Yes! I just ran 5k again! Whenever I have a set back with illness or injury I always come back to running but I have a terrible tendency to get stuck on running shorter distances. I will run 2.5-3k and feel quite comfortable but I'll keep putting off going longer distances. It's ridiculous. I did C25k in 2019. I've run loads of 5ks and even done 10k three times. But I was never in any way sporty and it amazes me (and my friends and family if we are honest!) that these days, at 69, I run. I run because it's good for my heart health and my blood pressure and I come from a family where this matters. I run because it makes me feel good. I run because it makes me feel I have achieved something and now that I'm retired, which I love, my life is mostly easier than it was and it's good occasionally to do something difficult.
I think I have come at length to think of myself a runner but in a rather diffident way: I'm a slow runner, an old runner. I run, I don't race. But I think a lifetime of seeing myself as someone who works with the head not the body makes it very easy for me to feel daunted by physical challenge. So again and again fter a break through illness or injury I have found myself stuck in a phase of feeling that perhaps 5k is too far. It can take me six weeks or more when I'm in one of these phases to push myself to get out there and go further. But in the end I do. I think this is the fifth or sixth time out has happened me. I do persevere. I do push through and I'll be ok now and ready to go further. It's really daft!! Does anyone else have one of these peculiar mental blocks? No? Ah, just me then ....🤔
Written by
Gwenllian1
Graduate10
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Yes...I feel many of us do...especially after illness, injury, or tine out for whatever .The shorter runs, the familiar routes, are safe, doable, and easier.
Better to start out with those distances and, as happens with you, when the time is right, your body and your mind let you know.
The longer runs come, you enjoy the satisfaction of moving on, and, stay injury free.
Thank you! Yes, I do break through eventually and I'm proud of myself for the sheer bloody mindedness in not giving up. I do get very frustrated with myself for "wasting" four or five weeks, again and again, when I could be moving on but I get stuck. I'll try to take your approach that it is some form of listening to my body!!
No, it’s not just you. I’m of a similar age (69 in June) also retired after 30+ years in the law and enjoying retirement very much. Sometimes I forget that I’m retired and get a small frisson of pleasure when I remember.🙂
I too have run a few 10ks and many 5,6, 7 and 8 km runs as well. But each time I have an injury, bad cold or covid, I drop right down to zero for a couple of weeks (was advised against raising heart rate soon after a viral infection) and then build up slowly over a month or so. So start out running for time rather than distance, say, 10 minutes which is five minutes out, 5 minutes return. That I do on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The next week I’ll do 15 minutes so 7.5 mins out, 7.5 mins return. You get the picture. Or alternatively, I’ll start with a 2km run for a week followed by a 3 km run the following week. It gets to 5 km pretty quickly.
After sore knees, when I ran with two knee guards for a week, I’m back up to 6.5 km three times a week and aim to do 10 km once a week in a few weeks time. Currently back in France where it’s just above freezing at 6:30 when I like to go for my run and enjoying it a lot.
I’m not interested in running competitively, even park runs are not for me. I’m not aiming for a marathon or even a half-marathon. I run for the same reasons as you; managing hypertension (reluctantly just been put on statins and Losartan) and chronic kidney disease, the cause of which has been described by my GP as ‘wear and tear’ that comes with age!
I truly miss my runs when I can’t go even though sometimes I lie in bed in the warmth and wish it was a day off. But once up, I really feel better and post-run, love having the whole day still ahead of me to read, drink coffee, listen to Schubert, Beethoven or Brahms and give silent thanks to be so privileged!
Your approach to building back up does not seem to have my "stuck at 3k" problem! I think the next time I'm forced to have a break I'll try actually putting the small and steady increments in my diary to give me the structure. I've been trying to follow the nrc 10k plan and it does increase the distance quite quickly. As a result I find myself running the shorter runs and avoiding the longer ones. If I rewrite my own plan I might manage to avoid that sense of being daunted. We are off to France and later Spain on Monday in the campervan. I really like running in new places so running kit is all packed.
And yes to the joys of retirement! I loved my job but I think the delight I take in my control of my time has made me totally unemployable!
“Your approach to building back up does not seem to have my "stuck at 3k" problem!”
I take your point but what I intended to express was that, having reached a milestone, say 5k and then suffered a setback, instead of feeling blocked by being unable to replicate the 5k immediately, overcome this by small incremental runs so that the ultimate distance is not the current object.
So instead of say 3km, aim for 5 minutes and whatever distance you cover, is the aim. Anyway, good luck.
Yes, absolutely! That's exactly what I took you to mean and I think it's a great idea. It will stop me fixating on a distance and simply get me going a little further every time. I will let you know how it goes!
Congratulations on that 5k! It’s always a milestone distance to hit and you deserve to be really proud of yourself.
I always get intimidated by longer distances, even when I know I’m capable of them. It was worse coming back from injury. Every little niggle or twinge had me thinking I’d be back on the couch for weeks again. Spoiler alert: I was fine! Last week, both of my longer runs were started with me mentally saying “I’m running 3-10k today…I’ll see how I feel and anything i do will be a good run”. That helps me to feel in control and having the option to do a shorter distance usually means I’m less likely to. You’re absolutely not alone in this.
Nike Run Club has great run called “Breaking through barriers”. I did it earlier this week and there’s a lot of helpful discussion on it about whether barriers are real or imagines, how we view success or failure and how coming up against barriers actually shows us we’re moving forwards. I’d really recommend it.
