CATCH up CORNER... WEEK 4 ...FINAL WEEK of MAY.... Come on in...ALL WELCOME

[Oldfloss]

Good Morning... and welcome to the corner!

The last week of May, as we hurtle through this year! I am not sure where the weeks are flying off to!

The cushions are plumped up the coffee is on and the smoothies, the snacks and the fruit are plentiful. Just slip off your shoes and come inside! Time to rest and share.

Well, as that photograph suggests, I have been really slow and really steady, getting here this week. Appointments for Mr OF... a day wasted, rushing about for those; wind and weather and work continuing on a garden sort out, and a whole new area opened for raised beds and veggie growing !

My garden areas are beginning to look something like again, after a period of neglect!

First of all … I want to say, something which, sometimes, I do forget to do. Huge congratulations to all of you who have made the podium in this last week! You did brilliantly!

Sometimes, too, it does take a while to get where we want to be, in our running, and those folk on here who know me, know that my mantra, slow and steady, for which I am famous...or infamous, is one that I firmly believe in. Nearly nine years since I graduated and that thought is always in my head.

That is not too say that there have not been times when slow and steady was not appropriate... I have, unbelievably, had moments when I have challenged myself and done some speed work ! Spring , 4 years ago over on the Fun Beyond , I did a chosen speed challenge...and significantly proved my 1K time over 5 weeks by … da dah... 148 seconds! Who says, snails cannot move when they need to?

That was one time when slow and steady was not the target

But...here we go again....

I have noticed as I have been bobbing around, reading the posts of your most excellent runs, and replying to folk, that there are, as ever, a few folk who are really concerned that they are going too slowly. They do a run, they struggle. They ask for advice, but do not always heed it. They read other posts and they compare with others. They do not read the guide to running C25K and worry unnecessarily about nit reaching 5K ! The lists of worried seems endless.

Historically there have been many, many posts about this... and, in our links for all new runners, there is a section in the How to Run C25K, which explains the way you should try to be thinking when you run. Maybe if you have not done so already, take a peek!

Despite all of this, some of you may still be pondering...what is too slow? What is too fast? It is so, so different for each and every one of us. I was the Original Grey Snail...renamed, in later years, Yellow Snail, by my very good friend on here, aliboo70 and for me, my own pace is perfect.

So...I am going to repost this... I have done it so many times before but it is still really true. Believe it , please.

Slow and steady.

*

Your slow is not my slow

My slow is not yours

Because we're all so different

And that is great, of course

^

Some folk they may speed along

Without a single thought

The seasoned ones amongst us

They just do what they ought.

*

By keeping steady steps, and slow

The podium you will see

You'll make it to the end, you know

And get there, injury free.

*

Your run should be at your own pace,

Your breathing comes with ease

And not with a frantic struggling gasp

That brings you to your knees.

*

Compare yourself to no-one,

Just go at YOUR own speed

But if you'll take a tip from me

A warning you will heed.

*

As one very well-known wordsmith wrote

Way, way back in the past

“Wisely and slow” please take it

“They stumble that run fast “

*

Now, I am not sure if Shakespeare was a runner, but those words, make perfect sense.

Simplistically, just do your own thing and what feels comfortable and right for you, your own happy pace. Happy pace! The runs are for enjoyment and not endurance.

Hopefully this may encourage and reassure anyone who is feeling that they are not moving quickly enough, and do rest assured, running slowly can take you to the most amazing places .

Well … If we had a penny for the number of times, we Admins advise caution as we embark on C25K, we would be so wealthy.

Okay... your turn now... how many of you have felt at any time concern about your pace or your speed. How many times have you compared yourself with anyone else on the forum. How many times have you felt you should just give up?

Or, are you someone who is their own runner... you do it your way, your happy pace may be a lovely relaxed plod... it may be a breezes paced run... we are all different, that is why we are so awesome!

So come on in and share...

