🏃‍♀️🏅👨‍🎓Graduates Chat : November week 2 - Bust the Gremlins! 👩‍🎓🏅🏃‍♀️

[MissUnderstanding]

Welcome to the latest chat thread for graduates! You might think you’ve accidentally stumbled into October with the Halloween pumpkins but I can reassure you it’s definitely November!

If you’ve finished Couch to 5k for the first or the fiftieth time, come and say hi! This is the place for you to share how your runs are going and to get inspiration and encouragement from others.

⭐️First and foremost: How’s it going?⭐️

How has your running been this week? What sorts of runs have you been doing? Have you had any triumphs or challenges? What are your plans for next week?

Last week I’d posted about feeling flat. That was exactly how I felt when I graduated. I’d expected to be elated and confident once I got my badge but I actually felt lost and like a fraud. I thought I needed to be faster to be a “proper runner”. If that’s you too, let me reassure you that you are a real runner and to think back to how far you’ve come. It really helped me to have a bit of a plan for my weeks-even if that was as vague as “run three times for any duration”. That’s actually what I ended up doing last week. Three very different but super fun runs. It’s amazing how quickly your mindset can change when you feel like you’re back on track. Motivation can come with activity, as well as the other way round. I don’t always feel motivated to go out for a run but I’m (almost!!) always pleased when I’ve been. Every run I’ve done has made it easier to do the next. Lace up those trainers for a quick run round the block and see if it can bust your gremlins too!

This week I’ve got three runs planned, 20 mins, 30 mins and a longer run. Plus some strength at the gym, yoga at home and some Zumba just for fun. I’ll report back next week!

What are you all up to?

⭐️ This week’s challenge: Spot something fun on your run!⭐️

Did anyone rerun a Couch to 5k week last week? After setting the challenge, I almost immediately ended up ditching it! 🤦‍♀️ MrU can with me and I thought it would be a bit antisocial to also listen to Denise!

This week I thought I’d set a photo challenge. Can you find something interesting on your next run? Anything photo worthy can count! I the pumpkins above are my first contribution. They scared the life out of me on a dark run! Looking forward to seeing your pictures. You can post them below or as a new post. Tag me if you can and I’ll give you a cheer!

So come and chat! I love talking about all things running and can’t wait to hear from you all…

MissU and the Couch Team xx

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A bit about consolidation and running as a new Graduate…

You’ll almost certainly have heard people talking about taking some time to “consolidate” after graduation. This isn’t compulsory but it’s a really good idea. When you have increased your running distance or duration over a few weeks, it is good to pause and consolidate for a short period, bedding in all that effort and getting ready for whatever comes next. That just means not continuing to build the distance or setting out to get faster for a little while.

It’s a brilliant time to just enjoy your running. Without having to increase duration week on week, you can take the pressure off and have some fun! You can run somewhere beautiful and new. Forget about pace! Mix up your run times. Go up a hill! While you are consolidating you are also helping to establish the habit of running in your life. It is said to take twelve weeks of changed behaviour to create a new habit, so a three-week consolidation will get you there!

Running as a graduate will look different for everyone which is why we really hope people will share what they’ve been doing. We can pinch ideas and take inspiration from each other. The key thing is to keep it steady and remember you’ve got a whole lifetime of running ahead of you. Keeping to 30 minutes max as a rough rule of thumb is a generally good idea and we’d encourage you to be really sensible about running for longer. It’s widely recommended not to increase the length of any of your runs by more than 10% each week because of the risk of injury. Think about how Couch to 5k gradually builds up. The last thing anyone wants is to spend time on the injury couch just after finishing!

[MissUnderstanding Administrator Graduate]

Massive congratulations to this week’s new graduates…

che130 RiceAndPeas MonkeyMagic77

Hope to hear from you! 🏃‍♀️🏅👩‍🎓💪❤️🎉🥳

[Annieapple Administrator Graduate]

🍏Thanks Miss U.. always enjoy this chat with you….we all have runs when we need to chase those gremlins away. Sometimes forgetting about the actual run and looking around and enjoying what I am seeing, feeling and smelling can be very helpful!

I am happily doing some NRC guided runs whilst here in Canada. Yesterday was a beautiful sunny 3K run around the two ponds that have started to melt. There was a large flock of Barnacle geese…some swimming in the water some slithering around on the ice and others just resting. Such fun to watch them as I ran.

Geese

[MissUnderstanding Administrator Graduate in reply to Annieapple]

This is such a beautiful photo! I’ve love your Canada holiday almost as much as you have 😂!! Great tip to change the focus to things outside the runs when it’s a tricky one. There’s always something going on around here as a nice distraction. There’s an escaped display hawk in the area at the moment and I’m hoping to spot him on my next run. That would be a great distraction!!

Keep those lovely pics coming! ❤️

[MrsLydiaWickham Graduate]

I've just completed week 5. I usually run outside, but I did the 20 min run, on a treadmill at the gym. I've got nervous of treadmills as I've got older, but I finally let go of the handrails and ran properly and it felt fantastic. Love your pumpkin pic! Edit: sorry, my post should probably be in catch up corner. 😆 Congrats to all new graduates anyway!

[MissUnderstanding Administrator Graduate in reply to MrsLydiaWickham]

You can post here! We aren’t fussy-we just love chatting about running, whatever the posts appear!! So pleased you’ve found a way to love the treadmill. It’s a work in progress for me-I had a flare of my knee problem last time I ran on one and haven’t tried since. I’m sure it was coincidence but it knocked my confidence. You’ve inspired me to have another go! It’s great to have to option when the weather is really grim. Enjoy letting your arms wave free as you run!! 🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️🏃‍♀️

[Koala679 Graduate]

I graduated two weeks ago, but I'm still listening to the week 9 coaching as encouragement for my runs. My post grad plan is one run a week on my own, and parkrun. I'm so glad I found couch to 5km. Never thought I'd be able to run 30 mins in one go, but I can. Slow but getting a bit faster every time.

[MissUnderstanding Administrator Graduate in reply to Koala679]

That sounds brilliant. Parkrun works wonders for many people. Glad you’ve found something f you can really enjoy!

Slow is a great pace to run at. We love a snail here! ❤️

[Koala679 Graduate in reply to MissUnderstanding]

I'm a snail at running. People walking over take me, but I just go at my own pace and keep moving

[MissUnderstanding Administrator Graduate in reply to Koala679]

Your own pace is the best pace!!

[Koala679 Graduate]

I've stopped worrying about my time at parkrun now. I figure as long as I'm there and I've had a go at 5km, I'm doing ok.

[IRunning]

Glad I found this chat, thank you. Graduated a few weeks ago and wasn’t sure what was next. Reading that consolidation is a good idea was heartening as I’ve just carried on repeating week 9 for the last few weeks. It’s definitely helped as I’m getting much more comfortable with that time and distance and might try to extend myself a bit in the next few runs. Thanks for the 10% tip! Well done to everyone who got to the end of C25k!

[MissUnderstanding Administrator Graduate in reply to IRunning]

Fantastic! I think it’s hard moving from a regimented, set program to finding your own way and we really wanted to be make sure everyone had some support with that, or just a place to share the highs and lows. Really glad you found us! It sounds like you’ve done brilliantly and have a sensible plan for building your distance. Good luck and can’t wait to hear how you get on!