Couch to 5k week #3: runs 7 - 9

 run 7

It was ok. My Achilles seems to be holding up and my hip is not worse, so that's all good. There is another issue which is not for this page. 

Longer runs now - 3 minutes! Twice! It feels a little pathetic considering I probably could run for far longer, but I'm sticking with the programme as it'll help me ease back into it with less chance of overdoing it, getting injured and stopping for weeks until I'm confident it won't happen again. So sensible!

Not long now until blossom dump 2023

run 8

Nothing special. No drama.

Still over-running by about 1.5k I think. But I can't reduce the distance to fit in with the app - so I'm guessing as the weeks go on I will get to the end at the same time as the app. Oo - exciting!

There is a new challenge: I have a painter coming to do the outside of the house and he'll start about 9am - so I have to be done and showered by then. No biggie. 

run 9

I was up, out, run showered and dressed for 9am. Well done me, right?

re: blossom dump: I don't think it's a patch on last year's.

couch to 5K week #2 runs 4-6

 Run #4

Still doing it! The prompt of 'having' to do a run makes it easier to do. Having the option to wait until I feel like it just means I never 'have' to get out there. 

So, well done me. 

Niggles: a little on the left Achilles but nothing significant. Left hamstring's a bit hurty. Also left hip. There is a theme here: the limb with the severely compromised foot is doing OK. 

The schedule is 90-second runs and 2-minute walks 5 times with 5-minute walks at each end. Do run a little further but I doubt that will damage me. Other than the Achilles, hips etc

Run #5

Again, it's most definitely the imperative of getting this done which gets me out the door. Despite the niggles. A newish one this morning - after the end of the final 90-second run my left calf gave a little dull ache. Hmm. So I did the 5-minute warm-down walk and jogged a little bit more and it was fine. Fingers crossed for that one. My left hip is now aching but everything else is OK.

I am so unfit though - I know I used to actually run the 4+ km every so often - but then I wouldn't do it for weeks. I guess the point of the c25k is that you build up fitness along with strength? I hope so. It can't make me any worse. 

Run #6

I went against my own advice this morning and did the run. My hip is hurting (lateral hip pain, I've been googling) but doesn't seem to hurt while running. There is a tender area at the top of my hip which hurts when I press it. So I don't press it. I may go to the physio again and see what he says. Or my lovely osteopath. 

But I actually wanted to do it. The motivation following the action of committing to the plan? I don't know what it is or how long it's going to last but perhaps, just perhaps, in another 7 weeks I will have completed it and have run the full 5k. Or 30 mins as they call it. That would be a fast 5k for me... 

Couch to 5K week #1 runs 1-3

 I'm doing it!

Well, I've started doing it.

Backtrack: the operation was on 17 March and it went really well. I'd hoped I could have spent a few days on the sofa with codeine and Netflix but there wasn't enough pain. This is a good thing of course: I simply wanted more drama!

I've been walking to get it all working again and mostly that's been ok other than a bit of an ache from the actual arthritic joint. The operation seems to have worked. Fingers crossed the ache will ease over the next few weeks. 

week 1: run 1

But the run! I've been thinking about it for a while - getting back into running without overdoing it has been the issue. So the C25K seems to be a good idea. It really does start off gently - a 5-minute walk? I was glad there were only a few people around to notice me looking like I was failing to run. But everyone's heard of C25K so that was my excuse as if I needed one... I did judge the distance a bit wrong and ended up having to jog another 10 mins to get home - but it was downhill which seems to be an ok thing - I expect I'll do the same route in the coming weeks.

The actual running was a very gentle jog. Very gentle. It probably wouldn't have registered on the Mapmyrun app. But that's OK. My left Achilles was a tiny bit achy but my right foot never got any worse than the ache from walking. So that's all good.

I have thought that perhaps I need more support in my heels to compensate for the lack of bend in my foot? Perhaps one to think about if I get into this C25K a bit more.

So I am now committed to doing this 3 times a week for the next 9 weeks and I will be back to my gazelle-like best. Or I could skip a week and get there sooner. Or I could take my time and actually get there without any stupid injuries: walk before you run.

