Since graduation a month a ago I have stuck like clockwork to 3 runs a week. After a first week of 3 30 minute runs, I began Stepping Stones for a fortnight with 1 30 minute run-to-a-playlist a week and last week i did Speed. Yesterday I invested in a Garmin 10 in Barbie Pink -- although Mitts, I was seriously tempted by the Puke Green -- and dutifully wore it this morning. I couldn't work out how to set it on Kms rather than miles, but anyhow, a rose is a rose is a rose and the result was disappointing, I mean, how crap is that:
Having lived in Km and Kilos for the past 30 years, Miles and ounces now confuse me, but suerly I must have run like a bloody snail. Do you reckon I should give up?
Please advise, over and out, Delia
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DeliaItaly
Graduate
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Garmin won't let me in there Delia - but whatever your distance was you ran for 30 minutes I'm guessing and that's the important thing. That's what'll improve your health and fitness. And at least you are out there running, please don't join my walking wounded club anytime soon.
Onwards and upwards!
And whatever you do, don't push yourself too hard to up your stats next time. Slow and easy wins the race or however the saying goes
I've even got abs now and am the same weight I was at university, so why aren't I running 5K ? Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Maybe Miss Keeling was right. PE is not for me.
BUT, I like this running malarkey and have no intention of stopping! The lake was misty today --- heaven!
I also can't see your results (insufficient privileges is the put-me-down reason) but you've already done better than I have today - woke up with a slight sore throat, clearly got a cold coming, and wimped out even though it was about +5C and sunny! I promise I'll see how I feel later on.
I also just got a Garmin - mine's a 110 with a pink stripe on it. I think Garmin reckons we girls might forget we're girls if we're not reminded by looking at our watches every so often
I did work out how to put it into km instead of miles but it wasn't obvious - I honestly can't remember how I did it though so keep persevering!
As for rubbish running, my last (and only Garmin-assisted) speed session gave the following:
Distance:2.33 km
Time:16:08
Avg Pace 6:55 min/km
Average Speed 8.7 kph
Activity Type: Running
Surely 2.33 km isn't wonderful when you think 16 mins is more than half of 30 and that's me going fast!
Next time out I did 5km (yippee) in 34.09 on Stamina. I think it all goes to show that there's a lot of variation, especially for folks like me that find it impossible to set a reasonable pace without "known" bpm in the background.
Whatever it said DON'T GIVE UP - you probably don't run like a snail and I'm sure you can feel the benefits of your efforts.
Hey! Not fair! How did you manage to get a whole 4K run with only 3m gained? I drop further than that (and then have to reclimb it at the end of my run) just getting to the end of my road!
Silliness aside. You're out there, you've just done 30 minutes of exercise, you have abs (I probably do also but they're well hidden), don't worry about speed, just go and have fun!
I think you're doing really well! 35:55 is a minute longer than I've ever run (I only do more than 30 mins exactly on special occasions, like if I do stamina and feel OK enough to do the last 5 mins) and as we all know, at this point time and keeping going is way more important than speed/distance. In fact, I think your overall speed is probably close to mine when I did week 9 - I had a habit of starting too fast and struggling to finish. I've found the 5k+ podcasts very good for controlling my pace.
I think having the Garmin will help me a lot - probably you as well. I'd agree with what Mitts says further down the page - use the Garmin for some more "normal"
runs so you can see what your natural pace does and how consistent you are, and then decide whether to go for further, quicker etc. When this sore throat goes then I'm planning to keep going with 2 x Stamina and 1 x speed a week until January, then look at the stats.
I think you're running for 35 mins which is great. When I was about week 8 of C25K, I did a run with my son's girlfriend, R and we ran at a pace of about 8.5 min/km. OK, it a little slower than my pace for 30 mins runs, but R has completed a 10K race going at this pace - and she enjoyed it!
Time yourself on a few more 'normal' 30 - 35 mins runs then, if you wish, you can start to train to increase your pace. The best way to do that is interval training, I used C25K+ Speed podcast to help me as it's short and snappy!
