I have decided to post this here on Couch as this is where it all started .
(I usually post on Bridge to 10K)
So It was 2 years today (24th May 2020) when I first put on my trainers and tentatively went out for C25K W1R1 during first lockdown at the age of 63 having never run before .
And yes, it nearly killed me !
And to top it off, when I got back I didn't do any stretches.
I spent the night in bed with my quads in agony and the most of my rest day with ice packs on them .
I did however manage run2 after 1 day rest .
From this point on I have religiously done the Dynamic warm ups and the post run stretches as referred to in the programme guide
If you haven't read it then I suggest you get yourself a cuppa and do so now 😁
I managed to continue through the programme with just 1 days rest up to and including W8R1 where I injured my pirifomis by going for an over enthusiastic sprint Finnish .
I now have those wise words of IannodaTruffe etched into my brain !
'Conversational pace' 'Conversational pace' anything more is too fast !!!
I of course now know this to be true !
Thank you Tim !
I ended up having 2 Osteopath (Or is it Psychopath) appointments and a session with a sports physio who happens to be an extreme marathon runner , and now my go to physio !
He managed to get me back running after 18 days off .
I then managed to go out and complete W8R2 albeit, very slowly !
My graduation run was quite emotional, thinking back over my C25K journey and all the VRB's I had met through this forum , most of which are still here and running !
Thank you all for your support and friendship through our journeys.
Fast forward a bit now after many 5K's , 10K's and up to 9 miles 10 months ago !
Been a proud member of this amazing admin team here on the running forums now for 12 months, Firstly as an Ambassador then more recently as an Admin and it's a pleasure to work alongside you all .
I have had several setbacks during the last few months which many of you already know but keep fighting back and pushing forward and currently working my way through the NRC HM plan and recently completed the James Dunne 30 day challenge strength and mobility program .
Today's run was an Intervals run !
Yes I know , not conversational pace !
And definitely not for during C25K.
It was great fun (Even though I used to avoid them) I now enjoy them ! And I see others have started to do so as well 😁👍
Today was 20 X 30 second run intervals at mile pace (Appart from interval 1 and 11 which were at 5K pace!) Followed by 1 minute active recovery.
I thoroughly enjoyed this run and it absolutely wiped me out 🥵 but great fun , and what better way to celebrate 2 years of running !
Long may it continue .
Have fun everyone , read the guide , keep hydrated and remember, 'Conversational pace'
Oh, and not sure if he will curse me or not for this but , Happy Birthday to our one and only Mr AlMorr 🎉🎉🎉
Written by
Instructor57
Graduate
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Thank you very much Ian for wishing me a happy 76th birthday and congratulations to you on your 2nd anniversary of starting C25K, Many runners on this forum have said that run 1 of week 1 is the most demanding run of all and some thought that they were going to die, of course they didn't but you seem to have had a hard time on that first run, from then on it wasn't so bad,
I am so happy that you had a good run today. I am not running today but hope to run 8K tomorrow.
Happy Birthday 🎈🎉 did I really read you are 76 years young and planning on a 8K tomorrow? I am so ashamed of myself I can’t run any more than a 5. An 8 would def take the wind out my sails actually I just couldn’t even try. Well done you, hope you have a great day. Enjoy.
Thank you Digdeep on wishing me a happy birthday, yes I am 76 years old or young as you say, you have nothing to be ashamed of, take all your runs slow and steady, I am having a lovely birthday today. 😊 🎂
Thanks Cath78, I am enjoying my birthday, every day at 2 pm I take my neighbours dog Holly a walk, today Hollies owner gave me new running clothes, that was very nice of him.
Thank you very much Oldgirlruns on wishing me a happy birthday, I have had a lovely day, my neighbour, that's the owner of Holly the dog who I take a walk every day at 2 pm gave me some running clothes including a rain jerkin for running, no excuse for not going to a parkrun if it's raining.I seem to have "hijacked" Instructor57' original post but I do notice that it was Ian on this post who wished me a happy birthday first. 🎂🎂🎂👍🏃🏾
Actually Hedgehogs123 I have just returned from my midweek run and am now eating another ice cream chocolate swirl, this mornings run was 8K ran in a time of 58:07, thanks for the belated birthday🎂greetings, I had a lovely day yesterday. 😊
That was an excellent time. I always like to reward myself on my longer runs with something yummy on my return, makes the run much more worth it!! Enjoy!!🤣🏃♀️🍨🍦
I did enjoy thanks, the run was ran in a park only a 3 minutes walk from where I live, not my usual around the loch run, there is a Primary School next to this park, I began the run at exactly 9 o'clock when the bell rang, I was congratulated by non other than 3 people walking their dogs, around about the 3K distance, then at around 7K another man using a walking stick shouted to me 'well done' and at the very end of the run as I stopped I told another man walking his dog that I had just ran 8K, he also congratulated me, so unusual to get as much praise in that park, it made my day after my birthday yesterday.
