You have put in all you need to do to successfully run for 20 minutes. Don't doubt yourself, nice and slow, breathe well, plod on for 20 minutes, rest. You can do it LOL
Your maths is not correct. Or it would be if you had just run 8 mins on R2, but you didn't. You ran 8 mins and 8 mins. Here's how it should look:
8min+ 8min= 16mins
16 mins to 20 mins = 25% increase
Everyone is plagued with doubts about W5R3. It's the big spike in the middle of the programme. 20 minutes!!! No way I can run 20 minutes...
except you can. The progressions in the programme are worked out that way, not plucked arbitrarily from the air. If you ran the two 8 minutes you will be able to run the 20. Have a look for W5R3 in the little search box at the top right of the page. You will find a huge number of posts on this topic. They will fall into two groups: "Help! I won't be able to do W5R3!" and "OMG I can't believe it! I just did W5R3! I'm a runner!"
There will one of each of those from me in there somewhere.
We all freak out about W5R3. We all astound ourselves by doing it. (We also all get our arses handed to us on a plate by W6R1, but that's a whole different thing and we'll come to that after you have done this.)
Now go and do a mountain of things and don't think about R3 again until you lace up your trainers on Saturday and go out there and crush it.
The 20 minute run is important at this point, there's no need to re-design the program. Before you do it you'll naturally worry that it's too big a jump from 2 x 8 mins but it's not. Running is as much in your mind as it is in your legs, the 20 minute block is just another mental hurdle. You'll understand just how important it is over the next few weeks. Everyone worries about it, but please give it a go, you will surprise yourself.
Lol happy hillwalker.. nope..no backing out! You can do it.. posted a reply on the comment you left for me.. thanks.. I'm going to be behind you kicking your butt.. but you gotta fight those gremlins yourself! And honestly.. don't fear them.. beat them ! X
You're overthinking it (although I will admit, I was interested to see the jump in percentage!). This plan has equipped you with the skills, both physical and mental, to be able to cope with this challenge. Everyone approaches this run with some amount of nerves, and so many of us have come through it. If you delay it you might make it into more of a mental block than it needs to be - go out there and do W5R3, I know you can
I did my 20 mins to-day. Your body can do more than you think, it just hasn't had to run that distance before now. Trust the programme and yourself. At the end of mine I lay flat on the footpath I was that knackered. Try putting your own music on your ipod, it helped me. Good luck.
Stay positive, keep putting one foot in front of the other, and you'll get through it. The big 20 minute run is a mental challenge - you can do a quick google search and see so many posts demonstrating the nerves before and the elation after.
Be sure to post to let us all know how you're getting on!
Please don't be terrified, you really can do it, honest. You are stronger than you realise. Just give it a go and stick with the plan and you are ready for it if you've completed all of the previous runs. 😊
I've just completed W5 R2 tonight too. Worried about the next run too but just have to believe in the programme. I'm doing it Saturday evening. Good luck for your run. Slow and steady.
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W5R2
W5r2 - that was really tough 
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W5R2 😩
