Once, twice, three times a failure, - Jo I still love you...

[Jancanrunagain]

Please excuse the following scream

AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH

I am trying to be optimistic, really I am. The weather has been pants, Fibi Fardashian is now on the third set of medication for beefburger foot, not helped in the least by soggy ground when her paw needs to be dry all the while to heal. Bobster the Monster has had two corns the size of pebbles removed from his paws, so he can't walk either except on soft ground, which is very wet, and Fibi can't walk on that. Running is usually a release from the silly irritating stuff, it gives me clear headroom to be whosoever I wish and worrying about nothing at all.

However, the two of us, Jo and JCR are having a crisis of confidence. She no longer trusts me after the week off piste of consolidation running without her and I no longer can trust her because she keeps going awol on my attempts to do the C25K Stepping Stones runs - well I say runs I can't even get the first one to stay alive.

After some marital running therapy, I decided today that I would treat Jo like I was running with a. precious egg in my hand. She wouldn't be stuffed down my bra or in any running pockets, nor my sweatshirt marsupial pocket. I would carry her in my hand on my run.

Choosing my two-tone playlist it's a great cadence for keeping consistent. I know from     sheps that the first run is slower for 10 minutes, normal for 20 and then a sprint for 5. It's cool here, it had been raining and the sun was just beginning to peek from behind the grey marshmallow clouds - can you even have grey marshmallows? Well we have them here.

We didn't get off to a roaring start, Jo stopped after two seconds - no big deal, I started her again and heard how we'd be focussing on running style, back straight head up, arms at ninety degrees hands loose and not clenched. Now here comes the first hitch to make sure Jo is not tempted to fall asleep, I am holding my phone which requires a bit of tensing of muscles on one side.

And then she stopped once more, okay still on my warm up walk I'll just walk for longer this isn't an issue. Keeping her upright and not bouncing treating her like an empress in a carriage, I continue. Then she stopped again, at which point I threw a tippy tantrum in Lovers' Lane - thankfully the school trip going to Villa Bali had just arrived and didn't hear me scream. I set her off again and decided I'd just use Map My Run Mechanical Voice Lady instead, but she doesn't give running tips and she is a bit too focussed on telling me my pace which is depressing.

I jammed Jo in my pocket and she decided she could talk, but not for long, so I made my way back down Lovers' Lane, towards the hill that kills and wound my way slowly trying to maintain what I though was 80% pace of normal. I made it to the bendy, scary road and ran at my usual. Now the sun was up and it was getting a bit steamy, but It Mek helped bring me to a good rhythm. Jo had gone awol again, so I just had Mechanical Voice Lady telling me how I was doing and eventually I'd done a bit short of 5km, then I started the sprint for the 5 minute end session, to try and pick up where Jo had left off.

My stats said I'd done 5.48km ( I reckon about 5.1 with my warm up walk discounted) taking 46.32 mins to do it but my splits show that my pace was just consistent and that my last 'run' which I was sure had been faster was exactly the same.

Jo on the other hand, decided all I'd done was 5 minutes 15 seconds of running.

Three strikes and you're out, sorry Jo I just can't hack this on/off relationship, you're either with me or you're not, it's discombobulating (love that word) because I end up getting tense about the tech and not getting on with the run and that's where my happy place usually is.

After a recommendation I'm going to try the Nike app - it could be that Jo just doesn't like Map My Run and it maybe a tech integration issue. Frustratingly after my warm down walk and stretches Jo popped back up to life - I really liked her as my coach, and am so disappointed I can't continue with her. I'm monitoring my kilometres for the year as I've signed up for the 1025 kms in 2025 challenge on MMR - not sure I'll get to that level given I've just cracked the 100km mark, but I like the target to keep me focussed, and so MMR is now more helpful than the Beyond app, which is just beyond my reach.

[nowster Graduate]

You used the F word. We don't do that here.

It might be helpful to exclude the app from battery management. Some phones are just too aggressive in killing off background apps.

[Jancanrunagain Graduate in reply to nowster]

But it was Jo that 'f'd does that get me off the hook???

[Jancanrunagain Graduate in reply to nowster]

I'll have a look at the battery management thing - it's three separate times I've tried to do the first Beyond run and Jo has dropped out every time - she used to be a bit iffy during the nine weeks, but for the most part it was okay. This time not at all...

[nowster Graduate in reply to Jancanrunagain]

Samsungs are particularly aggressive in killing off stuff. There might be per-app settings, or phone-wide ones. (I've a Google Pixel phone which is a little less aggressive, but it still occasionally happens, especially if I stop and take a photo.)

[SueAppleRun Graduate]

Goodness Jan, what a palava, you are going to just love the NRC guided runs

[Jancanrunagain Graduate in reply to SueAppleRun]

I definitely need guidance up to a running time of an hour - I used to love doing 10km and I really need coaching to get me there safely. I don’t want an IC situation either as that may tempt me back to the couch.

My thought is that it’s a fault either way with MMR or C25K we’ve all had the pause glitch but my app also then skips… loathe to buy a new phone too. NRC sounds the one for me I’ll try that Saturday

[SueAppleRun Graduate in reply to Jancanrunagain]

Some of them are a bit cheesy but they are fun too and there are some good bits of advice in there, I found that the time went so quickly when I used them, have fun 😀

[Jancanrunagain Graduate in reply to SueAppleRun]

I love cheesy!

[Frizzbomb67 Graduate in reply to Jancanrunagain]

if you like cheesy you’re going to love Coach Bennett 😂

[Jancanrunagain Graduate in reply to Frizzbomb67]

Looking out for that then

[sheps Graduate]

How very frustrating, Jan. I'd be tearing my hair out too. I always adjust the time my screen stays lit during a run from the usual 2 minutes to the max of 10 minutes. Might that help keep things active?

[Jancanrunagain Graduate in reply to sheps]

It’s driving me crackers because stopping mid run means you’re not running continuously - on the walk I can manage it but I don’t possess enough coordination and balance to reset her whilst running.

I’ve looked at the battery background setting and it could be that MMR is the one taking up juice as it uses 26% of the battery use. But what makes me so confused is that I’m not setting up my phone any differently to when I first started - and whilst I got the occasional pause, it’s not at all like this now.

I’ll have a look at the screen light too it’s worth one more go - now having looked at the sprint run if Jo goes awol it will be more or less impossible to keep track with all those mini intervals. I will give that a try otherwise Jo and I are through I think

[MintT Graduate]

I hear your frustration 😩 damm you technology! You ran, be proud. I’m proud of you.

Sorry to hear about the trials and tribulations with the woofers hopefully they’ll be on the mend soon and the weather improves.

Feeling the need for the following whoop —

100km YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY💐♥️

[Jancanrunagain Graduate in reply to MintT]

yes the 100km felt big and the 1000 seemed like a good idea at the time! Still if I don’t aim high then I won’t stay as a sticky runner…