Second Consolidation Run

[Dodgylungs]

In many ways this was one of my hardest runs. Though I was in the mood when I left the house it was 8.15am and I was feeling a bit hungry. In the past I have experienced sudden blood sugar drops during exercise and on the treadmill I would carry a protein bar in case that happened. I haven’t experienced that occurrence so far during these runs and thankfully it didn’t happen today.

However, it was one of those runs where I felt sluggish and my legs felt heavy. I switched coaches from Laura to Jo just by way of a change and I felt Jo was more natural sounding and her encouragement sounded more authentic. I don’t want to diss Laura after she helped me through the previous 10 weeks but I always thought her commentary was a bit wooden.

Anyhoo the first 5 minutes were relatively comfortable but it seemed to take an age before the 10 minute mark had been achieved. My head was doing its best to sabotage my run and kept saying ‘If you stop now you can have an early coffee.’ Steadfastly, Damaged Goods (how apt that is) by Gang Of Four drowned out the doubts and then Alternative Ulster by Stiff Little Fingers and I Wanna Be Your Dog by The Stooges saw me up the slight incline by the tennis courts on the Heath and on the path and by the time the bell rang for the 15 minute mark Ever Fallen In Love (don’t remind me) by The Buzzcocks and New Rose by The Damned were powering me through.

From 15-25 minutes were very difficult and I realised I wasn’t tip top either mentally or physically. My pace was 8mins per kilometre which is my average pace running outdoors. Much as I would prefer to improve that it is still about finishing. I started my descent down the lido path early with 8mins left which I knew meant I’d have to run around the lido and uphill along Mansfield Road for the last part of the run. When Jo announced there were 5 minutes to go I started feeling sick again.

I hadn’t eaten anything this morning and there was no way I was going to stop. After a minute or two the feeling thankfully subsided and I ran up and down Mansfield Road for the last 2 minutes to old favourites Lust For Life by Iggy Pop and London Calling by The Clash.

After I received Jo’s congratulations Velvet Underground’s I’m Waiting For The Man accompanied me to Gail’s for my skinny latte and pain au chocolate. I really felt like I deserved it today. I am so pleased that I didn’t allow my head to sabotage me. It was touch and go at times.

[Pnegirl Graduate]

Well done on completing a really tough run. You said you weren't sure if you were physically or mentally tip top between 15-25 minutes but you must have been as you beat the gremlins and completed the run. Having a lovely treat at the end is also a great reward for your hard work.

Ps. It's funny how protective/loyal we become of our C25k coaches, isn't it 😂

[Dodgylungs Graduate in reply to Pnegirl]

Yeah it is, I feel disloyal criticising Laura. Maybe we were married in a past life! 😂 I think I am much stronger than I realise. It’s just my head loves to take the easy option constantly.

[Pnegirl Graduate in reply to Dodgylungs]

Yes, I know what you mean with that. I'll be running and my head will suddenly, for no reason, put a thought in like 'you could just stop, you know, if you wanted' and I just have to shut it up and ignore it lol.

Ps. I know me and Sanjeev weren't married in a past life. There hasn't been a crossed word 😂...yet!

[Dodgylungs Graduate in reply to Pnegirl]

I’ve already told Laura to go for presentation skills training and she has reacted badly towards my perceived criticism and now I’ve run to Jo for solace. These relationships are so difficult aren’t they 😂

Our heads are the obstacle to negotiate in order to achieve our heart’s desires!

[Buzzbeebh Graduate]

Congratulations 🎉🎉 enjoyed reading your experience. I find that having half a banana about 10 minutes before I head out, and having a litre of water after waking me up helps head off a lack of energy or slump. You’ve proven that your mind helped you get through, and that’s inspiring. I like the thought of listening to Lust for Life on my W9R3 run, will keep that in mind

[Dodgylungs Graduate in reply to Buzzbeebh]

Thank you! I have eaten banana in the past. Lust For Life is a must for me!

[Elfe5 Graduate]

Very well done for digging deep & completing a tough run. 👍🏻

Iannodatruffe talks about having some banana & very dilute fruit juice (I think about 1 part juice to 8 parts water) before a morning run - I have found that very helpful advice. 😄

[Dodgylungs Graduate in reply to Elfe5]

Thank you for that. I have a hiatus hernia which means I sometimes can feel sick during a run. Really annoying but I somehow manage it. I might try the bite of banana and fruit juice.

[Elfe5 Graduate]

Ah - I too have a slight HH - it had never occurred to me that it might be the cause of me feeling a bit queasy during a run!😂 In fairness, mine is very well controlled by Omeprazole.

