Don't Panic! The sofa-dweller's guide to running.

davenewt

April 2012:

• We peer back through the mists of time. davenewt is slumped on a sofa, lazily flipping through the Training Logs forum on boards. He smiles as he scans the threads from Pageant Messiah, Younganne, RayCun, LarMan, wowzer and pointer28, among others. "These people are crazy," he thinks to himself, before turning his attention back to the TV once the ad breaks are over.
  
  He sees Training Logs as something 'other people' do, but he keeps reading, and slowly but surely is drawn deeper into the rabbit hole.
  
  Next month is his 35th birthday. He remembers back to when he turned 30... when he told himself that 2007 would be the year he finally got fit. Fast-forward to 2008... 2009... repeat conversations (at least then he'd tried his hand at rowing, for a little while).
  
  ...2010... 2011... the years rush past like images from a malfunctioning rotary slide projector... kerlunk-fwoosh!-kerlunk-fwoosh!...
  
  Then, as suddenly as it had descended, the mist begins to clear...
  
  (or the slide projector breaks - whatever guys... did you think I was going to keep this up for the whole log?! :rolleyes: )

2 May 2012:

• Another copy of the '10k runner' app is downloaded from the iTunes store (it's cheap and it doesn't involve actually getting up off the sofa)

26 June 2012:

• davenewt covers 81km in 23 workouts, culminating in a 5k jog on 26 June!

7 July 2012:

• New runners are purchased...
  
  ...with the sole intention of using them for running!

• This log begins.

Hey guys

Feeling a bit uneasy about this training log malarky, because up til now I was only trying to prove to myself that I could play the "Couch to 5k" game and win. This feels a bit too... serious. I don't really want to 'train' for anything... so over the last couple of weeks I've been asking myself: what's my goal?

This is a difficult one - because I SUCK at running. And I mean REALLY SUCK. I'm 6'6", started out this journey at 116kg, and can only just make it through a 5k jog without collapsing. I'm not desparate to run faster, or further... nor to compete. I shudder at the thought of running any kind of competitive race.

Even the thought of a 5k 'fun run' just makes me worry about getting overtaken by an octogenarian in a tortoise costume.

I know, that's stupid.

Which just leaves... well... running I guess


Goals for 2012: (to be added to as I go along)

1. To be able to lace up the runners, head out the door and go for an enjoyable run without swapping my head for a giant beetroot somewhere along the way.

I'm going to stick to 5k/30-minute sessions over the next few weeks. My OH is also doing the C25k and she's about halfway, so I'm doing the honourable thing and waiting for her to catch up

I'm hoping that by repeating 5k sessions, 2-3 times a week, it will get easier, because every session up to now has been a real challenge.

But before I get started properly with this log, can I just say thanks to everyone else who's come before me and made this forum what it is. Without all of you wonderful people I'd still be sitting on the sofa, and wouldn't have had anything to distract me from the ad breaks back in April

If any of the above nonsense rings any bells for anyone else starting out, then please follow along. It'd be good to have your company.

Thanks for reading, and here goes... :pac:

hot to trot

Wishing you the very best.
Try and find a reason(s) why you really want to change your life in the sofa. When you are tempted to not lace up and do something , even a 30 minute walk, you need to visit these reasons in your head to keep you motivated on the days your sofa calls out to you .

career_move

Nice log! I'm looking forward to keeping up to date with your progress:D

RedRunner

Hi. Just wanted to say best of luck. Started this running lark myself late in life and running for any more than 15 mins was a struggle.

I decided to take it up in 2010 properly weighing about 114kgs at my heaviest and like you not a small frame at just under 6'5".

Anyway the message is that there is hope and you CAN do it if the motivation is there. I finished my first marathon last October in Dublin and currently training for Dublin again this year with a 4hr marathon goal. Weight down to 87 kgs with room for losing some more.(Not easy for someone with a sweet tooth like mine!)

I'll be following your log with interest. All I can say is that it will become easier in time and the benefits are fantastic .

