Hello to my regular reader. I did the Half Marathon in Chester in May, a really enjoyable experience, but I was not as strong as I hoped I would be, and a lot of ancient Jeffing went on towards the end.
I sort of eased the running back, and after a 32.5 mile race walk in 7.5 hours in June the running suffered. Then on my birthday (73rd) I tried to do my traditional run and managed a very shaky 3 miles and really struggled.
But now I think I have found the answer to kicking on beyond Post Couch5k and a comfortable 10k.
I started off with JuJu's Magic Ten, and struggled a bit to keep that going - but now searching t'internet I found found a plan - CoachJenny.com which is really working.
It is a ten week plan and I have started at Week 5. Basically is it a Run/Walk plan and at Week 5 has Six minute runs, followed by 1 minute walking. They gradually build up and today I have just done the last run of Week 5 - Six minutes running - eight times - with the minute walk in between, a total of 56 minutes. That thought of a brief break is so psychologically beneficial. I am pretty sure I could run through without walking but that break takes away the unremitting SLOG that running can be sometimes.
Plus I am able to build up the speed on each run segment and I find my runs are getting quicker, and my heart rate is reducing and more regular.
Running is very much in the head, and this method of training for a 10k is working so much better for me than the sometime dread of slogging away without respite.
The same site has two other 10k plans, one more Walk than Run, and one just Running - but at this stage of getting back into it, I think this is perfect.
It has helped motivation return - if that is your problem, give it a try.