Found how you change to km - click on your name top right and then on Settings. You can change time etc there too.
My best (pre-injury) time measured with the Garmin was 5K in 36 minutes. My best 3K run was 22 mins but that was one of my so-called recovery runs after straining my knees. Up till then after graduating I'd always just ran either 30 mins or the Stamina podcast. Never Garmined any of them, but once I get back running outside I'm going to make all sorts of fascinating graphs and statistics
But actually, speed doesn't matter, it's getting finished and fit and having fun that's important!
Just enjoy, Delia, you can run half an hour, how many people do you know that can do that?
It's the fascinating graphs and statistics I'm going to love doing too - being a bit on the nerdy side
First I want to run (and Garmin) Stamina a few more times to see how repeatable my time and distance are, and then see if I can improve the 5k time a bit, one day (if I'm lucky) I'd like to manage 30 mins. Looking forward to seeing the graph coming down for 5k time.
I totally agree that in the end it's getting finished and fit, and having fun that's important. This community is also (I think) what'll keep me running as time goes on. Yes, I've missed a run today, for which I feel guilty (even though I think a sore throat/cold needs rest - the last thing I need is a cough, as the last one I had took 6 weeks to go), however, I am here talking about running, which is very important as it would be too easy just to stop!
Hope your knees are getting better and hope to see you around here again soon.
Knees are improving VERY slowly and not being the most patient soul alive...
Oh well, I'll get there in the end. I agree Garmins are fascinating, I love mine! I'm looking forward to Garmining Stamina but that won't be for a while...
But I can do lots of mini runs first and make all sorts of stats
Delia, just realized what I said above is how to change the settings on your Garmin web page. Fatmumslim has how you change the watch - you might actually need both, my watch came doing km, think the shop guy set that for me, but I had to do the Garmin page myself.
You might not be an immediate challenge to Usain Bolt but I think you're definitely nicely within the 'average' group of one month post grad.
We all go on so much about 5K in 30 you kind of expect to be doing it, but it does take work. I wasn't there either before the knee saga. Another point is, I bet people run further in milder weather, in the winter it's more difficult to breathe and I expect this slows you down.
If I were you I'd just do another 4-5 runs, don't actively try too hard to do better, just go for normal, and see what your statistics do. Then you can plan.
And now go and eat something sinful with your 193 calories!
I think you need to go into your "PRIVACY OPTIONS" in the settings (top right hand corner) and for the " Who can see your profile? " option, choose "my connections" (from the curtain option on the dx) that way you choose who can see your runs.
I've done that, according to what I can see you're confirmed as a connection and 'my connections' can see my activities. Try going right out the programme and then go back in again (like switching your pc off when something goes wrong and switching it on again)...
Snap - I've got a lovely pink garmin 10 too Delia. You can change to Km by pressing the V (bottom right hand side on watch) press it until it scrolls through to settings. Then press the running man button (to select), now press the V button until you get to set up, press the running man button again, scroll down to units, and you should be able to select metric.
Well if you can follow that you deserve a medal Don't you dare think about giving up running or else!!
Anyone who wishes to connect to my Garmin account, please feel free to do so (Let me know who you are on here, if you go by a different screen name on Garmin Connect). I'm swanscot on Garmin Connect.
I thought I'd replied to you before I went and looked at your runs on Garmin but I guess it got lost...
Very impressive selection, Swanscot, thank you for sharing. One day I'll run in Scotland too It looks lovely and you don't half put me to shame, mine are nearly all the same track - but I love it!
Dear Swanscot, I have connected to you on Garmin. However, you are the only person with whom I have connected whose activities I can actually see! Please could you tell Mitts and Susan how to change theor settings so that they can share their activities.
