It's been a pretty dis-heartening few days. There's been a lot of talk about running at work lately. One of my colleagues is doing the bupa 10km on Bank Holiday Monday & she's on target for a finish in about an hour. One of my other colleagues then casually mentioned that her sister had done the same run in less than an hour without any training (I find that hard to believe). Then there's me - I ran/staggered 9km on Saturday morning. It took me flippin' ages!! I started C25K a year ago & since then I've been out there 3 times a week - rain, wind, fog etc. 10km in an hour - a dream for me I think. As if that wasn't enough a friend called to say that 1 of his friends has just done the Chester HM in 1 hour 46 minutes - a drinker & smoker!! What to do? Give up? No way am I wasting all that effort. I had already entered my local 10km in September. I'm planning on doing the 10km in London on 31st January next year and I've just this minute entered the Chester HM for next May. I decided to try for a HM to mark my own half century so now I've paid money I'm determined to get there. I'm hoping that by September I'll be well used to a 10km at a half way decent time & I'll have plenty of time to get up to the HM distance after that. That's my plan and all these no training/smoking/drinking stories can be put right out of my head!!!
When the going gets tough. ...: It's been a... - Couch to 5K
When the going gets tough. ...
Sharon I COMPLETELY understand where you're coming from. I did my first 9k today and staggering just about describes my action towards the end. I've been at this for about a year, and turned 50 in June. Perhaps we are in fact the same person!
My folks are all up in Chester, so I know it well. My nieces are runners, so my sis is all over the place cheering them on in races. My oldest niece is tiny, and is just about to turn 18. She has to compete in adult races now, and almost always comes last or near to the back, but she pitches up every week and competes with a smile. She's a funny little thing, but I so admire her pluck.
I will never, ever do a 5k in 30 mins, so a 10k in an hour is a complete impossibility.
Stuff it though, the odd stagger round the village is better than sitting on the sofa watching soaps!
amen
Hi Sharon
You are not alone in coming up against this! I am just turned 50 and on week 8 of C25K. Yes, I am progressing well and feeling good (with the exception of yesterday's run, after which I felt quite dizzy - today I have a virus so that explains that!) but my goals at the moment are small (5k Parkruns) and for me. You have to discount the fit young'uns - they will always exist. I would say that there are still far more people out there who can't run a 5 or 10k and who would certainly never sign up for a HM. Be rightly proud of what you have achieved and keep going!
What does it matter if some other people can do a 10k faster than you? I dare say there are a heck of a lot more who do it slower than you and an enormous multitude who can't do it at all. All that ever matters is that you are actually doing it rather than not, and if you are doing it, you are doing your best, which is always enough.
This is spooky, my folks are only a few miles from the great city of Deva also!!!
Good luck with the HM 
I bet loads of people exaggerate what they can do - especially in the office!! Ignore them all, and do what you want to do for yourself, not for anyone else. Who cares what time you do - unless you want to be Mo Farah!!
So the others run faster? Bully for them... This isn't about meeting other people's criteria, but doing your best and most importantly enjoying your running and being proud of yourself for doing it. So chin up and run/stagger with pride - I am another proud run/staggerer who is in admiration, as I've only just made it to 5K without collapsing an a heap!
Sounds to me like you are doing well - but I know just how you feel. Someone at work joined a running club about a month ago and did her first parkrun sat Saturday. She ran it all, if she wasn't so lovely would be worse. I keep telling myself she has nearly 20 years on me!! Good luck with your plan.
Well done Sharon, that looks like an ambitious but doable program of races in the next 12 months.
Judging yourself by other people's standards is pretty fruitless at the end of the day. I got a 5k PB at my first Parkrun on Saturday and was/am delighted but the fact is that there were folks my age who were waaay ahead of me, and the gent who finished directly in front of me was over 75!
i am not a competitive person, but I know that is not easy not to compare yourself with the others . I re enter did a hm in 3 h and 4 min , behind me there were only 2walkers, who finished about half hour after me... But I did it, and I proud I did!
Wow! Well done! I can't imagine running for 3 hours. My little legs are totally wiped out after an hour or so today! I'm not competitive either, but I do get an attack of the green eyed monster when reading posts on here sometimes. Still, my body will only do what it will do. This time last year I couldn't run to the end of our road, so I'm pretty proud of what I've achieved, as we all should be here! You never know - with improvement at that rate maybe I'll be running 10k in 15 minutes next year!!!
The best thing about running is you are running against yourself and yourself only! what anyone else does on the day is irrelevant. I'm doing to the 10k on Monday too - would be dead chuffed with 65 mins and that's after 5 months of training!
What a great crowd this forum is! Thanks for the sensible & encouraging words. I know I shouldn't compare my running to anyone else but over the last few days that's been harder than usual. I started C25K on 27th May last year & after that first session I really thought I was going to have a heart attack! I've come a long way since then ☺
Sharon, you are amazing, remember how far you have come, how far we have all come! I started C25K around the same time as you, had a few months out due to injury so did not graduate till December. Weekend before last I ran the Manchester 10k...23500 people were faster than me, but 17000 were slower. Most people in my 'wave' ended up walking, I didn't walk, it was hard. But coming in under 1hr25min, days before my 50th birthday made my bloomin year. So what if we are slow, ignore the the running braggers. Good luck, we are with you in spirit x x x
P.s. I too get doubts, so glad someone has voiced this x
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