W7 Run 1 - The calm before the storm - Couch to 5K

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W7 Run 1 - The calm before the storm

Renmurew profile image
RenmurewGraduate
4 Replies

No need for alarm, the title is in reference to the weather, not the run!

I headed out early this morning just after daybreak because I suspected it would be the only time today that I would be able to get this run under my belt today. It was lightly raining, but just enough so it reminded me of running through a water mist at a hot and steamy Florida theme park! Talk about a welcome cooling blast as I was tootling along.

From the first step this felt like a good run. I found a nice even pace very early on and my breathing settled right from the start. I had a new playlist on my phone that I had picked for today and knowing each song was about 5 mins was a great boost as each passed by. I even felt able to up my pace for the last min and still felt that there were reserves in the tank.

I really cant believe that at the end of week 2 when my husband offered to buy me a new hand held water bottle my response was that it wasn't a water bottle I needed to carry it was an oxygen bottle because I was never going to have enough "puff" to get through 3 mins never mind any further. Looking back, at the time, I really wasnt joking and just couldnt see how I could ever get to the point that others were describing where your breathing settled and you relaxed into a run.

For those starting out in the early weeks of the programme, please take heart from this and trust in how the programme builds your stamina and endurance and sets you up each week for what is to follow next. Each week is just a small progression from the week before. Its just a little bit more that you have already done. Its only when you look forward over many weeks that you think you'll never get from 3 mins to 25. Well most of us wouldnt but building up gradually, week to week is what gets us there.

Good luck to all those on week 7 with me, and I am looking forward to reading the stories of others in the early days of their journey as they find the same wonders in their own achievements.

Oh and for those in the path of the storm, batten down the hatches - its looking grim out there just now.

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Renmurew profile image
Renmurew
Graduate
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4 Replies
Diannec1986 profile image
Diannec1986

That sounds idyllic!

Oldfloss profile image
OldflossAdministratorGraduate

Great positive post.... slow and steady and really enjoy the longer runs:) I love these runs, it is where you find your happy pace:)

Week 7 was definitely my favourite. It was the week when I finally Got the Faith (slow I know!) and decided I was a runner- and you are too- Enjoy :)

ejvcruns profile image
ejvcrunsGraduate

Great! Don't be afraid to take an extra day if you need it -- these longer runs test your stamina in a different way -- you do settle in eventually but it's just different.

I call weeks 7-9 the "training wheels" period -- you no longer need the podcasts/app, but they help give you structure. Post-graduation seems a very difficult time for a lot of people, when the training wheels come off, so while you're running the next three weeks, give some thought to what you will do afterwards.

Glad you no longer need the oxygen bottle!

Elizabeth

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