W1R3 complete! Wait, what????

I have to admit, I hmmmmm'd and rrrrr'd for a full hour this morning before making it out the door for this run.

I could feel the heat coming in from the bedroom curtains and knew it was going to be tough if I did it. Then I came up with lots of excuses why I didn't need to do it today and could do it tomorrow. 😬😬😬

But then I remembered all you lovely lot who are getting out there and doing it and so out I went.

It WAS hot and it WAS tough but the feeling that comes with hearing 2 runs left, last run....kept me going, that and being able to smile at other runners and knowing I actually had no excuses. If they can do it so can I!

I wanted to ask about having 2 rest days now as I have told myself I'll stick to doing Mon, Weds, Fri.

I'm scared that Week 2 Run 1 is going to be so hard after a 2 day break. Does it make a difference? What sort of patterns do people use?

Another question - fuel before running.

I ran on an empty stomach this morning, I drank water and that was it. Going to make a nice breakfast now. Curious about what others do about fueling their bodies prior to running.

Any advice appreciated.

Have a lovely day everyone and take it easy xx

[Jenny115 Graduate]

I have always run on set days, it used to be Tues, Thurs and Sun, but more recently Mon, Wed and Fri. It never made any difference to my running to have one 2 day gap. I never eat before a run. If it's a morning run I have a glass of water and eat after and if an evening run,i hydrate all day and again eat after.

[Hidden in reply to Jenny115]

Thanks for that Jenny. That's good to know. 👍😊

[Instructor57 Graduate]

Well done on completing week 1 👍

And we'll done on beating the gremlins haha.

They are always there telling you not to bother it will be fine .

Having said that , there is nothing wrong with having 2 rest days !

Do what ever works for you , if you can run 2 or 3 times a week that's great !

Sometimes you will maybe sometimes you won't .

It won't make a huge difference.

As far as eating is concerned , you should ideally leave 1.5 to 2 hours after a meal before running.

If I am doing a run at silly o'clock in the morning i just have a cup of tea and also some water .

When I get back it's more water and usually a banana.

Then breakfast often after s shower or bath 😁

[VPOLLIE67 Graduate]

Good for you!!! That’s brilliant!!!!

I was up to go for my run this morning but those gremlins persuaded me not to go 😱😱! I’m definitely going this evening though.

It’s good to hear about the issue of eating before or after. I was concerned on my second run that I was running on empty but it makes more sense to wait until after the run to eat.

Definitely running this evening!!! 🏋🏻‍♀️ powering through hahahahaha.

[acountrycabbage Graduate]

Well done for persevering and getting out the door!

I managed to do W2 R1 this morning and - yes - my gosh the heat by 8:30am was immense!

I doubt a two day break will make any difference before starting your new week. It’s only a minor change in the run pattern so if anything you might feel more refreshed and raring to go by the time Monday rolls around

In W1 I really wanted to push beyond the 60s runtime so today the increase to 90s felt good. (Hard in the heat though!)

Previously I used to run in the evening before dinner but looking back I think that attributed to my burnout because I hadn’t eaten since lunch.

Now, morning runs seem to suit me much better. I’m usually rubbish at eating breakfast but have found that a banana half an hour before heading out makes me feel more comfortable and energised than an empty tum.

Also, running or not, I’m big on hydration all day everyday!

[Jcksam]

Hey you you’re catching me up! Well done on running in the heat , I’m not sure sure I would have been so brave but all hail the conquering hero! I bet you you feel fab being able to relax for a couple of days!

[chunkypie Graduate]

Well done on completing the first week. I normally run Monday Wednesday and Saturday.

On a run day i cut back on food and just eat light meals and dont eat three or fours hours before. On a day when im not running i eat like a pig tbh and drink as much water as i can

[Tigger64 Graduate]

Well done . 2 day break has me bee affected me and as I hit further into the programme I found my Mon run was good for having 2 days rest . I always run first thing in the morning and eat on my return. I find it really important to make sure that I have drunk enough the previous day, at least 1 litre of water. I notice it in my performance if I haven’t.

[Hidden in reply to Tigger64]

Thanks Tigger, hydration is something I need to improve on. I wasn't great at it before I started running so I definitely need to remember to drink more now z

[Kish247 Graduate]

How did you feel after the 2 day rest? I used to rest for 2 days and have stopped doing that and just run every other day but that's mainly because I want to finish before I go on holiday. The biggest thing I found on rest days was to make sure I still went out for a 20ish minute walk to make sure things keep moving.

For food, I never used to eat before but my partner said she saw something online about having a spoonful of peanut butter before going out for a run. I tried it on my first 25min run and I've done it ever since. I have absolutely no idea if it even gives me energy but I'm too scared not to do it now until I finish the programme but I'll try running without after the programme to see if ever made a difference haha.

Banana and sipping loads of water throughout the day after your run will help.