This week’s torture courtesy of my running plan

[UnfitNoMore]

A couple of weeks ago the warmup for one of my routines was a wall sit... this was not fun... then it decided to hit me with some bastardos (burpees with a press-ups added) and now I’m here after running the benchmark (ouch) looking at tomorrow’s workout... quick bottom toner. At first glance it looks nice... then I see the evil element... squat hold, 30 seconds... and I get to do it twice! After the first one it’s lie down and some nice leg work... after the second it’s into speed squats and squats with front kicks... I’m not looking forward to this one... but then that’s not totally true, I’m sat here looking at it... with no clue if I can do the squat hold... if I can I’ll be ecstatic... if not I think I’ll be in hysterics on the floor!

[AlMorr]

You can do it, of course you will 👍😉

[UnfitNoMore in reply to AlMorr]

It’ll either be a victory or a future victory... unlike the sit-ups I do see them as something that I can develop to do one day.

[AlMorr in reply to UnfitNoMore]

I took your advice, today I have done press ups, no sit ups, a few kettlebell swings, to cap all that, 1 hour after a light lunch I reran, run 1 of week 5.

[UnfitNoMore in reply to AlMorr]

I should get a couple of kettlebells... that should have the wife diving for cover and worrying about the TV screen 😂

Good workout... and well done running too. I’m gonna have to grab the dumbbells, I’ve not done anything formal since my run and now I’m inspired.

[AlMorr in reply to UnfitNoMore]

I don't have dumbells, I bought a pair of 5 Kilogram kettle bells at Tesco on sudden impulse on the same day as my weekly shopping, you can image the deadweight my shopping bag was that day with those kettlebells and the normal shopping, I thought that the bag was going to burst.

The excersises I do with them are curls, the Russian swing, again I have been following YouTube videos on how to use them properly, I have a large hall in the house so if I did drop them they would only land on the floor away from any window. 😊

[UnfitNoMore in reply to AlMorr]

Sounds good... I’m going to add a bit of kit a month to my home... until I get down to things like skipping ropes, pull up bars and barbells, they can stay in the store.

[AlMorr in reply to UnfitNoMore]

Your house is going to look like a gym, not too sure what your wife or junior Miss UNM will make of that, I don't think that every time they enter the house they see weights, dumbbells, kettlebells, skipping ropes, barbells and a pull-up bar attached to the door that they will be happy. . Nevertheless you can remind them that your challenge is to run a marathon in a few years time, I think you told us that would be either 2020 or 2021.

[UnfitNoMore in reply to AlMorr]

I’m hoping for September 2020... my running plan goes through to late August. Then I’m going to do another short plan to get me past the registration stage and if I’m in for next year I can start planning a HM to run for the spring.

[AlMorr in reply to UnfitNoMore]

That is a excellent plan, I just remembered that this Sunday is the London Marathon, I just wonder how many runners in it started with C25K

Sometimes during breaks from the running they come up with "do you want to start running" it was during one of those TV marathons or half marathons that they showed a short video of Laura telling all the viewers about C25K.

[UnfitNoMore in reply to AlMorr]

Yeah... Nike announced a new fastest ever shoe this morning and I could book to go see them in London and have a chance to buy them... for £250! Kipchoge will be in them this weekend no doubt!

[AlMorr in reply to UnfitNoMore]

On Tuesday I bought a running belt, If I want to buy a decent pair of running shoes I know where to go to buy them, at least a £100 after a gait analysis, I will think about that in the future, £250, that's cool. 😊 🏃

[UnfitNoMore in reply to AlMorr]

I think to be the fastest ever shoe they need the fastest ever runner to be wearing them 😂

[AlMorr in reply to UnfitNoMore]

Mo Farah, height is 1.75 m

Weight is 58 kg.

[UnfitNoMore in reply to AlMorr]

Kipchoge is 1.66m and 56kg.

So, I need to lose 35kg and about six inches in height 😂

[AlMorr in reply to UnfitNoMore]

👍😊😀😄👍

[Granspeed]

Let us know which running plan this is. I’ll be sure never to do it! 🤪

[UnfitNoMore in reply to Granspeed]

Nike 5k race plan... it adapts... it was teasing me with a lovely 7 minutes of flex work for this week when I looked after parkrun... then on Sunday it adapted to my running and obviously decided I needed my ass kicking instead 😂

[Granspeed in reply to UnfitNoMore]

😂 That sort of adaptation could be a bit worrying! Let us know how you get on.... Glad I am not yet experienced enough to be tempted by racing! 🐢💨

[UnfitNoMore in reply to Granspeed]

I’m not racing as such... just want to see if I can do a certain time at 5k before heading towards marathons. The plan doesn’t have to adapt, it asks... and I see the yes button like Father Dougal McGuire sees the “do not press” button on the plane.

