c25k | Entries tagged with week2

It's still very hot. Today I ran trivially faster than the last time I tried the standard Week 2 run, within the error of measurement exactly the same pace and distance. But this time the whole thing felt a bit better. The first couple of intervals were only a little faster than the later ones, and I didn't feel like keeping going for 90 seconds was a horrible ordeal. I think I'm ready to move up to Week 3, and I think that's going to do me more good than trying to get the pace for Week 2 under 8½' /km.

jack came out with me but this time he was aiming for a longer continuous run at a faster pace than I could keep up with. Which meant I walked back to our start point on my own to wait for him. Two (separate) annoying jerks decided to hit on / harass me, at least they didn't do it while I was concentrating on running but only during the cooldown. And they were annoying rather than threatening, but really, I could do without.

Current Mood: irritated
Current Location: Cambridge, England

liv

I had a hard time motivating myself to go out in this heatwave, and I thought, some novelty might help. So I had a go at a workout from week 2 of Zombies Run 5 K training.

Zom25K is structured very differently from the C25K programmes I'm used to (mostly the NHS one but others I've seen are roughly similar). Instead of a steady progression of 1 minute, 90 seconds, 3 minutes, 5 minutes, it goes from 15 second intervals to 30 second intervals to... 5 minutes??? I've been doing 6 x 90 second intervals as fast as I can push myself, so changing to 5 x 30 seconds felt like a big step down. Especially since the app recommends that you run these intervals slowly; I feel that I am not going to build up my fitness meaningfully by running slowly for 30 seconds, so I ran as fast as I could bear to in the heat.

The other thing that's different about Zom25K is that in the early weeks it suggests you finish out the workout with a long 'freeform' segment where you can choose your own balance of running and walking. I think I would have had a really hard time with that if I were a complete beginner to running, but in this case I jogged slowly for 5 minutes, walked for 3 minutes and ran a bit faster for the last two minutes.

My total distance over 30 minutes was 3 km; I wasn't really expecting an amazing pace when it was boiling hot and I spent less than 10 minutes of the workout actually running. So I think that was a useful workout, but I am probably going to go back to the more conventional programme, possibly with the normal Zombies game later on when the runs get long enough to be boring.

Current Mood: hot
Current Location: Cambridge, England
Current Music: Little Boots: Meddle

liv

Went out with

jack, managed to find a pace where I was pushing myself but could just barely manage the 6 x 90 second intervals. Overall average pace just over the 8½' /km, so that's an improvement.

jack ran alongside me and then carried on for another 10 minutes while I was getting my breath back.

Current Mood: energetic
Current Location: Cambridge, England

liv

So having built up to a full half hour in 1 minute intervals, at a pace I was pleased with, I was confident about week 2.

First attempt, last weekend: I had some bad news and was somewhat teary, and crying is never great for running. I pushed ahead anyway, and then had trouble with my timing app, Intervaly. It often crashes when I get a notification from another program, and I ought to experiment with different apps but my phone often doesn't have enough memory to cope with switching, so I'm not sure how much this problem is fixable. Anyway, I spent some of the run faffing about restarting my timer, and much of it not really trusting that I'd get the signal to end my run intervals. I came out with a pace of 8'45'' /km, and feeling I was probably capable of doing week 2 a bit faster than that.

Then I was travelling for work in a pattern that meant I couldn't reasonably run until today. I just horribly messed up the pacing. I started out way too fast and completely collapsed part way through the second interval. I took a full rest break (standing still until I could breathe comfortably, no walking) and then attempted the last four intervals at my comfortable distance pace. The 'average' was still 8'45'' but I think that's a bit meaningless when it's two very fast intervals, a rest and then four slow intervals.

I'm not sure what's best to do at this point. Try once more and see if it works any better next time is probably the first step. My worry is that if I run the intervals fast enough to get the benefit of doing short, intense intervals, then 2 minutes isn't actually enough for me to recover. But it might get better with practice; C25K is set up so that the first time you try a new workout you are supposed to find it tough. If I try three week 2 runs and I'm still struggling, I can either go for longer walking breaks between my 90 second runs, or I can try alternating fast running intervals with slow running intervals for a bit.