Distance according to the health app which comes with the phone: 3.9 km

week 1: run 2

Blimey. Well, if I hadn't committed to doing this thing I would not have gone for a run. In the afternoon, so help me. Just unheard of. I have to diminish it in my head so that it's just something I squeeze into the day - no biggie. I know I tend to over-dramatise running a bit - for heaven's sake I write a blog after every run, what's wrong with me. So getting a 30-minute run into perspective can only be a good thing. 

I don't trust the iPhone app distance cos I think I went pretty much the same way today and it was 4.26 km. The kicker is that I didn't start the C25K app properly and so I walked for a bit, wondered when the run was coming up and realised it hadn't begun measuring. I am an idiot. So I started it and ran until the end of the first run. So again I did more than I was supposed to but that can only be a good thing.

So here I am, buzzing with enthusiasm because I haven't given up already. Only 25 runs to go and I will be doing 5ks all over the place.

week 1: run 3

Well, I've discovered what the bell was - not in fact a cyclist coming up behind me, but the actual halfway point of the run. Yay! That's good for when I'm running along a towpath and don't know when to turn around. Well done me.

It was OK this morning: a beautiful sunny day which always helps. I have an old ache in my left hamstring and a new one in my right groin area. But I think that will all run off over the coming weeks. After all there is a lot of rest and recovery built in which is probably good for my foot as well. Next week will be a bit more running so perhaps the route I do (4.2km this time) will be covered in the duration of the app rather than me having to run a bit further to get home.

So why is this working? I guess it's because I have to do it now; I'm committed. It was unheard of to go 3 times a week and yet here I am. And I think I will keep going with it. What happens at the end of the 9 weeks is another matter. Hopefully by then I will be an elite runner addicted to the highs. That would be nice... 

Is it time to stop?

I did go out this morning and it was OK. Motivation follows action, and all that. 

So there I was trotting around the usual route, 3/4 of the way home - and my left calf began to ache a bit. So I stopped and stretched a bit and the pain kicked in. Bloody hell it was intense. I walked (limped) home, hoping that would loosen it a bit, but no. And now, a few hours later, if I get it wrong the pain just kicks right back in.

Should I just stop doing this to myself? Is my 'dream' of being a 'runner' just a stupid whim? Walking is apparently quite good for you and I've done a lot of that over the past 3 years or so. But actual aerobic fitness is another thing altogether. I believe running is perfect - you can take it anywhere. But I also now feel like it's beyond me, that I'm not made to run. 

Or are there exercises I can do to mitigate the potential for injury? Of course there must be because I don't get injured every time I go out. It just feels like it. 

So I will consult Dr Google and see if I can help myself. Of course, there is the operation in 3 weeks which will put me out of running action for a while - but perhaps it will give me time to work on the physio?

Watch this space... 

3.71km

6m 54 per km

damn and blast...

That was fine

I didn't even stress too much about getting out there. I mostly made the decision last night when I cancelled the Body Pump class I'd booked for this morning (I do tend to cancel more classes than I attend. Poor attitude) 

So I went out and didn't walk and didn't feel quite so out of breath. I got tired and kind of ignored the plan to add a few more metres and make it to 5k, but generally I feel very pleased with myself. 

4.51 km

6m 48s per km

So actually it was faster than I've been for ages and one of the splits was 6m 24s. Means nothing. Keep going 

Listening to a podcast: 'Stolen Hearts' on Wondery

I've got this

Yesterday I walked a lot - 13.4 km in fact which is a good thing of course. But it really made my stupid toe ache. So this morning when I had my run all planned out, I really wasn't sure about going. But I said if it didn't calm down a bit I would cut it short rather than actually injure it more than nature has done already.

But it got better (or no worse anyway) and I did the whole thing, including the muddy cut-through leading to a climb. So well done me. 

4.69 km (edging closer to the magical 5k...)

7m 07 per km - which I blame partly on the deliberately slow start plus faffing around while trying to get the next episode of the podcast running. It's a shortcoming of Sounds that if you start a series it seems to run the order backwards. There will be a way around it, but not when you're striding majestically across Horfield common... 

