I don't know whether this should be a blog or a question - but I ran this morning and had to include every inch of warm up and warm down walk to get to 5k. I also had to take a 2 minute walking break during the run. I think at least 2 "rest" (ie walk or swim days) are definitely called for now.
In the past I've usually run 2x35 mins (roughly 5k) + 1x C25K Speed podcast, which is quite a bit shorter, so to do the 5x50 I've increased to 3x35 mins/5k, plus of course the extra walking (not much more than usual) and swimming (new). My husband said yesterday I'd be tired - I laughed it off but didn't expect it to hit me so soon.
How does the rest of the team feel? I'm almost tempted to go onto a run-walk-swim-run-walk-swim schedule to get 2 days between runs all the time. I do want to get through this so don't want to get burned out after less than a week (and I haven't even worn my t-shirt yet).
Of course - it could just be that well-known phenomenon called a bad run... but even so there must be a reason.
Hope you've all had a good day!
Ann
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I think we are all so caught up in the enthusiasm of this challenge that maybe we are doing more than is actually necessary but that actually seems to be the way of all challengers going by the graph that 5x50 put on facebook yesterday! Everyone is very keen but I think after a week it will settle down a bit as it maybe starts taking its toll.....I remember reading, maybe on their FB page, that it is around day 19/20 that people start to wobble with their resolve so it is a matter of not burning out by overdoing it early on but taking it slow and steady. Now where have I heard that before??!!
Having a 2 day break between runs seems sensible Ann and mixing it up is good to try and work other parts of the body. Though saying that, at the moment I am either running or walking more so my poor legs are feeling it! I am leaving 2 days before my next run for that very reason. I do need to do other exercise for 30 mins to work on upper body and core but that will have to wait until the weekend now.
I normally have Thursday's and Sunday's as rest days but I've done some cardio today and I did a run on Sunday and subsequently I'm feeling a little worn down. I have a run tomorrow, 4th Post Grad one and I really want to increase the time from the last run to 43mins + not sure if that will be possible but watch this space!
At the moment I am doing walking for two days then a run as a means of trying to not get an injury. Saying that I did an 8k walk yesterday and just come back from a 5k run and I am feeling it so a soak in the tub I think.
It's early days yet, but today, I lectured 9 - 3 I walked to and from work, plus walked through the lunch break. As it was "only" 3.56K, I slapped on a Flex and Strength workout after work and now, yes, I am pretty tired! Actually, I'm thinking that maybe by "bad" run on April 1st -- when for the first time ever in this program I was sooo knackered I had to stop and walk after 15 minutes -- may well have been due to the 7K speed walk the day before. Watch this space indeed!
I've just put on the other thread that I didn't run today, mostly because my face has flared up from being out in so much cold wind (it's really red and sore) but also my legs are a bit on the tired side from run walk run walk 5k+ each time.
So maybe, on balance, I'm better off for not having gone out to run anyway! The facebook page has had several comments from people saysing their legs are tired too!
Thanks everyone - it sounds like I'm not alone although unlike Sue and Greenlegs it's not my legs that are the problem - it's an overall thing. This weather doesn't help either does it? I've been sneezing since yesterday's swim (or rather the bitterly windy walk home from it with wet hair). Today I'm only pleased I went out early - it's been on/off horizontal snow here (Hants so not exactly the frozen north) ever since!
Greenlegs - hope your face calms down - have you been wearing your buffs? Maybe you need many at a time to cover neck, face AND head (I'm thinking Egyptian mummy effect...) Do you have a special cream to put on it? Sore skin can be so miserable and you were probably right not to expose it to more of that cold wind today. Definitely the windiest and coldest day this week :x.
Tomorrow I think I may be back to the pool. It was at least warm and relatively relaxing there, and the weather lady says Saturday/Sunday it should start to warm up a bit. Perhaps if we all do a sun dance it will
Mmm - wearing buff, scarf, cowboy hat with big brim, sunglasses (yup - looks ridiculous!) and high spf suncream... and my skin still flares up. I was hoping it would settle down with just emollients, but it's no better, so time for the weak hydrocortisone. Hope the cold winds will move off somewhere else soon.
I had really sore, red skin around my mouth and chin from running in the cold at the end of last year and it took ages to clear up. It's starting to feel sore and dry again now and the best thing I've found is a Hemp hand-cream from the Body Shop or pure coconut oil (I've got a pot of solid stuff in the fridge but it's easily absorbed into the skin). I haven't resorted to a balaclava yet !
