Quickbeam me to the finish line

quickbeam

Just done my third and last run for WK 3. So nearly half way :P

ariana`

quickbeam wrote: »

Just done my third and last run for WK 3. So nearly half way :P

Well done, isn't it amazing how the weeks fly when you're having fun

quickbeam

Officially half way! Completed WK4 D3 in Athlone parkrun. Tough course, but nice to be back parkrunning again.

Baby75

quickbeam wrote: »

Officially half way! Completed WK4 D3 in Athlone parkrun. Tough course, but nice to be back parkrunning again.

Well done on both counts

Sunny Dayz

quickbeam wrote: »

Officially half way! Completed WK4 D3 in Athlone parkrun. Tough course, but nice to be back parkrunning again.

Well done quickbeam, hope C25k is going well for you - and hope you enjoyed the Athlone parkrun course! (I was the one marshalling where you turn onto the pitch or go on for the finish.)

ariana`

quickbeam wrote: »

Officially half way! Completed WK4 D3 in Athlone parkrun. Tough course, but nice to be back parkrunning again.

Well done QB

gypsylee

I don't want to sound like a stalker but I remember your race report after the marathon last year. I read it again a few days ago and it still inspires me as I hope to complete the marathon in a similar time. I hope to have as good a day on the 28th as you did last year.

quickbeam

Sunny Dayz wrote: »

Well done quickbeam, hope C25k is going well for you - and hope you enjoyed the Athlone parkrun course! (I was the one marshalling where you turn onto the pitch or go on for the finish.)

Aw, bummer. I knew Athlone was your local from the Parkrun thread here, and I'd hoped to meet up. Sorry we didn't get to say hi. I vaguely remember a figure directing me to the finish line alright, but was too exhausted to have taken much in by then Fantastic support from the marshalls and other volunteers, really helped get over that finish-line, so thanks to you and your colleagues!

gypsylee wrote: »

I don't want to sound like a stalker but I remember your race report after the marathon last year. I read it again a few days ago and it still inspires me as I hope to complete the marathon in a similar time. I hope to have as good a day on the 28th as you did last year.

Stalk away missus! Best of luck in a few weeks. I look forward to hearing how you did and reading your report, and, no doubt, you'll be the inspiration for some of the 2019 novices in turn!

quickbeam

Week 5 complete, Callum can kiss my ass! I remember when I first did C25K I felt like running for 20 minutes straight was a *massive* achievement. Even with everything else I've achieved since then it's still way up there as far as achievements went for me, perhaps only second to completing the marathon. It was one of my most memorable runs. I remember how exhausted I was completing it and having not an ounce of energy to do any more.

Today, doing it again, certainly didn't have the same sense of achievement, and, thankfully didn't have the same sense of exhaustion either. It was definitely easier this time. For a bit of nostalgia I found my posts from the C25K thread from when I did the second and third run of that week. I can't help but smile at these, knowing now what I didn't know then.

quickbeam wrote: »

Amazingly, I actually managed 2 x 8 mins this morning. Though I very much doubt it came anywhere close to the 3/4 mile that it was meant to. I'm pleased to have managed it. I'd have liked a week of this before moving on to a 20 minute run, but, sure, I'll give it a shot anyway, and if not possible, just try again - it seems like a massive jump though. But then again, I didn't think 8 minutes was possible yesterday, and I didn't think 5 minutes was possible 10 days ago, so I might just surprise myself.

quickbeam wrote: »

I did it!!!!

I can't believe it!!!

A nice morning for it too - mild, no rain or wind. Bloody C25K app started - I got the whole "welcome to C25K from Zen Labs" and then nothing. At the point where my warm up usually ends, and I start running, there was no indication, and none for the rest of the run either - no half-way pointer, or 1-minute-to-go notification, or time for cool-down notification. I haven't figured out what happened there yet, I guess I had messed with some settings accidentally.

