Is it really possible?

[ksea]

This morning I completed W2R3 for the second time so due to start W3R1 on Saturday. I am a little sceptical about my ability to continue and wondered if anybody else had felt the same. All the way through week 2 I was clock watching for the moment I could stop running my 90 seconds. Is it really possible to go on to complete 3 minute runs?

[dottiemay Graduate]

Read through all the previous posts on this forum! Of course it's possible!

It's not always easy and there will be good days and bad days but every single one of us here has worked our way through the plan. Some have taken longer than 9 weeks. That's okay, there is no rule that says you have to follow it to the letter, do it in your own time, at your own pace and you will, yes WILL, complete it...if you really want to.

Don't try and go too fast - that's the main reason people struggle. Go as slow as you need to, to finish the runs. Keep reading the posts here for encouragement and keep posting your own achievements. You'll get all the support you need.

[vivh61 Graduate]

Hi ksea. It is and you will. I spent the whole of the 9 weeks (or in my case 11 weeks) clock watching and wondering whether it was time to finish yet. I found that the best thing to do was to concentrate on listening to the podcast, watch my breathing and think about putting one foot in front of the other and keeping going. So I stopped taking my watch with me so that I couldn't look, which did help. The programme has been designed so that you build up gradually and progress slowly and none of it is beyond the abilities of mere mortals like us. I bet when you did the first week you thought you couldn't possibly run for 90 seconds in the second week didn't you?

Just take it slowly and you'll be fine.

[gary_bart]

I remember that agony, yes. But if you're managing Week 2 reasonably well, you might as well find out if you're ready for the next week by just trying. If it hurts, or if it's too much, don't worry. Just back down a bit, and improve the quality of your Week 2 running (as opposed to improving your quantity by progressing). I've done a lot of that, and it's set me up for the steady progress I'm now starting to make.

Is it possible? Of course. But why not find out by trying? It can be fun, either way. If you go really red and burst a few valves, laugh at yourself in a friendly kind of way for being so brave, and don't get hung up on it. You'll be fine.

[Idolitorus Graduate]

I am Captain Sceptic. I run round the house in my underpants, jumping out on unaware relatives shouting 'Aha! It'll never work', before making my escape.

I honestly, honestly, honestly never thought I would get this far. I thought that everyone else on this program must be in some way superior to me, had done it before, were secretly quite fit to start with or that I was in some way flawed. Week 1 was a real trial. It was embarrassing and hard work. I was red faced and struggling.

My wife reminded just the other day about how I would not be looking forward to next weeks runs. Only to do it and for them not to be as bad as I imagined. Yes they were hard. For a while still embarrassing BUT not as bad as I had imagined.

As everyone will tell you on here, go slowly. You may even run slower than you walk. Fine. Don't worry. The running action is different to that of walking and slowly your body responds. You may speed up in time, you may not. I haven't really yet.

I just ran W5 R3 yesterday, which (*spoiler alert*) is 20 minutes non-stop.

If you had told me that 5 odd weeks ago, I would have laughed my underpants off - eeew.......gross!

Repeating days/weeks if you need to is not a failure. But before repeating try doing the first run. See how you do. I bet you surprise yourself and struggle like buggery but complete it.

Don't peek ahead to the next week until you are at the end of your current one as it will put you off, but trust yourself to be ready when that week comes around.

If you manage, post and tell us. If you don't, post and tell us. In fact just post and tell us. You are not alone, you are just brave enough to ask. Good luck.

[RunningForBroke Graduate in reply to Idolitorus]

You are hilarious. Thank you for the 6am laughs. Captain Skeptic should be a comic strip.

[Tomas Graduate]

Best thing you can do us to not focus on "how much further" but just jog gently and consistently. That messes with he gremlins so they give up. And yes, you CAN do it. Happy running.

[jamsammich Graduate]

Every week! Quite a few mornings of and nights before, sometimes I've not quite got it and had to re do the run but I've been on here and got advice and kicks up the bum, I've just read older posts instead sometimes when I don't really want to post and people have felt the same going back years on here!

All you can do is try, if that doesn't work then just try again, eventually you'll do it 😀

[misswobble Graduate]

If you feel sceptical feel free to read through the many hundreds of posts from peeps exactly like you who have successfully Graduated after starting straight off the couch

The programme will deliver. Have faith in it, and yourself, to up your game

[ksea]

Thank you for your replys everyone. You never know until you try so going to give w3r1 a go today. I will let you know if I manage it😁

[Murphy73]

ksea - how did you do?

[ksea]

I did it! Did post under "no need to be afraid". Needed to take an extra days rest because my leg muscles hurt. I then did it again this morning so on track to finish week 3 on Thursday and move to week 4 at the weekend 😀