Happy runniversary! The trials and tribulations, setbacks snd triumphs , they are all part of that running journey! Hopefully lots of triumphs to come! Thanks for being a constant presence on the forum and for all your support!
What a journey, what ups and downs you’ve had, that looks like quite a workout, I’m on week 1 of that plan and much less intervals, have fun and keep running
We did sort of start out about the same time. I had originally started in the late March of 2020, but had to stop. Tried again in April, but had the same problems. Worked out they were due to medication. Came off the medication at the end of May, got infected bites from red spider mites (this is now a recurring theme each summer), then properly started with four Week 1 runs over the course of a fortnight in the June. You graduated at the start of August, me at the end of it.
I've also had my share of physio visits. It's definitely a learning process. The most important thing you learn is to listen to your body and know when you shouldn't be running, something you often remind me about. 🤣
Thanks Paul !Yes we were around the same time , I remember your journey !
There was another who was around your time also and always replied to you , can't remember his name now but dosent appear to be around anymore !
Jools2020 also started at the same time as me (same day).
We have all had our ups and downs but still here !
And yes listening to our bodies will keep us going .
I've had a few niggly illnesses in the last few months but fingers crossed no running injuries since week 8 (well, a couple of minor niggles that's all )
Haha , any reminders to anybody about recovery are certainly meant with best intentions 😁
Great way to celebrate your runniversary, Ian, with some intervals! They are such good fun. I used to avoid them like the plague! I’ll try this one sometime soon. 👏👏👏👍🎉🍾
Happy 2 years! What a journey. From ice packs to set backs to strong finishes to giving sound advice and making me laugh! You have made this running malarkey all the more doable and fun. I hope Misty has made you a runniversary tea 🤣. Or perhaps she’s having a celebration snooze 💤. Here’s to many more years 🎉🎉🎉.
Brilliant post Instructor57 - it really does show what can happen when you embark on C25K! Although in my case I’m happy to do a slow 5km and not a lot else! Go you!
Thanks Brian , it was 12 months ago when I joined the admin team as an ambassador here on Couch and Bridge , but more recently as an admin which I get a lot of pleasure from 😁And here's to many more year running 😁🤞
Happy runnerversary.... I started a month th later... Unimaginable where you can get to incrementally.... Now on a hm plan and have just discovered James Dunne's 5 min warm up stretches...
Brilliant post with very wise words. You also reminded me, this week was also the time I decided to tackle C25K 2 years ago during lockdown and yep I remember that first run, week 1 was a killer, I was convinced that my 1 min of running was at least 10 mins or it felt like it!!! 🤣 . Never did I imagine I would go on to be totally addicted to ParkRun and be able to run 10 miles (without stopping for massive breaks in-between!)
Like my post a few days ago, during a run with good old Coach Bennett, I was reminded of all the things I'm grateful for and as you say, this forum and the people within it are brilliant. I love the fact there are 'regulars' who post often and full of motivation , support and advice for others. I will be eternally grateful for all the help I've had on here, I don't really know anyone on here and yet in one sense I do.
Anyway, that was a much longer answer than I planned, my apologies. I'm off to grab a coffee and click on the link you've posted re stretching, every day is a schhol day as I think the saying goes!! 😃🏃♀️
Enjoyed reading this, I’m still at the stage where I can’t really believe I can do 5k and have little expectation beyond that original goal. To hear of your progress despite setbacks is encouraging especially as we are same age and both previously non runners. Did my first 5k yesterday and, to be honest, it was probably the first time I fully took on board the ‘being able to hold a conversation’ advice l. It did feel super slow but so what?
Thank you and your welcome !And congratulations on that first 5K. 👍
And yes, the conversational pace is vital , especially on the longer runs and makes them so much more achievable and enjoyable and less stress on the body !
The tricky bit for me is always setting off slow enough at the beginning of a longer run so as I can let the pace creep up as the run unfolds .
I certainly remember my first 5k and 10k, they both wiped me out at the time and I remember thinking I won't go further than this 😁
Sorry Instructor57 but I missed this due to not being on the forum much the last few weeks for various reasons!...Happy belated 2nd runniversary - how time flies, and what a journey it's been. We've all had our ups and downs but am thankful to be still running (just about!)
And a very happy belated birthday to the one and only AlMorr . Sorry I missed that too!
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