I concluded last year’s ‘True cost of running’ post by stating that although I hoped that 2025 was going to be a less expensive year than 2024 and that I’d love to ‘run for free in 2025, I accepted that it was inevitable that I’d end up spending a fair amount on the sport that gives me a lot of pleasure. I decided that I wasn’t going to feel guilty for making what I describe as essential running-related purchases, for example, new trainers and osteopathy appointments, however, if I wanted to make any non-essential purchases, I would have to raise money by selling stuff on eBay and Facebook first. Effectively, I wanted my running hobby to fund itself. I’d love to say that this happened, but thanks to changes to the eBay selling process and a negative experience with a scammer, my last online sale was back in February.

[Photo: Rob Andrews]

I once again found going through my running expenditure spreadsheet – yes, I’m still a statistics geek – rather uncomfortable. Yet another much-needed wake-up call and reality check. I realised that by adding another three pairs of running shorts and 14 pairs of running socks, I’d failed to achieve my aim of ‘running for free in 2025 in style. I also discovered that thanks to ending the year with a rather expensive Garmin-related purchase, I’d managed to spend more this year than I’d anticipated.

So, now it’s clear I predictably failed to stay away from the temptations of Sweaty Betty et al., let’s have a look at what I purchased throughout the year. I’ve also included what I spent in each category last year.

Running clothes and trainers

• Versus Elite socks x 3 pairs (Vinted) – £13.59
• adidas sports bra – £16.99
• parkrun milestone V100 t-shirt – £20.00
• Sweaty Betty 6″ Power shorts (Vinted) – £29.85
• Rockay Women’s Xplore gilet – £29.99
• Sweaty Betty 9″ Power shorts – £30.00
• Twisted Running Cargo running shorts – £33.50
• Versus running socks x 11 pairs – £49.50
• Mizuno Wave Inspire 19 running shoes – £67.99
• Mizuno Wave Inspire 19 running shoes – £69.99

TOTAL: £361.40 (£582.17 last year)

Running accessories

• Lululemon headband (Vinted) – £9.39
• Inov8 Race Elite Peak 2 running cap – £9.99
• adidas Running X 4d Heat.rdy Cap £17.50
• adidas Running Aeroready Four-panel Mesh Cap £19.55
• Garmin Forerunner 265S GPS watch – £299.99

TOTAL: £356.42 (£14.45 last year)

Running-related books

• Making Fitness Your Business book – £7.99
• The Lazy Runner book – £7.99

TOTAL: £15.98 (£0.00 last year)

Race entries

• 7 Pools Run race entry – £20.00
• Royal Sutton Fun Run race entry – £28.00
• Great Birmingham Run 2026 race entry – £42.00

TOTAL: £90.00 (£132.20 last year)

Virtual races

TOTAL: £0.00 (£30.40 last year)

Travel and accommodation

• Return train ticket to Sutton Coldfield – £3.60
• Return train ticket to Sutton Coldfield – £3.60
• Return train ticket to Sutton Coldfield – £3.60
• Return train ticket to Sutton Coldfield – £3.60
• Return train ticket to Sutton Coldfield – £3.60
• Return train ticket to Lichfield – £5.20
• Return train ticket to Lichfield – £6.10
• Return train ticket to Lichfield – £6.10

TOTAL: £35.40 (£53.80 last year)

Running holidays

TOTAL: £0.00 (£0.00 last year)

Running club

• Royal Sutton Coldfield AC 100 Club fees – £32.40
• Royal Sutton Coldfield AC annual membership – £80.00

TOTAL: £112.40 (£111.40 last year)

Osteopathy appointments

• Returning patient osteopathy appointment – £56.00
• Returning patient osteopathy appointment – £56.00
• Returning patient osteopathy appointment – £56.00
• Returning patient osteopathy appointment – £56.00
• Returning patient osteopathy appointment – £56.00

TOTAL: £280.00 (£540.00 last year)

 Miscellaneous

• Protein Rebel Power Up Sea Water Magnesium Powder – £12.00
• Fit Kit Rehydrate Electrolyte Face Moisturiser – £12.99
• Fit Kit Body Rebuild Magnesium Body Moisturiser – £13.99
• Fit Kit Body Rebuild Magnesium Body Moisturiser – £13.99
• Protein Rebel Run Easy Marine Collagen Peptides Protein – £24.00

TOTAL: £76.97 (£66.49 last year)

GRAND TOTAL: £1328.57 (£1530.91 last year)

In the past, I felt slightly embarrassed when I worked out how much I’d managed to spend on my running hobby throughout the year. This year, although I ended up spending more than I’d predicted when I started writing this blog, I didn’t feel any shame for two reasons. A large proportion of my spending was on osteopathy appointments; the treatment I received in these appointments quite literally kept me up and running. Ignoring osteopathy appointments, my other most expensive purchases were a Garmin Forerunner 265S to replace the Garmin Fenix 6 I purchased in 2021 and two pairs of Mizuno Wave Inspire 19 trainers. I once again managed to stick to my ‘rule’ of not spending more than £100 on a pair of trainers.

And what about my spending in each of the categories? After spending what felt like far too much on running clothes and trainers in both 2023 and 2024, I managed to spend less this year. While several of my purchases were made in my local TK Maxx, I purchased a pair of my favourite Sweaty Betty 9” power shorts on Vinted and a second pair direct from Sweaty Betty using my 50% off birthday discount code. Due to my metatarsal mishap in July, I’m yet to wear the Twisted Running cargo running shorts and some of the running socks I purchased in an end of line sale. Thanks to me purchasing several running caps in a failed attempt to find a running cap that is small enough for my child-sized head and a replacement Garmin, my spending in the running accessories category increased from a respectable £14.45 to £356.42. I’m hoping this Garmin will last me a good 3-4 years and that I’ll be able to recoup some of the money I spent on running caps once my house stops doing a good impression of a building site.

This year, I purchased two running-related books. I’m yet to read either book as I’ve spent most of the year reading about anything but running. I reduced the amount I spent on race entries and still managed to enter what I hope will be my target event for 2026, the Great Birmingham Run. Last year, I had the foresight to enter this year’s Run Up to Christmas virtual event. I wasn’t tempted to enter any additional virtual events, hence the zero spending in the virtual races category.

My spending in the travel and accommodation category decreased slightly from £53.80 in 2034 to £35.40 this year. As in previous years, this expenditure was unavoidable as I’m not in the habit of fare dodging and the train tickets I purchased enabled me to attend my osteopathy appointments in Sutton Coldfield and to travel to Beacon parkrun in Lichfield. I once again didn’t have any running holidays; I’m hopeful this might change next year. My running Club membership and 100 Club fees increased slightly, like last year, I’m hopeful I’ll be able to train with my Club next year. I’ve already mentioned my osteopathy appointments and as for the miscellaneous category, I’m ashamed to admit that I allowed myself to be influenced by a runner on Instagram who I suspect didn’t waste £76.97 purchasing magnesium powder, face moisturiser, body moisturiser, and protein powder.

Although circumstances at home meant that, unlike in previous years, I failed to list and to therefore sell any of my unwanted running clothes and trainers online, I’ve decided to repost some of the information I’ve shared before. If you are looking to sell your unwanted running clothes or trainers online, dedicated Facebook selling groups such as the Running Gear Buy and Sell group is a great place to start. I’m still yet to sell on Vinted, so I can’t personally recommend it as a selling platform, but I’ve seen a fair amount of positive feedback. And don’t forget about eBay.

I’m going to end this post by saying that although I hope next year will be a less expensive year and that I’d love to ‘run for free’ in 2026, I’ve once again accepted that it’s almost certain I’ll end up spending a fair amount on the sport that gives me a lot of pleasure. I’ve decided I’m not going to feel guilty for making essential running-related purchases, for example, new trainers, however, if I want to make any non-essential purchases, I’m going to have to raise money by selling stuff on eBay, Vinted and Facebook first. I’m aware that I’m repeating myself, but I can’t keep buying new running clothes when I have boxes of running clothes I’ve barely worn in storage in my loft.

Have you ever worked out how much money you spend on running in a year?  Sorry for the repeated question, but you all know that I’m nosey. I’d love to see how my spending compares to other people’s spending.

Do you set yourself a budget at the start of the year? Except for essentials, new trainers, osteopathy appointments, and travel, my budget for 2026 will be zero. If I want to treat myself to anything outside of those categories, I’ll have to raise money by selling some of my unwanted running gear first.

The NHS Live Well website provided the following information about the three training runs in Week 6 of the Couch to 5k training plan.

Like the last time I attempted the sixth week of the Couch to 5k, I looked forward to tackling three different training sessions. I also wasted far too much time worrying about running for 25 minutes.

My Tuesday interval session started with a fast warm-up walk and ended with a slightly slower cool-down walk. I supplemented the one interval session I managed to complete with cross-training sessions on Monday and Saturday and rest days on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Sunday.

As my knees were not feeling very happy towards the end of last week, I made sure I allocated time after work every day to stretching. I also 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

The week got off to a positive start because I wasn’t working and therefore didn’t have to spend eight hours feeling like an imposter. I was also able to have a rare lie-in. Shortly after 9:00am, I was collected by Mum who drove us over to the Chase Farm Café for a cooked breakfast and a long overdue catchup. Not the best of photos, but this breakfast tasted amazing.

My review of Week 5 of my Couch to 5k training was published, and as I struggled to get out of mums car, I started to doubt I’d be able to complete interval  sessions on Tuesday and Thursday, a 25 minute run on Saturday, and the Royal Sutton Fun Run on Sunday.

I spent the remainder of the Spring bank holiday gardening and tackling yet more house-related paperwork. I decided that spending over three hours in the garden clearing ivy counted as a form of cross training, so I didn’t attempt a power walk in the rain.

