CATCH-up-CORNER...OCTOBER...WEEK ONE... Come and Join Us...

[Oldfloss]

Pinch Punch First of the month!

Yes, here I am again...bright eyed and bushy tailed. Welcome, everyone to the October Corner.

I had hoped to have my new Autumn cushions in place... but they arrived and some were missing, so the whole lot had to be returned. However, there are plenty of other comfy cushions here for everyone.

I have some banana muffins... some blueberry muffins and some delicious croissants, freshly made. Smoothies, juice and coffee too! So slip off the shoes and take a cushion!

The weather is definitely changing... the seasons moving on, wonderfully, and a nip in the air. The photo, was taken by my lovely son in law, when they lived in West Wales...Traswcoed woods in Autumn

This is is my favourite time of the year for running... cool, crisp and colourful! I have spotted loads of Conkers on the trees and falling to the ground, already, although here, they are a tad early! Later this week. temperatures are set to rise again...but, as ever, we are able, hopefully, to still find the time and the opportunity to complete our runs.

I am feeling particularly chipper as, I am back running again, C25K repeat, slow and steady as ever and ran Week 4, Run 1 yesterday! Maybe Run 2 this morning if....the rain holds back!

Time this week, I think just for a quiet relaxed sit down and a think.

There have been so, so many posts on the forum here currently, after a quiet Summer spell. Loads as usual, about pace and speed and many too, about niggly injuries, causing issues. Luckily, these are outweighed by the many, many success stories we are seeing too! You runners really are awesome!

We, on the Admin Team are always seeking to reassure and support and we have had many posts about your worries...and we have had some excellent posts from some of you too, which justify what we are advising ! Do, please, sit and take a look at these posts whilst you are relaxing here.

healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

One of the things that we have to try really hard to do is to trust this programme. Follow the advice given in the How to Run C25K post... and, maybe most importantly, have confidence in ourselves and what we are doing.

Trust the plan, trust yourself and listen to your best friend. Your body. Yes! Your body really is your best and most honest friend.

Listen to your body… the advice we have been giving, and been given so many times over our running journeys and never more so at the moment, with so many of us struggling with things, or on, or just off the IC.

This journey is supposed to be an enjoyable one, not an endurance test We are, as said previously, always trying to show here, that it is not about speed, or distance or comparison.

It is about running. We all have our reasons for running, but I cannot help feeling, that running with apprehension or fear, should not be included in those reasons.

You are running. You are a runner, from that very first non-walking step. You are amazing. Believe it.

So please, try, those of you who are struggling, to replace the apprehension with excitement…lose the worry and find the wonder…dismiss the dread and discover the delight…and know that, like the secret hidden inside a Conker shell… it is all there…the strength inside yourself.

So, come on and join the fun.... Let us know how it is going.... rest awhile and celebrate just how incredible you are.

Oldfloss x

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate]

Another great post from you and lovely photo Oldfloss, yes it's Autumn with all the Autumn leaves and colours but the weather is more like summer with temperatures way above the average for this time of the year, I enjoy the fun of running and spectating as well, I am about to leave to cheer the runners who are taking part in The Great Scottish Run in Glasgow, I know a good vantage point to see all the runners, on the other side of the road there is also a large choir singing 🎶as the 🏃🏾 runners pass, great entertainment, have a lovely weekend.

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to AlMorr]

Hello Al... the Scottish run sounds fantastic and with a choir too! That will be really splendid! The weather here this morning on y run was 16.5...it was warmer than I thought and I had to take off a layer!

Watching as well as participating is great... and I know you will really enjoy seeing that run go past you! Is it being televised I wonder!

Thanks for popping in Al!

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate in reply to Oldfloss]

IUpdate Oldfloss, 1.30pm, I have just come back from watching both versions of The Great Scottish Run in Glasgow, that's about 13 miles from where I live in Cumbernauld, I got to Glasgow 30 minutes before the 10K began at 9. 30, at 9.20 I then walked about 500 metres to my position opposite to where the choir were singing, once the police motorbike passed the choir started to perform as the 10K runners went passed and continued to sing, including some Abba songs until an ambulance passed indicating all the 10K runners had passed.

There then was a pause before the Half Marathon runners came and again the choir sang until they had all passed, regarding the 10K, I was very surprised how many runners were behind the 70 minute pacer, I reckon thousands, it was 4 weeks ago today I ran my first event 10K in a time of 1:09:22, but if I had ran that run today I would only have heard about 30 seconds of that wonderful choir instead of the about 90 minutes I heard this morning, no unfortunately it wasn't televised.

PS Floss, although it wasn't televised there is a YouTube video of the 2018 Great Scottish Run, it's very similar to today, it is the 10K at the exact place I was this morning with the choir singing and thousands of runner's passing, the video is exactly 19.11 minutes long at

"Glasgow 10K the Great 2018 Scottish Run."

[RunningJ123 Graduate]

I _love_ the colours in the photo... Amazing! I'll have a nice cup of tea and maybe a blueberry muffin.... Today is a rest day, and yesterday I did week 6 run 2, so the last interval run. I'm still doing my Spanish! I'll have longer to listen now in these next runs... Although I might get some funny looks coming out with random words and phrases in answer to the questions 😁

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to RunningJ123]

You are very, very welcome... stay as long as you wish ! Rest days are just lovely, when you can ease back and just do what feels right. Last interval run and those lovely longer runs coming... ! Splendid. Your Spanish will come on like mad with the longer runs, as you say!

