w5r3 in the bag! I did it! (my way)

[Misstrolly]

well, it wasn't quite the very early morning start that I had rather over optimistically planned for (I'm so not a natural riser!) but I woke up after a mini lie in (it is my day off after all) and ummed and arred for a few minutes before forcing down half a cereal bar and a mini macchiato.I waited half an hour for those to go down then set off on my warm up walk, during which I set up map my run app ready to press start when I started running. I was listening to laura on the warm up, but planned to switch to a pre-made playlist lasting just over 20 minutes of my favourite pace keeping music.Let me explain why...

After my last run (w5r2) I discovered that while doing longer stretches of running than ever before, I found when laura would say "well done, you've done 4 minutes of running etc) quite demoralising, I guess in my mind I felt I had done more, so these markers/reminders would mentally set me back. Seeing as these longer runs are, as Laura quite rightly says, more mental challenges than physical, I knew that I would do better with my own motivational music and to start becoming my own coach, after all, dear Laura won't be around forever (I'm sure shes got much better things to be getting on with ) I enjoyed sitting down at my laptop compiling a 20 minute playlist and as a result, knew approximately how long each song was, so they were very subtle markers of how far I had gone. I saved the meatiest song (Motorhead ace of spades) for that last push, after some gentler pace making songs for the start and middle of the run.

Of course, I will return to the podcasts when there are intervals to be done, but I already have playlists of 25 and 28 minutes duration stored on my phone and can't wait to get to try them out! The songs I love help my mind go into a semi reverie which really helps pass the time and the little demon that likes to say "stop now you are tired" seems to quiet down and enjoy the music too.

Thanks to "map my run", I know actually ran 3 km in 20 minutes through woodland paths, some slightly uphill and a little downhill. it was a beautiful morning and I felt so good to be out there.

[shelleymcb Graduate]

well done I read your question yesterday so was wondering how you got on.

now you've got over the mental hurdle of 20mins there will be no stopping you.

good luck with the rest of the plan.

shelley X

[Misstrolly Graduate in reply to shelleymcb]

Thank you Shelley for your kind words. The encouragement and support on this forum is so lovely x

[scavo Graduate]

Laughed while reading your post misstrolley.. i remember wk5r3, and that 20min run.. i kept thinking "Laura, where are you, have you gone and left me??) as it seemed forever til i heard her voice again!!..

I too have made my own playlist of songs, and my route is 5.3km, but i havent been brave enough to do it without laura yet.. isnt that a bit weird!!

Plan on going it alone tomorrow tho, just do it, just me.. no laura??

think i may have formed an unhealthy attachment.......

[Minuette Graduate]

Well done glad you did it! I've been compiling a playlist too, but I'm going to wait until after week 9 I think, but I'm going to add Ace of Spades now as it's a real motivator for the final push!

[Misstrolly Graduate in reply to Minuette]

I'm b no means a metal head but I love love love that song. It's just so gutsy and really spurs you on. The fire time I saw it was on the young ones ( showing my age now! )

[hacw]

Well done!!! So glad that you sucseeded. Never thought of doing my own play list for when i get to the longer runs. May be we start a thread on ' motivational running music' .Now that you have done a morning run which time do you prefer AM or PM? im on the asumption that PM runs i can give a bit more then chill out for the evening.

[Misstrolly Graduate]

I'll have to try put a few more morning runs in order to make my mind up, but where am or pm I know I need to run in the cool of early morning or late afternoon, I just can't stomach the heat!