Have a great journey!

davenewt

hot to trot wrote: »

Wishing you the very best.
Try and find a reason(s) why you really want to change your life

Hey, thanks I'll do my best! I guess the main reason is just to be fitter. That should be reason enough, right? Pales in comparison to everyone else with their plans to run marathons, get sub-whatever times, or do ironman competitions... ...but hey, gotta start somewhere

career_move wrote: »

Nice log! I'm looking forward to keeping up to date with your progress:D

Thanks so much

RedRunner wrote: »

Hi. Just wanted to say best of luck. Started this running lark myself late in life and running for any more than 15 mins was a struggle.

I decided to take it up in 2010 properly weighing about 114kgs at my heaviest and like you not a small frame at just under 6'5".

Anyway the message is that there is hope and you CAN do it if the motivation is there. I finished my first marathon last October in Dublin and currently training for Dublin again this year with a 4hr marathon goal. Weight down to 87 kgs with room for losing some more.(Not easy for someone with a sweet tooth like mine!)

I'll be following your log with interest. All I can say is that it will become easier in time and the benefits are fantastic .

Have a great journey!

Thanks RedRunner, that means a lot. Congrats on your marathon last year and the drop in kgs! That's some going. Do you have your own log here? (didn't find it with a quick google) - would love to follow your progress so I can see what might be facing me in the future

Thanks again everyone!

Younganne

Davenewt, best of luck with the log and the running...as you say we all had to start at the beginning!!
Regarding goals, you don't have to run marathons, ultras, ironman(ironmen:o)or races...just enjoy being able to lace up the runners and go for a run.

When i started few years ago, my goal was to be able to run 3 miles 3 or 4 times a week...and now i'm training for my 3rd marathon (4th if you count the 1 I walked in 2006:eek: - running it is easier)

When your other half is up to the 5k mark and you are both running it comfortably, pick a 5k fun run and go for it...you'll never look back and will be "Fit for life"

Main thing is to enjoy and have fun!!!

wowzer

Best of luck davenewt, as younganne has said, enjoy it and have fun with it.. you will have good days and bad days, the good definitely outweigh the bad and you will catch the bug like the rest of us..

davenewt

Ah, thanks so much Younganne and wowzer for stopping by my humble thread - you guys are awesome :cool:

(and you can all just call me Dave, of course )

davenewt

Sunday 8 July
"Easy" 3.1km in 22 mins: 5 min run / 3 walk / 6r / 3w / 5r

Have been feeling a little under the weather the last few days (no, not just the incessant rain - I'm blaming it on a wedding the previous weekend)... sore throat etc, so I knew breathing was going to be tough if I attempted another 5k straight. I therefore allowed myself to do this Week 5 session of the C25k, which my OH was doing.

Felt fine, so it's good to know I've made real progress since my first attempt at this session around 6 weeks ago. It was also a first outing for the new runners, which felt good too

RedRunner

davenewt wrote: »

Thanks RedRunner, that means a lot. Congrats on your marathon last year and the drop in kgs! That's some going. Do you have your own log here? (didn't find it with a quick google) - would love to follow your progress so I can see what might be facing me in the future

Thanks Dave..No I don't have a log but I am contributing to the DCM Improvers thread if you want to keep an eye on my progress...and oh I have a confession to make...typo on the weight loss in my last post...It should be 97kgs not 87kgs:eek:......

I'm actually trying to set up a running club now at work and there are a lot of beginners so picking up great tips and know how from the YoungAnnes, RayCuns,Menoscomos etc of the world so stick with this thread and we'll help each along the way!

davenewt

Saturday 14th July
4.1km with 18mins running total (5r/3w/8r/5w/5r)
Sore throat persisting and really limiting my progress Still, something's better than nothing!

davenewt

Tuesday 17 July 2012
2.9km in 21mins - pace 7:14 per km

Sore throat much improved so no more excuses, I went for almost a constant run: 8min at the fiancee's pace (if she ever reads this I'll be for the high jump!), 4:30 sped up a bit followed by 30s walk (during her 5min walk) and another 8min at a slightly easier pace (that's it, I'm dead) to finish.

