Follow the yellow brick road...: I've learnt... - Couch to 5K

Couch to 5K

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Follow the yellow brick road...

29 Replies

I've learnt (well ok, had re-affirmed) during the last two weeks of 5x50 that I could really do with a memory. I use my Garmin to track the K (memory problem one, remember Garmin, memory problem two, remember to switch on Garmin, memory problem three, remember to switch off Garmin) and most annoying is forgetting to set to cycling or running, you can manually update, but then PBs don't register.

So I'm off to see the wizard...if only had a brain!

Great couple of personal bests this weekend.

Friday before work I did my longest distance yet 14.25K in just under 90 minutes.

Today I did a 10K in 58M 39S. (Garmin thinks I cycled it !!!)

The best thing about these longer runs (other than the sheer bliss of running)...is the food I get to eat.

I'm using myfitnesspal to track calories and I always enjoy the extras i get at the weekend, it's straight forward and working so far, nearly lost 2 stone since the new year at roughly 1.5lbs per week. Loving the thinner waist, being overweight rather than obese and the compliments :-)

Enjoy your runs :D

29 Replies
Malcy profile image
MalcyGraduate

Wow - a brilliant result at a number of levels.Been following you, Phil, but hadn't actually realised you only started recently - I thought you were an ol' timer!

I was just looking at the Great Trail Run - 9 June is only 7 weeks or so away, and thinking I'll never be ready for it. But Phil, you've given me the pick-me-up I needed to kick ass!

Keep up the good work. And don't worry about your memory. It won't get better, but you'll forget that you need to worry about it (:->)

in reply toMalcy

Thanks, coming up to my one year aniversary of starting C25K at the end of May. Lost some weight before starting, but then concentrated on the running, begining of the year, thought i'd better start sifting these spare tyres.

Malcy profile image
MalcyGraduate in reply to

Ah - I thought you meant you had started running at the New Year, but I now see you actually said you started to lose weight then. So you are an ol' timer as far as running goes (:->)

Two Stone is a fair old weight to lose - a great achievement and I'm sure you'll be feeling the benefit. I started early in 2012 and got to my target weight about a month ago. That was a loss of 5 1/2 stone. I'm a very different person now! From your pic, you don't look as bad as I was so hopefully you don't need to lose as much!

sfb350 profile image
sfb350Graduate

My biggest "forget" with the Garmin is to turn it off. More than once I've looked at my brilliant sprint finish and then realised that was when I was driving out of the car park :-(

Well done on your achievements this week ! really impressive :-)

SBG356 profile image
SBG356Graduate in reply tosfb350

:D :D That will help with your stats!

in reply tosfb350

Glad I'm not alone :-)

Anniemurph profile image
AnniemurphGraduate in reply tosfb350

'brilliant sprint finish' :D :D :D

SBG356 profile image
SBG356Graduate

Go Phil, go!! :) Great PBs and greast weight loss too!

I have Garmin memory loss to if that is any consolation - I forget to charge it! :O The thing is, because I am wearing it most days now to track I keep thinking it is a normal watch and then have a panic when I see the bar has almost gone! Oh well, maybe after the 50 days out memory will have had exercise too and be all the better for it along with other parts of our body! ;) Or in my case, it could just be an age thing......!

Sue

in reply toSBG356

Cheers Sue, it kind of has all started to come together this year :D dead chuffed after years of neglect I think my body might be forgiving me.

Oldgirl profile image
OldgirlGraduate

Well done Phil, I'm as bad as you it seems, or maybe your as bad as me!!!! I forget my Garmin, forget to switch it on and very often forget to switch it off.

I'm just back from Caithness and wore mine to track a walk with the grandchildren up Dunbeath Strath. I stopped it for lunch and forgot to start it again,so according to my Garmin I'm still sitting by the river where we had lunch!!!!!!!!!! Duh :)

in reply toOldgirl

Sounds like a lovely afternoon, maybe you didn't want lunch to end :-)

Beads profile image
BeadsGraduate

Memory problem 4: remember to switch it off totally to conserve the battery.

Memory problem 5: remember to put it on charge coz you realised just before you stepped out the door for your run that the blank 'screen' meant there was no charge in the battery.

Can you show me the way???

in reply toBeads

I "forgot" about those two issues :D

DeliaItaly profile image
DeliaItalyGraduate

I always knew you were a star Phil :-) Fabulous work.