Having a training plan to follow helps me most. I can just trust that someone sensible put it together and I’m safe to follow their distance build up (even I adapt it). I can remind myself of all my ticks from the runs I’ve done, and when you get on a roll, getting through your mental barrier feels more like an exciting challenge than a massively scary one (thanks to Coach B for pointing that out on the guided run!).
These mental gremlins are so common. If you want to push on beyond 5k, it sounds like you’re absolutely capable of it! You just need your head to catch up with your legs 🏃❤️💪
That's a really useful strategy: promising yourself a shorter distance with the option of a longer run. I'd read one of your posts before mentioning that you had done a run like that and I adopted that approach this morning, telling myself 4k was what I was aiming for and I'd see how I felt and giving myself permission to walk if I wanted to. As you say, just having the sense that you can choose to do less seems to free you up to do more. I think now I've got over the mental block about 5k I can go back to the nrc 10k plan. What works for me there is taking 10 days or so to do the week's runs.
I love the phrase about your head catching up with your legs! That's exactly it!!
Thank you! You can probably tell that this is one of the biggest things I’ve struggled with and I’ve had to battle a bit to find what works for me!
Chunking runs up really helps me too. The first ten minutes doesn’t count because that’s always awful. Then I check in every quarter of the run (so 25%, 50%, 75% of the way through) and decide if I want to carry on. Once I get to about 30 minutes to go, I know that’s only a couch to 5k run, and I know can do that so I’m probably ok!! I’ve got two specific routes home that I often finish with so psychologically, I get a massive boost once I hit either the top of a particular hill or a park halfway along a lane because I know I’m nearly done. If I’m having a wobble, I try and work out what’s actually going on. Calm and objective - am I really too tired to continue or is it just that I’m finding it a bit hard and I can slow down a bit. Is my knee actually hurting or am I just obsessing over every sensation that’s coming from it? Am I just not enjoying this phase of the run even though I am perfectly capable of keeping going, so putting music or a podcast on for some distraction will get me through?
I think knowing other runners feel like this really helps and I really appreciated reading your post to find another member of the club!!
Yes, it really does help. I don't know IRL any other runner like me. I know what I would call serious runners, mostly much younger than me or, if of my age, people who have run for most of their adult lives. Most of my good friends don't run and I think they have an idea of my running which is entirely unrealistic. I'm not sure exactly what they think I do but I'm sure in their imagination it's far more speedy and impressive than the determined, gentle poddling which takes me out two or three times a week. I don't always comment here and rarely post but I read every day and there is no doubt in my mind that the sense of being in touch with others like me is a big part of what has kept me going for the last five years.
That’s lovely to read and exactly the same for me too. This community has kept me going and made me realise most of my struggles are just normal to all of us. Thanks for being a part of it! ❤️
I’m with you all the way!! So many times this has happened to me. I’m almost 67 and only started running regularly in 2020.
Since then I’ve had several bouts of either sickness or reason’s why I can’t run. Each time I come back I have that same mental block, can’t possibly do 5K for the most ridiculous of excuses, which are all in my head!
I look at my running diary and see so many little runs and think what a waste of time, even though any run is never a waste of time!
I get stuck, like you, but eventually it comes back. The hardest thing I find is getting out the door, I dread it and can never understand why, as once I’m out I feel fine!
At least we keep coming back and I really think that’s all that really matters 😊.
Ah, I am definitely not alone then! I do so agree about the importance of keeping on coming back. I do get stuck like this and I am taking away a couple of strategies from the advice of others on here which I think will help. But the one thing I can say is that I have never stopped!!
I went out this morning, almost gave up after 5 minutes as it was just so windy. But, decided to carry on and aim for 40 minutes, rather than distance. Hence I got to 5K!
Be so glad when the weather improves, my excuses will then probably be that it’s too hot 🤦♀️
I think many people feel this way. Gradually, as you start to feel better, the mental health benefits of running kick in and it all feels a bit better. Congratulations on getting back to 5k.
I first completed c25K in 2015 and went on to run 10k and 10 mile events. My hip needed replacing in 2021, which caused a set back, but I got back to running. Then in 2022 I was diagnosed with breast cancer which was later found to have metastasised to my liver. Surgery, chemo, radiotherapy, ablation and back to running. In 2023 I had immunotherapy and more chemo, which resulted in immunotherapy damage to kidneys, lungs, thyroid, and more than 6 months on high dose steroids to bring it all under control. In 2024 another ablation, still on the steroids, still suffering from various problems caused by the inflammation the steroids had at higher dosage been masking. I have been walking as much as I can but it’s becoming increasingly hard. I am told the immunotherapy consequences could take up to 2 years to resolve. If I can eliminate some more of them, and can stay cancer free, you can bet I will be running again.
Oh my goodness. What an amazing amount you have had to cope with. You make me think immediately of Dexy's comment on here somewhere about the importance of running because we can when others would love to but for whatever reason are prevented. Very best of luck for the next stage. I am sure your walking is a help as is your clear strength of mind. Thank you. It puts my imaginary difficulties into perspective!☺️
Dexy5 is a real life friend of mine so is very familiar with my travails. I disappear from this site for large chunks of time because I don’t want to be reminded that I can’t run, then suddenly it starts to help me again.
I'm so glad the site helps you again although I very much can understand that there might be times when it doesn't. I recall various posts which show the real life friendship between two of you. Wishing you all the very best xx
Oh Wow, you have been through so much, so very sorry to hear this but so much admiration for your positive outlook. Sometimes life can seem very unfair.
Wishing you all the very best and hope you will manage to get back to running one day in the not too distant future 🤞
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.
Still keeping to the plan 
Keeping fit keeping positive
Keep on running 
Best advice for keeping up the habit?