I'd like to think I didn't need the 30sec walk but I took it gladly - after all it would have been rude to run past the OH and I probably wouldn't have survived long enough to type this if I had

davenewt

Thursday 19 July
5.01km 35:31m - pace 7:01/km

Despite throat not being much better I figured it was time to introduce myself to a new friend I believe you guys call "HTFU" - so I put on the running gear whilst ignoring my brain and headed out with no real intentions, just to see what I could do.

To accompany me, instead of listening to music (which I'm starting to find repetitive and not as motivating as I'd like) I decided to try listening to a podcast. Maybe listening to people talking would make me concentrate more on that and distract me from running which I still find difficult?

This seemed to work. So much so that after running for what felt like forever and having only covered 3k, I pushed myself to detour from my planned route to make it to 5k.

Disappointed not to get in under 35mins, but then the throat's still giving me jip and the first 10 mins of this run was pretty slow uphill (or at least upincline!)

Quite an ache in the knees at the end of this too, but stretched out and feeling better this morning.

RedRunner

davenewt wrote: »

Thursday 19 July
5.01km 35:31m - pace 7:01/km

Despite throat not being much better I figured it was time to introduce myself to a new friend I believe you guys call "HTFU" - so I put on the running gear whilst ignoring my brain and headed out with no real intentions, just to see what I could do.

To accompany me, instead of listening to music (which I'm starting to find repetitive and not as motivating as I'd like) I decided to try listening to a podcast. Maybe listening to people talking would make me concentrate more on that and distract me from running which I still find difficult?

This seemed to work. So much so that after running for what felt like forever and having only covered 3k, I pushed myself to detour from my planned route to make it to 5k.

Disappointed not to get in under 35mins, but then the throat's still giving me jip and the first 10 mins of this run was pretty slow uphill (or at least upincline!)

Quite an ache in the knees at the end of this too, but stretched out and feeling better this morning.

Great stuff. Keep up the good work.

davenewt

Sunday 22 July
3.53km - 25:24 - pace 7:10/km

10 min slower, 5 min faster, 10 min slower. All good

career_move

Keep up the good work:)

davenewt

Wednesday 25 July
5km - 34:34 - pace 6:52/km

First 5k run sub-35 minute and sub-7 minute/km

davenewt

Friday 27th July
5.02km - 34:01 - pace 6:41/km

Half a minute faster Had a tiny bit of a 'second wind' on a flat section at about 25 mins in, where I consciously upped the pace a fraction and felt I had found a better rhythm. Felt very strange (feels strange saying it now too - maybe I've gone mad!) but cool...

So this, nearly 3 months in, marks the first time ever I've felt capable of "going faster" when up to now I've only been "holding on".

I wonder if anyone else remembers having this feeling for the first time?

NCONTHEMC

davenewt wrote: »

Friday 27th July
5.02km - 34:01 - pace 6:41/km

Half a minute faster Had a tiny bit of a 'second wind' on a flat section at about 25 mins in, where I consciously upped the pace a fraction and felt I had found a better rhythm. Felt very strange (feels strange saying it now too - maybe I've gone mad!) but cool...

So this, nearly 3 months in, marks the first time ever I've felt capable of "going faster" when up to now I've only been "holding on".

I wonder if anyone else remembers having this feeling for the first time?

Good on ya Dave! I wish I could say I've had the feeling of being capable of going faster! We live in hope! I have had a run when I've not felt as awful as in the previous km, perhaps it's just that I've gone numb in certain areas?! Keep up the good work, I'm trying to get up to 10km without collapsing.

RedRunner

davenewt wrote: »

Friday 27th July
5.02km - 34:01 - pace 6:41/km

Half a minute faster Had a tiny bit of a 'second wind' on a flat section at about 25 mins in, where I consciously upped the pace a fraction and felt I had found a better rhythm. Felt very strange (feels strange saying it now too - maybe I've gone mad!) but cool...

So this, nearly 3 months in, marks the first time ever I've felt capable of "going faster" when up to now I've only been "holding on".

I wonder if anyone else remembers having this feeling for the first time?

