Which is the hardest week and what's your mantra?

[mellyboobah]

What do all you graduates think about which is the most difficult week? I think it will help me to know - I have started using my mantra on runs - it's "Strong arms, strong legs"

What's yours?

[ju-ju- Graduate]

For me, I found week 5 run 3 the hardest. But the sense of achievement is huge...and my mantra is: 'push that body, punish that body,' good luck!

[mellyboobah in reply to ju-ju-]

Thanks Ju - like that mantra - I've just done R1 Wk5 - but i am determined >:/

[Tryrun Graduate]

Week 4!

Never thought I'd get past it.

Have you seen the animated film 'Finding Nemo'?

There is a character called Dory that says, 'just keep swimming, just keep swimming..'

my mantra is 'just keep running, just keep running..'

[Dunder2004 Graduate]

Week 6 was really tough for me (oddly week 7 was the easiest/best).

I don't have a mantra and just tend to swear at myself if the going is hard.

[Irishprincess Graduate]

I found the very first run the hardest as I was so unfit and could hardly get through it. In fact I thought I was going to have a heart attack! My mantra is " don't be a wimp. Just do it".

[Rignold]

Yes, I'm with IP here. Week 1 was the hardest. Making the decision to go out and do this thing. The rest was just running.

[mfamilias Graduate]

Week five, then I got into the swing of having got past the half-way point. I don't have a mantra as such. When I find myself letting the gremlins win, I just remind myself that I am currently doing what I thought I would never attain when running those first 60 second intervals, and that giving up would be a disservice to the unfit, one stone heavier version of me that put in all the effort to get the ball rolling.

[cerebus]

I think it is pretty hard at the beginning, and it's all about pace. When I started (about 2 years ago now) I would take off as if I was running the 400m! Clearly you can't sustain this over 5k, or even 1k. Find that internal rhythm - the whole 4 paces to 2 breaths works for me.

[Arrietty Graduate]

Week 8 was my worst. Horrible. No idea why!

I don't have a mantra as such but I do keep in mind things I learned on a stupidly tough trek in Nepal - your body can always do more than you ever dreamed it could and all you have to do is keep taking one more step, it's never more than that.

[Pigivi]

I don't have a mantra, I just try to be completely aware of what I'm doing - as in having a feeling sense of my body moving and that helps with keeping at bay (sometimes) any random thinking about it (it's really about the misused being in the now , expression I cannot stand...)

In case of emergency I simply tell myself "just do it!!!"

Whar really helped me though - with the running but more generally with life, is reminding myself that "it's good enough" (perfectionism can really ruin my life!)

[Coddfish Graduate]

Week 7, when all the runs became long runs with no intervals. I got through the long run on the end of each of weeks 5 and 6 by regarding it as something to endure, but after that there was no hiding place. W8 seemed easier once I got through w7.