As for memory, I needed to "top up" my walking this afternoon so I went to see my ailing Dad. Of course I forgot to switch my Garmin off and although I didn't clock up any K while wandering round his room, if you look at the map there is this huge crazy squiggle at a certain point! It looks as if I walked into a building!

in reply toDeliaItaly

I've had a look and it looks like a badly drawn Spirograph picture or an Etcha Sketch :D...but then I noticed something I was jealous of...21 Degrees C :-o

DeliaItaly profile image
DeliaItalyGraduate in reply to

It's summer here. My brother Joe went back to UK today and says it's warm in London too -- it was brass monkeys when he left on Friday -- but it's short sleeves in italy. We ain't got a government, the Euro's at rock botton, but it's warm and sunny. Cold comfort?

thinnerandfitter profile image
thinnerandfitterGraduate in reply toDeliaItaly

You can go off people (only joking :-) ) 21 degrees? It was cloudy and 13 when I cycled this morning, sunny when I came back, and then we went for a short drive down to see the ships (Southampton) and when we got there it was leaden sky, blowing a gale and of course we hadn't bothered with coats. What do you mean we never learn? Missing California (been back almost 2 years now) and desperately waiting for summer!

swanscot profile image
swanscotGraduate

Very well done on your new 10K PB. I'm a wee bit envious, but pleased for you! ;-) I was actually thinking of you and when out on my run today - thinking of your Garmin graphs that show you gliding along, seemingly effortlessly, at a nice steady 5:30 pace. :-)

Well done on the weight loss too. I've been thinking about what a fellow C25Ker said the other day about losing 10% of their body weight and managing a 10% increase in pace. I could do with losing 10% of my body weight, and would love to see a corresponding increase in pace.

in reply toswanscot

Just had a look back at Garmin stats and my 5K PB time has decreased by about 10% since November last year and I've lost 10.5% of my body weight since January, that might spur the weight loss when it slows.

Funny about you thinking about them graphs on your run, because as I ran down the prom and the morning rush hour past hundreds of cars I thought I bet it isn't like this in those lovely landscapes of yours, so I moved to the beach and a bit of wilderness.

Also remember the biggest hills here are railway bridges to get from flat landscape to more flat landscape, so pace will be steadier :-)

swanscot profile image
swanscotGraduate in reply to

> Also remember the biggest hills here are railway bridges to get from fla

> landscape to more flat landscape, so pace will be steadier :-)

OK, I admit I did rather cheekily think 'let's see that young speedy Phil keep up his nice steady pace on these hills!'

Oh! wait a minute... did I just say that out loud? ;-)

thinnerandfitter profile image
thinnerandfitterGraduate

Hi Phil,

Well done on the PB and other achievements :-) I'll have a look at Garmin to see where you went for your 14K. I can hardly imagine running that kind of distance - apart from anything I can't think where I'd go around here.

Losing 1.5lbs per week is great too. As another weight conscious person I confess that I'm finding it difficult not to over-eat during 5x50. I have to remind myself that any extra cals burned should be left to lose me weight - and are not free for me to eat more. I think I'll try and copy your idea of only "rewarding" myself at weekends. I only have 7 more pounds to lose until I'm no longer overweight (YAY - - it feels great to be overweight rather than obese) but they have been very stubborn over what seems like several months now and one reason for doing 5x50 is to try and shift the excess.

Have a great week 3!

in reply tothinnerandfitter

When I started to do longer distances I worried about where to go, so a couple of times I looked on the map and got my partner to drop me X K from home and the ran back, sometimes I now take the car and go somewhere different, to keep it interesting, I've even considering getting the train a couple of stops locally and running back through the countryside.

Congratulations 7lb so almost there, you must be very pleased :-) I've got about just over a stone for the top of the normal / healthy range, and 4 stone for the lower figure, but I know that would be too low for me, I'm thinking somewhere in between, but I know I might stop monitoring closely if it starts to bug me, we'll see.

swanscot profile image
swanscotGraduate

> The best thing about these longer runs (other than the sheer bliss of running)...

> is the food I get to eat.

Hey, I just checked your Garmin records and it says you used 1000 calories on your 10K run. By comparison mine was 650 calories for 10K. Just as well I didn't over-indulge at the cafe where we stopped to eat on the way home.

in reply toswanscot

It generally says more than that (but I adjusted this cycling outing!!!) but I always assume less as without the heart rate monitor it isn't very accurate. There are some bonuses for being a heavyish 6'4" :-)

Anniemurph profile image
AnniemurphGraduate

Fantastic achievements, Phil - two PBs in one weekend :) It's always inspiring to read how other people are doing. I dithered about a Garmin and I've decided to upgrade my mobile instead, but I suppose the memory issue applies to that as well! We should write a checklist for people starting c25k - first, ensure you have enough memory available :D

in reply toAnniemurph

Cheers Annie, glad to see your ankle is getting better.

I also noticed your from a lovely part of the country, I grew up in Derby and know Ashbourne well, Espically that long steep hill down into Ashbourne

Anniemurph profile image
AnniemurphGraduate in reply to

Thanks, Phil - greetings from Ashbourne! I've never dared to tackle that hill :D At the moment I'm not even sure I could walk up it! The worst I've ever run up is on the High Peak trail at Middleton Top - the climb where they used to winch the trains up :D I made it, but only just!

in reply toAnniemurph

I know exactly where you mean - and deep respect from someone who live and run in a very flat part of the country - my parents used to take us for walk in the country and we often ended up here.

You've got me thinking of some runs I might try next time I'm in Derbyshire for a few days :-) I fancy doing some runs that are less road based.

Anniemurph profile image
AnniemurphGraduate in reply to

I currently have my eye on the Cromford canal tow path. That has to be flat, surely!

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