Great stuff Dave. Yes definitely remember this feeling and in truth the more running you do and the longer you keep this up you will have many repeated feelings like this and before you know it you'll be running faster than you ever dreamed of at the beginning.

davenewt

NCONTHEMC wrote: »

Good on ya Dave! I wish I could say I've had the feeling of being capable of going faster! We live in hope!

Cheers! Yeah I'm still suffering after the first minute on all my runs, so it was weird to feel like I could up the pace even a fraction, especially after 25 mins.

RedRunner wrote: »

Great stuff Dave. Yes definitely remember this feeling and in truth the more running you do and the longer you keep this up you will have many repeated feelings like this and before you know it you'll be running faster than you ever dreamed of at the beginning.

I'll hold you to that! I've done a few 5ks now though so hopefully should be getting "used to it" Thanks!

davenewt

Sunday 29 July
3.12km - 23:01 - pace 7:22/km

Easier run with the OH today, she's up to 10min run, 3 walk, 10 run... so I ran for the 23. Knees were a bit sore to begin with so tried to keep to the grass where possible, not feeling too bad now.

Have also switched to the Endomondo app on my phone after getting fed up of the "you've just won an iPhone 4s!" 1995-style animated GIF ads shouting at me from all over mapmyrun's site... just can't take them seriously any more... (then again, if you're after video ads for cholesterol-lowering spreads, confused over which anti-perspirant to buy, or want to find out if you too can win an iPhone, it could be the site for you! :rolleyes: )

mr.wiggle

Great log Dave, I use the endo app myself cause I'm too cheap to buy a proper gps watch :pac:, and I love the audio coach on it. If you're feelin brave you can compete against earlier runs to see how far ahead you're after getting !


Keep it up, great stuff.

Mr.W~

LarMan

Good Luck with the running

davenewt

Monday 30 July
6.65km - 23:58 - pace ...wow...

...Ok I can't keep this up, I got a bike so went for a first spin around the block. A bit saddle sore now, even after such a short spin. Good to be back on two wheels though The plan is to alternate the runs with the cycles each evening.

Question is, how much should I be resting the muscles in between? Is it still important to have, say, 2 days on, 1 day off? (someone please say yes )


Tuesday 31 July
5km Run (a real one without wheels this time!) - 33:57 - pace 6:47/km

Compared with Friday (5.02km - 34:01 - pace 6:41/km) I'm a bit confused about the 6 second difference in pace reported, although am now using Endomondo and back then was still using Mapmyrun. Doing a quick online calc I get 6:47/km for Friday and the same for today, so Endomondo wins in the accuracy stakes, perhaps.

Despite feeling a small bit faster (and having the stats to prove it), I still dread going for runs. It's a hard slog, and I'm always knackered almost as soon as I start, then have to push through the whole run. Having done a few 5ks now I thought I would be progressing a little faster than I feel I am, but maybe I'm expecting too much too soon.


Some Numbers
Taking a leaf from some of the other training logs, and as today is the end of the month, I thought it'd be cool to see what the "all important" stats are... just to see how far I've come in the last 3 months - and for anyone else thinking of starting running to see what they might be able to expect...

Monthly Stats|May|June|July
Run|50.86km (15 workouts)|31.06km (8 workouts)|37.74km (9 workouts)
Bike|0|0|6.65km (1 workout!)
Total|50.86km|31.06km|44.39km
(May + June = all 'couch to 5k' sessions)

Year to Date:|Distance|Workouts
Run|120km|32
Bike|6.65km|1

Weight at end of July: 114.4kgs (2kgs lost since start of May - still enjoying the odd takeaway, regular coffees etc. so happy from that perspective... however, need to drop more weight to make the workouts easier!)
Fastest 5km according to Endomondo's "Personal Best" stat: 33:51 (nice, I'll gladly take another 6 seconds off the time reported above )

davenewt

Wednesday 1 August
Bike: 21.77km - 1:08:29 - 19.07km/h

First proper spin, headed out to Clontarf and back. Just getting used to the saddle again, and clip pedals - not best friends with the saddle yet! Didn't push it, and found it far better than running in that I wasn't gasping for breath at all, or knackered for half an hour after finishing. All good

Happy to get a solid hour in the legs, and what weather - couldn't have picked a nicer evening for it!

