Week 7 done... I think!

[LinaLamont]

So I *think* I have completed week 7 - I'm not sure if I ran 25 minutes, or just over, or just under as the app was playing up massively so I had to estimate based on the last time I'd checked the time and how far I was into the song I was listening to! so it felt a little anti-climactic. then I was nearly run over by a small kid on a bike!

I'm really pleased to have got this far and to not have faltered, but I have to ask: does it get any easier? each run this week and last has felt like a huge challenge and not in an enjoyable way. I know that I must be getting fitter, but it feels like after only a few minutes I feel out of breath etc and I have to coax myself into getting past 12.5 minutes.

Or do I need to wait months/years down the line, beyond C25k, for a run to ever feel easy?

[misswobble Graduate]

No I don't think so. It does take a while though so you have to be patient. Each run will be part of the process of getting fitter, and if you add other exercise to that, then you'll get fitter quicker and then hopefully your runs will get easier. It's all about building up your body to support your running, and you need to do that safely and develop gradually

C25k is only an introduction to running. You can't expect to be the finished article in 9 weeks. Once you graduate and move on to Stepping Stones podcasts you will find you get quicker. The bridge to 10k is fun, as you add 10% a week to your distance. I really enjoyed doing 6k and then 7k the following week, and before you know if you're up to 10k.

[LinaLamont Graduate in reply to misswobble]

Thank you, that's very good advice indeed. I need to look at doing some more exercise to supplement the c25k and I probably need to adjust my diet too.

By Stepping Stones do you mean the first podcasts in C25K+?

Thanks again, I really appreciate it!

[misswobble Graduate in reply to LinaLamont]

Yep, the 3 podcasts, are stepping stones, stamina and speed. All very good at moving your running on. Run them a lot! Mix them up.

Yep, by all means look at your diet. It follows that to get fit and healthy you need to eat healthily. Just leaving out snacky foods and upping the veg and fruit/ reducing alchohol will help.

[sarah469 Graduate]

Hello, well done for Week 7! I had the same trouble with the app in Week 5 which really unsettled me as I like structure! I switched to the podcasts after that and never looked back

I'm now a couple of months after graduation and I do think it does get easier. This week I did the Speed C25K+ podcast and I found it almost easy - it was about 15 minutes of running going at normal/fast/normal/fast pace etc. I was surprised at how easy I found it. And a few months ago that would have been a mountain to me!

I remember reading a response to a similar post once where someone had replied that it only feels like it's not getting any easier with C25K because you are raising the goalposts with every single run - once you've graduated, you can try the same run for a while, and then I think you'll be able to tell better if it's getting easier I'm sure it will!

Good luck with the last couple of weeks and let us know how it goes!

[LinaLamont Graduate in reply to sarah469]

Thank you Sarah, I really appreciate your advice! Just got to tell myself to stick with it beyond c25k. I think at first I thought I would find running easy once the course is over and suddenly find running effortless (at least for 5k, I wasn't that ambitious) but now I see I'm in it for the long haul and have to adjust my expectations as such

[sarah469 Graduate in reply to LinaLamont]

Yes, exactly I still find running 5K difficult, for sure, and I still can't in 30 minutes (I'm at 33 minutes right now) - but I'm so glad to now be able to do it, which is the main thing for me!