I find running later in the day works better for me - about 2-3 hours after a meal, but that’s just because I’m not a morning person. If I do have a morning run, I always have banana, the essential cup of tea & some dilute juice. 😄

[Dodgylungs Graduate in reply to Elfe5]

Mine is controlled my omeprazole too but it doesn’t stop me feeling sick sometimes, especially during swimming. I need to not eat in the mornings. I prefer running in the morning as it sets me up for the day ahead. I’ve done a few afternoons and I just feel more sluggish. I do want to mix it up though. Be good at all times if possible. I’ll start increasing my speed after a few more runs. See how my mind complains about that!!!

[pr0fess0r Graduate]

That's great, well done, it inspires me for when I get to the harder parts of the programme

[Dodgylungs Graduate in reply to pr0fess0r]

Excellent mate. It’s all mind over matter!

[acountrycabbage Graduate]

Great account of your run DL, well done for getting through it. The comfort of my tummy can often be a deciding factor as to how the run will turn out. Sounds like you just had an off day though? No doubt some rest will see you right 👍🏼

The pain au choc is thoroughly deserved. Next time you’re there, pick me up a Chelsea Bun would you? 😍😋😍

I have such a girl crush on Jo Wiley. Excellent taste in music aside, I was inspired by her having trained to do a triathlon for charity. Found her wise and witty throughout the course. Getting ready to ditch her for C1 though..! 😨🤭😄 Shhh..

[Dodgylungs Graduate in reply to acountrycabbage]

Thank you! Chelsea bun on hold for you! Do you mean ditch Jo for consolidation 1? You don’t need to ditch her. I’m going to keep repeating Week 9 Run 3 until I’m ready to move up to 10K. I like having the coach there. Might try a run without in a couple of weeks and see how I fare.

[acountrycabbage Graduate in reply to Dodgylungs]

I completely understand some people enjoying the comfort of keeping their trainer but I’m feeling ready to move on without Jo; just me, tunes and the open road 🤩

I may change my mind, who knows? Going to investigate other apps too. A few people have mentioned the Nike one offers individual training sessions with coaches.

Yep, C1 - Consolidation 1 - tomorrow 👍🏼 (Written that word too many times the last few days) 😄

[Dodgylungs Graduate in reply to acountrycabbage]

I tried one of my aborted runs without the coach and didn’t make it past 5 minutes but then I think I was a bit tired that day. Do Nike do a 10K app and is it free? Good luck with the run.

[acountrycabbage Graduate in reply to Dodgylungs]

I think it’s one app and within it there’s sessions of different lengths/distances with different coaches. I’ll see if I can find a thread on here about it.

[Dodgylungs Graduate in reply to acountrycabbage]

I’ve found the app and set it up

[JulesL69 Graduate]

Well done on your commitment ! I did my first consolidation run and ended it at 20 mins as was feeling under the weather...

Have you thought about running later in the day, when you have eaten ( obviously leave it a couple of hours before running), perhaps better than an empty stomach? I’m going to try going later as I think my legs might be better after walking about during the day then running after been idle all night? Not sure but will give it a go as I do like to get my runs out of the way in the mornings.

[Dodgylungs Graduate in reply to JulesL69]

Hey Jules, well done on 20 mins. Better to listen to your body and run when feeling better.

I know from experience that I’m better in the mornings. I just feel fresher and more determined. I used to run 5K down the gym at 6am three times a week and regularly mixed it up and my morning runs were always better. That said, my successful graduation run was in the afternoon, having already done a 20 mins run in the morning.

When I’ve been running for six months, I might experiment with running both morning and late afternoons. Just to see if it adds anything to my fitness. That’s a way off yet though as I want to do the 10K before that. I’ve been running for 1O weeks now and I reckon in another 11 weeks I’ll be running for an hour. I ran 31 minutes today and intend to try a 35 mins run next week.

Good luck with yours!

[JulesL69 Graduate in reply to Dodgylungs]

Thanks. Yes, it’s important to listen to our bodies.

I feel more determined in the mornings too. My legs didn’t feel too bad on this afternoon’s run but just didn’t have the energy to finish at 30 mins.

You seem to be smashing it and you will certainly be running an hour in no time. ☺️

[Dodgylungs Graduate in reply to JulesL69]

Thanks Jules. As much as I want to increase my time and distance I also have to be mindful of the fact that I’m still not finding the runs comfortable yet. So I’ll build gradually and see how I feel.