Tuesday – 24 mins intervals (run 5 mins/walk 3 mins/run 8 mins/walk 3 mins/run 5 mins)

I had originally planned to travel to the Birmingham office so that I could print out some guidance documents, however after getting approximately four hours of sleep, I decided to stay at home. After a somewhat overwhelming day, I was able to finish work at 5:00pm. As soon as I finished work, I spent some time getting a guest post ready and completing yet more house-related paperwork. I booked a place on a Lichfield Cathedral tour and ordered and devoured a takeaway from my favourite Chinese restaurant.

My knees had been feeling quite niggly since Sunday, so I got changed into some running gear and spent some time massaging my quads and calf muscles with my Bob and Brad Q2 Mini Massage Gun. I also completed some of the exercises I’d been given to hopefully strengthen my knees. My knees felt quite niggly during my warm-up walk but not painful enough to make me think I shouldn’t run. I completed my warm-up walk, spent some time fiddling with my socks and laces, selected some music on Spotify, and started to run.

Once I’d settled into the first running repetition, I think my pacing was reasonably consistent, aided by the fact I spent the first five minutes running uphill. My pacing during the second, longer running repetition was all over the place, it’s clear where my left knee started to niggle. As for the final 5-minute running repetition, it was very much a case of trying to make it home.

Although my left knee felt increasingly painful as the interval session progressed and seemed to hurt more during the recovery repetitions, I enjoyed the interval session far more than I expected. I captured what turned out to be a slightly blurry selfie and then headed back home.

I hobbled home, drank a couple of glasses of chocolate milkshake, massaged my quads and calf muscles using my massage gun for the second time in an hour, and then headed to bed feeling incredibly frustrated with myself.

Wednesday – Rest

It’s a good job Wednesday was a rest day as the moment I stepped out of bed, I realised I’d injured my left knee the previous evening. My left knee was so painful I knew I wouldn’t be running on Thursday and seriously doubted I’d be able to run at the weekend. The first guest post I’ve featured on my blog since September 2020 – Enhancing Postural Health: A Doctor’s Take on Running – was published and almost instantly became more popular than any of my Couch to 5k related waffle.

Thursday – 23 mins intervals (run 10 mins/walk 3 mins/run 10 mins) Rest

My knees were so painful when I first stepped out of bed, I knew I wouldn’t be attempting to complete the second interval session of the week after work. I spent a bit of time in what Geoff used to call ‘self-pitying mode’ but gave myself a talking-to and ended up having a productive but expensive morning. It’s a good job I hadn’t treated myself to a new Garmin the previous week, as I ended up spending a not-insignificant amount on a Level 3 house survey.

Friday – Rest

I think the highlights of what turned out to be a gloomy end to the working week were the Chinese takeaway I treated myself to after work, and the fact that it was Friday. My knees started to feel slightly better but were still quite niggly.

Saturday – 30 mins cross training

My knees felt so painful during the first few minutes of my four mile walk to Boldmere Gate I contemplated heading back home. Had I not set myself a target of completing 50 parkruns in 2025, I may well have turned around and walked back home. Fortunately, five minutes into my walk to Boldmere Gate my knees started to feel much better, not completely niggle-free but better than they had done since my Tuesday evening interval session. I must really like taking photos here, I promise I haven’t just recycled last week’s photo.

As always, I’m pleased I made the effort to walk to Sutton Park parkrun. I managed to walk most of the course and ran up the final hill. Although my knees twinged a couple of times they seemed to settle down once I’d warmed up. After what turned out to be a slightly warmer than I was anticipating Sutton Park parkrun, I spent some time relaxing on the grass stretching before I started to walk back towards Mere Green. I even remembered to post a slightly grumpy update on Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Emma Neachell (@thephdrunner)

My left knee felt so painful during my walk back towards Mere Green, that I called my friend Vic to see if he could rescue me. Predictably, the person who is usually attached to his mobile phone ignored my calls and text messages. After a painful three-mile walk hobble I reached the Mare Pool pub in Mere Green where I bought myself a couple of pints and spent an hour relaxing in the sun and resting my knees.

After spending a couple of hours with my brother, the rest of my Saturday was so mundane, it was not exactly what I’d describe as blogworthy. Following a productive afternoon and evening, I headed to bed at a sensible time with Trespasses by Louise Kennedy.

Sunday – 25 mins running with no walking Rest

In an ideal world, I would have completed a 25-minute run as part of Beacon parkrun leaving me to participate in my favourite local running event; the Royal Sutton Fun Run. I don’t live in an ideal world and after getting out of bed and discovering both of my knees were quite painful, I accepted that I wouldn’t be tackling this year’s Royal Sutton Fun Run as walking 8.5 miles wouldn’t be sensible. The Royal Sutton Fun Run will always be there next year.

I ended up spending most of the day gardening and managed to fill six large green garden sacks with a combination of what I hoped were weeds and a lot of ivy. I regretted not attempting the Royal Sutton Fun Run a couple of times as the weather was perfect but reminded myself that I’d made the right decision. I managed to avoid heading to bed for a Sunday afternoon nap and ended up having a second consecutive mundane but productive afternoon and evening.

So, that’s Week 6 of the Couch to 5k not exactly successfully completed. I wish that this blog was more positive and contained more in the way of running, but that’s the reality of life as an injury-prone runner with fragile knees.

Week 7 looks challenging and, quite frankly, impossible unless a miracle happens and I wake up with pain-free knees. I get to say ‘goodbye’ to interval runs as in the final three weeks of the Couch to 5k; all the training sessions are continuous runs. Not ideal! Like last time, I think my main concerns are how my knees will respond to running for 25 minutes three times in a week and getting my pacing spot on.

Training totals:

• Runs: 16 (out of 18)
• Time: 5 hrs 27½ mins
• Distance: 29.69 miles

Niggleometer:

• Right knee: 4/10
• Left knee: 8/10
• Left foot: 2/10

Do you read guest posts?

Did you have a good weekend?

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

Like the last time I attempted the fifth week of the Couch to 5k, I looked forward to tackling three different training sessions. After last week’s shenanigans, I made sure the training sessions were saved on my Garmin and wasted a lot of time worrying about running for 20 minutes.

My Tuesday and Thursday evening interval sessions and Sunday morning 20-minute run started with reasonably speedy 5-minute warm-up walks and ended with slower 5-minute cool-down walks. I supplemented the interval sessions and 20-minute run with cross-training sessions on Monday and Saturday and with rest days on Wednesday and Friday.

As I’d love to complete the Couch to 5k before the end of the year, I allocated time every day to stretching. 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

The new week didn’t get off to the best of starts when a series of emails left me feeling completely overwhelmed and in tears. I wrote a ‘things to do’ list and reminded myself I could do my job. My review of Week 4 of my Couch to 5k training was published, and I spent a couple of minutes thinking about the week ahead. As I wanted something to look forward to after work, I booked a table at the Quill and Taper pub and messaged my friend with the details of the booking.

I power walked to the Quill and Taper as I wanted to spend 30 minutes doing something that resembled cross training. I was feeling slightly woozy as I hadn’t eaten since breakfast, so during my walk I decided I’d order a soft drink rather than my usual pint of beer. Unfortunately, by the time I’d walked from the pub entrance to the bar, the landlord had already poured me my usual pint of beer.

I didn’t want to risk eating the royale chicken tikka masala, so I ordered the crispy fried chicken burger southern-fried chicken breast fillet. Looking at the photo I took, I’m still not convinced why gravy was included, but the burger tasted amazing.

Apologies for the terrible photo. I still feel self-conscious when I’m trying to take photos of food in public. The burger wasn’t quite as filling as I’d anticipated, so I ordered a salted caramel sundae for my dessert. And I wonder why I struggle to lose weight.

Tuesday – 21 mins intervals (run 5 mins/walk 3 mins/run 5 mins/walk 3 mins/run 5 mins)

I finished work at 5:00pm and could tell I’d spent too long staring at a screen because I was starting to get some visual disturbances, usually a sign I’m about to get a migraine. This meant that rather than tackling some of the mortgage and house-related paperwork I needed to complete, I spent an hour lying in a dark room. Not ideal from a productivity perspective, but it meant I felt well enough to attempt the first interval session of the week.

Some unexpected light rain meant that conditions were perfect for this unfit runner. I completed my warm-up walk, spent some time fiddling with my socks and laces, selected some music on Spotify, and started to run. I think it’s fair to say that my pacing was inconsistent, largely because midway through the second running repetition and at the end of the interval session I had to speed up to get away from some slightly dubious-looking people. I suspect I also sped up a few times to get away from the smell of overflowing bin bags.

Although my right knee twinged a couple of times, I enjoyed the interval session far more than I expected to, especially considering how I felt immediately after finishing work. In an attempt to avoid a group of teenagers who were loitering around my usual route home – yes, I am a bit of a wimp – I walked home via the local Nature Reserve.

I made it home, drank a glass of chocolate milkshake, massaged my quads and calf muscles using my massage gun, and then, in a desperate attempt to get some sleep, headed to bed at the early time for me of 10pm.

Wednesday – Rest

This weekly update has already turned into one of my essays, so as Wednesday was a much-needed rest day, I’ll fast forward to Thursday.

Thursday – 21 mins intervals (run 8 mins/walk 5 mins/run 8 mins)

On Thursday, I finished work slightly later than originally planned and then spent the next three hours trying to combine printing out and filling in the pile of forms my solicitor had emailed, cooking myself something reasonably healthy, and completing a couple of loads of washing. All this productivity meant that I didn’t manage to leave the house until just after 9pm.

Conditions were once again more or less perfect and by the time I reached the end of my warm-up walk, any feelings of tiredness had disappeared. I made sure my laces weren’t too tight, selected some upbeat music on Spotify, and started to run at what felt like a sensible pace I had a chance of maintaining. I managed to run at a reasonably consistent pace during the first 8-minute running repetition and then made the most of the 5-minute recovery repetition. My pacing during the final running repetition was more inconsistent, I’ve no idea why.

I completed my cool-down walk, managed to capture yet another somewhat unflattering selfie, and headed home feeling pleased with myself for completing another interval session.

Sensible runners would have spent some time massaging their calf muscles when they got home. I’m not sensible, so I spent an entertaining couple of minutes trying to pin out washing in the dark before heading straight to bed. At times I really am my own worst enemy.

