Sad and frustrated

[sal1984]

Hey guys. So I am on week 4 now and only got run 3 left of week 4. Stupidly I have been wearing tone up sketcher trainers to run in.. I am eternally skint and thought would wing it till i could save up for some proper trainers. However, after my wednesday run my ankles at the sides and back were so sore i struggled to complete it and the pain only got worse. Got myself to a decent running shop and they filmed me on a treadmill and I got good shoes now.

However they said I should not run for a week and just so annoyed with myself. It is completely my fault!! I really do not want to get out the swing of things but think its best to rest for a week. Do you guys think i should re do week 4 or just do week 4 run 3 on friday and go straight in to week 5? Worried not running for a week will undo my good work till now and I will completely lose fitness? What do you guys think?

Thanks! Sarah xxx

[k6daisy Graduate]

Hi Sarah. I feel your pain. My ankle is up like a balloon too and I am itching to get out there too. I havent ran for a week as well. I personally didnt like missing any of the runs, so I would just see how you get on with run 3 once you start up again. I dont think a week is enough for you to lose what you have achieved so far but the runs are all a challenge in themselves so you really just need to see how you feel with it. If you do run 3 ok, then just progress through as normal to week 5. If not you might just want to do a repeat run once, then move on. Best of luck, and mind how you go with that ankle

[Oldgirl Graduate]

Hi Sarah, we don't live in the perfect world, we all do things sometimes that are not right but the important thing is to learn by our mistakes which you have. You've put things right so far with getting new shoes, now be patient and rest those ankle joints as instructed.

Have a go at week 5 I'm sure you will be surprised that you won't have lost any of your progress. If you are able to do some exercise like brisk walking this week or cycle, swim that will help keep your fitness up.

Good luck and well done on your progress so far.

[gdeann Graduate in reply to Oldgirl]

I second everything oldgirl suggested. Maybe put your new trainers on and fit in a few very easy walks as well. You can break them in so they will be ready to go when you are. Don't worry about losing what you've gained. Just concentrate on recovering and moving onward and upwards. Gayle

[notbad Graduate]

Completely agree with oldgirl, I know I have made various mistakes when training which have lead to problems - we live and learn. A week out is nothing really, you won't lose much fitness in that time, it's nothing at all in the scale of things. Odds are those new running shoes will make all the difference, worth waiting for! Best wishes to you.

[kirble Graduate]

I have just missed two weeks due to a virus, so decided to re-do week 5. The first run was fine, then I accidently missed run 2 and went straight to run 3 which meant running for 20 mins non-stop! I thought Laura had fallen off to sleep and was groaning for breath, but I did it and on checking realised I'd missed a run. Anyway, in summary, don't worry about missing a week or two. Everyone who has had to stop, for whatever reason, can relate to your frustration, but take your time and make sure you are recovered before venturing out again. X

[ktaylor217 Graduate]

I'm with the others, give your body time to recover, maybe repeat one run if you feel you need to but above all don't stress about it! You will not lose your hard earned fitness that fast. It took me 9 months to graduate with time out for various reasons then having to go back & repeat bits etc but ultimately I was getting fitter & integrating running into my life during the whole of that time & those were my real reasons for starting the programme so I was still moving towards my goals...

Good luck & keep at it!

[Olivia78]

Sorry to hear you're feeling down about this. I agree with the others, rest up and look forward to being able to resume running in your shiny new trainers in a week's time. When I missed a week's running due to being away (as opposed to actually being ill and losing fitness because of physical weakness) I found I could just slot back into the programme easily without needing to repeat anything. Fitness takes a while to disappear, thankfully.

Would it help for you to spend some time during the week doing some planning for next week? Thinking about routes, when you're going to run, what you're going to eat to help with it, perhaps what you're going to wear, and so on?