK method of concentrating on time rather than distance, and that that would allow you to run more than once a week. Clearly walking, cycling, swimming, formal classes etc can all play a part too, and I find it helps to vary the impact.

I am visiting Canada later this month and looking forward to somewhere new to run (Rockies followed by Vancouver and Vancouver Island.

Good luck.

[TheHistoricalPresent Graduate in reply to Coddfish]

Glad to hear you are coming out to the west coast. It really is amazing. I take it for granted now but it's so stunning! In Vancouver you can run the sea wall around Stanley Park! I live just eat of Vancouver in the Fraser Valley.

[Coddfish Graduate in reply to TheHistoricalPresent]

Thanks, I will look up Stanley Park when I am in Vancouver.