Friday – Rest

I think the highlights of what turned out to be a slightly stressful end to the working week were not wasting money on a takeaway from the local Chinese and the rain that had been forecast making an appearance.

Saturday – 30 mins cross training

I was feeling so tired on Saturday morning, that I considered treating myself to a lie-in. Had I not set myself a target of completing 50 parkruns in 2025, I may well have attempted to get more sleep. Once I’d dragged myself out of bed, I very briefly considered heading up to Lichfield again. Without sounding slightly pathetic, I wasn’t sure if any of my Sutton Park parkrun buddies would be around.

As always, I’m pleased I made the effort to walk across Sutton Park to Boldmere Gate as I ended up enjoying every minute of Sutton Park parkrun. I walked and talked my way around the Sutton Park parkrun course with Ellen. My left knee niggled a couple of times which was a little concerning but seemed to settle down once I’d warmed up. After what turned out to be another busy Sutton Park parkrun with 586 finishers, I spent a couple of hours in the Communitea Café in Boldmere helping sort through a mountain of finish tokens. I even remembered to post an update on Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Emma Neachell (@thephdrunner)

So that’s 20 parkruns completed this year, 30 parkruns to go

Following a fun couple of hours talking about all sorts of random topics and not thinking about the real world, I was dropped off in Mere Green and walked to the Fox and Dogs pub where I’d arranged to meet up with my brother. I say ‘walked’, unfortunately during the walk, my left knee twinged a couple of times and started to feel quite painful. I started to have doubts about running for 20 minutes the following morning.

The rest of my Saturday was so quiet, it was not exactly what I’d describe as blogworthy. Following a productive afternoon and evening, I laid out some running gear, checked my Garmin was charged, and headed to bed at a sensible time as like last Sunday, I wanted to get the final run of the week done before 8am.

Sunday – 20 mins running with no walking

Well, that was the plan. Although I’d gone to bed at a sensible time, I struggled to get to sleep, and after a couple of hours of slightly restless sleep, I woke up and spent three hours in overthinking mode. I switched my 6am alarm off at 3am in the morning as I figured I had the entire day to fit in a 20-minute run.

After a Sunday that featured another trip to the Sutton Coldfield tip, so much gardening I’ll need to return to the tip, a spot of Vinted shopping, an afternoon nap, and some life admin, I got changed into some running gear and spent some time giving myself a rather painful calf and quad massage. For some reason, when I headed out on my warm-up walk, I didn’t feel confident I’d be able to run for 20 minutes.

I would love to say I enjoyed every second of the final training session of the week, but I spent the majority of the 20-minute run telling myself to slow down and chuntering to myself. I almost got run over by a motorist who either failed to see me or hates runners. I increased my pace several times to get away from the aroma of festering rubbish. I’ve got everything crossed Birmingham City Council empty everyone’s bins this week. My left knee twinged a couple of times but otherwise felt okay. I just need to get better at starting my training runs at a sensible pace that I have a chance of maintaining.

On reflection, I think it’s fair to say my pace was far too ambitious for my current level of fitness. My left knee started to feel so sore during my cool-down walk I started to doubt I’d ever be able to complete the Couch to 5k. There’s nothing like being overdramatic.

So that’s the fifth week of the Couch to 5k completed. Despite some dubious pacing, I managed to run for 20 minutes without walking. The sixth week of the Couch to 5k looks challenging and I’m aware that my fragile knees might come back to haunt me. As the duration of the longest continuous run increases from 20 to 25 minutes, I might complete the run at Beacon parkrun.

Training totals:

• Runs: 15 (out of 15)
• Time: 5 hrs 3½ mins
• Distance: 27.49 miles

Niggleometer:

• Right knee: 3/10
• Left knee: 4/10
• Left foot: 1/10

Did you have a good weekend?

What’s the most parkruns you’ve completed in a year?

For the reasons I’ve already outlined, I decided to start again with 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 3 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. As I still don’t have access to an exercise bike and I can’t afford to join a gym, my cross-training sessions comprised of 30-minute walks.

As I would love to complete the Couch to 5k, I dedicated time every day to stretching and strength and conditioning. 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

After a longer than originally anticipated break from running due to the combination of a complete loss of motivation and temperamental knees, I decided to restart the Couch to 5k at Week 3. I rescheduled all the training sessions on Garmin Connect, made sure my Garmin updated and proceeded to spend more time worrying about running than running.

I could and should have made the most of the Early May Bank Holiday, but in typical Emma style, I spent most of the day sitting inside my house on my own, feeling sorry for myself. I ignored the ‘to-do’ list I’d written the previous evening, and I didn’t leave my house until I forced myself to complete a 30-minute walk just as it was getting dark. Such a waste of a day.

Tuesday – 18 mins intervals (run 90 secs/walk 90 secs/run 3 mins/walk 3 mins x 2)

Returning to work after a long weekend is always a bit of a struggle. I wasn’t overly thrilled when I checked my Outlook calendar and discovered I had a day of back-to-back meetings to look forward to. Apologies for how moany this weekly update is already sounding. Work was challenging, and I was feeling drained when I was able to shut down my work laptop at 4:30pm. I’ve no idea how people manage to balance working with looking after families. I’m struggling to balance working a minimum of 40 hours a week and trying to buy a house.

After allowing my healthy evening meal of cheesy chips to settle, I got changed into the running gear I’d laid out the previous evening, worked through some strength and conditioning exercises, and massaged my calf muscles. Earlier this year, I completed most of my interval sessions in the dark, training in the light made it easier to spot the numerous wheelie bins blocking the pavements. I know I’m repeating myself, but the first interval session after a break from running due to a running injury always feels a little stressful. To make matters worse, since Lina left Ebrook Osteopathy and Sports Clinic to return home, I’m yet to find a replacement Osteopath.

I completed my warm-up walk, checked my laces weren’t too tight, selected my ‘Random Bits and Pieces’ playlist on Spotify, and started to run. I’d love to say my pacing was sensible, but it felt so good to be back running, I ran the first interval at a pace that was a little too ambitious for my fitness levels, which set the tone for the rest of the interval session. I think it’s fair to say I was frustrated to see just how overly ambitious and inconsistent my pace was.

At least the interval session was enjoyable and, despite my trainers feeling as cushioned as a pair of clogs, pain-free. I reached the end of the 18 minutes, captured a somewhat blurry photo, and then started my cool-down walk.

I got home, drank a glass of chocolate milkshake, did the washing up, and massaged my calf muscles for a second time. I can’t remember who reviewed Fit Kit and shared a discount code over on Instagram, but I’m easily influenced, and I invested in a couple of bottles of Magnesium Body Moisturiser. I figured smothering my legs in Magnesium Body Moisturiser after I’d run couldn’t do any harm.

Wednesday – Rest

My rest day was restful. Work was so busy, I didn’t have time to squeeze in a lunchtime walk. After spending far too many hours staring at a computer screen, as soon as I finished work, I spent an hour clearing what I hoped were weeds from the front garden.

Thursday – 18 mins intervals (run 90 secs/walk 90 secs/run 3 mins/walk 3 mins x 2)

After a lot of procrastinating, I headed out on my warm-up walk just before 9pm. It was a lot darker than I was expecting, not helped by the fact that, thanks to Birmingham City Council’s cost-cutting measures, the streetlights didn’t come on until it was dark. The combination of the limited light, wheelie bin hazards, and uneven pavements did have one unexpected positive, I completed my interval session at a more sensible, if inconsistent pace.

Rather frustratingly, my trainers once again felt about as cushioned as a pair of clogs. I don’t understand why, as I’ve only run 25 miles in them. I reached the end of the 18 minutes feeling rather warm, loosened my laces, and made it to the end of my cool down walk without being heckled. I really do need to work on my selfie skills.

I got back home, drank a glass of strawberry milkshake, and gave my calf muscles a massage with my massage gun. I’d love to say I remembered to use the Magnesium Body Moisturiser I mentioned earlier in the week, but I completely forgot.

Friday – Rest

As Friday was a very welcome rest day and this weekly update is already very lengthy, I’ll mention that I entered the 2026 Great Birmingham Run and leave it there.

Saturday – 30 mins cross training

When my parkrun alarm woke me, I didn’t want to get out of bed as I was feeling tired after a few too many disturbed nights. Had I not set myself a target of completing 50 parkruns this year, I might have attempted to get more sleep.

As always, I ended up enjoying every minute of Sutton Park parkrun, it was very much a case of time flies when you’re having fun. I ran and walked with Gemma and managed to avoid the temptation of the ice cream van at the Jamboree Stone. After a what turned out to be a record-breaking Sutton Park parkrun with 625 finishers, I spent a couple of hours in the Communitea Café discussing all sorts of random topics and helping sort through a mountain of finish tokens. Amazingly, no finish tokens had gone AWOL and I remembered to post and update on Instagram.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Emma Neachell (@thephdrunner)

You know your updates are boring when only 20 out of 1055 followers take the time to ‘like’ what you’ve shared.

After a fun morning and lunchtime, the rest of my Saturday was more what I’d describe as mundane and not exactly blogworthy. I don’t think people want to read about my mortgage application or Vinted purchases. Following a productive afternoon and evening, I laid out some running gear and headed to bed at a sensible time as I wanted to get the final interval session of the week done before 8am.

Sunday – 18 mins intervals (run 90 secs/walk 90 secs/run 3 mins/walk 3 mins x 2)

I set my alarm for 5:30am but must have switched it off in my sleep as I was woken by the sun just before 7am. I briefly lay in bed debating trying to get more sleep. I decided running in the morning when it was cooler and quieter would be the best option, so I got changed into some running gear, worked through some strength and conditioning exercises, drank a glass of water, and headed out into the Sunday morning sunshine.

