Two PBs ;-)

[ScottieDTFC]

Despite the wind this morning I completed Wk8 of the plan and broke two barriers. Just crept over 4km in the 28 mins and my average pace just sneaked under 7 min/km (6.57 min/km). Very pleased.

[Sandra55 Graduate]

Well done, you are doing better than me distance wise, but ,I have been deliberately holding myself back so I can complete each run. I'm afraid I will burn out before the end if I go faster.

[Vixchile Graduate]

The wind is the worse running condition so well done for powering through!! Congrats on your 2 XPBs.

[Ugifer]

Good running!

The key is to pace yourself and make it through each run, but if you can do that comfortably and increase your pace slightly, all the better - just don't go too crazy and get injured in the final week!

Well done completing W8 - just one more week to go. Time to think about how to motivate yourself to keep running once you reach the end.

Happy running!

Ugi

[ScottieDTFC Graduate in reply to Ugifer]

First part of the plan is to get to 5k and plan to do my first Parkrun in the New Year. Next stage is to increase to 10k, hopefully by Summer and look for a 10k to sign up for.

Losing some weight would be nice, as despite running for 8 weeks, I've yet to lose a pound, but I guess this will come with longer runs in the future.

[Ugifer in reply to ScottieDTFC]

Sounds like a great set of goals - motivating, progressive and realistic.

Weight loss with running is a thorny issue. You will frequently see posters on here saying that they have not lost any weight but have moved down a belt notch or dress-size because the weight tends to shift from fat to other, more useful, forms of bodyweight.

If you want to lose weight then running will help, but only really in combination with reducing calorie intake a little, or at least resisting the urge to eat after a run!

Certainly, once you are running for a sustained period you will burn off calories - my run on Wed night, for example, is my typical midweek 7-miler and is worth around 800 calories. However, this only equates to weight-loss if you don't eat them back once you get home! You don't need to live off lentils and carnation petals but minimising the take-aways and switching a few sugary drinks and snacks for healthier options will massively enhance the weight-loss you might achieve through running.

Stuck with it - the benefits above and beyond any weigh-loss are excellent and hopefully you are feeling some of those already. Time to consolidate and enhance those.

Happy running!

Ugi