Good morning, and happy(?) Monday. Where did the weekend go? As always, I hope whoever reads this weekly life and training update had a fabulous weekend. If, for whatever reason, your weekend wasn’t great, I hope the next seven days are more positive. My weekend had a couple of highlights, managing to run every step of Beacon parkrun and completing some rather dull adulting tasks.

For the reasons I’ve already outlined, I decided to follow the Couch to 5k training plan that is available on the NHS Live Well website. This version of the Couch to 5k training plan should take nine weeks.

The NHS Live Well website provided the following information about the interval sessions in Week 4 of the Couch to 5k training plan.

My Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday interval sessions started with a fast 5-minute warm-up walk and ended with a slightly slower 5-minute cool-down walk. I supplemented the interval sessions with cross-training sessions and two rest days. I’ve said it before, but as I’m not a member of a gym and don’t have access to an exercise bike, my cross-training sessions comprised of 30-minute power walks.

As I would love to complete the Couch to 5k this time, I dedicated time each day to stretching and working through this strengthening exercise. In addition, I used my Bob and Brad Q2 Mini Massage Gun to massage my quads and calf muscles before each interval session and whenever I felt my legs would benefit from an extra massage.

Monday – 30 mins cross training

Nothing beats starting the week with a mailbox filled with urgent emails I couldn’t ignore and a day of back-to-back meetings. I didn’t even have time for a lunchtime walk. My review of Week 3 of my Couch to 5k training was published, and I started mentally debating the pros and cons of running first thing in the morning before work as opposed to running in the evening after work.

As soon as I finished work, I spent some time preparing my favourite Italian oven-baked penne recipe. While my culinary masterpiece was cooking, I attempted to replicate the first 30 minutes of a Strength 101 for Beginners total-body strength class. After what turned out to be a productive evening, I laid out some running gear, made sure my Garmin was charged, checked my alarm was set for 5:30am, and headed to bed at a sensible time.

Tuesday – 21.5 mins intervals (run 3 mins/walk 90 secs/run 5 mins/walk 2.5 mins/run 3 mins/walk 90 secs/run 5 mins)

I’m all too aware I’m making myself sound completely lacking in discipline and like a broken record, but I once again turned off my 5:30am alarm in my sleep. This wasn’t ideal as this meant I would have to run after work when it was a lot warmer.

Work was hectic, meaning I couldn’t finish work until after 5:00pm. After allowing my somewhat stodgy meal of lasagne and chips enough time to settle, I got changed into the running gear I’d laid out the evening before, worked through some strength exercises, and massaged my calf muscles and quads. It was gone 9:00pm and getting dark by the time I finally left the house, and almost dark when I managed to work out where I’d saved the Week 4 interval session on my Garmin.

I completed my warm-up walk, checked my laces, selected some 80s music on Spotify, and started to run. During the first five-minute running repetition, I noticed that my right sock was so tight, it was digging into the top of my foot, causing foot pain and pins and needles. I was so angry at myself for making such a rookie wardrobe error, my pace went from sensible to overly ambitious and inconsistent.

I’d love to say I enjoyed the interval session, but my right foot became increasingly painful during each running repetition, and I was hobbling rather than walking when I made it to the end of the final five-minute running repetition. I completed my cool-down walk, captured this somewhat beetroot-faced selfie, and hobbled back home.

I made it home, drank a couple of glasses of chocolate milkshake, massaged my calf muscles, and then, in a desperate attempt to fix the damage I’d caused, put an ice pack on my right foot. I headed to bed, hoping I’d be able to continue with my Couch to 5k training on Thursday evening.

Wednesday – Rest

As the only exercise I got on my rest day was a short walk to and back from the local train station to collect some train tickets, my right foot unfortunately felt a little niggly, I’ll fast forward to Thursday.

Thursday – 21.5 mins intervals (run 3 mins/walk 90 secs/run 5 mins/walk 2.5 mins/run 3 mins/walk 90 secs/run 5 mins)

I didn’t even bother setting my alarm for 5:30am as I knew I wouldn’t have the discipline to run before work. My evening running routine has already got a little predictable, so I’ll start this update just before I left the house to start my warm-up walk.

Like on Tuesday, I couldn’t work out where I’d saved the interval session on my Garmin. Rather than faffing around for five minutes, I resorted to the approach that seems to resolve most of my tech issues, I switched my Garmin off and then back on again. Happily, this did the trick.

I completed my warm-up, made sure my laces weren’t too tight, selected some random music on Spotify, and started to run. It was much cooler than it was on Tuesday; conditions were perfect. Although the interval session went well, my legs felt tired, and my right knee niggled a few times. I started to think the money I’d invested in Osteopathy had been a complete waste of time. At least my running repetitions were more consistent and sensibly paced than earlier in the week. Small wins.

I completed my cool-down walk, completely failed to capture a blogworthy selfie, walked home, and drank a couple of glasses of chocolate milk. I’d love to say I massaged my calf muscles and quads using my massage gun, but quite frankly, I couldn’t be bothered.