Current Mood: disappointed
Current Location: Cambridge, England

angrboda

We were away Saturday to Sunday this weekend, and for a variety of reasons, running on Saturday morning before we went was not practical. What I should have done, was do it Friday after work, even though I try to avoid doing it after work if I can. I go for Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. I'm part-time and Wednesday is my day off so it's only Monday where I have to do it in the afternoon. But anyway, I did it Sunday after we got home and that was fine.

But then I didn't want to mess up the schedule for all of this week by not lining it up with Wednesday.

To make a long story short (or a short story long whichever way you look at it), I have today discovered exactly why it is there's supposed to be a day's rest in between, especially when you are a beginner like me. Oh gosh.

I made it, but my thighs were protesting wildly the whole time and there was not much in the way of speed in general. I didn't get nearly as far before hitting the halfway point either, and the app still signalled 'workout ended' before I was back home.

But at least I did it. Scared to look at the run for next time... For the first time I'm considering a repeat.

angrboda

Severe lack of motivation this afternoon. Didn't manage to get out there until after Husband came home.

Says he: Shall I play you some inspirational music?
Thought I: Oh lord, here comes Eye of the Tiger...

Close. It was music from a Rocky film, just not that one.

Last time was the first instance of 2 minute intervals, and today there were 3 minute intervals. Really stepping up the difficulty now. I kinda hope I get to stagnate somewhere for a bit, but considering the amount of workouts in this program (end goal this level is running for 20 minutes) I don't think I will. Not unless I start repeating some of them, which I'm trying to avoid unless absolutely necessary. So we shall see how strong I actually am, I suppose.

Anyway, I thought it went... okay. I thought it went better than last time, and looking at Garmin Connect afterwards and comparing the two runs, it seems I did them at roughly the same distance, time and speed. Which means that today, running a little bit more than last time, I was actually a bit slower, but while still hard it didn't feel quite so hard. I suppose that's what counts really.

It occurs to me that if anybody here uses Garmin Connect, they should feel free to look me up if they want to hold me to this project there as well. I'm Angrboda there as well, and my icon is the same as my default here, the carved dragon head on blue background.

angrboda

So I did the next one with the two minute intervals in it. This time rather than just heading towards the next village and turning back at the halfway point, I went to run circles through this teensy tiny bit of a copse nearby. Which is good, because if you're lucky, you can do circles round and round in there and never meet another soul. I, however, met a man with a dog on the narrowest path (he and the dog stood to the side for me in gentlemanly fashion.) and a an entire school class on an outing! Argh! And if only some of those children would have looked where they were going, then maybe they wouldn't have nearly run me down. Yes, run me down. Yes, he was on foot. About the age of six or seven, I think. Tells you something about the state of me when I'm struggling to run for two ~~eons~~minutes... Oh, and also, what is it with children and the irrepressible need to know the names of complete strangers? I think I'll be back to just the road to the next village next time. Not so crowded.

I did manage to complete the program, although I was relieved when it was done. The very first time I did this last week, it was really very hard, but at least then I didn't do it on legs that had already been put through rather more work than they were used to. I'm having a fair bit of that at the moment. Hard to imagine that at some point the muscles that I'm told I have will start getting stronger and it will help. It is also becoming quite clear to me that I need shoes with more support of the inside of the foot, so I shall have to be looking into that sooner rather than later.

rmc28

I cunningly arranged Saturday so I got my run out of the way first before I could get tired out doing errands (I didn't get them all done, but what's left can be done today).

It was greyer and colder than Thursday, but the run was good. I'm feeling happy with 90s runs. And woot! 3 runs in a week and not feeling too wiped out to contemplate the next one.

Next run: Monday, with 2x 90s runs and 2x 3min runs. I'm feeling slightly apprehensive about those 3 minute runs but there's only 2 of them and it's a short workout overall.

rmc28

I got out for my lunchtime run as planned! Another nice sunny (cold) day. I managed to forget the stretchy tube I use to keep my hair out of my eyes but luckily it was not too windy today so I got away with it.

