Week 5 - this is where we part ways, Laura...

[ryse]

Yesterday I did my first 8 min run (after the horrors of Saturday's weather put me back by a day) and I did it by listening to Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire" twice in a row (and singing along when I had air) and then throwing my hands in the air at the end of the 8mins, which caused the couple behind me to wonder what on earth this woman who'd been chugging along shouting about "Belgians in the Congo" was on.

I'm using a C25K app from Fitness22, and I've realised that around W5 my app and the NHS app part ways... Instead of jumping up to 20 minutes at the end of this week, I will be doing 2 x 8mins, then 2 x 10, working up to 20 mins by the beginning of Week 7. So the app I'm using it staggers the climb a bit more. Maybe worth considering if anyone here is particularly freaked out by the sudden jump?

Anyway, I was pleased to find out that by running on the park trails (instead of surfaced roads) I'm essentially training for trail running. This explains why my first W5 run (5m-6m-5m) seemed so easy - I had to run it on a surfaced road, because the park had closed for the night. That was a bit of a boost. Apparently running on unsurfaced trails is better for joints and preventing overuse injuries, so I'm even more pleased at having the wonderful Bushy Park on my doorstep <3

Happy running

[McFitty Graduate]

Bushy park is lovely, you lucky thing! Your post has answered a week 5 niggle I had in the back of my mind. I've read a few posts where someone described a week 1 or 2 run which didn't match mine. Your Fitness22 info clears that up for me😊 Lovely post (and I wish you and Billy Joel many happy miles together)!

[Michael_W Graduate]

Nice one! So many lovely parks in SW London. I lived in that part of the world about 25 years ago, Walton-on-Thames, Teddington and lastly just off Hampton Hill High St with an entrance to Bushy Park across the road. I wasn't a runner in those days but so handy to be able to pop over for a picnic or a wander.

Of course you've got the famous Bushy parkrun to look forward to and I hear that Richmond parkrun is a good one too.

I was up that way a few months ago as my wife was entered in the Cabbage Patch 10. We took the kids and stayed in the hotel at Twickenham Stadium for a couple of nights so we could visit the parkrun where it all started. Great weekend!

[ryse in reply to Michael_W]

Nice! I've seen quite a few posts on instagram by runners from various parts of the uk who have come to do the Bushy Park parkrun as a kind of tribute, which is a lovely idea. I'm planning to graduate by running my first parkrun there...watch this space!

[misswobble Graduate]

Running on trails is lovely. Maybe a bit wet and muddy at times but traffic free is such a relief and one less thing to worry about, and no fumes!

You can still take Laura with you though 😀 and Billy Joel. I love that track by the way.