But I also run my MapMyRun app (shouldn't have interfered with the C2K5 one, it never did before), so I knew roughly where I was at. I had MMR alerting me every two minutes, so my goal was to do eight minutes - I knew I could do that since Wednesday. Then just do another two, to bring me to 10. And sure by then I was half way there, so I might as well continue, just two minutes at a time. It was tough; very, very tough, but I was dogged and kept going - two whole circuits of my route, so about 2kms in total.

It was a fantastic feeling to complete. I'm feeling very chuffed. My legs felt weird when I was done, like coming back on to dry land after being on on a boat for a while. Is that normal? It wore off after 1-2 minutes and I was fine by the time my cool down was complete.

I haven't checked what I have to do next week yet, but I feel that if I got through this week then I can do anything.

Sunny Dayz

Love that last line:

I haven't checked what I have to do next week yet, but I feel that if I got through this week then I can do anything.

quickbeam

Not much to add. Week 6 completed. It asked for 22 minutes, but I did 23.5 minutes to complete a full lap. I have 5km in me already, I'm sure, but will stick to the plan and complete the last two weeks of the program as prescribed.

quickbeam

Week 7 complete this morning.

Plan is to do my first non-stop 5km (since my reboot) at Parkrun tomorrow week as my third C25K run of the week. I don't expect a very good time out of it. But if I can get around without stopping (and I see no reason why I won't) then at least it's a base to build on and regain the speed I had. "Speed" by my terms, of course, which is still shockingly slow. But if I could get sub 30 again before the end of the year, I'd be thrilled.

quickbeam

Week 8 complete.

First and second runs were meant to be 28 minutes, and third was 30 minutes, but I knew that that'd not get me to 5km, so I upped the time for the first and second, and completed the third today by doing 5km at parkrun.

It was mild but windy so not the best of conditions, but I completed the 5km without stopping.

But, my time was atrocious. It's actually upsetting at how far I've slipped. But, at least it gives me a base time to work from to get back to a time that's half decent. I'm not even going to say what it was, but anyone who knows me can check it out if you're interested.

All the marathon talk this past week has me maybe considering doing it again next year. As bad a state as I'm in right now, I started from worse in 2016 and still completed the marathon in 2017. I'd love to hear the famous crowds before some of them start to go home, and I'd love to see a time beginning with 4 on my results. So, maybe, just maybe.

But for now, it'll be a slow build up of distance and hopefully a bit of improved parkrun times over the next few months.

Baby75

Well done Quickbeam and no reason why you would not see 4hr ++ time with a good year of training under your belt

quickbeam

Two weeks to update on.

Last week:
Monday - 3.84km
Wednesday - 5.15km
Friday - 5.18km

All really slow. Slower than I'd ever done any of those routes before, even when running them in the days after last year's big races.

This week:
Tuesday - 5.16km
Thursday - 7.83km
Saturday - 5.01km

So, much happier about this week. I'm still slow, but, the 5km route on Tuesday was faster than the two the previous week so I can see I'm improving and getting back to fitness.

I hadn't really planned on the big jump from 5km to 8km (it's my default 8km route, even if it is a bit shy of that exact distance) on Wednesday but figured I'd give it a shot, so again, happy that I managed the distance. I'm planning on doing a NYD parkrun double so need to know that I'm able to do 10km before then, so this means I'm at least half way to that distance (for ref, it took me nearly six months to go from 5km to 10km the first time I started running).

And today's parkrun was 52 seconds quicker than my previous one two weeks ago. Still super-slow, but happy that it's going in the right direction. It's not an official PB, but I'm calling it a PB in this second phase of my running career.

I lost nearly 6 pounds over the two weeks too, so happy that things are going in the right direction on that front too. There were lots of goodies and treats at today's parkrun but I abstained easily and hopefully that trajectory will continue downwards until I'm back to where I was a year ago.

I know my data is paltry with regard to distance and speed compared with a lot of logs out there, but maybe it'll give hope to some of the other less good runners out there that there is improvement to be gained by heading out and giving it a lash.

