W5R3 - Did I do it? Read on...

[Tractorman]

OK, I'd been building myself up for this. Many thanks to all of you who responded to my first post after W5R2 - it DID make a difference! But there's a lot more to the story. Here we go...

* Take Community advice and go for morning run. Take plenty of hydration leading up to it and just a light breakfast.

* OK, check weather - nice! Sunny here in Wiltshire. Cool but not cold, slight breeze but not too windy.

* Get kit on - windstopper under hoody jogging suit. That'll do

* Fire up bluetooth on the phone & earphones. Morning Laura! Yes thanks, I know it's the BIG one!

* Five min warm up - done. Let's go for it, nice & steady now

* Thanks Laura, that's five minutes running done then. No problems so far.

* Hmm, dodgy looking geezer coming the other way with three dodgy looking dogs off lead. He won't look at me as we pass - immediately sus. Walk this route three times a day and never seen him. Oh, but now it's time to turn round to avoid a big downhill (meaning a big uphill later)

* Now I have to overtake said dodgy geezer/dogs and I'm on a single track road but there's a car coming. Have to run on mud straight towards him. At least it's taking my mind off the running! Dogs and geezer turn and look at the strange apparition coming towards them.

* Great, dog one is running at me and is obviously thinking I'm going to attack owner. It sinks its teeth into my leg only to get a mouthful of jogging trousers. Lucky, but dogs 2 & 3 want some of me as well. Dodgy geezer calls them off. Is this all part of C25K? Carry on. Thanks Laura, that's 10 mins and I've clocked the strangers car number plate for later - I've more important things to do!

* Come on Laura, 15 mins please! What the ?! (Silence) NOOOO, the phone's gone dead! PANIC!!! DON'T STOP to mess around with the phone - I have a rough idea that I'm 15 mins in or thereabouts so just need to run for another 5 mins.

* I do what I think is another five to make up the twenty but I'll never really know. I feel OK physically but I'm really p'd off that I never heard it officially from SHE WHO MUST BE OBEYED (sorry Laura!). No idea what went wrong with phone - all the bluetooth connections are good but I think its tried to connect me up with the GPS and chucked me out of the music player. Damn this technology!

SO I'M GOING TO HAVE TO DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN ON FRIDAY...

Watch this space!

[Raven2016 Graduate]

Um.... well that was an eventful run with a few too many, er, events, wasn't it?!

At least you know you can do the time now - ok you didn't get the confirmation from Laura (but you will next time). Well done! If you can run for that long with all those goings on, you will do it with ease when you go out again, I should think

[RainbowC Graduate]

Well, it can be good to have distractions to stop you just focussing on the length of time you're running - but perhaps order some more fun ones for next time!

Well done for keeping going despite everything - and let's hope Friday's excursion goes to plan properly!

[davidhwynn Graduate]

I think even Laura would give you a pass with distinction for doing that run with a dog attached to your jogging bottoms! Fantastic, I'm hoping that someday I might even get that far.... I'm pretty determined, so I guess I will, one day.... hopefully without doggy interference.

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

Oh my goodness... what a post! Go you.. first prize for sheer 'doggedness'.. see what i di there?

You and Irish-John would get on.. check his posts out re dogs and owners!!!!

well done... I cannot wait for the next instalment!

[CookieM Graduate]

Gosh - Well done for keeping going!!

Let's hope the next run is not quite so eventful!!

[Hidden]

Well done for getting through that. Plenty of posts about problems with Dogs. Lucky so far bump into odd dog walker usually just one and mostly on leads by lake I run through.

Can be unpredictable what will spook them. Don't have dog now but had what we described as a docile Retriever Cross a few years ago which kept on lead on pavements. Was spooked and went to snap at Schoolgirl, think was spooked by trailing strap on floor by her bag which she probably read as a stick or some sort of weapon. Also she didn't like anyone with a hoodie !

Where there were cars or any traffic the dogs should have been on lead. Or their owner should have known that he could control them. I probably would still have, like you, continued to run and assumed that owner could control them. On past experience the odd dog has tried to chase me but lost interest probably because I was slow and not worth it. On other occasions owner has called them back.

So we always take calculated risks based on past experience. I have been bitten by dogs in past (not while running anytime) even by my own because they are unpredictable and we expect their owners to control them.

I bet even if you were just walking towards them they maybe still would have had a go ?

Look forward to hearing how you get on.

[first_mate Graduate]

Oh my that must have been scary with the dogs, and darn annoying with the phone ! Well done to keep going. Good luck for Friday, but now you know you can do it x

[JaySeeSkinny Graduate]

Well, you know you can do it - and relatively easily by the sound of it! So a huge well done!

[McFitty Graduate]

Well, you know what happened don't you. I don't know who had him last but he's obviously picked you today...

Technology Gremlin. He's an absolute menace. Not only does he mess with phones, gps signals, fit bits, ear buds and trackers but there's a rumour that he also has a reciprocal agreement with local dogs to put runners off their stride...

I'd say he met his match today! I reckon Laura would be proud

[melly4012 Graduate]

Oh my goodness, all that to contend with and you still did it! Hopefully that's your eventful run of the programme done and the rest of them will be easy! Well done for pushing on through. Looks like you'll be one of the few people who do W5R3 twice! It'll be worth it for Laura's praise.

[loisamelia Graduate]

Crikey, what an eventful run!! Glad you got through it in one piece. Hope your future runs are less stressful!!

[Ullyrunner Graduate]

Oh well - certainly sounds like a great practise! After all those distractions it should be a breeze next time out!

[Sofargoner Graduate]

sorry dog lovers out there but I never realised how much of a pain they are (apart from their smell and their stinking poo everywhere in parks) when you are learning to run. My pet hate is the professional dog walker who has what looks like 223 dogs on one of those joint lead things so as you run past its like a clip from a sci fi film where a being with tentacles stretches out to grab you and there's almost no escape.....move to the left OH there's a dog, quickly hop right - there's a lead stretching in your way - dog walker glowers at you - hang on there's only one of me and 224 of you (so why are you glowering at me? I might not be thin but your dog pack takes up far more room in the park!) - jump high and escape the leads.......

[Chrysanthemum Graduate]

thats one you'll not forget! I hate it when the music stops. It makes you feel completely alone out there. And it must have been a bit scary having those dogs having a go at you. You did the run though! That's so good. I hope I can do that when I get that far.