On this, the day of love, I thought I’d declare my special love for a twenty minute run! It’s the one I do most often. I’ll never leave it behind!
We all know that run on the c25k program. The one you might start a little apprehensively but end with the biggest smile of the whole programme. You might have done it recently. I did it exactly a year and a month ago today. It was epic then and it is still epic now! You’re in for a treat if it’s coming up for the first time.
A twenty minute run is my absolute favourite run to do. Long enough to feel like you’ve got into it. Not long enough to need loads of time and planning. You can do it before breakfast, or in a lunch break, or when you’ve just come in from work and it doesn’t get in the way of life too much. It’s not too intimidating if you’re a bit tired.
Yesterday, I had a very small window to run. Still a bit tired after the weekend’s long and hilly run. Perfect for a twenty minute run. Kit on. Out of the door before I had chance to talk myself out of it. Five minutes walking to the gate where most of my runs start. From couch to 5k, I know exactly where 5 minutes walk away from home gets me to! It’s a lovely day and the sun is shining. I start slowly and patiently, knowing that the first ten minutes always feels tougher than the rest of the run. There are sheep in the field next to me but no lambs yet (see photo). The lane has a gentle upward slope but I’m not pushing myself-just skipping along enjoying being out. I’ve gone for a chilled drum and bass mix and the thought crosses my mind that maybe it’s still a bit fast for a chilled run! Music makes such a difference. I’m enjoying it though and after eight minutes, I’m feeling good and have hit a groove. Pleasantly surprised that that’s a toxic eight instead of a toxic ten-I’ve settled more quickly than usual. I spot a dog walker in the distance. Not wanting to have the awkward experience of running toward him and the immediately turning round and running past him again on hitting halfway, I decide to turn early. I’ll have to navigate some kissing gates on the way back but that’s ok.
I’d planned for this to be a chilled out run. I’m aiming for the conversational pace of c25k, but more specifically than that, I’m aiming for my “don’t need to wash my hair after running” pace! The second half of the run passes a little more quickly than the first. There’s time to wave at my neighbours who are out for a walk and just enjoy the sensation of. being outdoors, doing something active and feeling good. Run done. Five minutes to walk home and have a good stretch while feeling very pleased with myself.
Wishing you all happy twenty minute runs and hope you’re all still running them a year later!
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MissUnderstanding
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You’ve got me thinking now…I’ve got lots of other slightly silly paces. Mondays are often run at the “I want to wear this outfit to Zumba” pace. Then there’s the “I don’t like the look of those cows” pace which is definitely not conversational. I feel another post coming on…
I definitely have an ‘I won’t need to wash my hair’ pace! Although once it’s tied up for a run, it tends to stay up for the rest of the day, otherwise it just sticks out all over the place, not a good look 🤣.
Hair is such a challenge. I’m blessed with half straight, half curly, all frizzy hair and no skills for styling. Damp days are a nightmare. I’ve kind of made peace with often looking like I’ve just come off the Van der Graaf generator with it all going straight out from my head. Thank goodness for pony tails!
I know what you mean about damp days! My hair looks relatively ok before I go to work, then yes, the generator effect en route! Bouffie head for the rest of the day 🤣.
The cooler weather at the moment is doing wonders for the hair washing situation. Come the summer, there’s no chance of avoiding it! I’m pretty much always bright red, regardless of how hard I’ve run!
It’s absolutely amazing how your perspective on running changes over time. I remember coming home from an early c25k run absolutely buzzing about how I’d done three minutes without stopping. I was so proud of myself! The other day I was doing a long run and got to the point where there was about half an hour to go and I found myself thinking “phew, I know I can do that-it’s a c25k and I’ve really nailed those”. That’s taken a long time and a lot of running but sometimes that progress creeps up on you so slowly that you don’t notice it. Sometimes we really need to pause and celebrate how far we’ve come, and that includes going from not running at all to going out and doing week 1 run 1!
It was only recently that I realised that I do this! I’m going to think about the other slightly ridiculous things that influence my pace. Not wanting to overtake dog walkers with grumpy looking dogs is definitely one of them, and being nosey about someone’s garden as I run past is another!!
That is absolutely something that makes me speed up as well! Also running along a road with heavy traffic and enjoying overtaking the cars with a little too much glee!!! I have to have words with myself to get me back to the non-hair wash pace!
Ha ha... I am just the opposite... I ease my pace, adopting a totally relaxed running mode... a , "I am just finding this so wonderful ", pace...which of course I am!
Fantastic 20 minute run for you MissUnderstanding, about 3K, well done 🏃♂️👍On a Saturday morning when I don't go to parkrun I run what I call a 3K maintenance run or sometimes run 3 of week 5 with Laura, 20 minutes 🏃♂️
I’ve never run with Laura! I’ve heard she’s lovely though. Denise was my coach and I feel like I know her now!! Maybe next time I’m out for a twenty minute run (which might even be later today), I might have a run with Laura. That maintenance run of yours sounds great.
