19th Consolidation Run

[Dodgylungs]

I completed my first 5K on the Nike Running Club app. I feel very proud of myself for completing this run. I had a friend along today who pushed me when I felt like stopping. However, according to my FitBit it was only 4.88km and my friend said it was the same by his Strava, so I think next time I will set my FitBit to 5K and adhere to that.

But I’ll take the win and here’s proof that according to NRC this was my first 5K run outdoors. The truth is I woke up feeling awful today having had a flu jab a few days ago. I had a headache and my lungs felt heavy. My friend said that I sounded very wheezy when I was running and was coughing a fair bit. I am due to go back to the hospital to assess my asthma medication. I figure things can’t be that bad if I can run 5K when not feeling great.

I also felt sick again today. I went to Hove yesterday which was a 4 hour plus round trip and ate some not great food on the way home. My body seems to penalise me if I don’t eat right. I also took my Valsartan blood pressure medication before today’s run and I’ve read on here that other people struggle when they take this before a run. In future I will take the meds after my run.

It was great running with someone who I know is capable of running 5K in 20mins. He was very patient with me and kept his pace at my level, which must have been boring for him but he never complained. I figure now I’ve run the 5K I can start to work on speeding up over the next weeks and months.

Coach Bennett’s jabbering annoyed me today and at one point I shouted at him to shut up and my friend asked me who I was taking to. I told him Coach Bennett on the app talks too much. He looked at me like I was nuts. Perhaps I am 😂

Onwards and upwards!

[Blossom- Graduate]

Yay, well done! A fabulous achievement! I did NRC Today's 5k run this morning too. Took me 45 mins! I think the cold might affect my breathing as I struggled a bit. But hey it's 5k! Well done us! 💥🍾🎉

[Dodgylungs Graduate in reply to Blossom-]

Well done on your run. The cold definitely affects breathing. You are on your way. First distance and the pace will come later. In my case, much much later. It's 5K and we should be happy with that!

[misswobble Graduate]

Well done! Congratulations 🥳.

Coach Bennett is fab! 😃

Speed comes later. Slow running and carefully increasing distance will help you build strength and lung power 🙂

Coach tells you to be patient and he’s right

Have fun and take care 👍

[Dodgylungs Graduate in reply to misswobble]

Yes, the slow running is definitely working for me.

[misswobble Graduate in reply to Dodgylungs]

I like slow running up hills. Helps strengthen the midriff and waist area 🙂

[Dodgylungs Graduate in reply to misswobble]

Yes that’s true!

[pr0fess0r Graduate]

Congratulations David, that's great!

[Dodgylungs Graduate in reply to pr0fess0r]

Thanks Lucas!

[LauraRuns Graduate]

Wooo congrats on your 5k! 🥳 imagine what it will be like when you’re feeling 100% if you managed this today whilst not feeling great. Sounds like the encouragement of your friend really spurred you on.

[Dodgylungs Graduate in reply to LauraRuns]

Thanks Laura! Yes, first time I’ve run with someone and happy I managed to complete!

[Rennur Graduate]

That's not slow running in my books. If you can do all that feeling under the weather at CR19 then you can only get better at this game.

[Dodgylungs Graduate in reply to Rennur]

That’s true. Hoping I feel better for my next run and that I can start completing 5K with relative comfort.

[BonniesRest Graduate]

Sounds like a great run against the odds! Brilliant. Had to laugh when you said Coach Bennett talks too much 😂 I think I feel like that when I’m a bit fed up, but generally he’s really helped me, especially on longer runs. Anyway congrats and lovely that you have your friend with you to keep you motivated. Happy running! 🏃‍♂️ ☀️

[Dodgylungs Graduate in reply to BonniesRest]

Thanks Bonnie! You are correct, he annoys me when I’m struggling. The flip side of that is that his ramblings distract me from the discomfort during the run. Though it wasn’t working quite as well on this run! I’m actually looking forward to running a slightly different route tomorrow, which is back to the route I used to walk/run when I first started the C25K and involves a few more inclines but the key thing is that the run will be finished before I reach the usual finishing spot. Then I’ll have have to find a way of extending the route further to start working towards 10K. In the terrain when I live that is going to involve a lot of inclines!

[BonniesRest Graduate in reply to Dodgylungs]

I hear you! It’s very hilly here too and I struggle to find a flatter run so sometimes need to drive somewhere else to do that. I’ve found the inclines and hill and trail running, although very testing, have improved my stamina overall and now a flat run almost feels like cheating 😂 Good luck with your next run ☀️

[Dodgylungs Graduate in reply to BonniesRest]

Thank you. I think because my lungs are not great (my friend said yesterday he could hear me wheezing and coughing) I have given myself permission to run downhill when possible. I’m going to attempt a bit more of an incline based route tomorrow and see where I go from there. Between feeling sick, my various injuries and wheezing like an old cart horse, it’s challenging running at times whether the terrain be flat or full of hills and inclines. All I can do is take each run as it comes and try to push myself in a healthy way. I increased my pace and distance yesterday but found the run tough. Perhaps a few more sessions with my friend will enable me to push on a bit more. We will see.