Speed podcast

I have tried the speed pod cast today and it's too hard for me. I am lying down and my heart is still pumping and legs throbbing 10 minutes after I am home. I did the warm up and the sprints but walked in between rather than the slow jogs. How have other people got on with this one?

[Beek Graduate]

I found Stamina a smoother run. Stepping Stones wasn't bad either. With Speed I could only manage to walk rather than slow jogging. Perhaps you did things too quickly too soon.

I guess all 3 pod casts will be taxing because it is a big step up to the next level.

How about doing only part of it then gradually build the reps up? Hope you try again.

[c4ts Graduate]

Persist with it, I found is as difficult as you to start with, but actually there is a sense of accomplishment when you finally nail it and slowly it does get a little bit easier. The interval training is also supposed to be really good for your running.

[Hidden]

Can't comment on Speed as I haven't tried it yet but I did try Stepping Stones and Stamina and found both were too much for me. Some people on here have said similar and yet other people have reported that they love them. I guess it's horses for courses - clearly I'm not cut out for faster running. Somewhere there must be a podcast suitable for those of us who would like something a little more gentle. I must admit, two 'failed' podcasts is starting to erode my confidence. I hope you find something suitable soon. Good luck and best wishes.

[ju-ju- Graduate]

It does get bettter...honestly ...well done for getting out there and going for it. Next week you will see an improvement

[DelilahDogstar Graduate]

I have had some truly hideous runs and have found that after a couple of real stinkers I seem to get a little leap in progress, perhaps less slow or going a little further. I haven't done speed or stamina yet because I am working on hills at the minute after some encouraging dreams.. I found stepping stones hard at first but it got easier with time. If I have a break of more than a day or two it is punishing though! Soon going to trial the other two and am not imagining it will be easy. Well done for giving it a go and don't give up! x

[Hidden]

I'm with you Fitmo, need a gentle transition from 5k to something else. I loved the structure of Laura. I know I don't want to go super fast or ultra long distance, there must be something in between..

[Hidden]

Thanks everyone for your comments it's nice to have people to talk to with similar experiences.

[runningnotwalking Graduate]

Walking in between is fine - it's upping the pace for the running part that's key.

You're not expected to find it easy but over time it will get easier and you may find yourself running the slower part.

Speed is good and we all feel the need for speed sometimes, but mix in other types of runs as well to keep it interesting and so you don't loose that running feeling.

All the best.

[runningnotwalking Graduate]

Fitmo, KittyKat007 and Henpen90 - have you tried running the walking cool down bit at the end of week 9 of C25k ?

You can create a playlist and add your own music on so you still have a cool down walk.

Over time you can "run to the next song" to extend it further.

There is also the NHS Choices Stamina podcast which is 35 minutes of running.

Laura talks you through it and although she dictates the pace, you could ignore the pace she sets and just run at your own pace to start with.

[thinlizzyIwish123 Graduate]

It's strange how I seem to be OK with the speed one but not OK with the stamina one. The way I think about the speed one is..it's only 6X1 mins of fast running...then it's done. It seems to help me get through it. The Stamina on the other hand to me seems a slog..music not very motivating and hard going...

[Hidden]

Not tried the stamina one that was my plan for Fri_sat. I'll let you know how I get on.

[GoogleMe Graduate]

If we could all do those C25K+ podcasts first time no problem, where would be the challenge in that?

I've been back through them recently, having been a bit stuck on 'just running' (and more focused on what I was listening to TBH) or running further, and it was nice to come back to them. I was rather disturbed though to find that I wasn't actually any faster, I must just take smaller steps. Having done Speed and Audiofuel's Pyramid 180 on consecutive runs, I like the Audiofuel better of the two. I'm amused by his "steel yourself to go again" "walk if you need to" "recover as best you can" realism! I was quite chuffed this time to have run through some of the recovery periods.

[JHarveyL Graduate]

I'm thinking (with no expert knowledge) that the step up from walk to sprint is bigger and a slower run (even if it's no faster than walking, but means your body is doing the same thing) is an easier transition and may tire you less. What about not sprinting quite so fast (same pace but stride out less)?

To underscore the 'horses for courses' bit, I found this the easiest, Stepping Stones OK and Stamina still has me beat!

[Anniemurph Graduate]

Well done for trying it. I found it impossible to start with and bloody hard even now! But I do notice a difference, so perhaps the thing to do is to do it once every two weeks and see the improvement? And perhaps don't sprint - just run a bit faster than you normally would. Keep at it though

[seenthelight Graduate]

I did the speed podcast this afternoon and really enjoyed it but this was on the treadmill and I must say I would not have managed it outside with gradients and all that. When I started I decided, as always, that I would only manage to do a little bit of it but somehow it got easier the more I got into it. I am not sure what speed I should have been running at but I did the faster runs at 10 kph and the slower ones at 8kph. Certainly got my heart rate up but the calories burnt were quite a bit less than on w9. Also I got myself in a tangle early on and Laura reset herself back to the start of the warm up walk when I was already nearly at the end! Hoping to try Parkrun this week but really scared as all my best runs have been on the treadmill so far.

[barge Graduate]

Is it right that running time of speed is 17 mins. I found it really hard, got so out of breath and didn't even have an increased average pace to show for it at the end!

I found the slow pace a lot faster than I was doing on c25k. I wondered about going back to week 1 and doing my normal jog in the walking bits and upping the pace on the 60sec jogs, then at least I wouldn't have Laura shouting in my ear 1,2,3,4......

[Hidden in reply to barge]

Hi barge, yes that sounds right on the time and it is really hard. You could use the week 1 as you said but the trouble for me is that I want to finish the speed one as I have started it. So far I have found that a "normal" run does seem a bit easier afterwards. Let me know how you get on.

[barge Graduate]

i checked one place and it said 16 mins, that makes my average pace slightly better (so I'll run with that ). Tomorrow I may do w9r3 again to regain my confidence and maybe continue for a bit longer to increase distance.