Mumble...snarf...drool (week 4 run 1)

[RunningForBroke]

It must be said that this run kicked my overheated arse. It's 31 degrees celcius with 40% humidity outside. I also ran into (no, not literally) a friend who called me back to say hello (missed a maximum of 30 seconds in the first 5 minute run) and I slowed to a walk about a second before the program told me to stop. This run took everything I had to give. By the end, my running form pretty much disintegrated and I probably looked a bit like the ditsy blonde in a horror movie with my flailing around. I confess that I was slightly horrified at how hard this run was for me. I thought that my distance was going to be awful, but there I got a pleasant surprise: I ran/walked 3.22 km (2 miles) of which I ran 1.8 km (1.12 miles). I'm proud of that. Ok body, time to shape up and improve! Also on the bright side: no shin splints! I'm keeping at it! I'll hit the roads again on Monday.

P.s. Too funny! The site flipped my photo upside down.

[mfamilias Graduate]

Blimey! that's way too hot for running. I' not surprised you had problems - well done, and try to run early in the morning instead!

I've taken to just waving a hand at people, tapping why watch and shrugging apologetically, or tapping my Garmin (body language rules OK) when running - it's my "me" time, and I hate stopping.

Love the upside-down photo. Now I'm off to sing "dancing on the ceiling".

[nhs2015 Graduate in reply to mfamilias]

What the weather like in France at the moment mfamilias? Should be there in two weeks time. Should I pack long running pants or three quarter light ones?

[mfamilias Graduate in reply to nhs2015]

It depends where in France you'll be. Still upwards of 25° in the South at the moment. Check out météo France online for the pace you're heading to - If you're heading south you'll stew in long running gear

[RunningForBroke Graduate in reply to mfamilias]

Yeah. I didn't particularly want to stop either, but it was someone I hadn't seen in ages and I didn't want to be rude.

By the way, the only time I can run in the mornings is during the weekend (and I took family for an outing yesterday). I usually get up at 5am or so to get to work on time. I'm afraid I'm not quite up to getting up at 4am for a run.

[mfamilias Graduate in reply to RunningForBroke]

I think you've already told me that, I go round my goldfish bowl and I forget everything... Oh well, time to invest in a miner's lamp and go out just before bed time

[RunningForBroke Graduate in reply to mfamilias]

Lol! Now that's an image. It's a motorbike, it's a train, it's...Super Snail. 😉

[Curlygurly2 Graduate]

Yup, far too hot, and the humidity is a killer isn't it? Well done for keeping at it though x

[RunningForBroke Graduate in reply to Curlygurly2]

Yeah. The humidity is awful.

[nhs2015 Graduate]

Best to run early in the morning when the air is fresh and then you are ready and bright for the rest of the day. I don't stop for people except my loved one. With friends or neighbours, just a short wave with quick eye contact then shift my eyes back ahead. I just don't stop my legs. There is a time for running and a time for leisure chatting, me think.

Think of yourself. You are number one. Do what is important to you. You did 2 miles. Good on you.

[Irishprincess Graduate]

Well done especially in those conditions. Blimey that's hot and sticky! Love the photo. Are you in Australia?

[RunningForBroke Graduate in reply to Irishprincess]

Thanks! I'm in Madison Wisconsin. It is very hot and sticky at the moment. It's 9am and my air conditioner is already on full blast.

[gary_bart]

Well your distance tells you part of the reason the run took you close to the limit. Maybe some part of you was trying to run away from all that heat and humidity? It's strange how sometimes perception and facts part company, isn't it? You have a horror run, including the feeling that it went nowhere, and then you look at the distance, and you see that it was hard because you were pushing harder than you imagined you were.

[RunningForBroke Graduate in reply to gary_bart]

Yeah. The funny thing is that my tracker doesn't show that I went faster. It still shows I was snailing along at about 8:53 per km. Either way, it was a third of a 5k. I'm happy with that. 😊

[gary_bart in reply to RunningForBroke]

Well I recall being young (if not fit) and being made to run 1500m in front of thousands of humiliating other people on athletics day, and struggling to keep running the whole way, so you're already 300m beyond that, and progressing. (I think what happened was someone said "I bet our slowest can beat your slowest", and that sealed the doom of me and that other guy who also got lapped, and also had to run almost entirely alone for about five eternities before the end, in front of shouting people who could easily just have gone and looked at them throwing the discus or something.)

Now if only we'd read The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, we'd have known the right way to handle that one was to stop, greet each other, and then stroll along very slowly, having a chat, while all the competitive world raged. Competition has its place, but on the day that it becomes everything some flowers won't bloom, and some birds will fall out of the sky, while the clouds turn emission-brown.

And it's a third of 5km.

[RunningForBroke Graduate in reply to gary_bart]

Thank you Gary. I already know that I'm more fit than I was when I started the program. So what if I have to repeat a run or two somewhere? I was wiped out yesterday, but I'm fine today. 😊

P.s. That's really unfortunate that you and the other guy were called out that way. I'm glad that you gave C25k a chance anyway. I hope you get off the injury couch soon.

[gary_bart in reply to RunningForBroke]

Ah! Those feel like good memories after a few years have flowed away down, down, down to Lethe. You have to be closer to 15 years old to still be delicate about these things. In the end it just provides a stimulus to think matters like that through, with their pluses, minuses and Po's (does anyone read Edward de Bono any more?).

But thanks. (You're on the right side ) I think I might be improving, so I'll provisionally hope that in the reasonably near future I'll be back here reporting on WXRY again.