Don't watch the watch !

[Instructor57]

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 ! 😊

[carolinestanford Graduate]

Well done you 😊

[Instructor57 Graduate in reply to carolinestanford]

Thank you caroline 😊👍

[Roxdog Graduate]

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 Graduate in reply to Roxdog]

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 👍

[Roxdog Graduate in reply to Instructor57]

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 Graduate in reply to Roxdog]

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

[Birdlady64 Graduate in reply to Roxdog]

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 Graduate in reply to Birdlady64]

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 Graduate]

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 😂

[Instructor57 Graduate in reply to Jools2020]

haha, i have done that so many times lol 😂

but today , NO

it's actually the first time i have managed not to peek 😂

[Jools2020 Graduate in reply to Instructor57]

😂😂😂

[IngridKW Graduate]

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 👍

[Instructor57 Graduate in reply to IngridKW]

Thanks Ingrid 😁👍

It's sooooo hard not to peek 😂

[Birdlady64 Graduate]

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 Graduate]

Well Done!! 👏👏👏

[Instructor57 Graduate in reply to 9weeks2Run]

Thank you 😁👍

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate]

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 Graduate in reply to AlMorr]

Thanks Al 😁👍🏃

[Hidden]

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! 🏃

[Instructor57 Graduate in reply to Hidden]

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 😁

[Hidden in reply to Instructor57]

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 Graduate]

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!! 😄❤️

[Instructor57 Graduate in reply to Fabulous450]

You never watch your watch ?

Wow, I'm impressed 😂

[Fabulous450 Graduate in reply to Instructor57]

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! 😂 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 Graduate in reply to Fabulous450]

I like that!

Sometimes you can get too involved with numbers .

It's nice just to enjoy the run 😁👍

[Fabulous450 Graduate in reply to Instructor57]

😂 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 Graduate in reply to Fabulous450]

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

[Fabulous450 Graduate in reply to Instructor57]

Most definitely!! 😁😁🤩❤️

[MccHa Graduate]

Well done You 👏👏👏 4 runs a week sound good to me 👍👍👍

Nice to mix and match the runs!!!

[Instructor57 Graduate in reply to MccHa]

Might not be in a week but that's the mix 🙂

[MontyMooDog Graduate]

Yes. Some merit in leaving the watch at home now and again lol😂👍

[Tinytears60 Graduate]

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

[Sussex13 Graduate]

Well done!!

[Instructor57 Graduate in reply to Sussex13]

Thank you 😁👍