During the warm-up walk, my knees reminded me I’d done a lot of walking and some running the previous day but felt more fatigued than niggly. I reached the end of the warm-up walk, checked my laces, selected some cheesy tunes, and then started my interval session. Although my legs felt quite fatigued during every run repetition, I enjoyed every second of the interval session. Running in the daylight was far more enjoyable than running in the dark, and conditions were perfect for running.

I completed my 5-minute cool-down walk, captured this slightly dubious selfie, and headed home feeling pleased with myself.

Although my pacing didn’t feel inconsistent while I was running and during my recovery repetitions, when I looked at my running and recovery splits, it was clear my pacing was a bit dodgy. Something I need to work on.

The rest of my Sunday was productive, as I needed to make the most of the weekend. I won’t bore people with the details, but it included three loads of washing, two hours of gardening, a trip to the tip, some life admin, and an afternoon nap. I saw that the photos Rob took during yesterday’s Sutton Park parkrun had been uploaded, thanks for this photo, Rob.

[Photo: Rob Andrews]

So, after a longer than originally anticipated break from running, that’s week three of the Couch to 5k completed. Just another six weeks to go.

The fourth week of the Couch to 5k training plan looks more challenging. I’ve said it before but unless I run at a pace I have a chance of maintaining, I know I’ll struggle to run for 5 minutes. It’s clear from reading my previous Couch to 5k training updates that I’ve always found Week 4 of the Couch to 5k difficult.

Training totals:

• Runs: 9 (out of 9)
• Time: 2 hrs 57 mins
• Distance: 15.30 miles

Niggleometer:

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

Did you have a good weekend?

Do you prefer running in the morning or in the evening? 

For the reasons I outlined last week, I decided to start again with the Couch to 5k training plan that is available on the NHS Live Well website. If everything goes to plan, this version of the Couch to 5k should take nine weeks to complete.

The NHS Live Well website provided the following information about the interval sessions in Week 2 of the Couch to 5k.

My Tuesday and Thursday evening and Sunday morning 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 three interval sessions with two cross-training sessions and rest days on Wednesday and Friday. I’m not a member of a gym and don’t have access to an exercise bike, so cross-training sessions comprised of 30-minute walks.

As I want to give myself the best chance of completing the Couch to 5k, I allocated time each evening to stretching. 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

Thanks to some epic early morning overthinking, I started the week feeling shattered. Not the best start to a new week. Following a morning of number crunching, as one of my goals for the week was to spend time away from my laptop screen every lunchtime, I decided to walk to the Post Office to collect my new passport. As I figured a faster-paced walk would count as a form of cross training, I decided to see how quickly I could walk to and from the Post Office.

After finishing work, as I wanted to spend some time outside while it was still light, I spent 30 minutes weeding. Hopefully, this counted as more cross training. My review of Week 1 of my Couch to 5k training was published and I spent some time planning my training for the week ahead.

Tuesday – 21 mins intervals (run 90 secs/walk 2 mins x 6)

My Tuesday started with a walk into Mere Green for a doctor’s appointment. Following a much-needed reality check and a reminder I’m 45 and not 25, I walked home and managed to start work by 09:30. I think the highlight of what turned out to be a difficult Tuesday was closing down my work laptop at 16:00.

Like last week, I almost fell into the trap of spending more time thinking about running than actually running. A couple of hours after a slightly later-than-ideal evening meal, I got changed into some running gear, massaged my calf muscles using my massage gun, and headed out into the cold.

Although my legs felt fine during my warm-up walk, as soon as I started to run, both of my calf muscles felt quite tight, and it felt like I’d managed to tie the laces of my trainers too tight. My trainers were annoying me so much, that I stopped running, retied my laces, and restarted the interval session. My left knee twinged a few times during the final three run repetitions, and I reached the end of the 21 minutes feeling like I was starting to fall to pieces.

I completed my cool-down walk, took a selfie that failed to capture how upset I was feeling, walked the rest of the way home, made myself a cup of tea, spent some time massaging my quad and calf muscles, and then entered the ballot for an event later this year. If by some miracle I’m successful in securing a race place through this ballot I will **** myself.

Wednesday – Rest

As Wednesday was a much-needed rest day and this weekly update is already getting quite lengthy, I’ll fast-forward to Thursday.

Thursday – 21 mins intervals (run 90 secs/walk 2 mins x 6)

After receiving an email to inform me I’d been unsuccessful in securing a public race place in the 2025 Royal Parks Half Marathon ballot, I worked out I’d been rejected seven years in a row. I’ve said it before, but as I feel I have unfinished business with the Royal Parks Half Marathon, I’ll continue to stick my name in the ballot every year.

I’m aware I’m starting to sound like a broken record, but work was incredibly stressful and after spending another day feeling overwhelmed and like an imposter, I finished work, shut down my work laptop, and headed to bed for a nap. I woke an hour later feeling a little more positive however as I didn’t feel like cooking, I ordered myself something to eat from the Hungry Sparrow Chinese takeaway. Happily, the food tasted better than it did the previous Thursday.

A couple of hours later, I got changed into some running gear and used my massage gun to massage my quad and calf muscles. I completed my warm-up walk on slightly busier than I was expecting pavements. It wasn’t just a case of dodge the wheelie bins but also of dodge the dog walkers. I’ve come to the conclusion that Thursday evenings are very popular with dog walkers.

I reached the end of the interval session feeling strong if not exactly pain-free. Luckily, I have an Osteopathy appointment this Thursday. I completed my cool-down walk, made myself a cup of tea, and then spent more time massaging my quad and calf muscles.

Friday – Rest

I’m not sure why I went into what I call ‘middle of the night overthinking mode’, but after getting less than four hours of sleep, I knew the last day of the working week would be a struggle. I’m not sure how I made it to 3pm without falling asleep at my desk. I was meant to spend the evening at an 80s Anthems by Candlelight concert at Lichfield Cathedral, but I felt so tired I opted to stay at home.

Saturday – 30 mins cross training

Sutton Park parkrun was cancelled, not due to the weather but due to the fact another event was taking place in Sutton Park. As a result, Ellen and I arranged to head to my NENDY, Perry Hall parkrun. I completed what was a very well-organised Perry Hall parkrun in exactly the same time I completed Sutton Park parkrun the previous Saturday, 40:38. Spooky! If everything goes to plan, we’ll revisit Perry Hall parkrun when the weather is a little better.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Emma Neachell (@thephdrunner)

We didn’t have time to stay for a post-parkrun coffee, so after Ellen kindly dropped me off near Boots so that I could collect a prescription, I walked home and then spent an hour catching up on some rather overdue housework.

I’d managed to book a table for the soft launch of a new Mediterranean-inspired restaurant in Mere Green called Willow. All food was half price, so I ordered crab and crayfish ravioli to start followed by a double steak burger.

I’m not sure exactly why given the size of the menu, but my friend Vic only ordered himself a starter. This meant he ended up eating more than half of my double steak burger. Anyway, the food I did get to eat tasted amazing and I’ll definitely return to Willow when it opens later this month.

Following a productive but rather lonely afternoon and evening, I laid out some running gear and headed to bed at a sensible time.

Sunday – 21 mins intervals (run 90 secs/walk 2 mins x 6)

Although I hadn’t set my alarm, I found myself wide awake just before 06:30. Irritating. I lay in bed for a couple of minutes contemplating attempting to get more sleep before reminding myself running in the morning would increase the likelihood of me actually running. I got changed into the running gear I’d laid out the previous evening, worked through some strength and conditioning exercises, had a productive loo visit, and headed out into slightly breezier conditions than I’d anticipated.

My left knee had been quite painful after parkrun, so I felt a little apprehensive when I set out on my warm-up walk. I completed my warm-up walk without too much knee pain, so I checked my laces weren’t feeling too tight, selected what I hoped would be motivational music on Spotify, and started to run. The interval session was enjoyable and mostly pain-free. I managed to run the first run repetition at a reasonable pace and attempted to increase my pace throughout each run repetition. I reached the end of the interval session feeling like I’d worked hard but could have carried on running if I needed to. I think it’s obvious I still need to work on my selfies.

I walked home, made myself a cup of tea, and headed to the Co-op to grab a newspaper and some groceries. Unlike last week, rather than heading back to bed for an hour I attempted to use my foam roller for the first time in a while and worked through some stretches. The remainder of the day was so mundane – the highlight was entering the Shenstone 10k – I won’t bore you all to tears with the details.

So, that’s the second week of the Couch to 5k completed, just another seven weeks to go. As I don’t want to have to take another lengthy break from running, I hope that my temperamental knees and left foot continue to cope with the training.

The third week of the Couch to 5k looks achievable. I feel quite confident I’m more than capable of running for three minutes at a time. As I’ve said a million times before I need to remember to run at a pace I have a chance of maintaining.

Training totals:

• Runs: 6 (out of 6)
• Time: 2 hrs 3 mins
• Distance: 10.47 miles

Niggleometer:

• Right knee: 4/10
• Left knee: 4/10
• Right calf: 2/10
• Left foot: 1/10

 Did you have a good weekend?

 Do you ever feel like an imposter at work? 

After a few too many failed attempts at completing the Couch to 5k last year, I wasn’t going to publish weekly training updates, but I love writing them and people have said that they enjoy reading my training (and life) updates and. I also hope that my random thoughts help other runners who, like me, are tackling the Couch to 5k after being injured.

As always, I can’t guarantee that these updates will be interesting or that they will contain blogworthy photos, but I promise to be completely open and honest and to share the highs and lows. I can guarantee the updates will be filled with typos as I’m still getting to grips with my new laptop.

I decided to start again with the Couch to 5k training plan that is available on the NHS Live Well website. This version of the Couch to 5k training plan is spread over nine weeks.

The NHS Live Well website provided the following information about the interval sessions in Week 1 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’m not a member of a gym and don’t have access to an exercise bike, so cross-training sessions comprised of 30-minute walks.

As I would love to finally complete the Couch to 5k, I dedicated time every evening to stretching and strength and conditioning. I’d love 2025 to be the year I complete the Couch to 5k and get back into running consistently.

