I’m hitting a point in my running journey where I am no longer feeling the “high” I used to.
I am running slower every week, and finding it hard to mentally get round a 5k.
For the first time since starting, I was running a 4K, and stopped at 2.5k, with no will to continue at all.
I’m on week 4 of the bridge to 10k, and I signed up for a 10k on December 1st. I did this so I had the motivation to run, but I haven’t been enjoying it at all. Fortunately, the longer distances hasn’t made me struggle, and I am sure I will be able to get to 10k.
Has anybody else been through this??
I am not a quitter, and I definitely will continue... just wondered if anybody had any tips to get through this ?
I changed my routes & started using Laura’s podcasts for the shorter distance runs. I also planned my routes to try to put any hills into the first part of the circuit along with reducing my pace & thinking it’s distance not time. Hope this helps 💪
Thanks for your response, yes I did look at Laura’s podcast before but I think the run times were 25 mins rather than 30 so I didn’t use them. But I will definitely take a second look now !
I don’t actually think I have any hills close to me (central London) but maybe I should consider travelling out a bit to go on some different terrain
I mixed up routes and different music to create a different feel to runs, I set out either to do quick runs with fast beats on roads or slow jogs across country to slow beats that I can sing along to.
Thank you, what type of music do you listen to?? Atm I have two playlists, one which is fleetwood mac and similar for the morning, then a playlist with fatboy slim and chemical brothers for the evening... I should definitely try find some more, I am not really into the preselected ones on Spotify though
My faster playlist is electronic dance music to keep my pace up.
My fave choices for slowing it down a tad is Lauryn Hill, Nelly Furtado or Fairground Attraction, stuff I like to sing to which controls breathing and pace. On my slower runs I make a point of taking pics and enjoying the scenery and letting the inner child free; doing airplanes in the fields or jumping over things for the fun of it, leaping about... generally being a complete weirdo 🤣🤣🤣🤣 but aiming to keep smiling 😁
I've never had any kind of running high really, I enjoy it but in a philosophical sort of meditative way rather than a physical endorphin-based one. But when I'm finding it hard I mix everything up a bit, and also take the pressure off myself. Running should be enjoyable, otherwise why do it? It is about freedom and movement and space and time to yourself. Try to think of the things you enjoy about it, and do more of that 😁 For me that means running down hills, talking to all the animals I meet, stopping for ice cream, listening to new things, exploring and having adventures (it is very often as Enid Blytony as it sounds). Not pushing myself, not hitting speed targets or distance. You can do some of that if it is something you enjoy of course (who doesn't like a PB!) but don't always make it your focus or it quickly becomes a chore 😊
Thanks for you response.., yes maybe I am making it more of a chore then for enjoyment, potentially pressuring myself as I’ve told a few people I’m doing the 10k!
I do enjoy looking at the squirrels as I run... perhaps I’ll give them a little hello as I go past 😆
The Headspace runs really helped me when I temporarily lost my mojo a wee bit. You can find them on the Nike Run Club app, free to download from iTunes. Helped me take my foot off the gas and remember to relax and enjoy my runs. x
Sounds like my "Toxic 5k" barrier. Even if I'm going out for a long run and I've told my body it's going to happen, my system sort of bitches and moans and doesn't really believe it until after the 5k marker! Then the pace gets more even, the heartrate settles down and my body gets the message (finally) "We are doin' this! - Get used to it!"
Maybe your gremlins are getting the better of you more recently? "Look, you're slowing down!" they say..."How are we going to run 5k if you can't even keep the pace up! Let's head back to the sofa (that's wot we gremlins like bestest) and forget this running lark?"
This was me in August time. Getting slower and no enjoying it as much. Get yourself a running buddy who is a similar pace to you if you can. It's surprising how fast you go when nattering and not listening to the voices. Also audible to distract you if music isn't doing that. Finally one of the best things I did was got a personal trainer. Strength and conditioning training made the world of difference. I 've gone from 38 / 40 minute 5kms to 32 minutes in the last 2 months.
That’s a really good suggestion, I think what put me off before Is that I don’t really consider myself a real “runner”, and that clubs were more for the fast elite.
I think with this forum I’ve realised that running is more inclusive, so I will definitely look into joining a club, thank you ☺️
I love mine so much although went fussed on the first! We have a real range of abilities and split into different groups. Just email a few and see what they say. Tell them your 5k time and then they’ll say if you’d fit in 👌🏽
There is also the zombie run app (not tried it myself) but it may add a little fun into your run. You can still play your own music and every so often the app will let you know you have zombies to evade I think either bluebird runner of oldfloss had given this one a go
Hi. I've been feeling a bit the same. So not sure what to suggest for you. All other comments I've just read with interest 😁. I've done a few runs listening to zombie run and I like it. Can set time or distance for your run/quest and they follow on from each other like a bit of a story. Your music plays in the background.
Don't think the weather and the dark is helping me at the moment either.
Other exercise I do is spin class and yoga every week,
warm up and stretch after runs, and I do calf rises because I have weak ankles but I don’t do any specific strength training
Yes, I hit this earlier in the year and I’ve hit it again recently. In the summer I was running regular 10/11/12k and feeling I could have gone further. Now anything more than 5k is a struggle. It goes in cycles. I think our bodies just need to ease off sometimes. All sorts of factors affect it including, for me, disturbed sleep or not enough sleep. Maybe ease up and do some shorter runs and work on pace for a bit x
My running has never been about the running, if that makes sense. To start with it was “I’m fat and unfit and want to do something about it”. Then I started to experience the after-effect, which for me has rarely been any kind of high but almost always is a very strong feeling of being deeply relaxed that can last hours. Then I started to experience a lesser form of the relaxation whilst running.
I’m now pushing myself back up to 10k mainly to help me lose more inches/weight. So it’s still not about the running but about what the running does. What brought you to running? What benefits are you seeing? Can you shift focus onto these rather than thinking about the run itself?
What you describe sounds like the gremlins I get pretty much every run. I defeat them by focusing on the next step, then the next one, then the next one. Sometimes the gremlins make this really hard and I get the feeling I can’t run further (no matter the distance - this happens on short runs too), but I plod on.
I hope you find a way through this that works for you. Enjoy your next run x
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
How to get back to running after an ankle injury
Getting rid of my Gremlins
