Week 9

[runtanyarun]

Hi fellow runners - I have the first of my week 9 run tomorrow- I can't believe it! Unfortunately i do mine on the treadmill at the gym as my joints are not up to pavement running (which is all I have where I live) - anyway it's still week 9 and I'm pleased I've come this far, my week 8 runs however have been dreadful (especially after about 22 mins) just the thought of that extra two mins is scaring me to be honest and I feel like I'm going to throw up when I get to more than 20 mins - also I've been getting really sore nipples now! Any advice?

[AngieS Graduate]

Congratulations for completing week 8. First, take some time to feel great about it rather than worrying about week 9!

I found the last few weeks of the plan tough and felt just the same about those extra 2 mins.

Some things that helped me - try slowing down a bit earlier in your run, as you may be starting out too fast. Also I take a few much deeper breaths later in the run, which seems to give me a bit more energy when I feel i want to stop. Finally, I had to tell myself not to panic (following Laura's good advice) - its only a run - even if I had to stop it wouldn't have been the end if the world!

You could always repeat week 8 if you don't feel ready to move up to the next stage- it doesn't matter how long you take to graduate.

Hope this helps a little. Happy running!