Monday – 30 mins cross training

Last time I decided to restart the Couch to 5k I was on annual leave and could run whenever I wanted. This time I decided to restart the Couch to 5k during a busy week which would involve a return trip to Leeds and a Friday evening concert in Lichfield. And that’s without including a load of health and house-related stresses.

Following a morning of data requests and report writing, I packed my laptop away, checked I’d got everything I needed for my overnight stay in Leeds, and then walked to the train station. I like to think my speedy walk to the station while carrying a heavy rucksack counted as cross training. Anyway, almost four hours after leaving home I arrived in a colder than anticipated Leeds.

I managed to navigate my way to my hotel without getting misplaced, checked in, dumped my rucksack, and then walked through a still rather festive-looking centre of Leeds to Five Guys to grab something to eat. I’m not convinced the hamburger, small fries, and large Diet Coke was worth what it cost but I didn’t fancy eating on my own in a busy restaurant.

I navigated my way back to the hotel room and spent what was left of the evening watching a selection of police-related programmes on Channel 5. There are some nasty people out there.

Tuesday – 20 mins intervals (run 60 secs/walk 90 secs x 8)

My meeting wasn’t scheduled to start until 09:30, so in an ideal world, I would have treated myself to a rare weekday lie-in. I don’t live in an ideal world and my hotel room was located at the front of the hotel on a main road, so I was woken bright and early by the sound of people shouting. The view from the room went some way to make up for the early morning wakeup.

I hadn’t booked breakfast in the hotel, so after a lot of worrying I’d left something in the room, I checked out and walked the short distance to McDonald’s to grab myself a healthy breakfast. My line manager is going to love my expense claims. I was able to grab myself a window seat, so what should have been a quick breakfast turned into 30 minutes of people-watching.

The meeting I’d travelled up to Leeds to attend was very productive, after spending most of the last five years working from home, it felt great to meet up with some of my colleagues for the first time in several years. The meeting finished just after 15:00 which gave me time to grab myself something to drink in Leeds station. After a quiet journey between Leeds and Birmingham New Street, I got back to Four Oaks, walked to Mere Green, and ordered myself a Chinese takeaway as I hadn’t eaten since lunchtime.

Sorry, this is meant to be a running blog and not a food blog. An hour after eating, I got changed into some running gear, spent some time stretching, checked my Garmin was working, and then headed out the door. I’d love to be able to say that the first interval session was a huge success, but it wasn’t.

I’m aware I’m repeating myself, but the first interval session after a break from running due to a running injury always feels quite stressful. All sorts of slightly negative scenarios involving my right knee imploding were going through my mind during the 5-minute warm-up walk. I had to remind myself that running is meant to be something I enjoy! Something to help me forget about the real world for a few minutes. My pacing was all over the place and for some reason my new trainers felt about as cushioned as a pair of clogs. Although I found running for a minute at a time easy, my right knee twinged a couple of times, and my right quad felt a little tight.

I walked home feeling a little frustrated and questioning if it was time for me to retire. I figured if my knee couldn’t cope with a minute of running then it wouldn’t cope with the rest of the Couch to 5k. It’s always good to feel positive after an interval session. With apologies for the earworm, “Things Can Only Get Better”.

Wednesday – Rest

I’ve already waffled on far too much and Wednesday was a much-needed rest day that featured tears and a lot of stress, I’ll fast-forward to Thursday.

Thursday – 20 mins intervals (run 60 secs/walk 90 secs x 8)

I think the highlight of yet another stressful day that left me feeling completely overwhelmed and like an imposter was receiving a message to say my passport application had been approved. I figured having a passport would enable me to go travelling if the house purchase fell through.

I finished work and instantly found myself ordering myself a takeaway. Usually, a takeaway from a local Chinese restaurant makes me feel better. Unfortunately, the food I’d ordered tasted bland, made me feel guilty for wasting money, and did nothing to improve my mood.

I’m a little ashamed to admit this, but I almost abandoned the Couch to 5k after only completing one interval session. I didn’t feel like running, so after spending a couple of hours feeling sorry for myself, I decided to go for a short walk to clear my head. A couple of minutes into what was only ever meant to be a walk, I realised I was feeling well enough to tackle a run. Twenty minutes later I’d successfully completed the second interval session of the week. I wouldn’t recommend running in jeans and worn-out trainers, but my right knee was niggle free throughout the interval session. I didn’t take any photos.

Friday – Rest

Although I usually don’t provide much insight into what I get up to during my rest days, on Friday evening I headed into Lichfield for a Music of John Williams concert featuring the International Film Orchestra, so I thought I’d share a couple of photos here.

I’m going to blame drinking too much gin and tonic for booking myself a seat in the very front row of the concert. When I sat down, I realised I would be spending the concert less than a metre away from the concertmaster.

The concert was out of this world and featured music from Star Wars, Jurassic Park, E.T., Jaws, and Indiana Jones to name a few. We were told photography was prohibited, so once the concert started my phone remained in my pocket.

I was feeling hungry – my stomach rumbled a few times during the concert – and didn’t fancy standing around in the cold, so I headed to the warmth of McDonald’s to grab myself a healthy Friday evening meal. Following a short but highly entertaining train journey back to Four Oaks, I walked back home in sleet and snow and wondered if parkrun would be cancelled the following morning.

Saturday – 30 mins cross training

I didn’t want to drag myself out of bed as I was feeling shattered after a late night and a stressful few days. Had I not arranged to meet Ellen and set myself a target of completing 50 parkruns in 2025, I would have probably gone back to sleep. I’m pleased I made the effort to drag myself to Sutton Park parkrun as I loved my walk and talk with Ellen, even if this photo makes it look like I wasn’t enjoying myself.

Following parkrun, I spent some time in the Communitea Café in Boldmere talking through some of my moans and groans was dropped back near Mere Green and then headed to the Fox and Dogs as I’d arranged to meet a friend for a drink.

My friend had to leave early, so after spending almost an hour drinking on my tod, I decided to head back home. The quick conversation I had with someone outside the Fox and Dogs turned out to be the last time I spoke to anyone during the weekend.

Following a reasonably productive afternoon and evening, I laid out some running gear and headed to bed with my latest book; “The Trading Game” written by Gary Stevenson. Sometimes I ask myself when my life became so incredibly mundane.

Sunday – 20 mins intervals (run 60 secs/walk 90 secs x 8)

I found myself wide awake at 6am. I lay in bed in the dark for a couple of minutes contemplating staying in bed before convincing myself that running in the morning would increase the likelihood of me actually completing the third and final interval session of the week. I got changed into the running gear I’d laid out the previous evening, worked through some strength and conditioning exercises, had a productive loo visit, drank some water, and headed outside into the dark.

I completed my warm-up walk, checked my laces weren’t feeling too tight, selected some trance classics on Spotify, and started to run. The interval session was enjoyable and pain-free. I managed to run the first run repetition at a sensible pace, this set the tone for the rest of the interval session. I reached the end of the 20 minutes feeling like I could have carried on running. I still need to work on my action photos.

I got home, made myself a cup of tea, and then headed to the local Co-op to pick up some groceries before heading back to bed for an hour. I really do need to work on my post-run recovery routine. The remainder of my Sunday was not exactly what I’d describe as blogworthy, so I won’t bore you all to tears with the details.

So, that’s the first week of the Couch to 5k completed. I just hope that my knees and feet continue to cope with the training. After so many failed attempts at completing the Couch to 5k, I’d love to be running 5k in eight weeks’ time.

Week 2 of the Couch to 5k training plan looks achievable, I just need to make sure I run at a sensible pace I can maintain for 90 seconds.

Training totals:

• Runs: 3 (out of 3)
• Time: 1 hr 0 mins
• Distance: 5.00 miles

Niggleometer:

• Right knee: 310
• Left knee: 3/10
• Left foot: 3/10

Did you have a good weekend?

Did you manage to complete a parkrun or another organised event?

I’ve reviewed the previous 12 months in far, far too much detail here and I’ve drawn a line under last year. It’s time for me to look ahead to the next 12 months and set myself some running goals, some walking goals, and some parkrun goals. Last year, knee, calf, and foot niggles, and a couple of impossible-to-predict health issues meant I failed to achieve several of the goals I shared in this post this time last year.

As in previous years, I spent a fair amount of time debating making these goals public. I’m all too aware my goals have been getting rather predictable. I’m also aware that my knees are still not completely fixed. I’m aware I’m repeating what I said last year, but the reality is that without surgery, I’ll always have issues with my knees. I hope that by sharing my goals, I make myself more accountable. The last few years, sharing my goals has helped me to start the year feeling both motivated and positive, so I decided to publish this post.

1. Listen to my niggles – I’m repeating myself, but I consider myself a slightly fragile, injury-prone runner. Some runners rarely pick up injuries, other runners seem to spend the majority of the time either injured or recovering from an injury. I’d definitely describe myself as the latter type of runner. Over the last few years it has felt like I’ve been trapped in a cycle of run – get injured – sulk – rest – injury rehab – recover from injury – get excited to be back up and running – run too much – ignore strength and conditioning – repeat.

I’m aware I’m a much better person when I have running in my life. I’m also aware running helps me to keep my anxiety under control. I don’t want to spend most of the year feeling miserable because I’m unable to run, so I’m going to continue to closely monitor any niggles that make an unwelcome appearance. I’m also going to continue to invest in something that made a positive difference to my running last year, regular Osteopathy treatments.

2. Invest in regular Osteopathy treatments – After waking up barely able to walk due to an incredibly painful right knee, I spent a couple of hours feeling sorry for myself – there were some tears – and then decided it was time for me to do something about my knees. I did some research and booked an Osteopathy appointment at Ebrook Osteopathy and Sports Clinic in the centre of Sutton Coldfield. Since my first appointment in April, I’ve enjoyed(?) massages, shockwave therapy, and dry needling.

I’ve been able to train more consistently, I just wish that I’d invested in myself a little sooner. Although I’ve not had an Osteopathy treatment since the end of October, I’m planning on investing in monthly treatments this year.