Now for a bit of swimming... on TV

davenewt

Thursday 2 August
Run: 5km - 34:49 - pace 06:58/km

Now I have Endo, I have splits to mull over...

km |1|2|3|4|5
split |6:36|6:52|6:57|7:19|7:06

As it felt... started a bit fast, faded horribly after 3k, did my best to pick up the pace again for the last km because I didn't want to come in over 35mins... but wow, my legs felt heavy today, maybe after doing stuff several days in a row...?

Anyone any thoughts on how best to improve my 5k times/pace? Keep doing the same thing? Run slower for longer? Or shorter faster sessions? I have no idea!

davenewt

Sunday 5 August
Run: 5km - 34:20 - pace 6:52/km
First 5k on a treadmill. Started off setting the speed at 10km/hr for the first minute or two, then dialled back to 9km/hr (when I realised I probably wouldn't take 4 mins off my previous best time :rolleyes:) and then 8.8 or so a little later.

I found the treadmill very different to running outdoors - no headwind was good, no wind to cool me down wasn't! Less of an impact on the knees, good... having to run at a constant pace rather than randomly slow down a bit, speed up a bit as the mood dictated - bad... or was it? Maybe having to stick at a constant pace was a good thing. It certainly made me knuckle down at some stages, and perhaps made it a little easier when I could perhaps have picked the pace up.

Tuesday 7 August
Bike: 19.75km - 52:10
Didn't quite track all of this so would've been over 20km but not too fussed as I'm still trying to get used to the saddle. Bit better this time around, but will have to get some padded shorts as regular shorts don't exactly cushion one's "dainty rear end" *cough*

Also towards the end of this spin my toes went numb. Stopped, loosened the shoes, wiggled the toes... and it got a bit worse! So got back on the bike and wiggled the toes as I pedalled and the numbness slowly eased off.

Have to say I was inspired by Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton et al... some emotion at the track! If this evening (on top of the last few days!) didn't inspire anyone with a bike to get on it, what will?!

davenewt

Wednesday 8 August
Run: 5km - 34:45 - pace 6:57

km|1|2|3|4|5
split|6:22|6:56|7:39|7:25|6:23

Disaster. Had to walk 3 times in first 3k. Then several more times in the last 2, haha. Just couldn't keep moving, no idea why. Legs heavy or just dead weights; found it difficult to beathe properly/deeply enough, like I was only using a quarter of my lung capacity. Was it too muggy? Are my legs just too tired? SO FRUSTRATING! :mad:

My knees ached from the word go and in stretching afterwards they also hurt more than usual, and when kneeling for a couple of the stretches it was sore to put any weight on the knees, so maybe they're just a bit worn out?

Eerie fog has now descended outside. Weird. I did wonder what was up with the weather, there was a strange haze in the trees when I headed out, reminded me of the blue mountains near Sydney. It wasn't eucalyptus oil in the air, but maybe I'll blame the fog!

On the bright side? Well, at least I finished the 5k (after 3 I nearly took a shorter route home) and picked things up a bit in the last k. Admittedly this was mostly downhill... but I still walked for a small bit of it - just couldn't bring myself to keep up a steady jog even when it was downhill

Bit surprised at the first and last splits. Was I running a bit faster than usual (when I was running?) and if so, why did it feel like I was going waaaay slower?

Ugh, roll on tomorrow. Maybe it'll be a rest day

davenewt

Sunday 12 August
5km - 34:50 - pace 6:58

km|1|2|3|4|5
split|6:20|6:45|7:41|7:31|6:32

Started off too quick again (for me, anyway ) and ran the 3rd km with the OH. 4th km was uphill, and I took a couple of 15-second walking breaks

The last km was downhill for the first half, and I knew I had to pick up the pace to have a chance of finishing under 35mins, so I'm glad I managed to push on. I managed the last 0.25k or so at a higher pace - nice to feel like there was a little bit left in the tank.

career_move

Have you any 5k races picked out yet? I find if you have a race to aim at it makes the training much easier