Couch to 5k programs - and beyond !

I'm a huge fan of the various Couch to 5k running programs that can help someone who has never run before progress to running for a full 30 minutes.

The program I followed was the NHS Couch to 5K version. You can download podcasts where the lovely Laura talks you through each run, gives useful tips, encourages you when it gets difficult and congratulates you at each stage of the journey. There's some pretty dodgy music on the podcasts but it somehow felt like part of the appeal !  I read and re-read the information on the website several times and even had a couple of false starts before I finally got stuck into the program, choosing to follow the podcasts while using the treadmill at the gym as I lacked the confidence to be seen attempting to run outdoors !  My sole ambition was that I would be able to regularly run a 5k distance, I didn't ever imagine wanting to do more than that.

A huge benefit with the NHS version of the program was (and still is) the Health Unlocked Couch to 5K forum where there is plenty of support and many of the members have met up and stayed in touch long after graduating from the C25K program.  I opened a C25Kers on Facebook page which was initially an easier way for Health Unlocked members to stay in touch but which has since grown to over 1200 members and led to a sister page Beyond C25K being set up by longstanding members of the C25Kers group. Their support and encouragement has helped me keep going on several occasions and I have been lucky enough to meet with some of them and hope to meet more in the future,

Anyone who had followed the program has special memories of their own C25K journey - a particular favourite seems to be the week 5 run 3, which everyone dreads as the program jumps from a longest run interval of 8 minutes to running for a full 20 minutes.  The moment when you realise you really can run for a whole 20 minutes is amazing, I paced myself cautiously and was able to celebrate with a faster 2 minutes at the end, smiled throughout the cool-down walk and couldn't stop myself from dancing in the shower afterwards. I always feel the same sense of anticipation when someone posts on the facebook group that they are dreading their W5R3 tomorrow and I love to read the excited, celebratory post afterwards.

Another favourite moment came in week 7 when we were on holiday in Northumberland - I'd ventured outside for a run for the first time the previous week as I knew I would have no choice while on holiday.  My first outdoor run was around the ex-council estate where I live, not very inspiring and quite hard work as I inevitably had to finish running uphill.  My first outdoor run on holiday wasn't very adventurous, I just ran around the caravan site a few times very early in the morning so no-one would see me, apart from the startled rabbits who quickly fled.  The second run was more adventurous as I'd spotted an intriguing footpath leading into nearby woodland - running across a field in the early morning mist to get to the path was more challenging than I'd anticipated but the footpath was a joy, narrowing precariously in places and with lots of tree roots to avoid. I think this was the first time I loved running rather than just loving the fact I was managing to run !  The route took me alongside a river where I saw a heron swoop and land and I startled a few more rabbits - the treadmill was getting less appealing !

Later in the week, the weather was miserable and wet so we went for a long drive and ended up at Kielder Water , we stopped briefly for a look around and drove around part of the perimeter of the reservoir and as we left I remarked that I would like to run around it one day.  It wasn't until several weeks or months later that I discovered there was actually such a thing as Kielder Marathon.  So that was farewell to any idea that I only ever wanted to be able to run 5k !

The recent Telford Harriers Beginners Group was based on a version of the C25K program and yesterday was graduation day at Telford parkrun.  Everyone had done brilliantly throughout the program and the parkrun was the perfect way to complete the C25K journey. There were lots of beginners from this year, supported by an impressive turnout of Harriers, including several who were beginners themselves only last year,  Everyone at parkrun was supportive and enthusiastic, as always, and all the beginners had reason to be proud of themselves.  It will be interesting to see where their running journey takes them beyond C25K.

Ups and Downs

I felt awful after my 2 hour run/walk yesterday - I think it was probably a combination of the effects of the antibiotics and the infection they are treating but I felt exhausted and my feet and ankles hurt for the rest of the day.

Today, I had a 4 mile run around the Wrekin planned with running club buddy Darren in preparation for the Wrekin Relays on 11th July.  In contrast to the constant precipitation yesterday, this morning the sun was shining and the sky was blue and I headed out of the house with a little more enthusiasm, although I was a bit surprised to notice that my "resting" heart-rate before leaving the house was 94 and assumed it was a side effect of the antibiotics and recovery.  We met up with fellow Harrier Cristina and set off on our warm-up walk up the steep hill before following the Relay route.  I'll admit to finding the warm-up walk hard work - not a very promising start really.  I found the first couple of miles of the route hard work, my feet and ankles were feeling more comfortable than yesterday but I just felt a bit wobbly and slightly light-headed if I pushed too hard.  I settled for just doing what was comfortable and trying to focus on some of the techniques I learnt at Colin Lancaster's downhill running class last weekend.

I'd really struggled at the class - although I could understand the techniques and why they would work I have a mental block at running fast along a path I can't see the end of - I know that there isn't a sheer drop at the end of my line of sight and I know that I'm not suddenly going to drop off the edge of the world but that doesn't stop me feeling scared that it might happen.  It's totally irrational and I can't even say it's because I'm scared of heights because I'm not ! I used to have recurring dreams about accidentally driving a car or bike over the edge of a cliff and I'd always wake up with a start then go back to sleep and have the same dream. Running or driving or running at something unseen gives me the same feeling. Anyway, I'd enjoyed the downhill running class but left it feeling pretty frustrated and annoyed with myself.