I made one change which is to start my tracking program about 10 seconds before the end of the warm up walk, and to stop it as soon as I can dig my phone out after the start of the cool down walk. This gives me an instant boost to my pace. Yay.

More importantly, it means it'll be easier for me to transition to post-c25k running plans where I'll basically walk long enough to get a good GPS signal and feel ready to run, and I'll stop to cool down at the end of my street. I know from experience this suits me more in the long run (heh!) than the strict 5 minutes at each end of my c25k app workouts. I'd rather get the pace bump out the way now, so I can compare data between runs more usefully for the rest of the c25k programme.

Today I "only" ran for 19 minutes, alternating 90s running and 2min walking, and I continued to enjoy it. Next run: Saturday (and no letting walking errands disrupt it this time).

rmc28

I missed my weekend run: I did a walking errand on Saturday that took about twice as long as expected, and wiped me out for the rest of the day, and I felt rotten on Sunday so gave myself the weekend off.

Today I was feeling more like me again and went out for my run in a bright but chilly lunchtime. I managed today's 90s runs without much difficulty (which is good, I am aiming for "keep it fairly easy" as my workout level at the moment) and covered a bit more distance, as expected given 1 minute more running and 30s more workout overall.

I considered trying to "catch up" my missed run by going M,W,F,Su,Tu,Th, but right now I think it's more important to establish the habit at all, and not find it too strenuous. So next run: Thursday.

liv

I'd forgotten how well calibrated the progress curve is in C25K. Week 2 was lots harder than week 1, but just barely within my capabilities. I'm not confident I will be able to manage the 3 minute intervals in Week 3, but I can only give it a go! Nominal distance 2.7 km, reflecting 9 minutes of running instead of 8.

Current Mood: okay

highlyeccentric

The good news is, after not running for nearly a month, the week 2 program is still more or less right for me - so I haven't *lost* fitness? I guess my longer walk to work will be helping with that.

Today's run was sufficient fun that instead of turning back halfway, I kept going along the lake, through the ILO gardens (because you can do that in Geneva...) and did a short loop through the Jardin Botanique, then walked back taking photos all the way. My inability to decide on the relative priority of running vs taking my good camera out places probably means it's time I got a good small hiking pack to carry the camera in.

Here, have photographic evidence:

( image below )

rmc28

It's taken me a bit longer to complete week 2 of Zombies: 5k training.

The training is still (to me) very light: walking, 5x running drills, "free form run". This week the running section of the running drills goes from 15s to 30s, and heel lifts are added after each running section. Heel lifts are: standing still, raising up onto toes and lowering back down.

Now, the first thing that occurred to me is that these are useless if you are on a treadmill, and the second thing is that they aren't great if you're running outdoors on a path that other people use (i.e. my lunchtime run) because people running/cycling behind you aren't going to expect you to suddenly stop and do exercises. And the third thing that occurred to me is that my balance is a bit dodgy and I don't really like doing these heel lifts.

I started running for some of the 10 minute free-form time. It's very unusual for me not to be running on a schedule, and probably good for me to be focusing on how I feel, how my body is coping with this running, is it perhaps time to slow down or stop now.

Anyway in the freeform part of session 2, my left calf suddenly hurt sharply, in a way it never has before, so I stopped running and walked the rest of the way. I rested for a few days, and after it seemed to be better I did a long training run, in which it started aching again some way in, but not badly.

So I took a week off running, rested, stretched, massaged the dodgy calf, and did some more running again this week. This time, when I did session 3, I skipped the heel lifts. I don't have proof that they are what (over)stretched my poor calf, but the fact remains that I've done C25k and lots of running without ever hurting my muscles like that, and suddenly after doing heel lifts which work the calf, it goes ping.

I did another long training run yesterday, and again the calf was fine until a few km in, then it ached sharply at first, and then settled down to a dull ache so I felt able to continue to the end of my run. But basically I'm eyeing those stretches very dubiously. They may work for many people but they clearly don't work for me. I don't think I'll be doing the mid-run stretches that get introduced in the rest of the training (knee lifts next week).