So, that's a win

Less Bouncy

When I got my Asics shoes (June 2016) they felt very bouncy indeed. I wore them today and they are definitely flat. Last time out my semi-off-road ones were making my feet ache on impact so I wondered if the others would be better, and they were. But they were slippy on the off-road bits. Who'd have thought? So, do I get new regular ones?

Area of concern this time: it's my lungs, they don't give me enough oxygen. So - I'm unfit? Got to be. My actual body was fine - nothing hurting too much (achy calfs, nothing too bad) but my throat felt constricted which I guess is the definition of not getting enough air which is about being unfit. So I have to keep pushing. I kept telling myself how much I was enjoying the experience. Once I got to the highest point it felt a lot better.

Not the best post over, but it's a habit and I like reading back over the years 

4.44km (edging closer to the 5k...)

6m 41s per km and that is the fastest I have been for a long time (17 May last year in fact) 

Comfort zone

 So; 'comfort zone', specifically, 'out of'

1. I'm in Boston Tea Party in Bishopston, being one of those annoying people who nest in the booths with a laptop and no intention of allowing anyone else in until they've finished what they're doing. I turned up here with huge plans to crack on with some of one of the many courses I've signed up to recently, but I've fallen at the Adobe hurdle: I don't know if my laptop is out of date (early 2014???) or the problem lies within my grey matter...  No matter, I've ground to a halt: obviously getting out of the wfh comfort zone isn't working for me today. 

2. I've taken up sleeping on the other side of the bed, just for the hell of it. It feels very odd, but also nice. However, this change has coincided with my piling on weight recently. The phrase 'correlation does not mean causation' springs to mind. So perhaps there are more fundamental reasons for the weight piling on.  Overeating maybe. 

But - of course the sole reason for unloading in this blog is because I have a run to report. Yay, well done me. 

It was bitterly cold, but I had the 'look at me running' headband on, and gloves. And it wasn't too icy. And I waited for the school run to be over. But, significantly, there was a distinct lack of reluctance to get out there. Is that a result of the Slimpod process I've begun? It involves a large element of CBT, attributing positive thoughts to the process, and so, if that's true, then I am very happy. On the other hand, I haven't lost a gram since I began listening to the audio tracks 8 days ago...That might be on me, right? 

Anyhoo; stats

4.36km

6m 55s per km

Whoop - very happy with all that. I think I should be able to manage another 640m to make it a round 5k. 

Cartoon: 'I'm interested in the couch to 5k programme. Can I see your range of couches?'

Bit of a favourite. 

Bloody Hell, Kevin

 reference for no good reason to 'Uncanny' on BBC Sounds

So I forgot to start the mapmyrun thing before I set off so I can convincingly lie about how far I ran before setting it. But in truth, it wasn't as far as last time... 

2.74 km

6m 57" per km

At least I got out there. And it was horrible. I had no energy to speak of and those gentle slopes I like to call hills just about broke me.

But (apart from the bit where I had to walk to start the app) I ran all the way. Yay. 

It's been extraordinarily wet recently and the only reason I didn't come back covered in mud was that the puddles were ankle-deep and washed it all off... 

But it's nice to have done it.

I'm getting the operation to slightly fix my ruined toe on 17th March and I feel I need to lose weight and get fit for that so that it won't be too awful to get back in shape after a couple of weeks of raised foot loafing around. So I have about 9 weeks to lose 10lbs and regularly run 5km

A better person than I could achieve that I'm sure. 

Happy New Year!

First one of 2023 and all that. I need to get a bit fitter because there is a chance I'll get an operation on my dodgy right toe soonish and that will mean an elevated foot for a couple of weeks. But after that I should be back on the road. 

My toe did hurt today for the first time in a while. On the bottom rather than where the bone spurs are - but I think that's to do with my gait more than anything else. I was being very mindful of how I was moving: elbows tucked in, core engaged, arches flexing. And yet, my hamstrings are aching (I did stretch before I left) and I expect my calves will be painful tomorrow. But I did a run, with the full intention of doing more. 

3.79km

7m 5" per km

What does this mean?

