CR2...That wasn’t in the plan! Advice please 😬🤔

[MinnieMoo55]

After shutting the laptop, getting changed and some dynamic stretches 🤸🏻‍♀️ (OK, maybe not quite like that!) I set off on tonight’s 🏃‍♀️ with a plan to run by the river where I first did 20 minutes non stop 😊 I thought it would be great for a bit of confidence after the fiasco of CR1 🙏

So it started well enough, and I felt comfortable, as I got to 15 minutes though, as if on queue, my ear bud fell out of my 👂😱

What to do? Should I carry on running or stop? If I stopped could I claim to have done a proper CR? 🥺

I stopped. I looked. I took off my jacket and shook it. I searched on the ground, scuffed up the 🍁 walking backwards and forwards in some vain attempt to see this small object.

Disappointed because I couldn’t find it and I’d stopped 🏃‍♀️ I gave up, started Jo again and ran through the cool down walk to make up the 5 minutes lost to searching before doing 5 minutes walk home. So I did 🏃‍♀️ for 30 minutes albeit with a 5 minute stop in the middle!

Amazingly, when I got home and took off my jacket I found it stuck inside the lining 😂

BUT perhaps I need to change my ear gear so what do you recommend?

[Jools2020 Graduate]

Aftershokz Trekz Titanium bone conduction headphones. You don’t have to put anything in your ear, so there’s nothing to fall out, and they work really well. There are probably others, but I only have experience of these.

[nowster Graduate in reply to Jools2020]

I got some Aftershokz Aeropex in the Amazon Prime day discount period. Odd feeling but you get used to it.

[Speedy60 Graduate in reply to nowster]

I have these. Love them. 👍

[MinnieMoo55 Graduate in reply to Jools2020]

Thanks for the suggestion Jooles2020. I love the idea of being able to hear everything around me but some reviews suggest your music/podcasts aren’t very loud and I can be a bit of a deaf bat at times. What do you think? Have you found this to be a problem? 🤔

[Jools2020 Graduate in reply to MinnieMoo55]

I don’t have a problem with the volume and when I was going through the programme I usually ended up turning the app down a bit! 👍

[MinnieMoo55 Graduate in reply to Jools2020]

That’s good to know. Thank you 😊

[Magellan Graduate]

It's still a CR. And you found your ear-bud. So win-win. I'd get some new earphones. I use these: amazon.co.uk/Anker-Headphon...

They came with the rubber pieces in three different sizes and they've never fallen out, my husband has the same set and they are fine for him too. Because they’re connected not only will you not lose them if one ear comes out, but even if both come out you’ll spot them. Also they have a clip so if you want to clip the wire to your vest you can

The point of consolidation runs is to keep you in the habit of running. In C25K you gradually lose your walking time and for the last three and a bit weeks there's no walking at all, so it can seem as if the way to progress is simply to run continuously for longer and longer. That's a good way to get you to 30 minutes or to 5k, but it's not necessary for your future improvement. I've run continuously for 14km which took me over 90 minutes, and I'm training for a Half Marathon, so I'm pretty happy with the sum total of my post-C25k consolidation, and it has included a good deal of run-walk sessions, or sessions with a break partway through to chat to a friend as they pass, or to someone whose garden looks nice.

You mustn't think that you have to keep following the same pattern of three weekly continuous runs of incrementally increasing lengths of time. You can have some short runs, some slow runs and some long runs where you break every three minutes for a half minute of walking. They'll still count, as does your run that got interrupted for the sake of your ear bud. Slow running or running with walking breaks are very good things to do. They work on the muscles that you use for running just like a fast run would, but the slower speed or the frequent pauses mean your legs aren't subjected to the same degree of wear and tear.

Running for 30 minutes with a break in the middle is a perfectly legitimate CR, and a perfectly legitimate way of training once you feel you've successfully consolidated.

I hope you keep on enjoying yourself with running.

[nowster Graduate in reply to Magellan]

I have some Bluetooth earphones very similar to those. Probably an older model. I can recommend.

[MinnieMoo55 Graduate in reply to Magellan]

Thank you Magellan 😊

I’ve had fun this morning checking out all sorts of reviews for running headphones and some swear by the connection wire between headphones and others hate it.

What I like about your suggestion is that they’re cheap enough that I can buy them and give them a go without breaking the 🏦😁 and I could put others on my Christmas list (did I really just say that?!!) if I want to go full wireless in due course 😊

Also, thank you for responding about the 🏃‍♀️

I’m a bit of a perfectionist and I do wonder whether I’m taking it all too seriously and just need to chill out and enjoy it! After all, it’s the best way to keep going rather than pile on the pressure.

You’re post has just given me permission to do just that!

Good luck with your half marathon training 🏃‍♀️

[CazzaW Graduate]

Am very pleased to hear you did your warm up dynamic exercises 👌😆 and sounds like a good run, despite ear bud gate 😬 glad you found it.

My new ones are very similar to Magellans.

Can’t believe that this time last week we still hadn’t finished, this week has whizzed by. At least we’re both still out there 🙌🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️

Have a lovely weekend 😊

[MinnieMoo55 Graduate in reply to CazzaW]

I hadn’t thought about how recently we’ve graduated and so it’s not surprising that we’re still finding our feet 🦶 literally! 😂

I’ll also respond to your post because I think we’re feeling pretty similar/having similar experiences 😊

I hope you have a fab weekend too. I’ve got next week off so it should make running times a bit easier without having to get out in the dark 😁

[CazzaW Graduate in reply to MinnieMoo55]

Ooh lovely, a week off 👌enjoy 😊

[acountrycabbage Graduate]

Well done for getting out there Minnie. A run is a run 💛👍🏼

[MinnieMoo55 Graduate in reply to acountrycabbage]

Yes, I definitely trying to change my mindset 😊

[Dups Graduate]

I don’t think it matters that you stopped to look for your earbud....you still did a 30 minute run, so I reckon that’s a consolidation run 👍🏻😊

[MinnieMoo55 Graduate in reply to Dups]

Thanks Dups I think I just need to enjoy the run and stop worrying so much about getting it ‘right’ if that makes sense 😆

[Dups Graduate]

Yeah it does make sense. The pressure is off now we have graduated. My mind set it just to enjoy the running without worrying about pace or how far.

My thought is that pace and km will just happen when it happens 😊

Enjoy your next run 👍😊

[MinnieMoo55 Graduate in reply to Dups]

It’s taken me a little while to understand that. I’m obviously far more of a rule follower than I thought I was 😂

However, I now feel much better with a bit of self realisation 😂😂

Let’s hope we can dodge the rain for our next runs 🏃‍♀️👍