W9R2 Timing is everything - and I got it all wrong...

[Landesman]

I thought it might be a mistake to dump Laura before her successor was in place (an attractive Garmin Forerunner is promised to me ) but, with the siren voices saying that selecting your own music based on bpm would show a speed improvement, I did the dirty deed anyway.

Of course having a memory span of a goldfish doesn't help either. I had conveniently forgotten the pain of Saturday's run when I barely managed to keep going for the full 30 minutes. I only remembered the fact that I had somehow managed 5km in the time (by a millisecond or two according to MapMyRun).

So, of course, I felt that maybe I could better that by increasing the pace a bit, and consequently started this morning armed with an unwarranted optimism and self-confidence.

Not having the Garmin to monitor things I set off at what seemed at the time like a comfortable pace, but soon felt the pain. And after 23 minutes, without Laura's soothing tones to spur me on, I stopped. Walked and recovered for a bit and thought, I'll make up for it by doing the next part a bit quicker. Well, that didn't last long either! Just over 5 minutes in fact. Walked and recovered for a bit more than slowly jogged back to the start.

So now at least I know that I can manage 5km at 6 mins/km (Saturday) or 4kms at 5.39 mins/km (today). But it's definitely a balance between speed and time - the quicker I go the faster I stop...

So I know I need to find the right balance and maintain that elusive steady pace that allows me to keep on going, and not surge ahead and blow up early. I can see that I'm going to be relying heavily on the Garmin to keep me in check to enable me to achieve the 5kms inside the target time once more.

Having said all that I find it amazing that I can do this after just a few weeks. I was struggling along very slowly in week 4 and barely managing the reps of 60 seconds at any speed in the first week.

It is truly a remarkable programme.

[con-brio Graduate]

Stats to be proud of, Landesman. You're in the elite category now. I can only manage a measly 7.5 mins/km at tops, 8 something when all's going well and a miserable 10 on the hills (tried out a friend's Garmin 205 today - hence the stats), so I'll be joining the majority of graduates who are still chasing the 5K in 30 mins target...

Enjoy your graduation run!

[Landesman Graduate in reply to con-brio]

Kind words, but i don't think so somehow. It takes very little to disturb the fragile equilibrium of my 'running' and hills would be a major problem right now - not so much a fair-weather runner, more a downhill runner...

What is good for all of us at this stage of the programme is the fact that we can do it at all - and not least either that we have continued to the end (well, very nearly). A major surprise n my case, as I had no real expectations at the start.

Hope your graduation run goes well too. Choose a flatter route at least!

[con-brio Graduate in reply to Landesman]

Wise words... who would have thought 9-10 weeks ago we'd be about to graduate. Back then (!) I was in awe of those with graduate badges...

Will probably head for Lake Bolsena for my graduation run (flat... and beautiful, a lake linked to various milestones in my life).

As for the hills, that'll be my post C25K challenge... gonna "kill" my hill!