I ran in the rain for the first time 
My dog Dave hated it! Anyway, I'm on week 5 run 3 and the thought of running 20 mins was very scary. I tried and knew I couldn't do it so I decided to break it up. There was no point beating myself up so I set myself a target of a lap of the park which I've not managed before. I thought sod the program. I will increase my target over time and still listen to week 5 run 3 as I do it but as I know I can't just go and run 20 mins I need to build up to it over time. I not only ran my furthest but also the longest (10 mins). Plus I didn't run any slower winning all round! I've decided to give myself achievable goals and still use NHS C25K as it gives me guidance. Dave ran back to the car as he hates rain so I didn't do much more but I was happy with it as I went further for longer and no slower
Change c25k to suit...achievable goals are better - Couch to 5K
Change c25k to suit...achievable goals are better
Aw Linda , look at Dave ( love the name ! ) He looks proper miffed ! ha ha
Maybe having him there and seeing him so fed up distracted you a little ? Why not have a another go at the 20 minutes Dave free and see how you go on ? I know the prospect of running 20 minutes is daunting , everyone on here felt the exactly the same, I promise xxx
It can be done , you can do it , break it up into five minute chunks in your head if it helps . You will be so chuffed and proud of yourself when you do it
Good Luck ! xxx
I agree it seems daunting.. and actually, for me the first 20 minute run ( wk 5 r 3) was the hardest ( and worst) of the entire programme.. BUT... and there IS a but... If you have got this far I firmly believe you CAN do it..
even if you just need to convince yourself of that .. there is/ should be no need to 'rush' faster than you feel comfortable with.. equally the programme DOES 'push you' at times to achieve more than you ever thought possible..
only YOU can decide which approach is better for you...
Dave has already decided ( it seems ) that the rain is not for him!!
as for me.. on the 20 minute run... I also ran it in laps of a park...
Just as poppy was saying.. mentally I knew by this time it took about 8 minutes for one lap of my park …so I could break it down .. 2 ½ laps… ok I know I can do 5 minutes so you get to there… then you get to one lap… then 10 minutes.. that’s half way.. etc etc. only way I could manage it.. look no further forward than towards the NEXT hurdle to get to and no further.. and run very VERY VERY slow.. .. and i MEAN very... snails were beeping their horn to get me out of the way… a sloth hanging in the tree scoffed at my inertia..
but i did get there and i am SURE you will .. however you do it !!
that's a real bummer 
rain and a disappointed dave
There is no physical reason you couldn't run for the 20 mins ,maybe the rain and having dave there was a bit distracting..
Dust yourself down , enjoy the rest and recovery day or days then go out and try the run again with out dave and hopefully no rain .
We have all stood in your shoes at the thought of that run ,it is daunting but don't let the thought of it defeat you before start ... As peep's are suggesting there are many ways to approach the run 
You have done so well to get this point as Laua says " you can do this " believe in yourself and the program !!
Dave is always with me so it wasn't him. Its all in my head haha Its much easier for me to break it up
I think what happens is they hide the science of the method from us. You'll find there's research that shows that if you've done so and so many minutes in total, within such and such a timeframe, then you are Physically fit enough to do a 20 minute run. No question about it, strange as it sounds to you. It's probably been measured out down to microseconds, etc.
I didn't believe I could do it when it came my time. Most of us had some level of doubt, I think. (I went so far as to fix things so it was mostly downhill for me). All of us doubt, and all of us seem to survive.
The big caveat here is that this is : ... providing that the runs leading up to this have gone well. If you're struggling with the initial part of Week 5, yes, pull back to your "challenged level", and build yourself up first.
So to reiterate what's been said before here, why not just tempt failure if you've been so successful up till here? What's the big deal if you try to chug your wheezing 20 minutes and you "only" manage 16? Rather keep reaching at it, and taking pride in getting closer than shrink from it. Most of the value of this run is that it's a big psychological step, you see? You Can do it, but you have to try it in the face of some doubts. Manage, and you'll feel fantastic about making it this far.
Please don't deny yourself the full satisfaction of being surprised that you actually managed Week 5 Run 3. Why not try an experiment tomorrow or the next day like this: Set out to do this run as is. And just say "I can do it". If pain and doubt come and irritate you midway, answer with "I can do it." Don't give a thought to how to handle failure. Failure you can work out how to handle if you get to the point of failure, at the point of failure.
But maybe seek out a place where you can do it all downhill?
GREMLINS! Don't let them get to you! What do you mean 'I knew I couldn't do it?' If I may say so, that is poppycock, young lady. Because if you don't try, you'll never know If you try and you don't make it, then it's ok - because you tried. It will happen if you make it happen. So don't set yourself up for failure - we all have that little voice in our minds saying that we can't do it, but it is a big fat liar. you CAN do it. So dare yourself - Anaverageman's approach is fantastic.
I tried it once and couldn't do it so that's why I decided to break it up. It is all in my head I know that and that's another reason for me to attack it in a different way.
Oh Linda please don't think we're bullying you but honestly, if you gave it a go, I'm sure you could do it. 90% of running is in our heads. It's like that mantra that gets rolled out at every awful training course you've ever been on: Believe to Achieve (or is it Believe to Succeed?) Which ever it is, with running it really does work. Good luck, that 20minute run will be yours!!
I hope you don't think I was being a meanie; it's not what I intended. I simply mean that you shouldn't underestimate yourself - as you say, it's all in your head.
We are often our own worst enemies. I don't want to write you a novel, but C25K taught me a whole lot more than just running. Namely about how I saw myself negatively, and how I set myself up for failure for no real reason other than lack of self-esteem and fear of failure. By convincing myself that I was going to fail, I achieved my 'goal' by meeting my own expectation to fail. In other words, by not trying to succeed at goals I saw as difficult, I didn't take the risk of failing. But the problem with aiming at nothing is that I hit it. Every time. So keep whacking away at it until you win over the gremlins. Cos as l'Oréal says, you're worth it. End of sermon.
I know what you mean. I'm very negative about myself and trying to change it by giving myself realistic goals. Thanks 😀
Go for it! xx
The whole point is that it IS in your head. Running is as much a mental discipline as a physical one. Don't let this beat you. If you want to break it into sections, then do - but just do them one after the other without stopping!
Honestly, this 20 minute run is the key to the whole thing. Once you've done this, all the longer ones are a piece of cake.
Linda, just do it again, or move on. We all had this little setback, I've had the gremlins and stomach upset this week, and on Tuesday couldn't run far, but today ran 4.5k then walked another mile and a half, so thats better, doing a Parkrun on Sat so will push for 5k running....
Another grumpy Dave, just like me! nice brown eyes though! lol......
You'll get there. Don't worry. it might come when you least expect it. Dave will be there with you when you finally crack it. He might even crack a smile bless im!
Keep plugging away and enjoying yourself, that's the important thing.
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