It wasn't so cold today, so I'm hoping that cycling with the buff across my chin (and lots of vaseline-like emollient) will be enough to keep the redness/soreness at bay. I've got some of that Hemp hand-cream, and it is good, but I really don't like the smell, so I don't fancy putting it on my face - on my hands is bad enough! I like coconut though, so might try that, thanks!
I feel your pain!!!!! Smhall and myself have ran a 5K every single day plus the first day of the challenge we also added a 5K walk. My footsies were feeling it last night after my run. Midway through my run last night I wondered how I have ever ran over an hour. I finally convinced him we need to be doing other forms of exercise as well! Not going to mention he can be hard-headed! Oops! I mentioned it! Tonight we will be walking. Hopefully, if the yucky weather ever goes away, we can plan to bicycle! I'm hoping our shirts arrive soon! Gayle
Sorry to hear that you still have yucky weather too! As you've probably read it's been horrid here - the coldest March since they started counting I think! All my friends in CA seem to have had it pretty good lately though - perhaps we should pay them a mass visit
Please persuade Steve that you mustn't overdo it, especially this early in the challenge. Remember Laura - always take a rest day between runs. OK - I'm sure Usain Bolt etc run every day but we're not them - or at least I know I'm not
I hope your shirts arrive soon - although to be honest I haven't had a chance to wear mine yet. I'm thinking it can come out at an aerobics class next week as it's really too cold outside at the moment.
We were running about an hour and 15, anywhere from 8-10K a run, 2-3 times a week. We decided we were good to go with the 5Ks daily. Reality has now set in and we will be doing other activities. No way do we want an injury to stop us. Excited about the shirts, although no one around here will know what they mean!
I'm feeling my thighs for the first time tonight. Funnily enough the aches started after stretching.
Swimming tomorrow, will definitely be going slow and steady. Hope to Parkrun on Saturday, cycling is an option for Sunday and then I'll see but do need to get to run 10k as I'm signed up for my first 10k on 18th May.
Mentally I'm fine and very happy about the exercise (would say too thick to know better - or just mental!!).
Think the weather is set to get mild and wet, hope that's wrong I prefer cold and dry.
My calves are a little sore and I can feel it in my bottom. I have been doing a couple of runs and then I have been doing run/walk intervals. Yesterday I only managed 3k as my parents popped round for a cup of tea and then I could only squeeze in a 3k before I needed to feed the kids. So today I have had to start catching up and did a 6k interval session on the treadmill.
My first day was a mixture of walking and slow jogging and very unstructured. Day 2 was about 8.8km fleeing from zombies, day 3 was intervals at running club, day 4 felt like a struggle - approx 5km evading zombies - but was actually barely any slower than usual, tonight was 6.95km "easy" run with running club - when I say easy, it was a real struggle to start with but I felt happy and comfortable by the end. I'm tempted to run again tomorrow.
I AM tired but I feel as if I'm learning from the experience. Both achilles tendons are sore and have been for weeks but this evening I found that by shortening my steps I could make it a lot more comfortable, even on a long, steep hill. I'm hoping to use the extra runs to concentrate on form rather than pace in the hope of avoiding injury and longer term improvements.
I think the main thing, as always, is to listen to your body. My fallback plan is the cross-trainer on the easiest setting but the sunshine makes me want to be outside !
Oh, me too! I knew it was huge doing this when I've only been running 3 times a week since New Year and before that many, many years of couching and so I've started out doing the bare minimum, either 5k running or walking and 30 mins swimming but I'm still finding it hard. Not sure what I'll do tomorrow, we have a house guest for the weekend and he will be here when I get home from work, I've run today so need to do something else tomorrow but what? I could just disappear into the garage and walk on the treadmill watching telly on the ipad while he and hubby have pre-dinner drinks, wonder if he'll think that's rude?!
I think I've done more than I usually would but that's because of a combination of lovely weather (cold wind but very sunny), the holidays and having a very energetic niece visiting. I know I couldn't keep this pace up for all of the 50 days but it'll settle down soon! Good luck to everyone!
Not suffering too much here fortunately ..but thats probably 'cos I'm doing this "walkies" style. I do walk for over an hour each day though, at between 5 and 6kph which is a step up (pun not intended) for me. Gave the dog a rest today as I pounded the concrete to avoid paying carpark fees and bus fares on a shopping trip. 8k round trip plus whatever I walked whilst shopping .. feeling pleased with myself.
The most frustrating thing is that in my teenage years and early twenties I almost certainly walked more than 5k every day without thinking about it. Now, I live too far away from work to walk (8 miles) and it takes some juggling to fit in 5k of anything every day.
