Thought I'd never see the day.....W5R3

[Midlifecat]

Well managed a full 20 mins running and feel so pleased with myself. I was totally dreading the jump from 8 to 20 - madness! For the first time I ran outside aswell round the racecourse in nearly 20 degrees , not a good day really, but I actually did it! Had a friend with me so no Laura and she kept time for me as well as keeping me distracted but motivated. Looking forward to W6 now!

[Jaqs99 Graduate]

Fantastic achievement ! A real life Laura sounds a great help. Happy running.

[Midlifecat in reply to Jaqs99]

She was great bless her, chatted the whole time with me just grunting alongside!

[Hidden]

A great milestone ! Well done.

[Hidden]

Well done on finishing week 5 - that 20 minute run is a major turning point in the programme and you should feel that you are making some real progress now. Please treat week 6 with respect though - the return to intervals is no soft option after the euphoria of a 20 minute run and it can catch people out. Keep things very very slow and steady, stay calm and this should see you through. Good luck with your next run and best wishes.

[Midlifecat in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for your support Fitmo, I've read a few of your posts on here before and heeded your advice! I've also seen others on here about W6 and how tough it can be. No idea how fast I ran today just concentrated on the time so think I'll start slow for run 1 and see how I go. Fingers crossed!

[Midlifecat in reply to Hidden]

Hi Fitmo, you were so right, the first run of Wk6 was a killer! I hated every second of it. The 8 min run felt better but I think it gave me time to get into a bit of a rhythm. I slowed down a bit but not by too much, I'll see how I get on with R2 and 3!

[Hidden in reply to Midlifecat]

Week 6 is a real demon and you do need to slow right down for pretty much all the runs - this is what sees you through. Cheers.

[Nellyharte Graduate]

Whoop whoop it was my favourite run so far as you get such a confidence boost out of running for a long block of time and it's the first time you look back and think you can finish. Interested to know what racecourse you ran around? I ran with a friend last week for the first w7 run and found it too distracting and I missed Laura! We are all different! Good luck with week 6 and keep it steady on the short runs.

[Midlifecat in reply to Nellyharte]

Hi Nellyharte, it's Pontefract racecourse. Anti clockwise with a slow decline and steeper incline finish ( I was walking by the time I got that far!) or the other way round. I usually run on a treadmill so picked anti clockwise as I didn't fancy a long slow incline my first time out when I knew I would be struggling. Think next week I'll stick to Peter Tong and the treadmill so I can see my speed and distance at the same time as hearing Laura. Although she can be a bit distracting herself! You're right a huge boost but I'll heed everyone's advice for w6!

[karlotta Graduate]

Well done! Fantastic work! I definitely think that after that long run the rest of the programme seems so much more achievable - just be ready for week 6 being pretty darn tough - I found that my increased confidence meant I went out much harder and this made me have to work doubly hard!