3. Dedicate time to strength and conditioning – This goal has featured in previous years, but I’m still not great at completing the strength and conditioning exercises I have been provided with during my Osteopathy treatments.

I’m very much an all-or-nothing type of person, this needs to change as consistency will be the key to success. I really am my own worst enemy when it comes to regularly completing my strength and conditioning exercises. It’s almost like I’m trying to sabotage myself.

4. Train sensibly and consistently – Another repeat goal, but I’m still not great at training what I’d describe as sensibly and consistently. I’m getting much better, but I still have room to improve. I’ve said it before, but I’m usually so happy to be back up and running, that I’ll obsessively complete every running session whichever training programme I’m following suggests, I won’t give myself a week off from running when needed, and almost inevitably end up injuring myself.

5. Complete a 5k to 10k training programme – I started following the NHS version of the Couch to 5k last January and following a few breaks of various lengths from training due to injuries and illnesses, by the end of last year I’d reached Week 6 of the plan. Although I failed to complete the Couch to 5k, I was able to run 5k without stopping at both Beacon parkrun and Tamworth Castle Grounds parkrun. Weather permitting, my aim for the start of the year is to complete the Couch to 5k and then a 5k to 10k training programme.

6. Run a minimum of 25 miles a month – This is obviously very much an injury-permitting, knee-behaving itself kind of goal, but I want to run a minimum of 25 miles a month this year. I’m not worried about my pace, I’m not worried about having to take numerous walking breaks, and ‘Jeffing’ may well be the way forward. I just want to be able to jog or run three times a week.

7. Walk a minimum of 75 miles a month – Last year, I aimed to walk a minimum of 75 miles each month. Last year, except for a few notable exceptions, I failed to walk 75 miles each month. While my Saturday morning walks across Sutton Park continued to be the most amazing way to start the weekend, I still rarely left the house during the week, and both my mental health and walking mileage suffered.

8. Explore more local parkruns – This is a repeat goal from the last five years. To date, I’ve still only completed seven parkruns, Aston Hall, Beacon, Didcot, Kingsbury Water Park, Sutton Park, Tamworth Castle Grounds, and Walsall Arboretum. This year, I’m aiming as a minimum to visit the following local parkruns, Perry Hall, Edgbaston Reservoir, Cannon Hill, Sandwell Valley, Babbs Mill, and Wolverhampton.

I’m yet to invest in a car and doubt I’ll be in a position to afford a car this year, so unless I manage to grab a lift with other parkrunners, I’ll be limited to exploring local parkruns that are easy to access using public transport. I’ve worked out that several local parkruns are in theory easily accessible by public transport, it’s just unfortunate that the trains and buses continue to be somewhat unreliable. I recently discovered and joined the parkrun tourism without a car! group on Facebook and I’m planning on making use of the huge amount of expertise within the group.

9. Complete more parkrun challenges – This is yet another repeat goal, but much as I love parkrun, I didn’t take a lot of notice of the various parkrun challenges until a few years ago. While I’d heard of the parkrun alphabet challenge and have met a lot of parkrun tourists at Sutton Park parkrun, I had no idea there were so many parkrun challenges. I still like to check my progress in completing the various challenges using the Running Challenge extension on a fairly regular basis.

Last year, I achieved my Bronze parkrun Obsessive badge, and I also added the Post-event Close Down volunteer badge to my profile. This year, I’d love to visit the home of parkrun and to complete the Bushy Pilgrimage challenge. I’d also love to make some progress on the Name Badge challenge (1/12 letters completed) and to get closer to completing the Stopwatch Bingo challenge (55/60 times completed). Most importantly, I want to continue to have fun at parkrun.

10. Be a less antisocial runner – If I discount parkrun, I still complete most of my training sessions on my own. I also live alone, work from home what feels like 99.9 per cent of the time, and don’t have many friends. I do feel lonely a lot of the time and regularly find myself wishing that I had more interaction with people. I’ve also reached the stage where I miss training with other people. I re-joined my local running club three years ago, and if I manage to get to the stage I can run 10k, my goal is to take part in some training sessions with the Club.

11. Complete 5 races – Like last year, this is very much an injury-permitting, knee-behaving goal, but my goal is to complete at least five races this year. Last year, I powerwalked my way around a couple of local events, and I enjoyed being surrounded by other runners and walkers. This year, I’d love to be able to add to my running medal collection.

12. Don’t buy any unessential running gear – And finally, the goal I know from previous experience I’ll find the most challenging. I set myself a similar goal in 2021, 2022, 2023, and last year and failed miserably. This year, if I want to make any what I’d describe as unessential running-related purchases, I’ll have to raise money to fund these purchases by selling some of my unwanted running gear. I want my running habit to fund itself. I’m not ashamed to admit that if I’m offered any trainers or running gear to review or offered free entry into a local race, I’m not going to say no. I’m also going to be entering every competition I see on social media.

Have you set yourself any running, walking, or parkrun goals for the year ahead? If you have, good luck! If you’ve shared your goals in a blog post, please let me know so that I can go and have a nose.

Have you entered any target races? Please don’t laugh, but I keep having dreams I’m running the New York Marathon.

Do you think I’ll be able to avoid buying any unessential running gear in 2025? If the last few years are anything to go by, I’m going to find this particular goal the most challenging.

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

The sole interval session I managed to complete started with a reasonably fast 5-minute warm-up walk and ended with a slower 5-minute cool-down walk. I supplemented the one interval session with cross training sessions on Monday and Saturday and rest days on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

As I’d love to complete the Couch to 5k before the end of the year, I allocated time after work every day to stretching. 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

Thanks to the most amazing night’s sleep, I started the new working week feeling well-rested and positive about the next seven days. So positive, I plucked up the courage to submit a last minute annual leave request. My review of Week 3 of the Couch to 5k training was published and I ended up having a productive morning.

One of my goals for the week was to spend at least 30 minutes away from my laptop screen every lunchtime. As I figured a faster-paced lunchtime walk would count as a form of cross training, I decided to see how quickly I could complete my two-mile route.

After finishing work, as I wanted to spend more time outside while it was still light, I spent 30 minutes clearing up leaves. Hopefully, this counted as a second form of cross training. Following an evening spent listing more unwanted bits and pieces on eBay while watching Rivals on Disney+ I laid out some running gear, checked my Garmin was charged, and checked my alarm was set for 5:30am.

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) Rest

I’m starting to think that as soon as I set any sort of early morning alarm I’m guaranteeing I’ll get a terrible night’s sleep. After lying in bed overthinking about a wide range of topics for three hours early on Tuesday morning, I switched off my alarm and abandoned the idea of running before work. Getting up at 7am was a struggle, I felt like I was jetlagged.

Sensible people would have made sure that given the sun made a rare appearance they spent some time outside during their lunch break. I’m not sensible, so although I made sure I spent 30 minutes away from my laptop screen, I used my lunch break to take photos for eBay. I’ll never learn.

After realising I was feeling far too tired to focus on hydrological assessments, I finished work at 3pm and headed back to bed for a few hours much-needed sleep. By the time I’d eaten I was left with the prospect of tackling my interval session at gone 10pm. I decided it was far too late to be tackling an interval session and reminded myself that running is meant to be a hobby I enjoy and not a chore.

Wednesday – Rest

A second consecutive far-from-ideal night’s sleep meant I spent Wednesday feeling shattered. When a WhatsApp message arrived reminding me I was due to be meeting up with some friends for an evening meal at the Quill and Taper, I must admit that I seriously considered making an excuse for not attending. I’m pleased I didn’t, as although the starters were what I’d describe as overcooked and the portion of chips with my fish and chips, stingy, I ended up having an amazing evening.

I wasn’t initially convinced three pints of Wainwright beer on a ‘school night’ was sensible, but I remembered to switch off my 5:30am alarm before I went to bed, and I slept until my alarm woke me at 7am.

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) More Rest

The three pints of Wainwright beer meant I started Thursday feeling ill prepared for a morning of meetings. I ended up having so many back-to-back meetings and phone calls, I didn’t have time for a lunchtime walk. I wasn’t overly concerned about the lack of exercise at lunchtime as I figured I’d be completing an interval session in the evening.

As I’d booked Friday and Monday off as annual leave, as soon as it got to 4pm I checked my out of office was working, tidied away my laptop, and then spent an hour clearing ivy from the front of the house.

I’m slightly ashamed to admit that I failed to even attempt the second interval session of the week. The lack of sleep caught up with me and I just didn’t feel like running. I ended up having a quiet evening watching old episodes of Coronation Street.

Friday – Rest

This weekly update has already turned into another one of my essays, so as Friday was what I’d describe as a mundane rest day, I’ll fast forward to the weekend.

Saturday – 30 mins cross training

I didn’t want to drag myself out of bed at 6:45am on Saturday morning as I was feeling so tired. Had I not arranged to meet up with Ellen, I would have probably gone back to sleep for a couple of hours. I’m pleased I made the effort to walk across a somewhat slippery underfoot in places Sutton Park to parkrun as the weather was perfect.

I tracked down Ellen, we had a quick chat and then listened to the pre-event briefings. We ran the first 500m of the course, walked up the infamous Three Stage Hill, and then powerwalked and ran the remainder of the course. Our efforts were rewarded with season’s best times and orange squash and homemade cakes courtesy of the Sutton Coldfield Sea Cadets.

I was dropped back home, had a shower, and then went into what I’ve previously referred to as ‘getting sh*t done’ mode. I won’t bore you to tears with details of laundry, cleaning, eBaying, gardening, and napping. I woke from my longer-than-anticipated nap to the unexpected news that Wolves had drawn away Brighton and had moved off the bottom of the Premier League table.

I made sure my alarm was set, laid out some running gear, and headed back to bed. Sometimes I ask myself when my life became so incredibly mundane.

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)

My alarm rudely woke me at 6am, and I spent a couple of minutes lying in bed weighing up the pros and cons of getting up and braving the cold. I decided running in the morning when I figured it would be quieter would be the best option, so I dragged myself out of bed, got changed into some running gear and a pair of older Mizuno Wave Inspire trainers, worked through some strength and conditioning exercises, drank some water, and then headed out into the cold.