I recall on of the Italian phrases I kept saying was... is there a telephone in the area... and , your grandmother is a donkey!!!!

You're right.. you will get some funny looks... well done you though. Stay a while and have another muffin x

[RunningJ123 Graduate in reply to Oldfloss]

Your grandmother is a donkey?! 😄 😄 😄 😄 Sounds like a duolingo one!!! 😁 Thank you... You make the corner so nice and welcoming 😊

[Bluebirdrunner Graduate]

Hi Floss,

White Rabbits.

Thank you for this lovely welcoming post, I have read the posts from the links you highlighted and found them so interesting and useful.

I have pulled up a cushion to sit on and have several others propping up my right leg which is being iced (a bag of frozen peas wrapped in a tea towel).

My knee complaint which may well have begun as a twinge after running the 10k in April had been aggrevated by constant kneeling, walking on knees etc. playing with and looking after my non-walking 2 and a half year old grandson.

Whilst not running, I have been keeping up with daily yoga, and exercise and recently began the Nhs knee strengthening exercises (not the lunges or one legged ones). After these I enjoyed doing the short low impact leg strengthening video, so much so I was doing both of them everyday. TOO MUCH...I was silly, the repetition caused cramping, my calf has swelled up with very sore trigger points deep in the muscle. RICE has been started and four days in my calf is beginning to respond... very gentle stretching introduced twice a day. The discomfort gets worse as the day goes on.

It seems I am scuppered at every turn, silly schoolgirl errors of overdoing it, I should have known better. I will go back to the physio I think, to see what they suggest.

Reading the posts you highlighted has helped. I am not alone. Looking after our bodies is so important, stresses and strains occur, knowing when to ease off and how to move forward safely is a learning curve.

Right that is my 20 mins on ice done, I will return the cushions to the corner.

Thank you for being here and listening.

🍁xxx

P.s. So pleased that you are back out running and enjoying building back up again. xx

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to Bluebirdrunner]

Hello you! This is all a bit worrying and that knee, is really causing a problem...if it does not ease.... an thee calf issues, it may be worth forking out for that Sports Physio appointment... ?

It is, as you say so hard to balance how we move forward. I know that I felt unsure and really waited until my body told me it was time to try again...and even then the first run was fairly heart in the mouth stuff!

Just do what you are doing until you feel it is either improving or needs further support. These small persons really do act as terrific workout...and if you are not on form, it is all too easy to over strain yourself again.

Rest here a while and think how you are going to move on... knee pads? Knee cushion... maybe... a small stool instead of kneeling...it is tricky... xxx

[Annieapple Graduate]

🍏Oh how I love your son’s amazing photo … it both welcomes you in and out somehow!! It’s lovely to be inside on a cushion sipping hot coffee & chatting about what we do outside! My heart resonates with this post. The first time that I did C25K week 7 was tough & I was thinking it was too difficult to carry on etc until I realised I was running with so much tension in my body… as I started to relax my shoulders and the rest of my body, run a bit slower, so the joy factor started to creep in.. then I fell in love…..

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to Annieapple]

Hello... well I have to say I am a bit of a clot... that photo is not one of my son in law's ..I mixed them up!!! It is the one on the Graduate Chat post!!!

Good to see you here and resting a while... Yes,,,, tension can be a cause of a few issues when we begin, from landing heavily to aching back muscles... relaxing and letting go is the thing... letting the legs take us !

When we do manage it, that joy, you speak of, comes...and doesn't it feel absolutely wonderful?

Sit a while and share the posts... and continue to enjoy your family time too xxx

[RunningJ123 Graduate]

Hi Oldfloss! I have been looking at the strength and flex and trying to decide how to go about it... Do you do a selection of the exercises each time, or have you like a routine for different parts of the body different days?

My calves were feeling it a little bit today for W6R3... Not terrible, but just felt a bit sore, so I did some of the calf exercises when I came back, but I'm thinking I should be doing knee and hip and glute and the whole lot somehow!! 😁

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to RunningJ123]

Get a regular gentle routine that suits you...

I tend to have a similar routine every morning... early morning gentle yoga type wake up..in bed... lying on the back ..pillow under head...ten to 15 minutes...ankles, toes and feet, point and stretch..... legs... stretches and leg raises mainly ...then hands and arms, again finger wiggling, arm bends and stretches etc...finishing with some deep directional belly breaths to relax and recharge; then when I clean my teeth, regular squats with some calf raises maybe...... then I will focus on different parts on different days...

I never try to do everything! I will focus on anything that has twinged or caused discomfort...like when my hips at the top, were tender after I started running again... I worked on them... any back pain... some lower back exercises for Yoga..

But any of the short ten minute legs and arms and abs that I love from Bodyfit with Amy... I do fairly regularly. they are so short and really do keep everything moving...

It all sounds time consuming and a faff...but you find what works for you on a regular basis then maybe focus on areas that you feel may need a bit of help?

Do look too at what you do in an ordinary day... normal household activities, some of those might be done with a tad more vigor to support weak areas? For example, when I count how many times I go up and downstairs, when I have my granddaughter here.. I figure that is enough ankle or knee exercise for a week!