I have missed my opportunity to run and complete week 2, day 3 partly by being full of cold but mostly because I have managed to share my germs with everyone else, including a teething toddler – so, as you can imagine, sleep is even worse than usual.
My next chance to get out there would be Saturday but I’m not sure whether to just start week 2 again from the start or carry on as normal. Does anyone have any advice?
A friend, who is also thinking of doing the programme, asked me the other day what equipment she needed to start with. I gave her the proper running shoe speech but then added three other key bits which I thought might also be useful for other beginners, especially if they are a plus size runner like me.
Sports bra: I would say this is as essential as the shoes, although you don’t have to spend a fortune. I got mine from Tesco for £6 and it does the job. Depending how long you keep it up and how often you’re going to run you could consider getting properly measured if you have some spare cash.
Socks: I used to run in just my normal socks and the blisters I got were spectacular. I then went to a discount sports shop and invested in some proper socks and they made a huge difference.
Base layer: If you’re starting the programme in the winter (and why would you do something as silly as that?) I would suggest getting a base layer to wear under your normal kit (if you’re in the UK, they often sell these in Aldi during their running events). Without being gross I sweat, a lot, and if you have just normal t-shirts on they can become heavy and cold and make it harder for you to continue. A base layer takes the “moisture” away from the skin and makes things much more comfortable. Again, you don’t have to spend a fortune at the start.
Are you a more experienced runner? Have I left anything out? Please comment below.
#ThisGirlCan (‘t) Run today
After The Rain 
While not essential. Getting clothes with moisture wicking fabric is something I’m glad I did really early on. It makes the warm summer runs less miserable than wearing regular cotton, and you don’t get chills from your sweat in the wintertime.
As far as whether you should push through or start over, this early in the program it depends on a few thing. Have you been struggling to get through your runs, or do you feel pretty good. If the runs are feeling almost easy then you are probably fine pushing ahead, but if you are struggling even just a little bit I would recommend repeating the week, as you want a firm foundation to build off of as the running intervals get longer and the walking intervals get shorter.
My principal has been if I miss a workout and haven’t completed it by the time I’m supposed to do my next workout, I just repeat the whole week.
This week is the only exception. I have week 8 day 3 that I was supposed to do on Sunday, but I was laid up with back pain all day, then yesterday it was storming pretty bad. If the weather holds up I’ll do it tonight, and I’m only not repeating the week because it is literally the last workout before running a full 5k.
It sounds trite, but the best advice I can give is to listen to your body and make your decision based on how you are feeling when you go for your run and how you have been feeling on your previous workouts.
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Thank you, that’s just the sort of advice I was hoping for. I’ve been feeling good on the run sections, and was looking forward to running for longer, so maybe I will complete week 2 on Saturday and then if week 3 seems too much of a struggle just repeat week 2. I really hope your back feels better soon. I had whiplash from a car accident a while ago and the back pain was like nothing I have experienced.
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