Talking of which, gosh you are a star running wise Great stuff, delia xox
Just to chip in and add (tactfully I hope) that we should also take age into account, I don't have a Garmin so have no idea if the stats do. At Parkrun they age grade runners, so while my finish position is okay, it's better when confined to women only and better again when confined to my age/sex grade. In other words take out all the super fit fast young guys and I'm doing just fine. Likewise you are not a rubbish runner Delia, you have progressed as is right for you.
I ditched the Endomondo a while back and enjoy it so much more not obsessing over my stats. I can run and I love it, many more can run faster but I never did this to win a race.
Definitely (bar the 70 odd yo who shot past me on Sat, because he really was an exception), compared to most ladies in your age range I'd say you're a fab runner - I hope I'll be any where near as good when I'm your age!
Just one comment really Delia - you are not a rubbish runner. You are a runner, how great is that? I think we're about the same age (forgive me if I'm wrong at 51) and we're doing amazing things! I'm just having a whale of a time doing something I never thought possible.
The important thing is not what your time is, but how it changes from week to week and month to month. Ultimately the program gets you to run 30 minutes, not 5k, so that you can gradually improve your time with repeated runs. When you start and can only do 30 or 60 seconds, you're not in a position to do that.
What's more, a 35 min 5k is by no means the worst 5km time I've seen posted by C25k graduates. By 10+ min.
You have nothing to worry about except getting (needlessly!) disheartened and giving up.
Funny you should say that, buy yesterday I did a Speed podcast and clocked up an incredibly positive time. I guess it depends on all sorts of personal variables including mood, tiredenss, time of day even?
Ok I'm jealous now. I want a Garmin to play with too. Maybe I should buy myself one for Christmas. Just had a look - swanscot I'm with you, it's got to be the 'puke green' for me.
The puke green is really nice. It was a hard decision to make but the glaring pink did it for me in the end! In fact, the guy in the shop got quite irritated at my dithering and suggested I bought a black higher grade garmin -- you know, the one with the heart beat measurement -- but I do not want to act my age so I went for the Barbie Pink!
Well I learn something new every day - hadn't heard of the Garmin until I read this thread.
My advice would be that we shouldn't get hung up on the 5k in 30 minutes. If we do so, there is a risk we could think we've failed at the end of week 9 as almost nobody can achieve it in this time, and truth is none of us have failed.
I tend to see them as different things, and some days I go for a 30 minute run and other days I go for a 5k run. It's a rare and normally unintentioned outcome when I get close to 5k in 30 minutes, and on almost every occassion when I've done it, I've been feeling great and on a new route. On most runs since graduating I have not checked the time for my 5k or the distance when I do a 30 minute run.
When I do want to time a 5k run I use the footpath app as it's so easy to use on my iphone and plays me randon music from about 1000 tracks and this takes my focus away from times and makes me think distance only.
So having said not to get hung up on 5k in 30 mins, maybe do what I did if you want to get a 5k under your belt.
Plot out a 5k and just run it and dont even look at your time at the end. As you are already doing over 4k then you can do 5k, no doubt about it. It may not be pretty, but it's possible. Set yourself the 5k objective, walk, cycle or even drive the route before hand so you are familiar with it, and then just go for it. Promise, it will be fun and you'll feel incredible at the end.
I presume you've been reading the silly chit-chat about the colour of our Garmins! Well there are some really flash black ones that cost arn arm and a leg that make you a cup of tea towit But the Garmin 10 is the cheapest and prettiest (I know, girl talk) and is also available with a black stripe methinks. And it is fun.
I did a Speed run yesteday with a long walk back to the car and clocked well over 6K in 40 minutes -- and it is interesting to see how it charts stuff like pacing and so on. Here are my stats:
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-- and dutifully wore it this morning. I couldn't work out how to set it on Kms rather than miles, but anyhow, a rose is a rose is a rose and the result was disappointing, I mean, how crap is that: 
I'm a runner now!!!
The Stars Aligned - and I am Officially a Runner
I'm officially a runner
I do believe I'm starting to enjoy this running thing!