My fifteen year old son certainly does more than 5k every day without thinking about it - he walks to school and he walks to his karate class 3 times a week. The rest of the time he's bone idle - he'd be horrified if he realized how much exercise he's really doing
My hips seem to be feeling it, funny because I've had just about everything else hurt over the past 9 weeks but not my hips. Getting out the car after a drive from b'ham to bucks today I looked like John Wayne
I noticed my hips were feeling the walking, which really surprised me - then I realised that I've done very little walking since I started running (only the warm-up and cool-downs, no longer distances really). Then I checked how I was walking, and noticed that the uncomfortable bit was as my heels hit the ground, which made me think about heel strike and running. So I tried deliberately not heel striking (harder when walking, but not impossible) - and it was more comfortable! I've since looked up a bit about chi walking, which does seem to be along those lines.
HI! I have run, cycled, cycled, walked - and now have to head to the gym to do a quick 5k on the exercise bike ( as when I woke up at 3.45pm and looked out at the snow blowing in the gale eating breakfast seemed a much more sensible idea!) But now it leaves me having to descend into the basement where sweaty blokes reside.... ;-(
5k cycle done on exercise bike; one sweaty chap joined me in the gym; felt I had to explain what I was doing after he'd finished grunting his way through the warm up run he did on the treadmill as he asked if I was going to use any other equipment... He seemed impressed that I was getting on and doing something rather than sitting watching it on tv!
I didn't explain that I had begun my journey by getting my butt off the settee and onto C25K, I'll leave that for next time
I've been a bit tired too, so cut back over the last couple of days. Also central heating not working and no hot water for 3 days - Brrrrr! - so yesterday's planned run was struck off . I was not going to jump into a freezing cold shower! Anyway heating back on now, so will get back to running tomorrow.
I've done quite a bit of walking up the steepest inclines I can find and I can really feel it in my muscles. I'm hoping this will help my running and make running up hills a bit easier.
I dont think the weather helps - its been cold & overcast all week and I'm just sick of it. Here's hoping next week's warmer, but wetter, weather gives us a boost.
I'm absolutely knackered already! That was my five cents guys!
Btw, remember the old cow who says I'm too thin? (Newbies see my old blogs -- I'm a size 12 for fkuc's sake) she has started harping on at me again.... grrrrrrrrrr leading me to eat a gigantic ice cream for lunch yesterday -- melted chocolate in the cone topped with merigue/cocoa butter and biscuit flavoured ice cream -- which I worked off by beginning strength and flex with good old Laura. Must get off to work. Bye all.
You are all brilliant! I think the initial enthusiam is bound to fade slightly, but just at the moment look at what you are all doing! No wonder you are feeling it - I'm totallly knackered just sitting here reading it I think the stats etc will really give you a boost as well. Please take it easy though (relatively) because you all have a long way to go yet, so giving yourselves 'easier' days is important, surely? I really admire you all for doing this. Keep it up - but be kind to yourselves too
Hi team brilliant (like the new name? thanks Anniemurph) - I think I've found the reason for the tiredness - woke up this morning with a cracking headache and sinus pain. Oh dear. A couple of Nurofen have hit the spot for now and I'm functioning again but definitely not running or swimming today. May go for a walk later but not sure about 5k. On the positive side I can feel the swimming 2 days ago in my arms now so I'm looking forward to doing some more and getting all toned up
Delia - that ice cream sounds wonderful and take no notice of the old cow (your words). She's probably jealous that you can eat ice cream and remain a svelte size 12. Grrrr. None of her business anyway.
Mmm - I've been off work this week too, with plenty of time to fit it all in (not least reading the blogs!) - next week will indeed be a test. Though I think week 3 is the one to watch out for!
I still do my runs on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. In between I have done walking and swimming. I think as the challenge moves on I will stick to walking between runs as I now I can do this easily( Been in a walking club for years)! I hope it doesn't get too hard, but I think slow and steady is the message.
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Everyone is very keen but I think after a week it will settle down a bit as it maybe starts taking its toll.....I remember reading, maybe on their FB page, that it is around day 19/20 that people start to wobble with their resolve so it is a matter of not burning out by overdoing it early on but taking it slow and steady. Now where have I heard that before??!! 
I am leaving 2 days before my next run for that very reason. I do need to do other exercise for 30 mins to work on upper body and core but that will have to wait until the weekend now. 
None of her business anyway. 
All of you doing the 5x50 challenge get your tape measures out..
Feeling a bit defeated already
Feeling like a failure already :(
