Iv really enjoyed being part of C25k, just starting wk 2 !
Lots of people giving support and advise such a good atmosphere- but I thought to myself I don’t know how far in the world anyone is from ?😜😂
So I’m from Liverpool living in Formby in the north west of England and I’m glad am on a rest day tonight because we are getting blown away by the Ophelia storm 😉😏💨
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Vonhorn
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We have contributors here from every continent..........we are worldwide and all the better for it........so bear in mind, if you complain about the wet winter weather, somebody, somewhere is having to run in tropical, if not equatorial heat.
Glorious Mid Devon is my home patch and we had Ophelia- lite.
North east (windy) UK coast here but a lovely promenade for runs when feeling brave (treadmill sometimes if not or too windy) Ophelia not really hit us (yet?)
Tbh I think treadmill is kinder and easier but it’s also boring unless you can find a good distraction-I tend to put BBC iPlayer on and watch catch up 😬
I'm from Essex - on the outskirts of London. I live on a very long road and just run up and down it, and on the way back I pop into my mum's for brekkie!
We certain have but it’s dark not long after I get home from work , can only go of a w’end this time of year unfortunately , but lovely In the summer 👍
Didn’t think I would be a morning person either Vonhorn , never in a million years! Started the program on dark, cold and rainy nights, much prefer mornings and it sets me up for the day I feel. After a good run like last Friday I was boingy all day!!!
Midlands, border of Staffordshire and Derbyshire. Or as folk in .....Landan would say..... northerner.....but actually i live right in the centre of the country, as far away from the sea as its gets....... and its hilly everywhere here, but embrace them there hills folks!
It's not as bad as the name suggests. Where I am we haven't had any overnight frost yet, though it could happen almost any night now if the sky is clear. Most trouble at the moment is lots of wet dead leaves under foot, which can make for slippery going.
Will probably be in Reykjavik in May! Never been before so not sure what to expect - what would you regard as the one must-see there that is not necessarily in the tourist books?
I’m sorry that I can’t help you there – that’s outside my experience. But a website says that “Around Iceland there are more than 20 different species of cetacean that frequent the waters. The species seen regularly on whale watching tours include minke, fin, blue, humpback, sperm and killer whales, white-beaked dolphins and harbour porpoises...”
I would answer: don’t be a sheep! If there are ten thousand people doing something – go the other way. Try as many different swimming pools as possible (you don’t actually need to swim if that’s not your thing; you can just chill in the hot tubs, but do please get to know and respect our habits regarding personal hygiene). Regarding the Blue Lagoon – if there are already ten thousand people there, that’s a sign … Explore Hafnarfjörður (part of the capital conurbation, about 12/15 minutes south of Reykjavík); it’s got more individuality, and far fewer of the ten thousand people that you’re going to be avoiding go there. There’s a lovely small garden there (Hellisgerði) and several very good coffee shops. Visit the Reykjavík botanical gardens (Grasagarður Reykjavíkur).
I just remembered – outside the capital area : the folk museum at Skógar and the volcanic museum at Stykkishólm are unostentatious, idiosyncratic and curious. Also I’m told (but have no personal experience) that the geothermal energy exhibition at Hellisheiði and the lava exhibition at Hvolsvöllur (lavacentre.is/) are very good.
Yep Another place that's kinda fun is the "Dead Zoo". The Museum of Natural History - a real relic from the past. Get there before the PC crowd shut it down
Sadly that will be a bit far for me or we could be running buddies! I think our nearest park run will be Thetford Forest where I believe there are 2 in different areas of the forest. Will investigate. We haven't done any park runs yet but it's on our list for when we move. By the way, your name cracks me up lardofale !
Shame but fair enough! Thetford Forest is enormous and very nice, sounds like you could have fun there. I came up with the name years ago when my frame was most kindly described as 'portly' and I like the odd pint or two!! The frame isn't like that anymore but the love of the grain is still very much in place!! Welcome to Norfolk, we're not quite as weird as the rest of the UK thinks!! ;0)
Born in England but left when I was 6 months old as Dad was in RAF.
Lived all over until I was 16 and then I left school and joined the RAF at 16 1/2 and did 12 years so all over once again. Government gypsy if you like.
Always be an Englishman but left longer than I can remember and now live in the forests and countryside of Central Bohemia, Czech Republic.
My Dad was in the RAF too so we moved all the time, but never went anywhere interesting. Just lived in pretty much any part of the UK that was flat enough to build a runway! Although I loved East Anglia.
Born in Cambridge, England, raised in Boulder, Colorado, now living in small town Sweden (and currently visiting the tiny village of Chama, New Mexico for the next few weeks). I left the US 23 years ago and spent 19 of those years in London... Who knows what I am.
Born in Northampton England. Grew up in Irchester Northamptonshire. Lived in Burton-on-Trent, then Harringay, then Hendon then Rugby. Moved to France in 2004. Currently live near Blois in the Loire valley and run along the north bank of the Loire 3 times per week.
