Starting the C25K tomorrow!: Following a failed... - Couch to 5K

Couch to 5K

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Starting the C25K tomorrow!

Georgie21 profile image
20 Replies

Following a failed new years resolution to quit smoking ... inspiration has been drawn from the up-comming Olympics! Owning a crazy recue dog that needs more than 'just a walk' I have quit the puffs, started swimming for the first time since primary school conquering a fear of deep water, Yay!

Next is the C25K. Here's to a new healthier way of being!

First run tomorrow,

Reading other peoples posts on here has motivated me so much to do it! Hoping writing my own blog will help me to stick at at it :) xx

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Georgie21 profile image
Georgie21
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20 Replies
Inthesky profile image
Inthesky

The dog will love it! Good Luck and have fun! :)

lm51 profile image
lm51Graduate

Good luck! :) I find taking the dog makes it much more fun as well (and encourages me to actually go in the first place even more!)

glendam52 profile image
glendam52Graduate

Good luck for the morning just take it slow and steady if the dog will let you and listen to Laura.

jomcc4 profile image
jomcc4Graduate

Good luck and welcome. I too run with my dog and we both love it. Keep us posted.

Christy16 profile image
Christy16

Hi Georgie, looking forward to reading your blog. I've just started too and hoping to do my 3rd "run" of week 1 over the weekend. Like you I'm hoping I will be able to include the dog. Not tried that yet because I'm too busy concentrating at this stage to be keeping an eye on him too, but hopefully will be able to manage both soon. Good luck.

Georgie21 profile image
Georgie21 in reply toChristy16

Hi Christy! I left Honey Bee behind today to, and I'm so glad because I never would have managed.

Like you, I hope when I get into it I ill be able to manage both :)

Nevertoolate profile image
NevertoolateGraduate

Have a great time and welcome to you and Christy16. I'm on week 4 and week one seems only days behind me; yet I ran for 5 minutes today. Lots of people say that the first week is the hardest - I found it so having not run for 33 years since school and long sock days. But the sense of joy and achievement after finishing is amazing. I envy you starting today - enjoy!

Georgie21 profile image
Georgie21 in reply toNevertoolate

Thank you Nevertolate! wow week 4! Yes the first a lot harder than I expected but I did feel wonderul sense of achievement and really quite invigorated arriving home, drenched and windblown!

Looking forard to the next one now :)

Stealthrunner profile image
Stealthrunner

Welcome to the C25K community! I've just done my second 30-minute run, and I would never have got this far without the help and encouragement of other C25K runners. I, too, use my dogs as a motivator for getting my running gear on - after all, I'll have to take them for a walk anyway, so why not combine my runs and their outings?

Just like Christy16 says, however, you may have to be prepared to do your first week without the help of your canine running mate. There have been a few discussions on running with dogs within the C25K community, and the reports have been mixed. I compete in agility with mine, so I ought to be able to put one foot in front of the other, but I had to really concentrate to achieve the right rhythm and learn to relax into the run for the first two weeks. Consequently, I found it much easier to take my oldest dog along during the earlier runs, since he will just trot along nicely beside me. As my technique improved, I changed to the two speed demons - by then, I was confident enough in my running skills to focus on teaching them to run ahead of me properly, with their leads attached to a skijoring belt. Now, my ultimate aim is to take part in a 5k CaniX event.

Well done for adopting a rescue dog, by the way. And good luck with your first run!

Georgie21 profile image
Georgie21 in reply toStealthrunner

Thank you for the sound advice stealthrunner, I left my Honey monster at home today, and like you say, I'm glad I did because if I'd have brought her it would have ended in disaster! Suprising how hard you have to concentrate on the running itself, and handling her aswell at this stage would be to much!! She is a high energy girl but it is somethnig to look forard to and something to work for :) she does love to move!

The Canix is what got me looking for a running plan to follow! A future dream, 9 or more weeks away! :)

Would love to know how you get on when you enter your canix event!

