W5R1 - Done, but I need Laura now.

[Dansmum]

I've been doing the program without Laura, just my stopwatch, because I haven't got anything to play the podcasts on. Last week I borrowed a mp3 stick player and went out for the last run of W4 on Saturday and it was great to have Laura with me, I felt much more confident of completing the runs. However, about one and a half minutes into the first 5 minute run, the podcast reverted back to the introduction for Week Three. Not knowing what to do, I turned it off and completed the runs using my stopwatch. It was later explained to me that I hadn't put the 'Hold' button on and may have joggled the controls.

I couldn't run on Monday for various reasons, so went out yesterday to do W5R1. I don't know if its just me, but before a run I'm always anxious that I won't be able to do it and I don't like leaving too many days between runs in case I lose whatever fitness I have built up on the previous week. Anyway, took Laura with me and not my stopwatch, set off thinking "this is going to be ok", then halfway through the five minute warmup, the podcast reverted to the introduction of Week 4. Aargh! I couldn't believe it. Not knowing how to fast forward to the place I was at, I decided to set it off again at the start and have another warmup, and it happened again. I don't think it's me, I think it's either the player or the podcast have downloaded incorrectly.

So I'm in my running place, which is at the top of a very steep hill, no podcast, no watch and getting cross. Think, I'd do some running rather than waste the effort of getting here, and I was ........... Rubbish! Stomped off home in the end, cursing faulty gadgets, me for being such an old fart and not knowing how to use these things and really worried that I wouldn't be able to run for five minutes, stupid I know as I'd already done it in Week Four.

Told the OH (untruthfully) that I had "thrown the darn thing over the hedge in with the sheep", he laughed and said "So the sheep are all up there doing Week 1 now, are they?" Which is a quite funny mental picture.

I've got my own Mp3 player on it's way now, via Ebay and I shall get a techno wizard I know to load the podcasts for me, because as I said at the start of this ramble the runs are getting harder (physically and mentally for me), I need Laura.

And W5R1, went out this morning, just me and my trusty stopwatch and did it, on now to the 8 minutes on Friday.

Sorry to bore you all with my trials and tribulations, but felt like sharing and having a bit of a whinge! Hope everyone has a good next run.

[TJFlute]

Whinge away! We're all ears and ready to support Now, there's three things here. Firstly I HATE technical stuff too and when things don't work I absolutely blow a fuse. So I am totally with you with that! Secondly, well done in completing w5r1 this morning without Laura. You are clearly very determined and doing very well

Thirdly, good luck with getting the podcast sorted out. Amazingly I managed to download from itunes to my mini ipod all be myself without the help of a teenage son; I was that desperate to get started! I'm sure with a new mp3 player you'll be sorted.

[TheActualSarah Graduate]

LMAO...I wouldn't call myself a technophobe but I have also had some annoying technical malfunctions. I'm using my phone. For the first few weeks I ran with it in my hand coz didn't have anywhere to put it. A few times I hit a button and launched into my own music - luckily it was love shack so good tempo but had to find my place in podcast again. Now I've got one of those armband things. The headphones used to fall out my ears so now I wear a hippy-esk Alice band. Lol. Sometimes an email or message cuts out the music for a few seconds but I used to turn airplane mode on to stop it, but now I'm using endomondo to track my runs I need it on to use GPS. Twice I have forgotton to turn GPS on so I don't track distance. When I do remember I get a woman chiming in saying 1mile in 17 minutes which makes me laugh. Like that's something I want shouting out.

[misswobble Graduate]

I got the techy problems too and being as I had left my specs in the car I couldn't see to re-select the podcast from the tiny, tiny text on the darned mp3 player. Oh well, by retracing my steps to the car I burned off a few more cals. Every cloud has a silver lining ey

Make sure you carry on listening to Laura and she'll take you all the way to Graduation Day with no worries. Good luck