CATCH-up-CORNER. SEPTEMBER...Week 1. What are you waiting for?

[Oldfloss]

White Rabbits Everyone.... here I am and here you are, on the FIRST DAY of SEPTEMBER!

Gosh ... that one sneaked in quietly... !

Here I am and hopefully, here you all are... at the start of brand new month and the first opening of the Corner since July!

Slip off the running shoes and grab a cushion!

I have some new cushions on order and hopefully, they will be arriving soon. Meantime, there is a cushion here for all and a few comfy chairs, for those of us who are feeling a tad creaky!

Some great smoothies this morning...some blueberry muffins... some golden croissants, and almond one for MissUnderstanding , and some coffee, freshly brewed...GF options too!

Now, you newcomers may be asking yourself, what on earth is the woman going to ramble about this week. The folk who are regulars in the corner, know better than to ask!

Well, first of all, some of you may be thinking what is the corner all about.. If you check this post.. it will tell you

healthunlocked.com/couchto5......

So, what have I been thinking about this week.. well... I have a bit more time on my hands currently as I am not running right now. I am building back up to full strength after a few blips, so I have even more time to read your excellent posts!

There are a heck of a lot of new runners beginning C25K now, we can barely keep up with you,.. all starting for different reasons and all with the anticipation of finishing C25K in a better place than they started it! We have repeating runners here too, treating C25K as an old familiar friend... to get them back on track after illness , injury or just the setbacks, that sometimes, life may hand us.

Now, if you have done the sensible thing, which I know you all have, you have read the pinned post on How to run C25K... and if you carry on being really sensible, you will be reading loads of the posts that your fellow runners are putting up. There is so much information in those posts... folk who feel like you, doing the same runs as you , having successes and maybe a setback or two as well...

It can be so, so helpful to read those posts... where folk ask the same questions as you, have the same worries as you and hopefully someone will have replied with a few ideas to help. Reading is a great thing to do here, as well as running!

Now, having started C25K for whatever reason... and there are oodles of them... one thing that does seem to feature a lot in many posts is... now I have started... how do I keep going.... and even... does it get easier ?

Hmmmm !

Well, as has been said many, many times, loss of motivation is a tricky issue. We may have really great, valid and worthwhile reasons for beginning this programme, but sometimes hanging on to those reasons can be really hard.

So how do we manage it?

Well no-one can give us the motivation, it really, really does have to come from within, from us!

But what we can do is, support each other, with encouragement and empathy, and we can look at ourselves.

I have said this before and I will say it again,

We are here, we are running, we are out there, having taken those first steps into what for many of us is the completely unknown. How blinking awesome is that!!! YOU are awesome!

We have to trust the C25K plan, We have to believe in ourselves, we have to have strength and stamina and the confidence to stay positive, despite all, whilst accepting that sometimes, it may not go smoothly.

Easy... well … if you take it slow and steady, follow the guidelines, and don't push too hard, the runs just follow on beautifully. It may sometimes, feel a little more challenging, but goodness, it is going to be so worth it!

Self confidence is the key.... and the knowledge that you can, do this. It may take nine weeks, it may take a heck of a lot longer to reach that 30 minutes... but this is your run, your pace, your way.

I do as many folk know, love my quotes and this one is no exception...

“ Believe you can, and you're halfway there”.

So....ramble over. I thought I would keep it short this week so I do not frighten anyone!

Let's share how that running is going, and what you have all been up to over the last week too...I

I am doing a lot of Strength and Stamina work... do pop over to the S and F forum, if you have not been over there, No cake, but a warm welcome !.

Okay... That is it for this week...

We're really looking forward to meeting you!

Oldfloss x

[David_G]

Hi Oldfloss and lovely running friends!

As some of you know, I suffered a heart attack and cardiac arrest in April, but thanks to the quick actions of neighbours and the ambulance crew, cardiac doctor and emergency care technician I survived ❤️

As part of my treatment, I’ve been going to cardiac rehab sessions organised by local NHS, which have been very helpful and given me at least a measure of confidence or the future. I was given the go-ahead to restart C25K during the sessions and I’m on week 5 this week🏃‍♂️which is going well so far 🤞

I’ve bought a new pair of Brooks running shoes which I’ll give myself to celebrate when I graduate C25K in a few weeks 🥳

To others who are starting (or re-starting) C25K I would echo what you’ve said: take it slow and steady and at your own pace. Very best of luck, everyone! 👍

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to David_G]

Hello David and welcome...heathy snacks for you and a sit down. You have been making such great progress!