Runningmummy profile image
RunningmummyGraduate

Good luck and well done for getting this far! C25K is the best thing I've ever done - I hated running and would do anything to avoid it having been jeered at by some lads in a car the one time I ventured out for a jog. It scarred me for life I thought, but C25K changed that and I am so proud of what I have achieved. I am doing Race for Life tomorrow with my 6 year old daughter and although I won't be able to run it all with her little legs in tow, it's still good to know I could...

Let us know how you get on and I beg the dog loves it!

Georgie21 profile image
Georgie21 in reply toRunningmummy

Must have been a proud moment taking part in that race for life today!

:) Well done runningmummy! what an inspiration x

Zagel profile image
Zagel

good luck, after never really running after school 20 odd years ago, I ran for 20 minutes yesterday. I would never have believed I could do that, trust in the program it really does work.

Grat1 profile image
Grat1

Welcome :) I completed week 1 last week, you'll find loads of support here and plenty of good advice hope you enjoy it as much I as i am

wsquared profile image
wsquared

Slow and steady winds the race.

fmawhinney profile image
fmawhinneyGraduate

Well done. Iv been graduated now for a couple of months but you'll never believe how addictive this can be. My dog, Lola, and I have just returned from our run in torrential rain lol. Good luck for the morning xx

Squiggles profile image
SquigglesGraduate

Hey, well done on starting! I've also started C25K this week, so I guess we're in it together?! Along with a few others by the looks of it... will be good to keep each other motivated, here's to 9 week's time and beyond! :)

Georgie21 profile image
Georgie21 in reply toSquiggles

Here's to 9weeks time and beyond! Yes I guess we are in it together! :)

A soggy, windy run1 today! I'm looking forward to my next one on Tuesday!

The kind messages and support on here are unbelieveable! what a lovely community1 will be ab to keep each other motivated :) Even in the wind and rain!

scamp profile image
scamp

Well done. I feel i ve fallen by the wayside. Jogged last wed but not since. Please help with some encouragement. Cant seem to get the same motivation i had before. I know a lot is due to some recent bereavement which has thrown me. Need jogging more than ever. And quit smoking!!!

Georgie21 profile image
Georgie21 in reply toscamp

Sounds like you have been going through a hard time lately Scamp, no wonder your suffering a loss of motivation!

The quitting ... is hard, no doubt about it. I have tried so many times before to quit but always 'given in'.

The only thing I have done differently this time is not smoke! I know it sounds crazy but the min you stub out your last one, you have to tell yourself I'm not a smoker, I'm not trying to quit, I did quit! Then everytime you think about smoking, push it right to the back of your mind. Tell yourself firmly, aloud if you have to 'you do not smoke anymore.' Put yourself in lots of positions where you wouldn't smoke, treat yourself after your first week with the money you would normally spend on fags :) don't bring any to work, don't keep any in the house

I didn't use patches etc either, as they were just a constant reminder of what I was missing, because I still enjoyed cigs when I gave them up. Somebody once told me your will power is the most powerful tool you have. I realise now, I just needed to learn how to use it :)

This has worked for me, I'm less stressed and I deal with stressful situations much better, especialy in work (Support work in mental health/challenging behaviour) I don't instantly want out of a hard situation for a fag, I deal with it and then move on.

Theres so many different ways people do it, just use all the techniques that work for you, that's your own individual plan. If I had of struggled this time, I was going to find a group! Mabey that would work for you? knowing somebody else is going through the same thing can be reasuring. I'm almost a month into my quit and I still get tempted sometimes, probably will for the next few months but you have to focus on whats great about it.

The best bit of quitting smoking for me this time was noticing how much better I felt. No heavy chest in the mornings, more energy!

Use that to help motivate you with your running. Plan out what days your gonna run each week and stick to it, playing it by ear and deciding 'mabey not today' will put you off :)

I have my second run today! Get back out there, headphones in and do it for yourself! Be sure to post about it, it's helping me stay motivated, I so many people on here have achieved amazing things, you and I can do it to! Hope this helped! xx

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