CT5k take 2. Week 7 run 1

[Jol_Keen]

CT5k take 2. Second attempt of ct5k, graduated last year but as others have experienced life and events get in the way of onward progress and ended up without disciplined and structured running. A stone heavier at the start of runs this year and therefore a bit more work required. 7 Run 1 done this morning. Mental exercise more than physical. Spring in my step for 1st half of run, mind over matter for last few minutes. Upside that keeps me plodding along the canal towpath is the weight loss. Eating sensibly and running I have lost 1 and 1/4 stone since mid July.

[LyndaM Graduate]

Oh well done you! Fantastic progress, both in the weight and the running. I am very impressed as I know it's not easy. Are you following a particular weight loss plan? Or just being brilliant in your own way?

[Jol_Keen Graduate in reply to LyndaM]

Hi, no wait loss plan just rough calorie counting and not eating too much sugar. Trying to not eat more than 1800 calories a day and obviously 3 runs a week helps out with each run on it's own being 500+ calories.

[gary_bart]

Well you've kind of gotten back to where you were already (which is pretty quick when you think about it). Now you're just building duration again, using c25k to give you structure. I suppose you might need to think about a 10km program after this if you need a programme to follow. That way, even if you do fall behind, you fall back to being able to run "only" 8km or something like that.

Did you progress more rapidly, more easily, less injured, etc on your second attempt? This is something I'm becoming curious about. eg. How long do the improvements you make to your tendons last? I'm guessing that this outlives your "fitness" (ie the more directly perceptible aspects of the conditioning like speed etc).

[Jol_Keen Graduate in reply to gary_bart]

Tore both my knees and palms of my hands open on one of the wk6 runs on my first ct5k. So I am wary of another fall, but other than that I have just been steady, not going as fast as i sometimes feel i want to. Repeated week 2 and 3 twice by way of building some stamina back up for the more demanding weeks that followed on.

[gary_bart in reply to Jol_Keen]

Thanks. So you're just being cautious, then? Sensible. I suppose more important than the physical conditioning of an earlier progress through the programme is the mental one. We learn a bit as we go along.

I tripped over a perfectly level road once in one of my early runs, but it looks like I still have a learned tendency to roll when I fall (I did judo as a child, and only really learned how to fall). Could have been nasty, but I got away with some minor skin loss. I even thought of running in gloves for a while afterwards, but just didn't follow up. (I still think it's a good idea - skin over bone takes a very long time to heal)