Born in York. Now Sussex via Lincolnshire, Suffolk, Durham, Massachusetts, Osaka, Battersea, Hertfordshire, Cotswolds. Come to think of it, probably time to move....
I live in Hermanus, Western Cape, South Africa, run at local parkrun, plenty of place to run, on the beach if the tide is out, mountain trails. Great place to see whales. You are all welcome to visit and join our parkrun. 😆
North Norfolk ,everyone thinks we are the flatlands but I’m managing to find a few slopes I didn’t know were there! A lovely addition to my running thoughts is the the notion that somewhere in the world I will have a companion running and puffing alongside me on every run of these 9 weeks.
I was born in Wallasey on the Wirral but I now live on the border of north and West Yorkshire in a lovely market town called Otley. The lovely home town of the furniture maker Thomas Chippendale and also the cyclist Lizzie Armistead.
There's loads of places to run here both hilly and flat!
Hi Elfe5, nice to see another local person learning to run. I’ve just done week8 run2 on treadmill but last week was brave (or stupid!) and did park run along the prom.
It was great, such a supportive bunch, I did feel hopeless tho as I trundled in at the rear but again they were very supportive and said I did so well (I ran & walked cos I’ve never done 5K before). I also have some health issues so I do feel quite proud now that I did it.
I think you are probably sensible in waiting & others say leave it until after graduation!
Let me know when you feel ready and I’ll meet ya there if you want-I might do it again next week if I manage to graduate before then but then I’m away for 3 weeks so once you fancy giving it a go shout up if you fancy another new runner alongside you
Ps they never let you come “last” as they have a back runner to ensure everyone is ok and he/she is then “last” 🙈
I can’t say I like running (I do Zumba, yoga & Pilates and much prefer them) but I like the feeling of being fitter and in control of my health 👍🏼👏🏽
Hi, you have done really well. I will certainly be trundling slowly at the back when I get to the park run- but to manage that at all would be a huge achievement for me- I have never run before. I certainly enjoy the post run endorphins and am managing to enjoy bits of the running- but find Laura & music a good distraction when it's a struggle. But optimistically expecting all that to improve! Hope at the back of the Park run in about 5 weeks then 😃
good on you! I've chatted to others on here and i now feel that i need to focus on graduation before i attempt anything "bigger" again so your attitude to slowly does it makes the best sense. hope to see you at a pre-Christmas park run along our breezy seafront!
Hi I was born in Surrey grew up in the delights of the Norfolk broads and live now in Co Antrim ... after yesterday's all consuming day of weather I'm rather amused at being called a 'blow in'
All calm ish this morning but then I was lucky and my electric stayed with me 👍🌪🤞🏻
Great to see you here, it's a fantastic place to be! I live in Beccles, North East Suffolk but was born and dragged up in Norwich, Norfolk. We got the dust clouds and an eclipse style black out but no storm in the East!
Cool! It's a very nice little town, I feel less guilty living in Suffolk (as a Norfolk lad) as it's only the width of the river away from Norfolk! Enjoy your day over, you might even catch a glimpse of my sweaty person plodding away if you're unlucky!
Barnet girl, born and bed. Have spent the last 25 years in Potters Bar in Herts but moving to the heart of Norfolk soon, just a little south from Dereham. Really looking forward!!
I live in Give, Scotland and am lucky to have a flat prom to run that's a mile long. Once I get to the longer runs I also have a flat & hilly park to tackle. Our local park run is held there. My goal is to be fit enough to take part. Enjoy your journey.
Fab post it’s been fun seeing where everyone is 😀. I’m in South Shields on the north east coast and have lots of lovely scenic runs which inspire and spur me on if I’m not feeling quite up to it.
Live in the lovely Chiltens west of London. Love running through the trees on a crisp sunny Autumn Day! Not sure it will be the same on a soggy wet winters day!
And... I'm in Perth, Scotland. Though originally from Australia (near Melbourne). And for what it's worth (because someone always asks!) - yes I do like the Scottish weather - I'd rather it be cold than sweltering hot!
Texas...so some references go over my head but I do love the camaraderie, encouragement & cultural exposure I receive here. I also grow a little green in regards to park runs & other NHS offerings. This program is amazing but this community is what has made it possible for me to start running again.
Rural East Sussex. Love the Hastings Park Run route which is along the promenade so is flat and has fabulous views. Last Saturday, on the anniversary of the Battle of Hastings, they included a circuit of the Pier of the Year in the route. A few weeks back they introduced Park Walk to Park Run with pacers doing walk and run intervals to help people get into running. I'm up to W7R3 on C25K and am amazed at my progress but hills really take it out of me so a promenade suits me fine. Have loved reading where everyone is from. What a great community this is.
Now in Perthshire in Scotland via North Yorkshire, Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Queensland and the Cotswolds! Cannot avoid the hills, definitely slow and steady..... 😂
Interesting point about running or/and cycling, I have been a lifelong cyclist but only recently started w1 of couch25k, after week one I did feel a bit sore, especially on my legs and groin and had to give it a rest, just wondering if it's wise for someone like me at age 71, normal height and just 10stone, not obese to 'cross-over' to another discipline from doing long walks and cycling to running.!!?
