Week 1 done and dusted

[buffster]

Well my face still has a lovely warmth to it about an hour and a half after I finished my run and I'm pretty sure that during the run my face was brighter than the car lights that passed me. But I did it. Week 1 is over.

The endorphins must really kick in, as I find that after each run I'm looking forward to the next one, but by the time the next one comes round I really can't be arsed and have to force myself out the door!

The start of this run wasn't good as I found my throat felt pretty raw, but that disappeared, fortunately. I struggled to get into my rhythm for some reason, even though I was lucky and there was no brutal wind like there was on my last run.

Due to the timing, the 5th run was on a steep hill so I just left it and took the extra time to walk and decided I'd add it on at the end. And there was a slight boost for me when Laura announced after my next run that there was only 2 more to go, as I'd miscounted and thought I had 3 left.

I started counting the seconds in my last scheduled run of the podcast, and according to my count, 26 seconds in I got a text message which meant I was running to the sound of "Pugh, Pugh, Barney Magrew" instead of Laura's lovely choice of music. By the time Cuthbert, Dibble & Grubb had been counted out and the whistle blown, I had counted 46 seconds of the run had passed, only for Laura's voice to kick in and tell me it was time to slow down. Bonus!

I started the walk, counting 90 seconds (no doubt wrongly) and then did another 60 second run (possibly 75 seconds by my poor counting) and as the 5 minute walk normally finishes about 2 minutes shy of my house, that tied in nicely with a full 5 minute walk after my run added on at the end.

I did pass someone else in the dark, deserted park on the way home, but he averted his etes and looked the other way, no doubt to avoid retina damage from being blinded by the redness of my face.

So Week 2 beckons, and because of an appointment with a sports therapist which I've just been asked to change (that was the text message I got), run 2 of week 2 will have to be done at lunchtime, in a gym, on a treadmill. It'll be interesting to see how that compares.

[Norni Graduate]

Well done. Sounds as though you are becoming addicted!

[Hidden]

Congratulations! You sound really motivated which is great; you'll breeze through week two. Don't worry about the whole 'traffic light for a face' thing, as a pale skinned blondie I went through some fabulous shades of beetroot during the first couple of weeks and I took to running in the rain so I could pretend I wasn't sweating but it's faded significantly, we're at a light tomato stage now

Good luck for your treadmill run!!

[Fingalo Graduate]

Well done Buffster.

Have to say, I'm the opposite to you regarding how I feel about the runs. Especially early on, if I had a tough run it would play on my mind for ages afterwards, then by the next run I was rearing to go again.

[RainbowC Graduate]

My W1R1 was in the rain, and I went to a friend's house straight after. Her husband opened the door, took one look at my glowing, dripping face, and burst out laughing! I'm still pretty red after a run even now some 5 months on - but I don't care. I take it as a sign that I've just done something worthwhile.

Well done Buffster - keep going!

[buffster in reply to RainbowC]

Ah, I don't mind the red face really. Except for the part where washing it feels like sticking my hands on an iron!