Don't watch the watch !: A nice steady 5K this... - Couch to 5K

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Don't watch the watch !

Instructor57 profile image
Instructor57Graduate
β€’34 Replies

A nice steady 5K this morning keeping a nice steady comfortable pace and not watching the watch to check my pace !

i did a nice brisk warm up walk , watch set to run and when i got to my start line set the watch going and didn't look at it again until i knew i was very close to the 5K

i'm trying to do a 4 run cycle of.

1 long slow run

1 short quicker run

1 comfortable 5K

1 Quicker 5K

Today was my comfortable 5K day

these are not necessarily done in any sequence other than the 2 quicker ones are not one after the other .

i just kept the run at a conversational pace which puts me around 70-75% of my MHR, that's all i need to know .

at the end when i stopped the watch i noticed my average pace was 7:30 which is certainly quicker than my first couple of 5K's and that was without trying or pushing my pace .

it will be interesting to see how things may change over time ! 😊

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Instructor57 profile image
Instructor57
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34 Replies
β€’
carolinestanford profile image
carolinestanfordGraduate

Well done you 😊

Instructor57 profile image
Instructor57Graduateβ€’ in reply tocarolinestanford

Thank you caroline πŸ˜ŠπŸ‘

Roxdog profile image
RoxdogGraduate

Sounds like a good plan and having a no targets 5k run is good I think.

I also ran a 5k this morning. I had originally planned to do a short test run after the niggle in my hamstring at the weekend, but it was such a lovely morning and everything felt fine, so I did a detour at the end to reach 5k. Like you, I didn't look at time or pace, I just speeded up when I felt like it. I'm managing hills and slopes much better now.

When I finished I noticed my pace was faster, particularly towards the end.

Lovely to get that early morning run in!

Instructor57 profile image
Instructor57Graduateβ€’ in reply toRoxdog

yes, it good not to get too tied up in numbers but then interesting to see at the end 😊

i am also finding the slopes a lot more comfortable .

pleased you had no more niggles πŸ‘

Roxdog profile image
RoxdogGraduateβ€’ in reply toInstructor57

I still have to get my phone out to check speed/distance and am determined not to buy a watch. I will definitely not be able to resist looking at it!

Instructor57 profile image
Instructor57Graduateβ€’ in reply toRoxdog

Ahh well I know this route so well now I know exactly when I have run 5k 😬

Birdlady64 profile image
Birdlady64Graduateβ€’ in reply toRoxdog

Great stuff

Interesting you should say you are tackling slopes much better. I've (almost) been thinking the same thing Myself! 😁

That is a mental challenge for me. Hills are my nemesis 😀

Roxdog profile image
RoxdogGraduateβ€’ in reply toBirdlady64

I think I've benefited from all the glute strengthening exercises and now still see slopes or hills as a challenge, but a challenge I can rise to (slowly). Good luck, we are all getting stronger! I am boring everyone to death at home, so good job I have the forum!

Jools2020 profile image
Jools2020Graduate

Well done, Ian! Your plan looks good.

I don’t know how you avoid looking at your watch. I keep telling myself not to, but then I sneak a look with one eye, as if that doesn’t count πŸ˜‚

Instructor57 profile image
Instructor57Graduateβ€’ in reply toJools2020

haha, i have done that so many times lol πŸ˜‚

but today , NO

it's actually the first time i have managed not to peek πŸ˜‚

Jools2020 profile image
Jools2020Graduateβ€’ in reply toInstructor57

πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚

IngridKW profile image
IngridKWGraduate

Well done, that’s the hard part not looking at the watch although now I am relying on listening to the KM announcement on Map my Run.

Keep it up you are doing great πŸ‘

Instructor57 profile image
Instructor57Graduateβ€’ in reply toIngridKW

Thanks Ingrid πŸ˜πŸ‘

It's sooooo hard not to peek πŸ˜‚

Birdlady64 profile image
Birdlady64Graduate

A good run for you this morning!

Your plan sounds great. It mixes things up a bit which is nice.

I might try the no targets, no watch thing for my next 5k run which will probably be next Wednesday now

9weeks2Run profile image
9weeks2RunGraduate

Well Done!! πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘

Instructor57 profile image
Instructor57Graduateβ€’ in reply to9weeks2Run

Thank you πŸ˜πŸ‘

AlMorr profile image
AlMorrAmbassadorGraduate

That was a very good run for you today Instructor57, you sure enjoyed it, keep on running as it says in my favourite running song. well done.

Instructor57 profile image
Instructor57Graduateβ€’ in reply toAlMorr

Thanks Al πŸ˜πŸ‘πŸƒ

Again, Very well done Ian. Great run! This is a good step ahead of me. I don’t know what to change next so very interested in what you are doing. Well done you! πŸƒ

Instructor57 profile image
Instructor57Graduateβ€’ in reply to

Thanks Chrissie, well eventually I want to increase my pace , but you can't do that just by Running faster , you need short faster interval runs or fartleks then also comfortable runs and long slow runs then your base pace will start to improve.

Running slowly makes faster runners 😁

β€’ in reply toInstructor57

Thank you Ian, I will keep going with the basic 5k’s for a few more times but know that I will need to change things eventually. Thank you for the good advice 😊

Fabulous450 profile image
Fabulous450Graduate

That’s fantastic Instructor57!! As someone who never watches the watch 😊, I think it’s a great way to run for fun and occasionally be so very nicely surprised at what happened afterwards!! πŸ˜„β€οΈ

Instructor57 profile image
Instructor57Graduateβ€’ in reply toFabulous450

You never watch your watch ?

Wow, I'm impressed πŸ˜‚

Fabulous450 profile image
Fabulous450Graduateβ€’ in reply toInstructor57

No...I have only just got my Garmin, so it’s not something I’m used to doing. Now I have it, I only look if I need to remember what I’m supposed to be doing next in the running session I’m doing! πŸ˜‚ I very rarely look at what the next run is until the day I’m going out too. I guess I think it might put me off or give me an excuse not to go, so I don’t give it any thought. After the run, I haven’t got any choice but to just see how I did. It works well for me. 😊❀️

Instructor57 profile image
Instructor57Graduateβ€’ in reply toFabulous450

I like that!

Sometimes you can get too involved with numbers .

It's nice just to enjoy the run πŸ˜πŸ‘

Fabulous450 profile image
Fabulous450Graduateβ€’ in reply toInstructor57

πŸ˜‚ I probably should be more involved to be honest, but I really can’t see it happening! And I doubt that bit about running will change for me. 😳 Though I’m still excited about PB’s when they arrive of course. 😁 ❀️

Instructor57 profile image
Instructor57Graduateβ€’ in reply toFabulous450

Of course the PB's are nice but even nicer when they are a surprise 😬

Fabulous450 profile image
Fabulous450Graduateβ€’ in reply toInstructor57

Most definitely!! 😁😁🀩❀️

MccHa profile image
MccHaGraduate

Well done You πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘ 4 runs a week sound good to me πŸ‘πŸ‘πŸ‘

Nice to mix and match the runs!!!

Instructor57 profile image
Instructor57Graduateβ€’ in reply toMccHa

Might not be in a week but that's the mix πŸ™‚

MontyMooDog profile image
MontyMooDogGraduate

Yes. Some merit in leaving the watch at home now and again lolπŸ˜‚πŸ‘

Tinytears60 profile image
Tinytears60Graduate

Well done Mister - I haven't got a watch to watch! :-)

Sussex13 profile image
Sussex13Graduate

Well done!!

Instructor57 profile image
Instructor57Graduateβ€’ in reply toSussex13

Thank you πŸ˜πŸ‘

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