I'm also 71 and just finished Couch5k. I am also a long term race walker and long distance race walker, and cycle and each activity uses totally different muscles. Just took up cycling again after a break of 30 years and by God it is hard! It will take a lot of work to get cycling muscles up to the level of the walking and running muscles. I'm 6'4" and nearly 14 stone so have a lot more to lug around than you, so if I can do it, you certainly can.
Thank you very much for your reply 'Duddles', you do inspire me, yes you are correct in saying that as you have not cycled for 30 years it is hard to get back to cycling. I'll keep going with Couch25k.
I was amazed how hard it was - the first semi-serious hill I got to, I had to get off! There are a lot of hills in the IOM, and a lot of good cyclists so it was a bit embarrassing. I was out with my son who thinks nothing of a 50 mile ride, and he and his mates seek out the big climbs. I think it was the first time he saw me show my age - but he assures me that it won't take long to get cycling fitness back. I now have a huge respect for the older generation I see regularly riding around our hills.
PS, I do think that my natural running pace is about 6 minutes for 1 kilometre, if I could keep that up for 30 minutes, yes it's a big IF, then I could do the 5k in 30 minutes.
such wonderful places some of you live. Amazibg the large amoubt of us that are gypsies at heart..
Born in Edgeware moved to Hendon, Barnet (SE), Blackpool NW, Letchworth Herts, Cornwall, Slough, Dunstable Downs, then Blackpool again dont know why ad i hated it. But great FLAT prom to run on and now Stevenage long term.
I was struggling with week 1 and 2 for past year running for 90 seconds just seemed like hours. Couple of weeks ago i was in Florida 36 degrees and day one ran for 3 minutes solid day 2 4 minutes solid mmmm think i need to emigrate. I am now on week 3 C25K and have decided to join my local running group need a kick up back side as encouragement.
I'm from Canada 🇨🇦. I live in southern Saskatchewan where everyone thinks it is flat, flat, flat but we're near the South Saskatchewan River so have some great hills and coulees (in addition to lots of flat farmland). The biggest thing I miss since moving here is the lack of trees.
Sounds wonderful! Nice place to run, I'm sure. I spent all summer running at the lake through the campground and surrounding hills.... it was glorious 😊
Did anyone run a 5k or was out training 'against' storm Opelia? I wonder, where I live in Cumbernauld near Glasgow in Scotland the wind was not all that strong, I did see some runners out this morning, the wind did not make too much of a difference to them
Saltdean, East Sussex - in the chalk downs near the sea. Today the sea and the air were so still - a paddle boarder puttering around beyond a very low tide, the odd shore fisherman. Other days it’s a foaming fury spraying the Undercliff where people usually run, walk, cycle, dream. Can’t avoid the hills. Good luck with your journey.
On a whim once I went to Edinburgh to see if an old friend of mine had made it out of the rather tumultuous area of Asia we had a few joint adventures in back in the 80s. Unfortunately the family home had been sold and nothing known about the whereabouts of Paula "Goldielocks" McGlynn.
But - what a fantastic city is Edinburgh! So glad I got to spend that week there
Born in London, father in RAF so moved around a fair bit (but also got to spend a year and a half in Singapore), ended up in Ely, University was Leeds, worked in Cambridge and London until I moved to Munich in Germany over 30 years ago. But my roots are in Lancashire - definitely a northerner at heart.
I run in fields, woods and around lakes to the north of Munich. With the occasional castle and not so occasional beer garden. The Alps are just down the road, not that I get very far when running there, but it has been known. Being in Central Europe opens up all sorts of possibilities and in my short running career I have run in France, Italy, Austria, Portugal, England, Ireland and Scotland (not Wales though!). Business travel takes me to other German cities, so far Berlin, Leipzig, Cologne, Düsseldorf and Frankfurt.
You can’t really tell I’m collecting, can you! Not bad for a year and a half!
Live in Kent, work in London, was born in Greece and moved to Britain 12 years ago. Thanks for asking, I was wondering too! Love this community and all the shootings people in it
I work in Southport in the community, lovely place so I can choose to run Formby or around the lake in Southport on way home , IF I ever get to run around the lake iv been told it’s the equivalent to a 5k run 🏃🏼♀️👌
I've had a quick scan through and can't see anyone from right down on the South Coast here, a little place called Hill Head, Fareham, Hants sandwiched between Portsmouth (Pompey!) and Southampton!!
I live on the other side of the boerewors curtain in the northern suburbs in Cape Town, South Africa. Come visit anytime! We have lots of parkruns all over the place if you want to be a park run tourist.
Well welcome! I was born in Newcastle upon Tyne so I'm a proper Geordie !
Then as a baby I was taken home to mining village north of Newcastle called Hazelrigg ,then teenage years was again further north another mining village called Seaton Burn. I then left home,joined the army and married a wonderful man and now we live in Herefordshire.He is retired and me ? I'm semi retired
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