Did my regular Tuesday benchmark 30 minute run, pace and distance up significantly and 5 new PB’s according to Strava. I’m going to have to add a bit more distance to the run soon because I’m looping back to the start now before I have finished. Also loving the Strava segments feature, where you compete for best times with other runners who have run the same segments. Really motivates you to up your pace when you know where they are!
Happy Running everybody 😊
Tim
Well done, Rigpig, very inspiring. Must get out there and do the same. 👍🏃♀️🤝🏃♂️
Well done, you’re making great progress 👍💪
Great your running is going really well. Congratulations on all your pb's🥳
Are you using the 'basic' Strava or have you upgraded?
Well done btw!
I upgraded yesterday, 30 day free trial to make my mind up but I will probably keep it, I like the segments feature, there are quite a few of them on my routes.
So what does your Garmin do?
I am not very tech savvy so am just considering all options.
Well the Garmin App in conjunction with the watch is very sophisticated and as user friendly or tech savvy as you want it to be. I only use Garmin for my activities, It then sends the data off to Strava AND Nike Run Club for me to look at after the activity has happened. All of them have a massive overlap of features but each of them have a little extra that the others don't. I love looking at the numbers and seeing improvements each week.
I should also qualify the above by saying I am still finding new things to do with the Garmin and Strava and am by no means an expert. And any of them on it's own is probably more than any runner could ask for.
I had various Fitbits for years and was very invested in them, I switched to Apple watch for a while but didn't like it (surprising because I'm an Apple nerd) then went back to Fitbit, having now switched to Garmin, which was a difficult choice, It's by far the best of the ones I have used.
I have a Fitbit but surprisingly don't use it for my running mainly because I can't see the screen properly when it's sunny. One of the reasons I was thinking about another kind of watch but do you wear it all the time? I kind of like my own straightforward watch so don't really want to change. Atm I'm wearing a watch AND my Fitbit 🙄
I wear the Garmin all the time, there are lots of different ones to choose from. Mine is big and bulky and probably wouldn't suit most Women, My Mum is a big Fitbit fan and wears hers alongside her regular watch but she has been looking at Garmin as we used to compete on steps (She's 75 and regularly beat me!)
There are lots of Garmin's that look like regular watches for all tastes I think.
I guess I'll take a look 🤔
I have a garmin vivoactive 4s which is smaller, i bought it for the gps and music after i dropped my phone, Willow got it for my birthday in the end, and i love it, had worn fitbit for several years and owned several, the garmin gives me oxygen levels and all sorts of things that i done need, i have it looking like a digital watch but there are many many watch faces to choose from oh and i bought a leather strap for it
That sounds 'up my street'. Thanks for that. I'll peruse the internet 🤪
There is a vivomore that is beautiful if you don’t need music they do a rose gold one that i was so tempted with until i dropped my phone
But that would mean I'd have to take my phone out too? Can you get BBC Sounds on the Garmin? 🤔
If it's a Garmin that supports music and you can download the program as an MP3 then yes, most of the BBC sounds stuff is available as MP3 I think and if you google it I'm sure there are plenty of "how to" guides.
Hmmm! Thanks 👍
Apparently there is a Spotify app for Garmin, podcasts can be synced easily to your watch using this method which covers most things but not BBC apparently 
😫
Does Strava have a voice telling you how far you've run etc? I was trying to find it but couldn't. I know Mapmyrun has it.
I'm pretty sure it does but not something I have used. I carry my phone with me and the Garmin gives me my heart rate every so often via my phone and through my headphones so I'm sure it can do whatever you set it up to do. The only reason I carry my phone is habit and I'm afraid that my Bluetooth headphones will fall out so use my wired ones instead. I should really get this all set up properly and ditch the phone I suppose!
Well done. Glad you had a good run today. 😃
Great effort there Rigpig, you are really smashing it with huge bounds and strides - literally.👍
Testament to the fact that while we might be members of the Snail Brigade during our c25k journey, the snail can slither at speed after building up post graduation! Good to hear and well done.
(And you've set me off looking at Garmin watches again....)
Isn’t improvement exciting? well done i think i will do a benchmark run next time, a timed one and then same again each week same day what a good idea!
Top tip. Look for a point to transition from brisk walk to run and remember it so that you start in the same place each time., then remember where you finish and be impressed as you pass your old finish points week after week. I’m running for nearly 3 minutes past my first finish point now which adds quite a distance in the same time. Strava will start to group these runs for you and show you the improvements you have made.
Wow that’s impressive, we always start running at the same point because once round takes us about 5 minutes, one day we were trying to work out how many times we’d been round the track and it was 10 for about 5k and we laughed because at the beginning we said one day we may be able to run all the way round without stopping so our benchmark run would be there
Today we wanted to run but Willow has knee pain and i had a grumpy day but we are ok now
You're doing fab, Tim, well done 😊 🏃 👏
I really like this idea, I'm going to give it a try in a couple of weeks ☺
I really look forward to it every week now, there are 2 Strava segments on my route as well so I push a bit harder to see if I can move up the leader board a little bit 
Week 8 Run 1 - Three More Minutes Are (Not) Impossible
Does distance ever improve?
Just 1 more to go...😢😢
Not improving
