On to Week 5 - Fighting the Mental Demons! - Couch to 5K

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On to Week 5 - Fighting the Mental Demons!

Scipio profile image
ScipioGraduate
4 Replies

Well, I did W4R3 at the weekend. Uneventful & fine despite the heat. I was running on the treadmill with all the doors & windows open with a nice, cooling fan blowing at my back. It's hard running in the heat but I can do it as long as I take it nice & slow.

I moved on to W5R1 yesterday evening. I planned to do it in the morning before work but didn't have time. So I got home from work, feeling fit & able to do the run, I was raring to go - but I struggled so much with my mind all the way through each of the three five minute runs. My mind was screaming at me to stop, even though I was coping perfectly well physically.

Anyway, I conquered the demons & managed to complete the run. I felt very good afterwards, but it annoys me so much that I struggle mentally.

I think the problem is that I am approaching the stage where I had to stop last year, the dreaded W5R3. I suppose I just don't know yet whether I will be able to manage the runs beyond that. I'm hoping that when I get W5R3 out of the way it will start to get easier, I will start to believe, & all those mental demons will go away & leave me alone!

So the plan is to do W5R2 on Friday (I leave two full days between runs, it's better for me that way) and then tackle W5R3 on Monday or Tuesday.

I will report back on how it goes!

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Scipio profile image
Scipio
Graduate
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4 Replies
Lingmell profile image
LingmellGraduate

I know what those demons sound like - I hear them every time I run. Just ignore them - they are not right - you can do this and you will.

I know a lot of people look forward to W5 r3 with some trepidation but to be honest when I did it, not long ago, I amazed myself - the sense of achievement was great - almost as much as when I graduated.

Hope you get on OK on Moday - it sounds like a good plan to leave it a couple of days - let me know how it goes !

Scipio profile image
ScipioGraduate in reply to Lingmell

Thanks Lingmell for the encouraging words. I'm going to ignore the demons & do it. I've done it before & I can do it again!! I had such as sense of achievement last year, and then it all got ruined with my knee injury. I'm absolutely determined that's not going to happen again.

I'll report back next week!

greenlegs profile image
greenlegsGraduate

A 2 day rest before the run sounds a good idea - as long as you don't spend all that time self-defeating! Pity the old tags don't still work, as there were so many good blogs about 'that' run. Yes, it is a big challenge mentally, but physically it isn't nearly as big as it seems - run two is a total of sixteen minutes running, with a short walk in the middle, so all you do extra is keep going in the middle and then do a teeny bit at the end.

Your legs will be fine, it's not much different for them! In fact, most people find it harder to go back to having a walk in the middle in week 6, than the continuous run. Just keep it as slow as you need - how far you go really doesn't matter, just keep plodding on and you'll be fine. :)

OK - I wasn't sure I believed it either, but I did do it! And the satisfaction is amazing.

Scipio profile image
ScipioGraduate in reply to greenlegs

Thanks for the encouragement, greenlegs! I remember reading all the good blogs about "that" run last year & they were very inspiring. It's a pity those old tags don't work as I'd like to reread them.

I'll post again about how I get on.

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