Although my knees twinged a few times during my warm-up walk and my legs felt quite tired, everything felt better than I probably deserved after yesterday’s parkrun exploits. I did a couple of calf stretches, waited for a dog walker who was walking on the opposite pavement in the opposite direction to walk past me, waited for my Garmin GPS to wake up, and then started my interval session.

The interval session went well as I not only managed to maintain a sensible pace during the running intervals, I also managed to avoid having to run down any hills. My legs sprung into life after the first running repetition, and thanks to the change of trainers felt great throughout the entire interval session. I ended the final running repetition feeling like I could have carried on running, a positive sign as the duration of the longest running repetitions increases next week. I completed my 5-minute cool-down walk, captured this selfie, and headed home feeling pleased with myself.

I got home, drank a glass of chocolate milkshake, and then headed to the local Co-op to pick up some groceries before heading back to bed for an hour. I really do need to work on my post-run recovery routine. The remainder of my Sunday was not exactly what I’d describe as blogworthy, so I won’t bore people with the details.

So, that’s the fourth week of the Couch to 5k not exactly completed. Although my knees were niggle free throughout the one interval session I was able to complete, my left foot twinged occasionally while I was running and during my cool-down walk. I just hope that the increased duration of the running repetitions and the 20 minute run I’m aiming to complete next week don’t put too much strain on the various parts of my body that feel like they are falling apart.

Week 5 of the Couch to 5k looks challenging. Just looking at the details of the interval sessions makes me feel slightly concerned. It feels like I’ve now completed (or not!) 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 after missing four interval sessions, the prospect of running continuously for 20 minutes does feel quite daunting. At least I’m seeing Lina at Ebrook Osteopathy and Sports Clinic in Sutton Coldfield after work on Thursday.

Training totals

• Runs: 9 (out of 12)
• Time: 3 hrs ½ min
• Distance: 15.08 miles

Niggleometer

• Right knee: 4/10
• Left knee: 4/10
• Calf muscles: 3/10
• Left foot: 3/10

Did you have a good weekend? Did you take part in a local parkrun? Did you have a quiet weekend?

A random one, but what’s the most disappointing running-related purchase you’ve made? I’m going to have to say the blue pair of Mizuno Wave Inspire trainers that for some reason don’t seem to suit my running style.

After a longer than originally planned break from running due to illness and a temperamental right knee, I decided start again with the Couch to 5k training plan that is available on the NHS Live Well website. This version of the Couch to 5k training plan is spread over nine weeks.

The NHS Live Well website provided the following information about the three interval sessions in Week 1 of the Couch to 5k.

Like the last time I followed the Couch to 5k, 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 three interval sessions with cross-training sessions on Monday and Saturday and rest days on Wednesday and Friday. Cross-training sessions comprised of fast-paced 30-minute walks.

As I would love to complete the Couch to 5k this time, I dedicated time every day to stretching, and to completing the foam rolling exercises Lina set me as homework. I also used my Bob and Brad Q2 Mini Massage Gun to massage my quads and calf muscles after each interval session.

Monday – 30 mins cross training

Last Monday, it was very much a case of the morning after the Shenstone 10k Fun Run the day before. My legs and particularly my calf muscles were feeling so tight, I decided the short lunchtime walk to and from the local branch of Boots for my winter flu vaccination would have to count as a form of cross training. A painful post-work 30 minute session with my massage gun, something I should have done after the Shenstone 10k Fun Run, helped to loosen off my calf muscles.

I checked the weather forecast and discovered I’d probably be completing at least one of my interval sessions in wet weather.

Are you tired of the wet and windy weather?

A respite is on the way as high pressure builds to bring a much drier and calmer second half to the week pic.twitter.com/m35X5ZY6rG

— Met Office (@metoffice) September 30, 2024

I set my alarm for 5am, laid out some running gear, and headed to bed at a sensible time feeling reasonably confident I’d finally be able to restart the Couch to 5k the following morning.

Tuesday – 20 mins intervals (run 60 secs/walk 90 secs x 8)

Well that was the plan. After spending three hours wideawake in bed overthinking about everything and trying and failing to get to sleep, an awareness I had a busy day of meetings ahead of me meant I cancelled my 5am alarm. I figured I would complete my interval session after work. Not the best of starts to the Couch to 5k.

Following my disturbed night and a busy day of meetings, I was feeling so tired when I finished work, the last thing I felt like doing was completing an interval session. I didn’t want to miss the first interval session of the week, so following a post-work nap, a generous portion of lasagne and chips, I got changed into my running gear and used my massage gun to massage my legs and calf muscles.

I’m aware I’m repeating myself, but the first interval session after a break from running due to a running-injury always feels slightly stressful. All sorts of slightly negative scenarios involving my right knee imploding were going through my mind during the 5-minute warm-up walk. I had to remind myself that running is meant to be a hobby I enjoy!

Shortly after the interval session started, I realised my trainers felt like they offered no support, and despite using my massage gun before the interval session, I had incredibly tight calf muscles. My aerobic fitness had clearly deserted me as I found the running repetitions harder than I was expecting. I ended the 20 minutes feeling like I’d worked hard.

I walked home, drank a couple of glasses of chocolate milk, and then massaged my calf muscles again using my massage gun, both calf muscles felt sore. I suspected the combination of wearing my older trainers and the lack of a proper cool-down after the Shenstone 10k Fun Run had contributed to the issues with my calf muscles.

Wednesday – Rest

I’m trying to stop myself from writing weekly update essays and Wednesday was fairly mundane, so I thought I’d share two of my favourite photos from the Shenstone 10k Fun Run.

[Photos – Rob Andrews]

After the success of this year’s event, I’ve got everything crossed the Shenstone 10k Fun Run takes place again in 2025.

Thursday – 20 mins intervals (run 60 secs/walk 90 secs x 8)

Thursday got off to a positive start when I woke to the news I’d had another Premium Bonds win. That was the highlight of the working day, the lowlight was very much my midyear review which wasn’t overly positive. I can’t go into too many details here, but it looks like I’m going to have to get my CV updated sooner rather than later.

The success of the second interval session of the week helped to boost my mood. I won’t share my post-work routine in the lead up to the evening interval session as it was a case of replicating what I did on Tuesday. I wore a new pair of Mizuno trainers, more suitable clothes for the weather, ran the running repetitions at a sensible pace and found the interval session far more enjoyable. I completed my cool-down walk and captured this photo.

Next time I’ll remember to share more post interval sessions reflections as this is meant to be a running blog. I’ll also have to remember to check there’s no one walking behind me when I’m talking a photo as I almost **** myself when someone seemingly appeared from nowhere. My personal safety is more important than a post interval session photo. At least my right knee felt okay.

Friday – Rest

This weekend update has already turned into one of my essays and Friday was a rest day, so I’ll fast forward to the weekend.

Saturday – 30 mins cross training

I felt a little sad to be missing Sutton Park parkrun on parkrun’s 20^th birthday on such a beautiful Saturday morning, but I’d already agreed to help a friend with some chores in Ironbridge. I completely forgot to take any before and after photos, but I like to think the three hours I spent gardening counted as a form of cross training.

When I got home, I discovered that the official Shenstone 10k Fun Run photos were available to download. The four not overly flattering photos I found of myself provided me with yet another much needed kick up the bum. After spending ages looking through parkrun updates on social media and experiencing some major parkrun #FOMO. I almost bought myself to a pair of limited edition parkrun x Brooks Ghost 16 trainers.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by SportsShoes.com (@sportsshoes)

I say ‘almost’ because when I saw the price of the trainers and recalled my not overly positive experiences with Brooks, I settled for a pair of far more reasonably priced Mizuno Wave Inspire 19 trainers. I got my parkrun fix by ordering myself a couple of copies of the latest parkrun magazine.  Far more reasonable than a pair of trainers.

Sunday – 20 mins intervals (run 60 secs/walk 90 secs x 8)

After two evening interval sessions, when my alarm woke me at 6am, I made sure I got out of bed straight away. I prefer running when it’s quieter, so I got changed into the running gear I’d laid out the night before, worked through some strength and conditioning exercises, drank a small glass of water, and then headed out into what were breezier than ideal conditions for this unfit runner.

I completed my 5-minute warm-up walk, adjusted my laces and set off on what I hoped would be an enjoyable and pain-free interval session. The interval session was enjoyable but not what I’d describe as pain-free. I managed to run the first run repetition at a sensible pace, this set the tone for the rest of the interval session. My right calf twinged a couple of times, and my right knee felt quite niggly when I ran downhill. Slightly worrying after several expensive Osteopathy appointments and a lot of strength and conditioning.

I captured this rather blurry post-run selfie and then started my cool-down walk feeling slightly frustrated with my temperamental knees.

I got home, drank a pint of chocolate milkshake, and then headed to the local Co-op to pick up some milk before heading back to bed for a couple of hours. Not a post-run recovery routine I’d recommend.

Once I’d recovered from my morning interval session, I spent a couple of slightly physically demanding hours attempting to clear ivy from the front of my house. I couldn’t be bothered to complete an evening stroll, so my weekly walking mileage was lower than ideal.

So, that’s the first week of the Couch to 5k completed. Apologies if you’ve experienced déjà vu reading this update post.  I just hope that my knees continue to cope with the training. I also hope that my fitness levels start to improve. After so many failed attempts at completing the Couch to 5k, I’d love to be back running 5k consistency before the end of the year.

Week 2 of the Couch to 5k looks doable, I just need to make sure I run at a sensible pace. I spent some time looking through the entries in my training log, and it’s clear I’ve been completing the running repetitions of my interval sessions at a slightly too ambitious pace. I shouldn’t be struggling to breathe at the end of my interval sessions.

Training totals:

• Runs: 3 (out of 3)
• Time: 1 hr 0 mins
• Distance: 4.95 miles

Niggleometer:

• Right knee: 3/10
• Left knee: 2/10
• Right calf: 6/10
• Left foot: 2/10

Did you have a good weekend? Did you head to parkrun to celebrate parkrun’s 20^th birthday?