Next week seems to have a sudden jump to a 5 minute run in the warm up, which seems a bit of a challenge after just doing little 30s running drills. I'm not sure I'm convinced about the get-beginners-running aspect of this app, though I'm still enough of a sucker for the tell-me-more-story bits to work my way through.

lavendersparkle

I completed week 2, doing runs 2 and 3 at lunch time in the part next to work. Run three was somewhat impeded because I forgot the skirt I usually wear over my yoga pants to run, so ended up running wearing an ankle length corduroy skirt. There's a reason professional athletes don't do that.

The snow is causing a bit of a problem for week 3. If it hadn't snowed I would do run one tomorrow, but I don't think that would be a good idea. Instead my plan is to do the first run on Monday at lunch time at work, as central London tends to be a few degrees warmer than the suburbs, so I'm hopeful that it will be non-icey enough to run in the park.

lavendersparkle

I did the first run of week two this morning with the NHS podcast.

It was (unsurprisingly) harder than last week's runs, but I got through it. I think part of my issue is that I'm not very good at pacing myself. I could get away with just bursting off during the 60 second runs, but I have to actually pace myself for 90 second runs. All the same, I managed to finish the run. I thought I must have been slower than in my last run, but when I got home I worked out that I'd covered about 4.1km including the warm up and warm down, which is the same as run three of week 1.

I had to cross a couple of busy-ish roads for this run, which I found a bit arkward, particularly if it coincided with a running part of the podcast. This makes me think that I'd prefer routes that avoided roads, but I'll have to try different routes out and see.

ewt

Thursday I had another go at Week 2, Day 2. Shin pain was quite bad again right from the start so I ended up walking. Heart rate afterward was 93bpm, not as high as when I run or row, and not as high as Tuesday's walking. The route I took was different, and very wet, so that I had to pick my way quite slowly across some bits to avoid getting soaked. I think that's probably the reason for the lower heart rate.

I walked an additional four miles on Thursday in the course of getting where I needed to be and when, and my shins have been hurting since. If they're still like this on Tuesday, running is going to be right out of the question.

I find the beeping of my phone to tell me to start the next interval does mean I walk faster than I would if I were just ambling around, and so I think I will keep using SimpleC25k even if I eventually decide that running is entirely out. If I do that I will probably also start using something like RunKeeper to log my distance. If average walking speed for adult humans is 5km/h I don't see why I couldn't aim to do 5k in thirty minutes, eventually. I do have long legs, and race walkers do much faster speeds than that, albeit with a rather strange gait.

I've been having other leg problems, and they seem to get worse when my shins are particularly sore. I think this is a hypermobility-related thing. I now have a testable hypothesis as to what is going on. Sadly testing will take some time as it involves various physio exercises which will likely take a few weeks to make any difference.

lavendersparkle

I completed week 1 on Thursday, but I've only now had time to post about it.

I went to work in my running gear. I got in at about ten past eight, dumped my bags and then went out to do my run in the park next to the building I work in.

It was really nice. I heard a theory somewhere that the colour of light soon after sunrise helps people wake up and it felt lovely being out in the morning sunshine. I also liked seeing all of the ducks and other creatures in the park and the other runners. According to Google maps I covered 4.1km including my warm up and warm down. Each run is definitely feeling easier. After the warm down walk I did some muscle stretches and I haven't had any aching after this run apart from a little ache in the arch of my right foot when I'm not wearing shoes. It doesn't feel worrying and hopefully it will go away as my feet get more used to running. I had a shower and got changed in the changing rooms in my work building. I was pleased to find that the showers at work were nice, hot and not too busy, so running at work is definitely an option.

I rewarded myself for completing week 1 by buying myself another sports bra so that I don't have to be so careful about timing laundry and runs. I think if I complete week two I'll buy a work backpack so I can try running to or from work. I've been excitedly poring over maps planning potential routes. I'll have to try them out to see which ones are doable and which involve crossing too many roads. How have you found crossing roads during your runs?

Tomorrow morning I'm planning to do the first run of week 2. I think I'll run in my local park.

ewt

This morning despite a good walking warm-up I was into serious shin pain about three seconds into the first running interval. I wasn't able to shift it with stretching or longer walking intervals: whatever I did, as soon as I started running again, it hurt.

