week 9 run 2

[carerof]

I went out this evening straight after work to complete run 2 of week 9. I had a disaster of a run the first time, i had changed my route so i put it down to that, so tonight i went back to my original route thinking i would just extend it, it was awful again, i kept stopping and starting, seems like i cant get to grips with this run-- guess its cos i want so much to be able to do it--- i have been using my own music for the the runs so i am going to go back to Laura and see if that gets me back on the straight and narrow. Having said how awful it was i did get a ' you go girl' from a woman walking along with her grand daughter, so i must have looked the part even though i was struggling!!!! lol. Any tips from other people on this week would be most helpful.

[fits735]

There's something in the air. I had a horrible run yesterday too. Going to take two days off to recover.

[Hidden]

We are in the midst of serious air pollution in Britain at the moment (extensive news coverage about this) so that might have a lot to do with your bad run. I did okay with my W6R2 yesterday but we are just on the edge of where the pollution is and it was not so bad here as in some other places - getting it a bit worse today though so thank goodness it's a rest day for me. I wonder if you are now trying a little bit too hard as graduation is so close. Maybe you could take a more philosophical view of the run - try to enjoy it without worrying about it being a 'goal'. My running seems to have improved a little bit since I changed my mindset. Good luck with your next try at it but suggest you check the news to see what the air pollution is like. If it's really bad in your area then might be worth putting the run off until the pollution clears - as indeed I shall if it's bad here. Good luck and best wishes.

[DelilahDogstar Graduate]

I repeated week 3 after my graduation and every single run this week has felt super tough. I have got a little slower with each one. I wondered about the pollution too, makes me very sad to think of it. The thing which most helps me is actually just making a mental decision to complete it - I will be running for 30 minutes, that is happening.. and won't I feel great when I have done it. Then I just try to stay in each moment. Remembering to breathe deeply is good too, makes it a bit easier. I have played around with some different playlists I have created on spotify and went back to my favourite route on run 3 even though it was shorter and I had to run the same route 3 times, it felt like an old friend! I am trying stepping stones on Sunday and am dreading it a bit. Good luck, cheering you on from the sidelines!!