Friday – Rest

After a week of feeling like an imposter at work and several days of what I suspect was stress induced insomnia, I’m not sure how I made it to 3pm without falling asleep at my desk. I needed to have a productive Friday evening, but I ended up watching the Doha Diamond League on BBC Sport and napping.

Saturday – 30 mins cross training

I’m not sure what made me check Facebook before I embarked on my standard Saturday morning walk to Boldmere Gate, but I was pleased I did as I discovered that Sutton Park parkrun had been cancelled because a large tree was blocking part of the course. Luckily, I had plenty of time to walk to Blake Street station to catch the train to Lichfield that would allow me to complete Beacon parkrun.

I love Beacon parkrun because the course is almost completely flat. I walked through a far busier than I was expecting centre of Lichfield and arrived at Beacon Park 30 minutes before the start of parkrun. Plenty of time to take some photos and to think about how I wanted to approach parkrun.

My legs and knees were almost completely niggle-free, so I decided to see how much of Beacon parkrun I could run. I started near the back; this prevented me from attempting to start the 5k at an overly ambitious pace and allowed me to increase my pace as parkrun progressed. I rather unexpectedly managed to run every step of Beacon parkrun and finished in a time of 32:12, feeling like I could have carried on running. I posed for a photo with some Sutton Park parkrun regulars, walked back to the train station, and posted an update on Instagram during the short journey back to Blake Street.

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A post shared by Emma Neachell (@thephdrunner)

I’ll say it again, but you know your Instagram updates are boring when fewer than 20 people take the time to ‘like’ what you’ve shared.

I must admit I felt a bit gloomy after Beacon parkrun. Spending time with what I’ve referred to before as my ‘parkrun family’ in the Communitea Café after Sutton Park parkrun is usually one of the highlights of my weekends. I spent an hour at home feeling sorry for myself and then walked into Mere Green to meet up with my brother for a drink.

Drinking two and a half pints on an empty stomach wasn’t the most sensible thing I could have done. The rest of my Saturday was what could only be described as a write-off. Following an unproductive afternoon and evening largely spent in bed, I laid out some running gear and headed to bed as like last Sunday, I wanted to get the final interval session of the week done before 8am.

Sunday – 21.5 mins intervals (run 3 mins/walk 90 secs/run 5 mins/walk 2.5 mins/run 3 mins/walk 90 secs/run 5 mins)

I woke up just before 7am feeling a slightly what could only be described as slightly fragile. I figured completing the final interval session of the week would either make me feel better or a lot worse, so I dragged myself out of bed and got changed into the running gear I’d laid out the evening before. I worked through some strength exercises, drank a glass of water, and headed out into slightly cooler conditions than I’d anticipated.

During the warm-up walk, my legs reminded me I’d rather stupidly run 5k the morning before. Although my legs felt tired, they felt completely niggle-free and a lot better than I probably deserved. I reached the end of the warm-up walk, made sure my laces weren’t too tight, selected some upbeat music on Spotify, and started my interval session. I enjoyed every second of the interval session. Like last Sunday, I found running in the daylight was more enjoyable than running in the dark, and conditions were once again perfect for running.

I reached the end of the interval session next to the entrance to somewhere I tend to walk away from as quickly as I can when it’s dark, Hill Hook Nature Reserve.

I completed my cool-down walk, managed to capture yet another somewhat unflattering selfie, and headed home feeling very grateful to my legs for allowing me to run on two consecutive days.

When I checked my running and walking splits, I like to think my pacing was a slightly more consistent than it was earlier in the week. Although I’m aware my pacing is still something I need to work on, I awarded myself a 6/10 for consistency.

The remainder of my Sunday was productive, as I needed to make the most of what was left of the weekend. I won’t bore people with the details, but it included four loads of washing, housework, blog admin, more life admin, a walk to collect some Vinted parcels, and an afternoon nap.

So, despite some slightly dubious pacing, wardrobe failures, and an unexpected parkrun, that’s the fourth week of the Couch to 5k successfully completed. I just hope that the increased duration of the running repetitions and the 20-minute run I’m hoping to complete on Sunday don’t cause my knees to implode.

Week 5 of the Couch to 5k looks challenging, but after I managed to run Beacon parkrun without walking, I’m feeling quietly confident I’ll be able to complete the interval sessions and 20-minute run. I’m aware I’m repeating myself, but it feels like I’ve now completed the easiest weeks of the Couch to 5k. The duration of the longest run repetition increases from five minutes to 20 minutes. I’m sure there’s a reason for this increase, but the prospect of running for 20 minutes on my own feels quite daunting.

Training totals

• Runs: 12 (out of 12)
• Time: 4 hrs 1½ mins
• Distance: 21.52 miles

Niggleometer

• Right knee: 2/10
• Left knee: 2/10
• Left foot: 1/10

Did you have a good weekend?

Do you have any tips for running at a consistent pace?

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