Interesting that you mention distance covered. I hadn’t actually thought at all about how far I went. I’m mainly running for time on feet at the moment and only really tracking my speedy runs and weekly long runs which need to be a particular distance. That’s a big change for me but I’m really liking it. It’s helping me focus on enjoying the runs and not pushing myself to go faster on runs that are supposed to be an easy effort. You might need some sort of prize though-I went back and checked and that run was exactly 3km!
All the coaches on C25K are very good, well done on that 3K.I've just come back, believe it or not from my 140th (not) parkrun, a 5K around the park near to where I live, my time was 36:21 which for a midweek not parkrun is OK, I was going to run a little later around 9 o'clock but its now starting to rain so I started the ran at 7.40 to avoid the rain.
So much of your run sounds like mine: the gate, the upward slope, the music.
It is so great to think of the 20min run from this side of one’s fitness journey!
My most popular short run for me is, though, a 40 min run. But I include in that 5min warmup, 5min cool-down, so one could see it as a 30 min run, I guess.
For me, 20 min would feel too short for most runs, and I think this is because I run so slow. In order for a route to give me the satisfaction derived from a reasonable distance (my routes are all in that range) , I’m at 40 minutes.
As a runner with an average speed would run my 40 min run in ca 20min (yes, I’m that slow), I think there is some sort of equivalence there and a recognition that - certainly for me - the distance covered actually influences the satisfaction of a short run.
I would label only those of my runs as long runs if they go over an hour.
Some really interesting thoughts here (as always!). It’s amazing how even though we’re all runners and often doing similar sorts of runs, the way we mentally categorise them can be really different. I’ve never included the warm up walk time as part of my run time, and that might be why I’m often in a rush when I get back ten minutes later than I’d planned. How have I never realised that before?!
The Nike Run Club app has “long runs” of over thirty minutes. I’ve got thirty five minutes in my head as a “long run” but I’ve no idea where that’s come from! Maybe it’s that app! Your forty minute run would definitely be a long run for me, regardless of pace. 🏃♀️🏃♀️🏃♀️
I recently realised that I get a bit nervous about anything over 10k, even though I’ve run longer than that quite a few times now. It’s entirely down to getting stressed about how to carry water. I’ve got a new vest which might help. It’s getting tested on a walk today.
I bet there are a lot of us with that thought! As a youngster, maybe it wouldn’t have mattered so much but now my hair gets dyed to cover the greys, I like to make that last longer with less washing!!! 🤦♀️
I have to agree with you, after having a break from running I'm finding 20 minutes just right. I'm still run/ walking but I don't want to push myself too hard. I also think I'm a little scared to keep going (don't know why ) and I can only manage to get out twice a week, even with the short run. Might go back to the c25k app and work my way up again. Happy running 😊
Do think about repeating Couch again, So many of us have for very similar reasons to those you mention,. Thins last time round after my Post Covid fatigue I felt just as you do and I repeated some runs from it... it is very much a confidence thing too. Scared that if you push even a little bit too hard, you will set yourself back again x
Really good luck with your comeback. I had a fall before Christmas and I did a fifteen minute run every other day for a little while, then twenty minutes, and then I started adding a few longer runs until I felt like I was back where I was again. I loved that time. There’s something really comforting about doing a run you’re confident about and you don’t have to think too hard about. I usually hate being told which days to run on but even that pretty strict every other day worked this time.
The c25k has worked wonders for lots of repeaters. You’d be in very good company if you did go down that route again. You might like the structure and the reassurance that the programme builds up at a tested rate. I totally understand the nerves about pushing on after a break. It’s only just now that I’m not thinking about my left knee any more during every run! It might take some time but you’ll get there and you’ll be a stronger runner for it. ❤️
Thank you. Sorry to hear you had a fall and glad you're on the mend. Mine was more a mental thing, winter isn't my friend 😔 but with the lighter days I'm feeling more confident x
It was such a nice run. I have lots of those really nice twenty minute runs and I hardly ever post about them because they’ve just become my normal, nothing special runs now. Just some lovely headspace time doing something active without getting my hair too sweaty!!! It’s such a privilege to be able to do it and I’m massively thankful to the couch to 5k programme and this lovely place for getting me to that position. ❤️❤️❤️
fabulous run for u MU. I managed to no out and do some jeffing this afternoon and so far am suffering no I’ll effects. Happy running 🏃♀️🏃♂️🏃♀️🏃♂️🏃♀️
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I ran for twenty minutes. Woohoo.
First 25 minute run & I loved it :)
I just ran for twenty minutes!!! Over the 🌙
This morning’s run was so lovely
OMG I’m so in love with running! 