 It was ok. The hills didn't hurt, my lungs weren't screaming in protest, my calfs behaved. What the hell? 

It was lovely and cold and calm, I had my snood scarf thing around my ears like a proper runner, so that all helped. But I could have challenged myself a bit more and included the loop behind Tesco's. (Such a glamourous route) but I had the choice of not doing it so I didn't. And that, dear reader, is why I will never really improve.

Next time though... 

3.35km

7m 06s per km

I think the reason it felt OK was that I was going so slowly... That doesn't matter, though, does it? It's the getting out there and running which is the important part... 

Does it ever get easier?

What is it with fitness? I mean, I feel unfit, but in theory, the more I do the fitter I'll get, right? Or is it that if I put in the same effort, I'll go further, faster? What I do know is that fitness wears off and I am pretty much back where I started.

So this morning, I went a tiny bit further than last time and I didn't stop on the hills despite my lungs screaming at me to have a rest. So I feel good about myself for doing that. But it's the feeling of misery, of having to push myself which puts me off heading out. I see people running who seem to be enjoying it - does that mean they're not trying very hard - or, and this is the killer - are they enjoying the misery?

Is there even a thing as a 'runner's high' other than that glorious moment when you get home and take your shoes off?

3.36km

6m 46s per km

Just going out there and doing it

I have run every day this month, so well done me. 

Not funny, not really. 

2.83km

6m 57 per km

I mean, it's a tiny improvement on last time - but if I go one better every time I go out, I will be back to 5k in no time. Is that what I want? Or is it to simply keep going and stave off old age for as long as possible? 

Either works for me 

What's holding me back other than the fear of injury, is being overweight again and people laughing at my red face. So I could go out earlier and avoid the school run? Or is the truth more like no one gives a flying damn what I look like, they don't care that I'm a risible figure, or - most likely of all - they won't give me a moment's notice and why should they.  Although I do confess to being slightly judgemental when I see other runners, not so much in a derogatory way, more like I admire them for being out there and doing it.  Which is what I'm doing.

Motivation Follows Action

Literally this is the first run I've done since the last one.

1.97km

6m 55s per km

Going by the numbers, almost embarrassingly insignificant: going by my actually going out and doing it - a massive triumph, thank you. Well done me.

There were no significant hurties either - unless you count my screaming lungs while running up a gentle slope. I'm basically unfit, but by building up on these short runs that will change. I felt I could have gone further towards the end (on the flat) but in my head, I'd mapped the run and therefore I was at the end. That's another thing your mindset can do. I don't take actual pleasure in running (wish I did) but it's like a class, when you know it's coming to an end there isn't the uncomfortable option of taking it further. 

So, there it is. When I start doing 5km 3 times a week will I continue reviewing them? 

Perhaps I will just wait and see...

listened to: BBC Radio 6 Music

Jury's out...

 But I did get out there, go for a run, and am not in pain... 

I set myself a short circuit and managed to exceed it by, oh, 50m so well done me 

What I discovered: I am carrying too much weight for my muscles to cope with. I am unfit even though I've been walking or doing a class almost every day for the past couple of years, since lockdown, but obviously it's not enough to really keep fit (if I define being fit as being able to run for 5 km without dying...) 

2.36km

7m 10 per km. 

So, very slow and very short - but ffs I am coming from a position of being overweight, unfit, slightly depressed etc etc. The actual important thing here is to keep going, to keep motivated. Keep strengthening calves and loosening my Achilles. 

If I have something to aim for, would that actually help or would I see it as a failure if I don't actually achieve this? And if I do - what then? After the 1/2 marathon I kind of retired cos I didn't need to do it again. 

Psychology is the greatest weapon 

Who knew?

 Everyone apparently... 

This morning I had a severe case of anxiety. It happens from time to time and it's horrible. I find it very hard to get over - my usual distraction techniques weren't working and the stress was rising... But I had a Body Balance session booked and although I really did not want to go (it makes me very angry for all sorts of reasons) I did drag myself up there and did the session. It was fine. There was no anger because I kind of knew what was going on and I didn't need to rely on the indecipherable instructions quite so much. 

