Shall I give Laura a day off?

[davidhwynn]

My re-run of W2R3 completed, yipee!!: the last run still felt like hard going, but just about managed to get there. Already worrying now about how I can possibly do a 3 minute run in the W3 programme.... I know I did it before, on my first time round these early weeks before my "falling off the cliff" (not literally you'll be pleased to know, just falling off that cliff in my mind!) but the gremlins are already ganging up on me in advance of my W3R1 session on Wednesday. I'm thinking of giving Laura the day off on Wednesday and using a timer I've got, with music better suited in beats/minute to my running steps (timed beats music off jog fm). I wonder if being able to pound down my feet in time to the beat will stop me thinking so obsessively about time, or else repetitively counting 1-2-3-4 or even 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10 to myself to help keep going. What do you think, guys? Give Laura the day off or ask her to come with me?

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

Keep Laura..I did...and I counted 1234...still do..I feel if you change tack ..the gremlins could try and trick you...🙂 She will get you safely to Week 9...🙂

Well done anyway !!!

[SlowSlowKwikKwikSlow Graduate]

Congrats on a good run today. Definitely keep Laura - I may have ignored her counting in W2 but she got me through W3R1 today. Only four sets of running in W3 so by the time you get your first 3 min run out of the way, you're nearly half way there.

[Sarah1703]

I actually had to ditch Laura very army on and for whatever reason she kept crashing my phone. I now use a C25K app by Zen Labs. I've compared the two versions and they're almost identical, certainly as close as makes no difference. This app allows me to listen to my own playlists already on my phone, which I much prefer.

Having found a song which fitted my step pattern I looked it up on the jog.fm website to find the bpm and found a whole bunch of other music with the same beats per minute and created my own playlist from there. I've found it hugely helpful. Occasionally i accidentally add a track which is the wrong bpm and I can definitely feel the difference. Having the right music has definitely made a difference to me. I just have to remember I'm in the gym with headphones so it's not a good idea to sing along!

Whichever you plan to do, I'm sending positive vibes for Wednesday.

[davidhwynn Graduate in reply to Sarah1703]

Thanks Sarah. I tried the NHS C25K app and found it pretty awful. The podcasts are good and they don't crash my Android phone, I love Laura (well, love/hate!), but I find the music beat doesn't match my feet pounding down on the ground & feel maybe I'd find it easier with a better match. How I feel, every little will help. I'll go and look at the Zen Labs app. Irrespective, one way or another, I'll be having a go at W3R1 on Wednesday - I can decide about this other stuff later and will not let it be what the gremlins use to stop my Wednesday run.

[McFitty Graduate]

Personally, I thought I'd jinx myself if I ditched Laura so I did the whole programme with her. It's only now that I even recognise that a certain beat helps me. I guess only you know what is really going to help you. The one thing you know for definite is you are 'capable'. Don't let the gremlins tell you otherwise!

[davidhwynn Graduate in reply to McFitty]

Thanks, I do hope you're right about me being "capable". Sarah1703 on this forum has just pointed me to a Zen Labs app for C25K: I've had a quick look and here's the dilemma ..... the lovely Laura is replaced by a horrid American voice, it somehow feels much less friendly and welcoming - vs - my choice of music not Laura's. Don't know, I've installed the Zen Labs app and some decent music to suit my "running" pace and got it to work, so now I have the choice. I think I'll try both options and see what I think I prefer in practice.

[McFitty Graduate in reply to davidhwynn]

Good idea to try both. Must admithe a soulless American voice wouldn't inspire me. It's ridiculous actually, I feel very attached, even protective towards our lovely Laura!😁

[davidhwynn Graduate in reply to McFitty]

So do I, but her music's crap for my running pace! She's WONDERFUL though, even if because she's such a cheerful bully I'd happily throttle her if I ever got good enough to catch her!

[GoogleMe Graduate in reply to davidhwynn]

I wonder if the reason you are struggling a bit with C25K is because you haven't yet learned to run slowly...

I don't think there's any particular intention for you to 'run to the beat' at this stage... because that's saved till the C25K+ suite of podcasts for graduates.

[davidhwynn Graduate in reply to GoogleMe]

Hmmm - maybe. As it happens I did my W2R3 on the treadmill and my pace was walk 5.3, jog 7.2 km/h (if I could run that long, which I can't) that would be a 42 min 5K. You could be right about learning to run slowly, because in my mind it seems to me that 7.2 km/h is hardly quick. My reasoning in wanting to "run to the beat" is that it might stop me from counting and clock watching, but most of all it might distract me from thinking I'm about to die!

[GoogleMe Graduate in reply to davidhwynn]

Well that's it... you're looking for a pace you can ultimately sustain for 30 minutes.

(Can definitely relate to the wanting distractions from all the disagreeable sensations and delusions!)

[Razouski]

I used Laura and like you couldn't fit my feet to the pace of the music, but I just go at my own speed and use the music just as an accompaniment to my running rather than setting the tone. I got all the way to graduation with Laura and even carried on with the last week podcast for a few weeks to consolidate.

I guess you have to do what suits you.

I've run with my own music recently and the pace varies from track to track, but I just keep going at the pace I know I want to run at. I have even been known to run to classical music if there is something I'm trying to learn for choir. I just have to remember not to sing along.

[misswobble Graduate]

I would stick like glue to the programme. You can do it 🙂

[MotwCoop Graduate]

I've got the delicious voice of Sanjeev Kholi on the NHS Couch 2 5K app, I use my iPod for music I've chosen in one ear and my phone with the lovely Sanjeev in the other. That way, my phone doesn't crash the app and I'm loving the sounds...except the constant underlying gasping for breath of course, but I expect that'll disappear eventually...

[davidhwynn Graduate in reply to MotwCoop]

wow! Two ears, separate tracks, different source, never thought of that!! That must mean that you can get the NHS C25K app to just give you the instructions without the music. Will go and have a look / hear tomorrow

[GoogleMe Graduate in reply to MotwCoop]

But that's earphones in both ears which is not ideal from a safety point of view... I know people do it all the time but...

[MotwCoop Graduate in reply to GoogleMe]

I don't have it overly loud and the instructions are only intermittent, so most of the time there's no sound in that one.

[catorezzi Graduate]

Keep Laura! I kept her and just used the music app on my phone with my own music. I've never actually listened to the music on the app. The app does keep crashing, I have to switch off WIFI and 4G to get it going but then I can put them back on and it's fine. Good luck! 😊

[davidhwynn Graduate in reply to catorezzi]

Thanks - from what you and others have said it may be that I wrote off the app too quickly. When I first tried it I also had problems so just went off and downloaded the podcasts instead. Anyway, I thought that the app didn't have Laura any more, only the podcasts. I have already developed a love/hate relationship with Laura .....

[catorezzi Graduate in reply to davidhwynn]

Hahaha! No it's all changed and the app doesn't have Laura any more which I think is sad. I don't want to run to Jo Whiley - Laura is a real person like you and me and got herself off the couch and ran. Also had a total love/hate relationship. When she says 'ready to run' I'm like no!!!