I haven't been on here a while. During my holiday in Zambia there was no running at all, it was just too hot and there was nowhere to run on your own that was safe. Plus I got up too late, ate and drank too much, hardly moved at all because of the heat and was just totally slobby (to my disgust). My return back home saw me straight out on the first evening, having not slept the night before on the plane, 30 degrees temperature difference and in the pitch black. The run was predictably not great but marked my determination to get back on track. Since then I've been getting out there and even being doing a bit of streaking. The times and distances aren't great, I've been playing around with really slow runs and a few intervals, but there's not vast amounts of progress. However, I am running. Today I wanted another "longer" run (long being anything over 5k) and set out in the freezing cold, frosty air. There were not many people around, I was ignominiously overtaken by a couple of fit runners, bur received a friendly greeting from another older fellow runner later on which cheered me up. At the end runkeeper informed me that I had taken part in the "Global 5k Challenge" and could check my ranking if I wanted. Well I wasn't aware that I'd even registered for this event, but the nice words on the website along the lines of "don't be disheartened if you're crap, you got out there, which is more than most people" encouraged me to have a peek. I felt a bit peeved that I hadn't been aware I was in a competition, if I had I might have tried to go a bit faster etc.. And then I laughed and showed the website round my family. 17 out of 78,000! There is obviously an error somewhere at that pace, but it was a great booster. And it impressed my family who haven't got a clue what a good pace is. (I've slipped down to 19 in the meantime - really disappointed😎).
Ha ha, have to post this: I haven't been on here... - Couch to 5K
Ha ha, have to post this
Wow! What can I say?? Amazing JaySeeSkinny 😉 I hope that gives you loads of encouragement, whether it's accurate, or not 😀
Hey you!
Did you have a great time..it sounds to have been totally relaxing... and pure hedonistic pleasure.. we missed you x
What a great post and a great run.. go you! I think it was a totally accurate record.. the holiday has done you good... Glad you are back 
Dear Oldfloss , I am very flattered by the faith you have in me and I love the support I get on this forum - I missed you all last month - but if you do the maths you see a pace of 7 mins 33 per km is not exactly speedy and would never justify such a high ranking! Not unless I was 110 (which I'm not). The holiday did do me good, but at the end I had an extra 3kg to lug around and that has slowed me down. So no records being broken at the moment, but maybe you lot will spur me on!
We will....oh we will.... x
It was extra holiday wight which started me on C25K in the beginning!
Ha, that's brilliant jaysee😀😊 you've still got it..and some!!
Hold that feeling and don't look at the ratings again.
Hope your holiday was good it sounds like you had a relaxing time.
Bit chilly for too many goals at the mo, but its nice to know you are still out there enjoying your runs (and smashing it too😊)
Nice to have you back.xx
Love it! Claim it! Tell everyone who comes near about it😀😀😀
17th out of that many, just brilliant. And you've got a screenshot to prove it. Don't think there was a glitch at all. Claim it! Well done you! 👏🏻👏🏻😀😀
Haha! Just take it JC! Welcome back.
You must be really fast as like you I did not know I'd joined either but I must be awful slow as haven't got a ranking😂😂😂😂 was chuffed I was in a race I didn't know about & I hadn planned a 5k just kept running😂😂😂 so well done to us 😊
The ranking has gone today. But yesterday it was all over the place from 13-19. I think they were just showing the last 2 digits and my real ranking is more like 78717! We shall see! It's a good laugh anyway - and well done you for running aswell!
Zambia and running...there was a heck of a lot of running TO Zambia back in the day by fellow-countryman Mike Hoare and companions LOL Think the 'chase scene' at the end of the original 'Dogs of War' 
As for '17 out of 78,00'?
OBVIOUSLY an error!
As far as I'M concerned, you're one in a million!
Awwww - that's sweet. I've gone red🙄 And yes we saw a few Zambians running, in that heat, probably going to work. And lots of them walking, some in the middle of nowhere where you had to wonder where they'd come from and where they were going. But I suppose it's the same here in Europe and the US, just we're sitting in cars instead!
I think it is different when you live in a place, your body gets used to it. I lived in Zambia as a child till I was about 10 I think and never noticed the heat. It never stopped us doing anything or interfered with school sports and the like. Nowadays I would definitely struggle with it though. How did you find Zambia? I have never been back but heard from someone who recently visited Ndola where we lived and Lusaka that it had become very run-down.
I lived in Singapore as a kid and it was the same. My mother hated it though, she just couldn't take the heat. Zambia is still very colonial, it reminded me a lot of my travels in other ex Empire countries. Everyone speaks excellent English but the people are very poor. Lusaka is OK, but the rest of the roads are in a right state and sometimes the tarmac just runs out and you're on a track full of potholes. Power cuts every day aswell. But there are definitely worse places in Africa and the people were genuinely friendly and polite. Still a huge amount of white privilege though, and there is hardly any mixing. Our friend has been there 8 months and hasn't got a single black friend (and he's a friendly guy). I found that a bit disturbing, all the bosses are white and the blacks are the workers and earn a pittance.
What is your friend doing there?
Deputy General Manager at a large international hotel.
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