Most of the route around the Wrekin is undulating so there are lots of small downhills to practice on - and I could see the bottom of them so I tried to relax and go down them as quickly as possible.  It didn't always work - some of the hills had a lot more trip hazards than others so it was harder to make myself look ahead rather than at my feet - but overall I was starting to feel a bit happier.

As we got to the end of the Relay route, the path took us to a junction with the main path up the Wrekin and a gazelle-like man running with walking poles came careering down the hill past us and was out of sight in a flash, as smooth and rapid as if he was on skis, slaloming through the groups of walkers with ease.  After gawping in admiration, we had to tackle the last uphill stretch to the Halfway House before making our own way down the hill. Feeling inspired by gazelle-man, I decided to see how well I could do and launched myself down the hill.  I can't say it was a 100% success but it was a huge improvement - I relaxed, looked ahead (most of the time) and leant forward (most of the time), found the best route around the walkers, dogs and other obstacles, my feet fell lightly and quickly and I had a huge grin on my face, feeling like a child running for the pure joy of it.  When I got to the bottom, I was so happy I ran back up part of the hill just so I could run down again ! There's still loads of room for improvement - I could see where I was heading for today so I didn't have the mental block of running to a point I couldn't see and I struggled to relax on the sections where there were more rocks and tree-roots to negotiate - but I did feel as if I'd turned a corner.

A little bit of a sour note came at the end of the run.  Cristina is scared of dogs and as she got to the bottom of the hill, a man was letting his two dogs off the lead. She apologised "I'm sorry but I'm scared of dogs"  His response was a rather stern "Well, you shouldn't be, they won't hurt you" as both dogs ran towards her.

While his dogs might have been harmless, we did think that was a bit harsh and not very helpful. I think most of us have something we're scared of and it doesn't have to be rational, it could be spiders, dogs, cats, heights, crowds or stepping on the cracks in the paving slabs. I love dogs but I still think a fear of dogs is more rational than my own fear of falling off the edge of the world !  Some dogs have been known to harm people, even if not intentionally, but I don't know of anyone who has run, driven or ridden over the edge of the world. I think the important thing is to acknowledge the fears and try not to let them hold you back - it might take some work but it will be worth it in the end !

Motivation

I set up this blog a couple of weeks ago with the idea of keeping myself motivated over the next few months building up to the November Nightmare.  The Nightmare consists of running 6 marathons over 6 days and I have absolutely no idea how I will cope with that either mentally or physically but I hope blogging about the training and planning will keep me focused on being as ready as I can be.  By taking on this challenge, I will be hoping to raise money for a small charity called A Mile in Her Shoes who, in their own words, encourage women who may have been affected by issues related to homelessness to experience running as a way of exercising, socialising, boosting confidence and raising self-esteem.

After setting up the blog, I found myself completely lacking in inspiration as to what to write - like so many things, it will probably get easier but the first step is the hardest.

Today, the hardest step was getting out the door in the first place.  My training plan, aiming for a 42 mile event in August, told me I should be running for two hours.  I'd decided to do this by running to parkrun, run parkrun at a steady pace with no time pressure and then run home.  I'd also decided to test out the new back pack/hydration pack I plan to use for the big day at Run to the Castle.

Actually, I lied - the hardest step today was getting out of bed in the first place. It was nice and warm, I was tired enough to want to sleep all morning and I could hear the rain falling relentlessly outside.  I was still half asleep as I went downstairs to feed Gitcat and make myself a cup of tea to help me wake up.  I was still trying to work out if I could rearrange the weekend and run at a different time so I could go back to bed but I knew it had to happen now or not at all. Gitcat kept asking to go out but when I opened the door he looked at the weather and thought better of it. In the end, I left the back door open so he could sit in the doorway and watch the rain. I couldn't help thinking he was being sensible and that only a fool would go out and run for two hours, even though I know I always enjoy running in the rain once I'm out there.

I posted on Facebook that I had to run for two hours - now I had to do it !

The run to parkrun is about 5 or 6 km and, after the first short stretch downhill, it's uphill almost all the way to the town park.  The first thing I noticed with the new back pack was the water sloshing around, even though I'd stuffed a lightweight jacket in there to try and avoid that. The pack was also moving around a lot but I took a few walk breaks to adjust the numerous straps and it gradually improved. The worst thing about running in the rain is that whatever waterproof you wear, you end up feeling too hot so before the start of parkrun I was down to a t-shirt and soaking wet.

This was a extra special parkrun in memory of Georgia Williams, a local teenager who was murdered just over two years ago, and in support of the Georgia Williams Trust which was set up in her memory and which aims to enable young people to participate in life-building activities and contribute to the local community.  This was the second Georgia parkrun and it was great to see how well supported the event was. Georgia's father made a short but moving speech at the beginning of the parkrun before taking part in the run itself.  You have to admire Georgia's family and friends for creating something so positive to remember the girl who was so horribly stolen from them.  It certainly puts worries about how fast, how far etc into perspective

The rain was persistent but the atmosphere was warm and friendly and after months of missing parkrun (mainly because I'd been getting so uptight about getting a PB ) it was the perfect "comeback" and summed up what it should be about, enjoying the company and just being happy to run. I look forward to the next one !

In all I covered just under 11 slow miles today, although there was a lot of walking on the way home, thanks to my cocktail of antibiotics not being entirely agreeable to my stomach. More importantly, I enjoyed parkrun, I enjoyed the rain, I enjoyed the particular shared smiles you only get in the pouring rain when you meet other people who actually like the feeling of being soaked through and looking like a drowned rat.