Kellygirl

Delighted to see you doing so well F.

scotindublin

Great to see you back out there enjoying it

Baby75

Well done you are making great progress so happy you are enjoying your self and well done on the weight loss and willpower and send some my way please

ariana`

Super progress - I'm so glad you found your mojo on all fronts!

gypsylee

Lovely post. Great to see the positivity shining through.

Sheep1978

Great stuff F. Keep it going

Sunny Dayz

That's good stuff quickbeam!

quickbeam

It makes sense to me to update every two weeks as the improvement (or not) in my parkrun is a good indication of where I'm at, and at the moment I'm only getting to run it every second week. It was a fortnight very much of two halves though.

So, last week felt good:
Monday - 5.17km
Wednesday - 7.85km
Friday - 10.94km

Both the 5km and 8km were improved times since I've been back running. Still not close to the worst of my times previously, but at least going in the right direction, so happy with that.

The 10km was my first since back running and was done by accident. The plan was to definitely be up to 10km soon, so that I'd have a chance at the parkrun new year double, but in my head I'd planned to start the following week instead. But, I just happened to wake earlier than expected that morning so had time to do a longer run and thought I might as well give it a shot. My 10km route is three 3.5km circuits, so I had the option to cut short at any time if I'd not felt up for it, but I felt very, very pleased that I managed to do it all for the first time again.

This week:
Monday - 5.17km
Wednesday - 10.9km
Friday - 7.85km
Saturday - 5.02km parkrun

I didn't feel good during any of the mid-week runs, and the times were the worst yet, even more so than the first runs since back running. But, to look at the positive, it's the first time I've run four times in a week since I've been back and I'm upping my weekly distance nicely too.

Parkrun was the only one with some moderate success, with a 23 second "PB" since my return. It was also a bit of parkrun tourism which I'd not actually managed to do since May and it was a lovely morning for it too.

Weight was down the first week and up a bit the second week (entirely my own doing). Overall net loss, but not nearly as good as it should have been.

quickbeam

A quick fortnightly update:

Last week:
Monday - 10.89km
Wednesday - 7.88km
Friday - 7.39km

This week:
Tuesday - 7.84km
Thursday - 10.89km
Saturday - 5km parkrun

Slow but steady progress, most of the above were slight improvements on previous runs of the same distance since I've been back running.

Still doing one 10km a week in the run up to the NYD double.

1.5 minute improvement in my parkrun from two weeks ago, in tough conditions (windy today). Even got a new number in Stopwatch Bingo, so double bonus!! Also, 4 pounds down since two weeks ago.

Feeling happy. Amn't always, but am today.

Kellygirl

That’s a nice positive update.

What’s stopwatch bingo??

quickbeam

Kellygirl wrote: »

That’s a nice positive update.

What’s stopwatch bingo??

Oh it’s one of the parkrun challenges. Get a time ending in every number between 00 and 59. Just a bit of added craic to parkrun that caters perfectly for stat geeks like me.

Sunny Dayz

quickbeam wrote: »

Oh it’s one of the parkrun challenges. Get a time ending in every number between 00 and 59. Just a bit of added craic to parkrun that caters perfectly for stat geeks like me.

Love the little parkrun challenges on the Chrome extension for parkrun.

The Muppet

Nice progress qb , keep it up.

quickbeam

I got precious little to report on.

Zero running between last parkrun reported above, and Christmas Day. 10 day gap. I did a parkrun on Christmas day and really enjoyed it. My time was nothing to write home about, no improvement on my previous best, but hadn't expected there to be either since I hadn't been out training.

Then 3 days with no running until today's parkrun. A moderate improvement on my previous best (this period), which I was happy about considering the lack of running.

It's a shame. I was working this week and every time I left the house to go to work I thought to myself: "mild out, would have been a lovely morning for a run". Need to get my ass in gear and actually get out again while the weather is moderately okay.

NYD double parkrun in two day's time. With lack of running the last two weeks I'm severely doubting I can do the two. We'll see, I guess.

Kellygirl

You’ll be Well able. Enjoy it.