On to the second run of week 7 of the Couch to 5k plan today - another 25 minute jog around Hove.

I covered a bit over 2.5 miles and found it a little harder than Monday’s run. Still, things will only improve with time. The last 7 minutes or so of today’s run were particularly tough, as my legs were complaining rather a lot. I ignored them as they were just being lazy and though I ache now rather more than after Monday’s run, it’s a good kind of ache.

I also ran a different route today. It’s starting to get light later in the day, and my usual route is soon going to be pitch black at the time I go running, so I need an alternate. Today’s route is a strong contender, though I still haven’t run along the seafront where I live. Perhaps that’s something to do on Friday.

Week 7 of the Couch to 5k plan started today, and there was no way I was going to miss a second run, so out I went, bright and early.

Weeks 7, 8 and 9 are pretty simple. No walking, just running. And the distances increase every week. This week consists of three 2.5 mile (25 minute) runs.

This morning’s was managable, but not easy. I finished, and managed to run the whole lot. My legs have not yet forgiven me, however.

On an unrelated note, I discovered afterwards that maple syrup on weetabix (with milk, of course) is a really nice breakfast. Probably not going to help with any weight loss programs, but taste is important too!

I’ve been a naughty little runner. A heavy night on Thursday, followed by another on Friday, meant I missed my third run of week 6. Bah. Couldn’t go on Sunday as I was playing racketball. So I compensated for missing the run by playing far too long and running much more than normal. It felt pretty good actually.

A small amount of silence might be appropriate - for today marks the end of the walking portion of the Couch to 5k plan. Today’s two 10-minute runs were slapped either side of a 3 minute walk like a weird exercise sandwich. From here on in, it’s only running. 2.25 miles on Friday. 2.5 miles next week. 2.75 miles the week after. And then 3 miles.

It’s still going well, and I’m having no trouble getting up and out and sticking to the schedule. This plan rocks.

It’s starting to get to the stage where I’m beginning to worry about what I’m going to write about once I’ve finished the Couch to 5k plan. I’ve posted a lot about it, in large part because I think that writing about it will help keep me doing it. Not that I’m even sure anything is needed on that front any more - I’m enjoying it now. There are only a few short weeks left - only another eleven runs with corresponding posts.

Today was the first run/walk of week 6. Just one more run/walk left, then it’s all running. No more walking. Drat. Walking is the easy bit. And despite the fact that today’s run appeared, on the face of it, as thought it would be easier than the second and third run of week 5, in fact I found it tougher. Thinking about it, it might have been due to the stag party I attended on Saturday.

Plans for after the Couch to 5k plan are now starting to come together. I’m going to keep running, and aim to increase the distances over time. There are plenty of half marathons next year, with the first in Brighton in February. That might be too soon, but I’ve got half an eye on it and will see how things go.

Another run, and this one marks the end of the 5th week of the Couch to 5k plan. Only a few runs to go now before the first full 5k. Looking forward to it now.

Today’s run was a straight 2 miles (or 20 minutes). I decided to go for the 2 miles for this run rather than the time, because ultimately the idea here is to be running 5k, so sooner or later I need to go for distances instead of times and this seemed like the appropriate time to do that.

Today’s run was also the first pure run - no walking. That meant running more than double the distance I’ve run in one go since the plan started. 4 times the longest distances I’d run in this plan up to Wednesday. A serious jump - possibly the largest of the plan so far.

However, it was no real problem. I warmed up a little better before getting started and got myself into a decent rhythm as quickly as possible. From there it was just a matter of putting one foot in front of the other and breathing. Finishing it was a great feeling - not least because there is no way I could have done this 6 weeks ago.

My run was half uphill and half downhill. By the time I reached the golf course at the top of the hill (halfway), my lungs and legs were complaining. However, as soon as I turned around the run seemed to suddenly get easier. Spooky. I may try and find a flatter route for the days I’m not feeling too energetic!

I finished the run in 18 minutes, which I was pleased with - a little quicker than I’d aimed for. I (and my running partner, who also did her run today) are both feeling pretty proud of ourselves and have both recently discovered we’re actually rather enjoying this running lark. Who’d have thought it?

Another day, another landmark in the Couch to 5k running plan - after today’s run I am over halfway through the program. Woohoo!

Today was the second run of week 5 - dubbed The Week of Pain for now. Though after today it doesn’t really deserve that particular moniker. Today’s run was tiring but emminently runnable.

I’m quite looking forward to the third run (on either Friday or Saturday), even though it will be more than double the previous maximum distance I’ve run in one go in this plan, and the first straight run with no walking. 2 miles. Running that sort of distance seemed unattainable 5 weeks ago, but now seems within reach.

Wish me luck!

And so on to week 5 of the Couch to 5k plan. Week 5 is the first week in which the runs are not all the same. In fact, this week looks like a monster (and next week is fairly similar just with a little extra distance each day).

Run 1, today, was relatively simple - a small jump from the previous week. 3 repetitions of 5 minutes running followed by 3 minutes walking.

Run 2, which will be Wednesday morning, is 2 repetitions of 8 minutes running and 5 minutes walking. Sounds do-able but definitely going to be tough.

And Run 3, on Saturday, is a straight 2 mile run with no walking. The first “real” run.

By comparison, today’s run was rather tame. It started out tricky, but I think I need to warm up better. After the first 5 minute run, my legs stopped their whining and the last two runs were much better. All things considered, I think that bodes well for Wednesday!

Hooray! The end of Week 4. Today marks the halfway point of the training stage of the Couch to 5k plan. The first run of week nine is the first 5k run - not long now.

My running partner joined me on my route today and seemed to enjoy herself - it’s a nice area to run in though. Very peaceful (and only a little hilly). One side-effect of that was the change in pace. I found it harder to get into my usual running rhythm, which meant that by the end my legs were complaining a little more than usual.

However, we both finished - we ran and walked around 2.2 miles in around 22 minutes - not a bad distance for the time. That bodes well for a 10-minute mile time for the 5k.

At the moment, my aim is to simply finish a 5k run. But to get to the stage where I can run 5k is hopefully just the proverbial first step - I plan to continue from there, although what I’ll be aiming for I don’t yet know.

It occurred to me that perhaps once I’m at a level where I can run 5k, before I start increasing the distances I run, I should probably aim to improve my speed over the 5k. Then, once I can do a 5k in a certain time, I should start increasing the distances I run, and continue with the same pace. All that said, however, I have no idea what sort of pace is realistic to aim for and how long it takes to improve running speeds.

At the moment, I am running a mile in around 10 minutes (based on the times in the Couch to 5k plan and the disctances measured according to Google maps). Not too bad, but not exactly lightening fast. Going any faster would probably kill me at the moment - the distance is enough of a challenge by itself. That would mean a 5k time of around 30 minutes, assuming I can maintain that pace over 5k (eventually).

So my initial thoughts are to aim for 9 minutes per mile first, then 8. An 8 minute mile, I feel, is fairly respectable. But I just don’t know. If anyone reading has more experience with this sort of thing, I’d love to know what you think.