In theory I've completed week 5 of the distance magic plan. It's certainly challenging for my lead-filled legs but I am enjoying it as I'm discovering new paths and routes which I have all to myself.
But I seem to be getting slower and I still need to do brief walks on my long runs. Sometimes it's because the hills (tiny by some people's standards no doubt) are too long and sometimes because the tracks are too muddy and uneven and I don't want to injure myself.
So I've sort of done the 2 weeks of 8k but not in an impressive 'professional runner' sort of way. I'm in no rush to get to the end of the plan so I'm pondering doing another 8k this week but I'm not sure it'll be any more streamlined than the last two 😏😊
Decisions, decisions .....
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Lifluf
Graduate10
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Hi Lifluf ...if I were you I’d just crack on with the plan...you’ve done the 8ks, slow or fast you’ve still done them and I think personally, once you’ve got into your head that you need to stop you are doing...instead of digging in and carrying on, although I would still have a little walk up the hills!!! You’re making good progress and doing so well..get that walking gremlin out of your head and the ‘I’m not really a runner if I have to walk’ thoughts out of your head and you’ll crack it...you just need to believe in yourself a bit more 😉
you’re doing well...who are you going faster for? I’ll let you into a secret...I’ve been running just over 3 years and I haven’t run 5k in 30 mins yet...my fastest time is 35mins...I ran my second fastest at 36mins yesterday...but what I did yesterday was really, really enjoy my run...I felt strong and a real sense of achievement and that, to me, is better than any speed achievement...I have absolutely no doubt that your speed will come intime, without you even having to think about it...concentrate on the plan amd take it from there 😉
I do like the 8k circular route I've worked out. It goes through the village and out the other side and then it leaves all roads behind and covers footpaths and tracks for the second half. So it wouldn't be too troublesome to have another go.
Go for 10! I think you're ready. A brief walk is fine if you need to but if you've done 8k twice and ran for an hour then I'd give it a shot. Sometimes we get into a rhythm of slow running, I certainly do. I'd look at a bit on the run near the end where you look to increase your pace a bit. You'll be fine. Be brave and go for it.
Hi Lifluf I think you'll just have to decide what you you feel is right for you. I'm doing my own version of the 10k plan (as I only run twice a week) and I used to feel a bit like I was cheating if I walked but now as long as I start running again I've decided for me it's fine. I think its a case of making your own rules for your runs.
Are you trying to keep to a certain pace on your runs? I found that caused me to struggle a lot of hills ending up with with me walking. Then I started running based on heart rate zones and suddenly it became a lot easier, I can now do the hills as your heart speeds up so you have to slow down to try to keep in the zone.
Thanks dijep. I must admit there's havebeen a couple of weeks where I havent felt up to running at all so there are gaps in my planned runs.
I don't have a posh watch but I do run with a heart monitor so maybe I might try to pace myself like you do. At the moment I just try not to go too fast at the beginning and keep the speed steady although I always seem to slow in the middle sections of any run.
I don’t think it matters if you have a few short walking breaks you covered the distance, the Willow half of us walks a bit here and there and the Sola part of us is a stubborn mule and however slow she runs then plods along for a bit longer while Willow finishes
We did week 4 and the first 8k and now taking it slow before going on to week 5 and our second 8k which might be Friday depending how hard the rain is
Thanks WillowandSola. If it was an ordinary run I wouldn't be bothered about a walking bit but I just feel I ought to be able to do it properly without stopping before I tackle the next stage. The footpaths are quite bad in places though and that is a large part of the problem - just uneven and narrow. But I try not to walk for long.
This is your run your race and you do what you need to keep safe and avoid injury, today i ran really slow because my calves are still sore but it doesn’t matter that i’ve run much faster
I have read on here that people follow the Magic Plan more than once, we probably will because we like a plan, so you could keep going forward and vow to not stop on that run next time around depending on the weather
I think you should just keep going! As for the walks, if it’s a hill, then slow way down, take shorter steps, see if you can get through them that way. Is there a way you could adjust your route so you get the hills earlier in your run, before you’re too tired to handle them? Or run the route in the opposite direction so you’re going downhill at those points? I often meander through my neighborhood and I will change which street I’m going to turn on to based on the slope of the street vs my energy level at the time.
I’ve never been able to walk in the middle of my runs, once I stop to walk one time, the next time that I need to walk seems to come sooner, and then the whole thing just seems too difficult and I quit! Walking signals my brain that my run is over I guess. I know lots of people alternate walk/run but I just can’t do it.
It's the long hills that are the hardest. They don't have to be particularly steep, just long😂. Home is one of the higher points round here so there's no escaping a hill to get home.
I'm not nearly as bad as I was though and I can make it up a fair few. It's just when they're also muddy uneven paths that it's a bit much.
Only you can decide how far to run. I know that I am best sticking to a plan rigidly as I have little self discipline so know that if I don't "do as I'm told" I will give up (unless for a very good reason). With regards to the walking I think it is much better to slow down and walk a few steps on a very muddy uneven path than to slip and twist an ankle and unable to run for a couple of weeks. My technique for hills is plod plod plod very slowly- probably quicker to walk anyway!
Good luck whatever you decide. I am due to begin the distance plan at the weekend starting from week 3 ( just completing timed) so I look forward following your experiences.
You could try a week with 8.5 as the long run - that way you are notching up the distance with a slightly smaller jump. But at the end of the day it doesn't matter as long as you get out there and run. You may surprise yourself by how much you can manage!
Thanks Blackberrypie. I'm going to give myself a couple of days to recover from the previous run and choose a route that has options. If I feel ok I'll have a go and if I don't quite manage it, I'll do it again I think.
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