Looking forward to seeing you...

Oldfoss

PS

I am going to tag some of our C25K newcomers, just in case they have not found the corner yet. The snacks are really good here!

We need to read and we need to share x

ParkRunner1 Ivegottheruns Xedweb Emnewtothis Lpoolsoutherner MandyRun DanDSC Newrunner1993 Beckie-smith84 Hidden Thefrugalfoodie FirstFifty CrazyBun

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate]

Great post from you Oldfloss, slow and steady is a great motto for C25K, however, there are some fast runners who consider slow if they don't get a sub 20 minutes 5K at parkrun, I have read many reports of those runners considering that a bad run for them, other runners are very happy to get a sub 40/45 minutes at parkrun, I'm happy to get a sub 35 minute 5K at parkrun, a little disappointed if it's +35 minutes, by the way I bought a pair of new running shoes for my birthday on Friday, I will post a photo of them soon.

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to AlMorr]

Hello Al and thank you for popping in today.. ! You are absolutely correct... we are all very different, and as a result our running pace is very different too!

We just do see, particularly with a new runners, a real concern that they do not run quickly enough. As you say your personal challenge is your choice... you know what your target is and you feel a tad disappointed on you don't make it. You have been running a while and that is what evolves as we move on.

Many folk are just happy to run and for some it is very much about speed and beating records, even their own.

We cannot wait to see your new shoes... I hope they are going to give you many, many more happy runs

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate in reply to Oldfloss]

They are Brooks Men's Ghost 15 Running Shoes Peacoat, I wore them yesterday for the first time at Drumpellier Parkrun, my time was 31 :41

OK

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to AlMorr]

They are splendid Al...and clearly are doing the trick! Wow...well done you and wishing you many, many happy runs!

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate in reply to Oldfloss]

👍 🏃🏾

[Ivegottheruns Graduate]

I decided to do c25k having never run a lot. I say that but back in about 2010 or 2011 I did a half marathon and had been running for a short while to train, obviously, but not for long in the whole scheme of things! In the next few years I married and started having kids and it all went on the back burner sadly until now.

Anyway my point is I ran the half marathon in 2 hrs 19 which I thought was acceptable but not anything to yell about. So when I started the c25k I was running the shorter runs at about 5mph. To me I was being sensibly slow because my pace at the half marathon must have been an average of about 5.5mph and that's obviously an average over a much longer distance. Yes OK, I was 25 with a strong bladder and core ha ha but still.

Luckily I came to this group and realised before the long runs started that this wasn't going to be sustainable right now so I dropped down to 4.4mph which has been working out well so far. Had I not joined the page I may have just tried to run at 5 and failed and wondered why I couldn't manage it. I don't remember there being any advice about this on the app which seems a bit unhelpful really, or perhaps I'm missing something!

I do admit, I still read posts by people who are going faster and feel disappointed in myself that I'm not going to do the 5k in 30 mins but I'm just going to carry on as I am for now and probably try to edge up my pace once I graduate. I'd rather do it the sensible, sustainable way!

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to Ivegottheruns]

Welcome! How super to see you here and thank you so so much for sharing this This is just what our runners, and not just our new ones need to hear!

So interesting to read you past running experiences and how you have changed your plans and targets to suit the way you run now...

Gosh if I think back to when I was 18.... I ran for the County,,, and I was fast,,, ( was that me... really ) ?

I feel you are in good company... it can be hard to read posts about folk going faster.. we do try to encourage our runners to celebrate their achievements without making others feel inadequate , but it can be a fine line, especially for our very new runners

I know my time for envy, is when I am on the IC and see other folk just running... I really want to get out there!

I think your plan now is just right... building back to where you want to be and then doing it your way, edge up gently!

Sensible and sustainable... I love that !

Thank you again for this... just what we needed and I really do hope some of our other less experienced runners head over here and read this. I shall watch for your posts x

[GoogleMe Graduate]

Good question!