You are doing exactly what you should and it sounds like you are having some great advice from your NHS team! If it is giving you the confidence to move forward that is a real bonus. Mr OF is still a little bit at the apprehensive phase!

We cannot wait to see those new shoes... and please wear them when you pop in here agon to tell us of your re Graduation. Meantime.. sit with us a while... always good to share time with friends x

[MissUnderstanding Administrator On a break Graduate]

Happy September! I love new post day. So much promise and excitement for the month ahead. I’m hoping to update with a photo of an almond croissant later. Cafe visit planned and I’m taking my book with me-it’s a good one! “Running for my Life” by Lopez Lomong. Highly recommended.

I’m in a really weird place at the moment. I was hoping to run in the Great North Run but I’ve had knee niggles that haven’t settled enough to be reliable over the longer distances. I suddenly find myself without an event and without a plan. For now, I’m going to focus on the strength and flexibility work that helped me back from injury. I’ll be running for enjoyment. The distances can build up slowly with no pressure to be ready for a certain date. That’s no bad thing with winter running ahead. It’s strange after following a plan really closely for a long while. I guess that’s where many of our new graduates are right now. Hopefully the Graduates’ Club Next Steps will be extra helpful to me personally as the host this month!

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to MissUnderstanding]

Hello...Not sure if you got that croissant but there will be some here for you tomorrow too!

I think your new focus after the disappointment of the GNR is a great one.. and running for enjoyment sounds just perfect for me... I am wonderings whether I dare take a Week 1 Run 1 outing on Sunday,... or not!Hosting the new graduates club will be so good and as you say useful for you too !

I am about to look that book up... I have got a lot on my Kindle at the moment from recommendations from forum friends!! Plenty of reading for the chillier days, although it has forecast warmer weather here for the next week!

Meantime.. sit a while longer... and just enjoy the peace ! x

[Gthants]

Started off with a few gentle stretches; then just 6 minutes of glute exercises - my first from Claire at Wild Ginger Running on You Tube: they were simple to do, beautifully explained, and surprisingly gruelling; then added a few of my own hamstring and back exercises.

I shopped.

I cooked for 3 hours (the base veg sauces for tomorrow's lasagna, and Sunday's curry), and now it's time for a (slightly post)-midday meditation.

Then work on the Scottish play!

A productive day so far!

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to Gthants]

All sounding extremely positive! I do enjoy the Wild Ginger Running workouts...

You have done a heck of a lot today... very well done... time to sit back and chill maybe? Thanks for popping in!

[Gthants in reply to Oldfloss]

The "chill" is the bit that too often falls by the wayside ...

I'm trying to get better at leaving guilt behind and not think I'm slacking, but that the rest is part of the process!🤷🏼

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to Gthants]

You need to try. ..no guilt...congratulate yourself on having the sense to rest x

[Cassie_7 Graduate]

Hi Floss many thanks for your great post, as always! September indeed does deserve a punch in the eye for being so sly! It has certainly crept up on us. I usually run on grass and when I got back from my last run, my shoes and lower legs were covered in a fine orange dust. I did notice that the green where I run had patches of orange but I continued running through them, thinking that it could have been Saharan sand that is sometimes carried high in the atmosphere and then falls in precipitation. However it was not on my car, nor was it all over the green, just in random scattered patches. Strange! I sincerely hope it is not some kind of contamination/pollution! Is this something you have come across?

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to Cassie_7]

Welcome and so good to see you !

This sounds very odd!! I have never come across it except when those folk invaded the Wimbledon tennis match!

Is there anything in your local news maybe!

[Cassie_7 Graduate in reply to Oldfloss]

Many thanks for your reply. I haven't seen nor heard anything x

[Sax64 Graduate]

Hi, I've been a bit quiet for a bit as we're in Spain with our campervan, so sorry I can't join you for a cuppa and croissants. I packed my running kit though and hubby and I are enjoying sightseeing runs, such a novelty. No pressure, no training, just letting the inner snail loose and absorbing the new sights and smells. Happy running everyone 🏃‍♀️😎

Running in Spain

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to Sax64]

Morning! Well you will have some lovely morning snacks there I should think! Welcome..!