So I walked fast/slow for the intervals, and thought about how I want to handle this.

I'd not had a great time of joint stuff over the weekend, which probably wasn't helping me. Yesterday was an extremely long day (up at 5am, bed well after midnight), which also didn't help.

I've already said I will keep trying to run for the rest of January, and I think I want to stick with that: my body is inconsistent enough, and sensitive enough to things like sleep levels, that I am not certain this morning's pain means I simply shouldn't run. However, I reserve the right to walk instead at any point if the shin pain (or joint pain, but so far shin pain seems to be the thing that really limits me) is like it was today -- I am not in this to hurt myself! Rather I would like to find out, gently, whether I can run, or how running might be sustainable for me. This morning was not a failure, just a data point.

I did enjoy the walk, and even if subsequent runs are all "unsuccessful" in terms of actually running, I think that establishing a habit of walking outside twice a week could do me good. Much of my day-to-day walking happens when I am carrying something (which will distort my posture) or in a slight hurry, and it's pleasant to be able to move around without encumbrance and to walk for the sake of it rather than on the way to somewhere. I'm uncertain whether posts about my walks would be within the scope of this community if I were to switch to walking as a long-term strategy, but for now I will consider them running attempts (as they are).

ewt

I decided to take part in Janathon and have been updating

artsyhonker with details as it's a bit more public and I'm more comfortable linking to there from my public twitter account.

But basically, I decided a) I may as well pick up where I left off rather than starting over and b) I may as well run twice a week and do the programme at the pace suggested until I have problems.

First run, on 1st January, was fine, easier than the ones I did later in November in fact. Second one on 3rd January was not so good: shin pain again. Bother.

I'm thinking I will try to keep going for January, doing what I can -- that is, not starting any running interval with shin pain, and lengthening the walking intervals to include stretches if necessary to achieve this -- but if at the end of January I'm still being limited by shin pain, then I need to try something other than running and accept that at this weight running is too high-impact for my body.

I already know that cycling doesn't generally cause me problems, but on a "real" bicycle I tend to only work hard if I'm in a real hurry to get somewhere, so it's probably exercise bikes at the gym if I want to push myself. I've also been told by several physios to do rowing but I am already using the rowing machine at the gym on non-running weekdays (for ten minutes at a time -- not a huge amount or a huge challenge, but enough to feel like I'm doing something and to establish the habit of going to the gym), and would prefer to have something else so it doesn't get too monotonous.

liv

I am so glad this community exists. The only thing that got me out of the house this lunchtime was knowing that I'd rather post here saying I completed week 2 successfully than have to admit I didn't make it. Yay accountability. And especial thanks to

rmc28 who updated this morning and gave me that extra motivation boost cos I want to keep up with my virtual buddy.

So it's grey and damp and miserable and I have five hundred things to do and my uterus hates me. It turns out that I actually dislike the prospect of going to the gym more than I dread the prospect of running in the rain, though. I ran in circles around the cemetery, which has the advantage of having quite a few tarmac paths to run on when it's wet and muddy. And it did in fact start raining while I was out there, but I was enough focused on the running that it wasn't really a hardship to keep going.

Average time was slightly slower than Tuesday, but the difference is small enough it's probably just measurement noise. And as far as I can judge from Runkeeper my fastest speed during the run was faster.

Most importantly, I've completed week 2 successfully, and I'm feeling ready for Week 3. Though it is a big jump from 90 second runs to 3 minute runs...

Current Mood: sore

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Couch to 5k

Entries tagged with week2

Week 2: 8'34'' /km

Zombies Run 5K week 2

Week 2: 8'36'' /km

Week 2 tribulations

whimper

(no subject)

Children puzzle me.

Week 2, day 3

Week 2, day 2

Week 2, day 1

Week 2

Once more unto the breach?

Zom25k: week 2

Week 2 complete; week 3 interupted by snow

Week 2 Day 1

Week 2, Day 2, walking again

Week 1 Day 3

Week 2, Day 2, and shin pain

Janathon -- Week 2 days 1, 2

Week 2 success

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