[Granspeed in reply to UnfitNoMore]

😂 You get what you deserve....

[Maddee_6333]

😲

You can do it!

I have no clue how you do a squat with a front kick, I think I’d be on the floor.

[UnfitNoMore in reply to Maddee_6333]

Think you kick on the up, rather than Cossack dancing style 😂

[Maddee_6333 in reply to UnfitNoMore]

Cossack style dancing WAS what I was thinking 🤣🤣🤣

Though kicking on the up might do me in too. 😉

[jayval70]

I am sure you can do it UNM. I’ve just started a Nike plan too. I was missing the structure of a plan so have started the Get More Fit one. My benchmark is tomorrow 😳. I am enjoying it so far - just done the Floor to Core workout. Shame they didn’t benchmark my short hamstrings and non existent abs before they decided this is a beginner workout! Good news is my press up challenge is going ok and I can now do 10 knee press ups when I couldn’t do one on 1st April.

[UnfitNoMore in reply to jayval70]

Cool... benchmarking properly is surprisingly hard to do, took me a few goes. The first couple of times I encountered it I didn’t give it too much so that I could ease into the plan before the pushing started... but I did set it to 26 weeks! First time I pushed hard on the benchmark it was 2 minutes before I could jog the cooldown, today I walked a few steps.

Nike certainly have a strange definition of beginner... I started the running app and the get started plan last June... 10 minute run, nope, can’t do that... benchmark, nope, 10 minute run, still no, 20 minute run... off to parkrun to get some advice! That’s how I found C25K... and they have the same going on with the Training Club... 45 minutes of anything isn’t a beginners one!

Great progress on the press-ups, that’s big achievement in 3 weeks... keep going buddy.

My top tip on the running plan... you know your paces, so some recovery runs you can go guided of the right length and then assign that run to the plan one when it’s done.

[jayval70 in reply to UnfitNoMore]

That is a good tip. I’ll be interested to see what paces it sets me after my benchmark. My main problem is one that I think must be common for new runners - I’ve only really got one pace. My 5k pace and 10k pace are virtually the same and my all out sprint isn’t that much quicker. I think I’m built for distance not speed!

[UnfitNoMore in reply to jayval70]

You’ll be fine. The benchmark is a factor on the adaptation, but not everything... if you have a run on Sunday it depends when you do it as it will offer adaptation at about 9am... don’t read too far forwards, it always seems to change the next week! Paces I’ve found are conservative, it doesn’t push you hard early on. Don’t over worry the paces yet, they’re targets and if you can’t reach them the next adaptation will take that into account.

[jayval70 in reply to UnfitNoMore]

Hi UNM. I did my benchmark run last week and then a 7k recovery run yesterday as recommended. However the app hasn’t offered me an adaptation. And it still seems to think it’s yesterday - there’s no option to update this weeks schedule yet. Have I done something wrong or missed something?

[UnfitNoMore in reply to jayval70]

Force close the app and it’ll fix. Adaptation should have been yesterday if you’ve been on the plan for over a week.

[jayval70 in reply to UnfitNoMore]

Thanks. It’s on the right day now and it’s let me ‘edit schedule’. No offer of an adaptation though (last week was week 2). Not to worry. There is another benchmark in week 4 so hopefully it will adapt then. I will be sure to properly close the app between uses now.

[UnfitNoMore in reply to jayval70]

It should adapt every Sunday regardless of benchmark, but it only does it after 9am, so if you run early, log in again later. I think the runs change based on your ratings of each run and benchmarking changes the target paces.

[jayval70 in reply to UnfitNoMore]

Ok that makes sense. Thanks for your help UNM.

[Realfoodieclub]

MrRfc had to do these while building up leg muscles that had atrophied. I used to have to throw a ball at him while he squatted with his back flat against the wall and caught the ball, We used to take turns, it was hell 😀. Good luck, they are soooooooo good for your legs.

[UnfitNoMore in reply to Realfoodieclub]

I managed the wall sit one... but tomorrow’s has no wall... body weight squat... arms out front, body forward a bit to balance, go down and stay there for 30 seconds. Anyone throwing a ball at me is gonna get it 😂. Good to know these tortures are good for the legs though!!

[Realfoodieclub in reply to UnfitNoMore]

I bet those 30 seconds feel like minutes. Good luck. Rfc x

[UnfitNoMore in reply to Realfoodieclub]

I’ll let you know.. first one I get to lie down after... second one it’s straight into speed squats, they’re gonna hurt!