Wk4 R2 - On such a high!! I really can run five minutes, not just not-walk. Yippee!!

[Tati]

So further to my last blog - when I went out tonight, I felt like I was running (slowly) rather than very slowly jogging this time. Big difference. The whole half-hour felt great and I was pretty confident from the start I was going to be able to keep up the (very) slightly faster pace. It's all relative, but to me it felt like a huge, huge change. It's amazing that this is only 11 runs in from the start.

Another benefit to this crazy running lark is when I'm doing stretches afterwards I'm often doing a mini yoga routine, and it's just reminded me how much I enjoy it. I've done yoga on and off since my teenage years, but bedtime with the kids has made it almost impossible to get to a class in recent years. Now I want to hunt out a really good yoga DVD as part of my 5x50 challenge routine.

[gdeann Graduate]

Sounds like your doing fantastic! Isn't it amazing the progress we see and feel from run to run? Good stuff! Gayle

[LondonKel Graduate]

Well done Tati

5 minutes feels such an achievement doesn't it when you think back to week 1?!

[swanscot Graduate]

It's great to feel yourself progressing, isn't it.

I, and a couple of ofhers here use the online yoga videos by yoga teacher Esther Ekhart at ekhartyoga.com She is an excellent teacher and although she is now making many videos subscription only, she has loads of free 10-60 minute videos for beginners to advanced yogis/yoginis.

[greenlegs Graduate]

Oh, well done, Tati! It is a wonderful feeling to be powering yourself along, and to really feel progress is happening before your eyes!

I'm going to go and look at swanscot's yoga link, as I haven't seen that before.

(Now I'll be boring though and say: slower running/jogging is *still running*, and if you need to use that a bit in some of your longer runs, don't be annoyed with yourself, it's fine, and not going backwards - you'll get faster again with more practice - it's very tempting to start off with your fastest running, but it takes a while for the legs to sustain it and develop stamina.)

[greenlegs Graduate in reply to greenlegs]

Just finished an hour's beginner's yoga from that site. Thanks for the recommendation - it was really good, and I'll definitely go back again.

[Tati Graduate]

Thanks for the replies and the yoga link swanscot. I'll have a look at that later. And greenlegs - no danger of me going too fast. In my dreams! I don't have a Garmin or any running apps as my phone is so ancient nothing works on it so I have no idea what the running part of my runs are like in terms of time. Yesterday according to Map my Run my average walking and running pace was 8 something mins/km and I did 4.09km on the route.