W5R2 done - you know what this means don't you - W5R3 is next, eeeeeek!

[Pelephant]

I was gagging to get out for W5R2 last night. (If only you knew me two months ago and you would see how funny it feels to write that!) I had the most horrible commute home from work (almost 2 hours stuck in the car after a long day at work grrrrr) Pretty much said hello to the family, threw my bag down, got changed and went out.

I'm falling in love with the route I take now, it's pretty much exactly 3 miles door to door and at the moment includes the warm up and warm down walks and I still finish about 5 mins from home, so I have an extra bit of walking to do but I know all the landmarks, mainly sheep and cows and i find it easy to judge how well I'm doing.

Spent the first few minutes dodging flies (why do they fly straight for your mouth?) and had to run with my head down, which messed up my gait (haha that was another sentence i would never have used two months ago) and made me stumble a bit. Then I accidentally swallowed one. Yuk! (Does this mean I'm officially not a veggie any more?)

To take my mind off the fly and the eight minutes (why was Laura not telling me it was half way yet?) I started thinking ahead to W5R3 and tried to find a comfortable pace that made me feel like i could carry on. Not sure I found it but it gave me something to think about.

The thing that cheered me about this run was the recovery time in between. For the first time I felt like I didn't need it all. I was exhausted after the first eight minutes run but probably could have gone back to running after 3 or 4 minutes walking. I think this is a sure sign that my fitness is improving. I stuck with the full five minutes though. One thing I've told myself is that I'm going to trust Laura and not try and get ahead of myself.

The last eight minute run was ok for the first four minutes and so tried to speed up for a bit. This wasn't a great move because it tired me out for the last four minutes which felt like a plod!

So, there it was W5R2 in the bag. We all know what's next don't we?!! *shiver*

[oona Graduate]

Well done, Pelephant! This is my next run and I must admit I'm a bit apprehensive about it! It's good to hear how well you've tackled it and you're dead right about trusting Laura. I'm exactly the same and wouldn't dream of disobeying! I've always been a conformist! Not sure about the veggie/fly thing. Anytime I swallow one I just think that's some protein to keep me running - sort of like fuel! Now that I've typed that I have a mental image of me running round with my mouth wide open like a basking shark whenever I run out of energy! Yuck! Keep blogging and I'll keep reading! Enjoy your weekend.

[Mitts Graduate]

I found W5R2 very hard, I had a bit of a sniffle and practically crawled the last few minutes. But R3 - you just kind of get out there and do it, like everybody says. I went really slowly and it was actually less strenuous than R2, maybe because my sniffle had gone too.

Good luck - but I'm sure you won't need it!

[notbad Graduate]

Well done & best of luck for W5R3 Pelephant, the fact that you can feel your recovery time getting shorter is a sure sign that you are ready for a longer run. As Mitts says take it slow and steady - the sense of achievement you will feel afterwards will make it all worthwhile.

[nickinocki]

R3 for me on Monday after doing r2 today. Like you, I can't believe how far I've come with this and how fit I'm feeling! I wanted to run before the 5 mins was up too, but I decided to wait for Laura to tell me, she def. knows best. R3 is scary, but so many people have done it, so it's achievable. I'm kind of excited and kind of dreading it! good luck!

[arablue]

me too! Both on w5r2 and on the flies! I know I'm supposed to breathe through my nose but I find it easier to gasp through my mouth - so I guess the odd fly is unavoidable.

I posted recently on being a running bore. Who would have thought it, least of all me? So your comments on gait etc really struck a chord. I'm doing r3 this Wednesday.....!