Do you find yourself experiencing parkrun #FOMO when you aren’t able to attend parkrun? I’m writing this on Sunday evening and I’ve spent a large proportion of the weekend regretting missing parkrun.

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

After an unplanned break from running due to illness and slightly temperamental knees, I was a little nervous about restarting the Couch to 5k at Week 6, so I decided to repeat Week 5. I rescheduled all the training sessions on Garmin Connect and made sure my Garmin updated and wondered if I’d be able to run continuously for 20 minutes.

My Wednesday morning and Friday evening interval sessions and Sunday morning 20-minute run started with reasonably speedy 5-minute warm-up walks and ended with slightly slower 5-minute cool-down walks. I supplemented the interval sessions and 20-minute run with cross-training sessions on Monday and Saturday and rest days on Wednesday and Friday.

With apologies for the repetition, but as I want to complete the Couch to 5k at the beginning of June, I allocated time each morning to the strengthening exercises I was provided a couple of weeks ago.

Monday – 30 mins cross training

This won’t be a ‘normal’ weekly training update blog because I was on annual leave. Nothing beats that feeling of not having to spend 7.4 hours a day sat at a desk staring at a screen. I’ve not gone into much detail in this blog, but I’ve been finding my job incredibly difficult recently and had reached the stage I needed a break. I wrote myself a ‘things to do’ list and then spent the morning catching up on some embarrassingly overdue household chores. I’m hoping vacuuming the house counts as a form of cross training, it felt more physically demanding than my usual lunchtime walks.

Tuesday – 21 mins intervals (run 5 mins/walk 3 mins/run 5 mins/walk 3 mins/run 5 mins) Rest

As I wanted to run on my 45^th birthday, I decided to switch some of my training sessions around. What should have been a rest day ended up being quite productive. I woke reasonably early as I had a doctor’s appointment in the morning. After I’d been to the doctors, I remembered to drop my ‘parkrun coat’ off at the local launderers to have the zip replaced. I popped into the local charity bookshop and bought some more books to add to my ’to be read’ pile and then headed home.

If you’ve read any of my previous blogs you’ll probably already be aware I have a slightly unhealthy obsession with the Giggling Squid in Mere Green. A warning, this weekly training update is about to morph into a not very informative food blog. I met up with my friend Vic for an early birthday lunch and ended up ordering a selection of smaller dishes from the lunchtime menu.

The food tasted amazing, and I regretted not ordering more. I wasn’t expecting to be presented with this after I’d eaten my dessert

Such a kind gesture considering it wasn’t my birthday. The rest of my final day as a 44 year old was so mundane I’m struggling to recall what I did when I got home from the Giggling Squid. I have a feeling I treated myself to an afternoon nap and made sure I’d set my alarm for 5:30am the following morning.

Wednesday – Rest 21 mins intervals (run 5 mins/walk 3 mins/run 5 mins/walk 3 mins/run 5 mins)

I woke well before my 5:30am alarm, got changed into some running gear, had a productive trip to the toilet, drank some water and completed some stretches. I must admit I was feeling quite nervous about running for the first time since I’d started treating my knees and legs to weekly osteopathy treatments. I found the interval session easy and was reminded that I’m more of a morning than an evening runner. My knees felt great, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover my fitness levels hadn’t disappeared. When I checked out my running and recovery splits, I was pleasantly surprised to discover my pacing was reasonably sensible by my standards.

I still need to work on my post training session selfie skills. I’ve decided to include the selfie I took just before I started my cool-down walk as it’s my first photo as a 45 year old.

I got home, had another glass of water, and then spent the morning tackling some of the chores on my ‘things to do list’. At midday I had a shower, got changed and then walked the short distance to the Quill and Taper pub for my birthday lunch.

It was lovely to have an unplanned catch-up with Sarah from parkrun. I know this is meant to be a running and not a food blog, but I thought I’d share two of the photos I took. As it was lunchtime and I knew I wouldn’t be ordering a dessert, I ordered breaded mushrooms for the first time this year.

I’m a creature of habit and I didn’t feel like eating a hot meal, so I ordered the chicken Caesar salad and a side portion of fries for my main course.

The food tasted amazing, and it was lovely to catch up with my brother. It’s just a shame my birthday meal was somewhat ruined by a snide comment made by my stepfather Colin. According to Colin, when I buy my own property I won’t be able to buy myself new trainers. I was left with the impression all I would be able to do is work and then go home; having any sort of hobbies or fun would be completely out of the question.

I did my best to not let this snide comment upset me but admit I spent the rest of my birthday feeling quite gloomy.

Thursday – 21 mins intervals (run 8 mins/walk 5 mins/run 8 mins) Rest

This weekly update has already turned into one of my essays, so as Thursday was rest day, I’ll fast forward to my third appointment at the Ebrook Osteopathy and Sports Clinic in Sutton Coldfield.

I should probably rewind a few weeks. I’m ashamed to admit I had a slight meltdown as I was fed up with not being able to run and was worried I’d never be able to train consistently. Rather than feeling sorry for myself I decided to do something practical, so I visited the Ebrook Osteopathy and Sports Clinic website and completed the contact form.

Four days later I had my first appointment. I was diagnosed with Runner’s Knee, treated to a rather painful leg massage, given some homework to complete and told I would be able to run again. My legs felt amazing after the massage, and I was able to navigate the stairs at home without flinching.

The following week I was given another slightly painful leg massage and I got to experience Shockwave therapy for the first time. I was also able to record my homework, this gave me the confidence to complete the stretches. On Thursday I got to experience dry needling for the first time.

I was pleasantly surprised it didn’t hurt at all and my knees and legs felt amazing after the treatment. I left the appointment wishing I’d had the confidence to visit the Ebrook Osteopathy and Sports Clinic at the start of the year.

Friday – Rest 21 mins intervals (run 8 mins/walk 5 mins/run 8 mins)

Following a quiet morning where I contemplated running but decided I’d need to be on top form later in the day, I spent most of the day at my twin niece’s birthday party. In an attempt to deal with a room full of small very energetic children, I somehow managed to consume several glasses of pink Prosecco. I’m not saying I’d had a fair amount to drink, but the camera doesn’t lie!

I got back home and then spent ages weighing up the pros and cons of attempting to complete an interval run while feeling slightly merry. I decided to listen to some music to help with my pacing and to take my mind off the pink Prosecco.

I got changed into some running gear, selected some trance music, and headed out into the torrential rain to complete my warm-up walk. I can honestly say I don’t remember much about the second interval session of the week. My pacing was what I’d describe as slightly erratic, and it looks like I found the end of the interval session difficult.

I’ve included the selfie I took just before I embarked on my cool-down walk stagger as a reminder to not drink and attempt to run.

I got home, drank a couple of glasses of water, had a shower, made sure my Saturday morning ‘parkrun alarm’ was switched on as I was barcode scanning at Sutton Park parkrun and headed to bed.

Saturday – 30 mins cross training

I’m not blaming the pink Prosecco, but I woke well before my Saturday morning ‘parkrun alarm’ feeling anything but refreshed. I walked across Sutton Park and arrived at the location of the start of Sutton Park parkrun near to Boldmere Gate just after 8:15am. I spent a few minutes chatting with some of the core team and then met up with and headed off for a pre-barcode scanning walk and talk with Helene.

Barcode scanning was a success, and I was only presented with one completely impossible to scan barcode. Volunteering complete, Helene and I popped to the Bassetts Pole for a McDonald’s birthday brunch.

As the events of the week had caught up with me and I was feeling tired, I had a relaxed and not overly productive Saturday afternoon. I caught up with some blog and eBay related admin and made a start on my 41^st book of the year: ‘Happy Place’ by Emily Henry. I laid some running gear out ready for the morning, made sure my alarm was set, and headed to bed at a sensible time.

Sunday – 20 mins running with no walking

My alarm woke me, and I spent a couple of minutes lying in bed debating getting up. I decided running early in the morning when it was cooler and quieter would be the best option, so I got changed into the running gear I’d laid out the night before, worked through some strength and conditioning exercises, had a productive loo visit, drank some water, and then headed outside into what were perfect conditions for running.

I completed my 5-minute warm-up walk, selected some music from the London 2012 Opening Ceremony and started to run. Last time I ran for 20 minutes I set out at a pace that was far too ambitious for my current fitness levels. This time I made a concerted effort to maintain a sensible pace that I knew I’d be able to maintain. I found the first ten minutes of the run easy, and it felt like I was running at a fairly consistent pace. Although my pacing during the second ten minutes felt a little more inconsistent, I made sure I only increased my pace when I approached the final few minutes of the run.

I captured this post-run selfie and then spent a couple of minutes reflecting on what had had been an amazing run, such a contrast to last time I ran for 20 minutes. I completed my 5-minute cool-down walk and then walked home.

And yes, I’m acutely aware I’ve said I would be cutting down the number of selfies I share, so here’s a bonus photo I took of what is usually a busy road not far from my house.

I got home, drank a couple of pints of water and spent some time massaging my calf muscles. As it was too late for me to head back to bed, I decided to have a quick look at the splits from my run.

Although my pacing was inconstant and I clearly started to speed up towards the end, I managed to run a pace I knew I’d be able to maintain for 20 minutes. Unlike the last time I ran for 20 minutes, I reached the end of the 20 minute run feeling like I could have carried on running. Progress!

So that’s the fifth week of the Couch to 5k training plan completed. The sixth week of the Couch to 5k looks challenging and I’m aware that my lack of recent consistent training might come back to haunt me. As the duration of the longest continuous run increases from 20 to 25 minutes, I might complete the run at Beacon parkrun. The course is flat, and I find running with others more enjoyable than running on my own.

Training totals:

• Runs: 15 (out of 15)
• Time: 5 hrs 3½ mins
• Distance: 27.37 miles

Niggleometer:

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

Did you have a good long weekend?

Have you ever experienced dry needling?