So that was a positive. But then I went on the treadmill. I'd promised I would give it a go, just a mile, just to see if my Achilles were up to it. The Body Balance class concentrates on stretching as much as anything so I reckoned that should be an excellent warm-up for a run. 

It was. I did a whopping 1.6 km and felt unfit, but no aching Achilles. Yay. My right foot was aching but I think that's due to it being badly used what with the big toe issue. 

So what is it that everyone knows? That exercise is a brilliant antidote to stress and anxiety. I think I did know that but lacked the gumption to make it happen for me. That's what's good about booking classes: you get fined £4 if you don't turn up. 

So that's my news. Nothing exciting, or game-changing. Apart from the possibility that I may - just may - be able to pick up the running again.

World record

 It was officially the shortest run ever undertaken in the history of (m) short runs. 

The context: I'd booked a class at the leisure centre but got the time wrong so I missed it. I could have cycled around the downs instead, but I decided to go for a short run. Just to see how I got on. I've been having serious issues with my big toe joint (hallux rigidus) where the bony growths are becoming an excruciatingly painful nuisance. Gross, I know. And I think that's what's been making my Achilles ache even without running. So going for a run was a bit of a risk.

But - the main issue was how unfit I've got. I was out of breath, feeling like I was made of lead before I got to the end of the road. 

But I continued on my record-breaking short run 

1.14km

6m 55s per km

So well done me, right

There is a thought in my head that I could do this run every day to build up to something a bit more worthwhile. The cons are the risks with my Achilles - the pros, however, are that I could build up to a 5k regular run.... Or a 10-minute run... 

angry and disappointed

 3.48km 

7m 8s per km

That was the first bit of the run. I stopped to stretch my right Achilles and managed to stop the mapmyrun thing. But my flipping Achilles. I am so angry and disappointed. It's not hurting too much but there is an issue with it - very low down which might be a different place from before. Don't know if that is significant. But it's there and it's something that will stop me running.

How long can I keep up this misguided belief that at some level I can run? Almost every time I go out there is an issue. I have to get over my body-consciousness issues to even get me out of the door, which is an incentive to keep me running rather than giving up and walking and looking like an even greater loser. An overweight, middle-aged, delusional loser.

So I started the app again and mostly walked home, at times running normally on my left leg and heel-striking on my right to protect my Achilles. What was that about not wanting to look like a loser?

1.41km

8m 48 per km

What do I do? 

Peaked too soon?

So - I was confident setting out this morning and it was mostly fine. Until about a mile from home, my left calf began to ache. It's pretty much ok - but it's one of those niggles which make me wary of running. I'll stretch and strengthen the thing and hopefully next time it won't hurt.

I tried on my Nike shorts this morning and wondered whatever possessed me to buy them - they are so ugly - or is that just my legs?

Otherwise, unremarkable. But in truth the less drama the better... 

Listening to American Scandal about the unabomber. 

4.98km

6m 52s per km.

Slower - but I went very slowly after about 1/2 way, just cos I was a little hungover and not very fit...

Better

Well, there I went. It was mostly OK but the urge to walk was (almost) overwhelming. I did slow down to a barely-a-jog pace - but oddly I was about to walk when I saw another runner coming towards me and that was enough for me to keep going. So, thank you, mystery jogger.

Consequences: tinnitus - this happens when I do exercise. It's horrible and there is nothing I can do about it.

Knees - perfectly fine

Calves and Achilles - perfectly fine

Lungs - a-bursting

Legs - tired but functional

Lessons learned - I reckon the problems I've had have come from lack of glute and hamstring strength - but also because I run without using my core. So - if I run with my core engaged, everything feels a whole lot better. So, I'll do that. It's harder work though. Get over it. 

4.66km

6min 38secs per km

I am staggered by that pace. The last time I went it was 7min 05" and before that 6 min 58. So - is this actual proof that I can do this? Could I ever get to 5km without keeling over? I shall have to find another 1/2 km to add on and go for it.

The other route through the allotments (much hillier) is about the same distance - going around the downs is over 6km but I have to cycle up there. Or drive. But I don't have a car. I'm getting ahead of myself.