I don't think I ever think of myself as too slow - it is too much of a minor miracle for me to be sustaining a running motion for that, and I never take it for granted.

However, the apps take a different view - I can't remember the last time my Fitbit registered a run as such (and will no longer even allow me to correct it), and even when I am walking Active 10 is very sparing with the 'brisk minutes' registered. Occasionally that gets irksome (but they definitely wouldn't give me any credit for needing to rest if injured and being injured is something I've to date no experience of in what is now, what 12 years of running?).

More of a genuine issue however is this: whilst during C25K it is sustaining for a period of time that matters, not distance at all, later on many of us will for one reason or another, be looking at distance... and if your distance takes you that much longer, then that is more time you need to carve out for your run.

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to GoogleMe]

Great points made here and one I feel many of us will relate too...like you, I am grateful that I can run... and that sums it up!

You are right...the apps do make a difference and some folk really do rely and trust them absolutely...I use mine more for a check on how long I have been out.. and little else...and as a progress report on how I am coming back from time out last year... but my body tells me that anyway.

You are right again... sustaining the running in a comfortable and enjoyable way , here on C25K is the thing... time for speed, and distance may come...as we progress.

Thanks so much for this and for sharing with us.

[ParkRunner1 Graduate]

Hi Oldfloss, thanks for the invite, the cushions are very comfy!

Absolutely love the quote and who knows, maybe Shakespeare was a runner 😆 anyway, slow and steady is definitely going to be my mantra going forwards and I’ll just be happy to complete each run 👍 x

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to ParkRunner1]

Well done you! I like to think of Will Shakespeare, jogging along to the Globe...! Maybe he was a runner! x

[David_G]

Hi Oldfloss I’ve been a runner for about 6 years now and I’ve come to accept that I shouldn’t compare myself to others - it’s utterly pointless and serves no purpose.

It’s also something I’ve passed on when volunteering at Cardiac Rehab: as a volunteer I often get asked questions like ‘what pace do other people go on the treadmill’ or ‘how heavy weights do people normally use’. I make sure to say ‘you should go at your own pace’, ‘take as long as you need’ or ‘do whatever feels comfortable for you’, for example.

It seems to help the patients and their confidence. Talking (and listening) often help too, as well as sharing my own experiences.

In terms of my own running, I’m helping a friend to complete C25K and he’s really appreciated having someone to run with and give some encouragement! I’m now training for an event in September, so I’ll be taking things very carefully and only doing what feels comfortable for me.

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to David_G]

David, thank you for popping in today and sharing this... I really need folk to read these replies!

You, my friend are absolutely correct... comparison is pointless! I love as you know, that after your heart attack, you made some hugely brave decisions and one of them was to give back your support, to others who are going through similarly difficult times.

Sharing your experiences and your wisdom and knowledge of running and exercise is priceless... those patients are going to benefit so, so much, hearing it from , one who knows! You have been there !

Great too , to be helping another runner on his way to the finishing line... and getting yourself in trim too, for that event to come.

We shall watch for your posts, and thank you so much for this ! x

[Cakerunner Graduate]

Never a truer word Oldfloss! Your pace, is your pace!My pace, is different every run, broadly speaking. Sunday morning runs, I feel like I'm flying along( I'm really not....just feels that way😁)

After work runs, well, they are definitely plodders, I've learned it doesn't matter😁

I would even add that I never look at the time it takes to cover a certain distance!

Just enjoy being able to cover that distance, if that makes sense?

Just for clarity for those who don't know, I'm a graduate of C25K.....about to embark of week 6 of a recent restart, due to illness.

So, take it slow ly has been my mantra since I found the amazing and supportive community here at Health unlocked.

Happy running folks!🙂

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to Cakerunner]

Hello and welcome, and what a great read this is.... I love the idea of you flying... because that is what we do... each step, a mini flight!