What a gorgeous place to be and to run in too, it looks wonderful.. and such super photographs when here in Staffs Moorlands it is very, very grey!

Enjoying the runs with no pressure sounds absolutely perfect to me... thank you for taking time out and joining us !

[Southernrunner Graduate]

Thanks for this post, timely for me. Hard to find the motivation to run when you are home 1. 5 hours late from work. - a routine occurrence. Have had a few setbacks this year, I graduated c25k in December but never told the forum! I did well for a bit then as you say life just gets in the way. I’m always in awe of my partner who gets up at 5 and gets out the door whatever the weather to run 4 times a week. Am back on week 3 and this was just what I needed to help me put on the shoes! Enjoy the croissants

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to Southernrunner]

Welcome.... good to see you on the cushion! Help yourself to the fresh snacks this morning. It is so, so hard to find the time, and find the get up and go after a day of, went and did it and I am tired...

But, here you are and you are doing it. Sharing and talking is a great way to keep us buoyant,... I have not been able to run for six weeks and I know that the folk here and on the S and F forum too, ( I am keeping up with that).

Well done to your partner... but we do this any way we are able Pop in any time !

[ToothPickJafah Graduate]

Hello and good morning Oldfloss! Wonderful to see you and be here! 🤗

I’ve plopped myself on a comfy cushion, no sweet pastries or cake for me this time, just a cold glass of ice water and your amazing company…

I’ve started running again and I’m enjoying continuing my consolidation journey after a wee break due to health reasons. I feel that the break did me the world of good! I did a totally tech free run on Wednesday morning and really enjoyed the liberating freedom although it did feel strange not having phone or watch with me, but I did the run and felt great afterwards. I’m planning on doing more tech free runs!

I’m doing lots of walking to make sure that my stamina stays good and I’m enjoying that too…I always enjoy going for a long walk! And meeting friendly doggies!

Yesterday afternoon I went on a long 2 hour foraging walk with my friend G and picked lots of mixed berries so he can use them for making mead. We collected brambles, elders, Hawthorne, roshehips and rowan berries. While G was busy foraging I was doing short bursts of jogging and basically showing off to him, saying ‘look what I can do now!’ 😆 he was impressed with how much I’ve improved and how active I am now, so I guess this running stuff has really been so good for me!

I felt like a little exuberant child showing off a new skill…I run alone so it was nice to do it in company, I even slow jogged while he walked and was telling him all about it. I did try to get him to jog with me but he was having none of it! He told me to go for it while he foraged…so I did!

I’ve been continuing to do the Tibetan Rites and they keep me feeling supple and flexible, my back doesn’t hurt as much anymore since I started doing them and along with yoga I’m feeling pretty good in general!

I also did a Bodyfit by Amy workout and throughly enjoyed it! Will be doing more soon, for sure! Amy is awesome.

I enjoyed a long lie in this morning, and later on this afternoon I’m planning to do an old school aerobics workout with 80’s dance music soundtrack…can’t wait! My feet hurt a bit after yesterday’s activities so the rest of the morning will be spent foam rolling and stretching.

I’m going to lie back for a bit and enjoy the morning sunshine and listen to the birds for a while…

Thank you for being here and listening 🖤🙏🖤

Foraged berries…

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to ToothPickJafah]

Hello.. I didn't spot you there...resting so quietly in the warmth.No wonder that you are ready for a rest.

Goodness, you have been so active! Running and walking and all those different exercises which really do seem to be helping so much..

It is good to see you feeling so much better and stronger too.

Make sure won't you, to take care not to overdo it...

The rest time, as Gthants says..is as much a part of your running as your runs.

Yes, I know.. I worry too much.

Rest now and enjoy your afternoon too.

X

[ToothPickJafah Graduate in reply to Oldfloss]

You are so very right about not overdoing things….so I have decided to take the whole weekend off for a rest, my feet are still too sore to do anything except foam rolling at the moment so no more stuff till Monday!

And I thank you for worrying   Oldfloss 🖤🙏 you look after us all so well, it’s very much appreciated 🥰 xx

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to ToothPickJafah]

Good plan ! Knowing when to ease back and just enjoy the rest is absolutely essential... and can really act as a recharge.... Enjoy!