Running after work too.. gosh, you folk amaze me... working and running ... brilliant! Plod away, if that is what you do, it is awesome!

Your advice is what our new runners need to read... and to celebrate !

Celebrate being out there and moving and getting somewhere... no matter what the speed

Taking it steadily really does get us where we wish to be, and thank you so much for calling in today and sharing your experience

On you go... after another snack though x

[Xedweb Graduate]

As a newbie I was initially concerned about how ridiculous I must look plodding along at just faster than walking pace. I mentioned to my wife that I must look like somebody’s grandad out for a jog. She helpfully pointed out that I’m literally old enough to be someone’s grandad out for a jog, and since then I’ve not worried about what speed I’m going or what anyone else thinks 😃

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to Xedweb]

Looking like someone's grandad... and yet still out there, strutting your stuff and showing the youngsters how it is done!

Welcome to you and thank you for popping in and sharing this.... No need to worry about speed at all , ever, Unless of course you are running for a train or bus or away from a lion

Your run, and your pace, and you enjoy it... how perfect is that... When I started I was the grey snail... I still am... a faster grey snail, but that happens to most of us as our running continues!

Huge well done to you and do please, pop in again at any time. Always a cushion for a friend. x

PS

I do gently have to remind you, that you are in actuality , one of those young ones! When you reach my age of ancientness,,, then you may use that as a reason, however unnecessary, that is... for plodding !

Plodding is great... and slow and steady gets you to the most amazing places... !

snails rock

[aliboo70]

The loveliest yellow snail Floss! Thanks for the poem and the reminder not to compare ourselves,however hard,is the way forward! I've certainly been guilty of this lately 😬 xxx

Floss's yellow Snail!

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to aliboo70]

Hello you ! How lovely that you're here!I feel many if us may be guilty of a touch of comparison at times.

It can be hard, and I know I sometimes think.. why can't I do that anymore...!

But, we are runners and usually, rationale kicks in and we accept and move on!

You do amazingly! I love your posts and the photos too..I feel I know some of the places you run in even though I've never visited.

Thank you so much for popping in...and sharing..

My small yellow snail is pleased to see you too x

Snail power

[aliboo70 in reply to Oldfloss]

Yellow snails were always my favourites for windowsill races as a kid! 😊🐌xxx

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to aliboo70]

Well yes of course xxx

[Unfitforthis]

What a great post. I did my first c25k about 6 or 7 years ago. When I graduated a did a post on fb as I was so proud. One person commented, see if you can do a 30min 5k. That got in my head and I chased it on every run. Only ever beating it once. It got to a point where I hated and dreaded running. And also "speed" would cause me to have tremendous stomach pains. I ended up giving up the running as I hated chasing the time and I would have anxiety about the pain.

Fast fwd about 5 years and I started c25k again in January. I didn't use any tracking whatsoever, no watch, no strava, just me and Laura on the podcast. How liberating it was!! It's now been a couple of months since I graduated. I now wear a watch to track how far I've run, but not so much information that I analyse every single km etc.

I'm now running 15 miles a week and love it. No pain, no anxiety, just me and my music. I'm not fast, but I'm happy with my progress and happy just to be running.

As they say a 45 min 5k is just as far as a 20 min 5k.

Enjoy running however you chose to do it. Every step is positive. You are running, that's all you need to do.

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to Unfitforthis]

Hello and welcome to you... thank you for popping in and sharing this... I really hope some of our new runners read this.

A great reply and showing how, instead of enjoyment we are enduring our runs! I love that you have moved away from that determined to reach 5K path! Using your watch to track distance too and that is all ... great... you are like me! I do not have heart rate on, and only have my route and my distance and sometimes, my music!

You are so right.. the distance we run is the same, whatever the speed

What is right for one is not right for all, but feeling confident enough to make those choices? Well it may be tricky... but you have clearly found your chosen routes and are loving it!

Thank you so much for this... please, pop in again, any time!