Is it mental blocks?
What are the 'Gremlins' you all talk about? - Couch to 5K
What are the 'Gremlins' you all talk about?
IcanandIwillGraduate
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IcanandIwill
Graduate
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20 Replies
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PumpKimGraduate
My gremlins are the little blighters telling me I couldn't do it and goading me to stop. They were the hardest thing to beat but I did manage to kick them into touch and graduated last week. Keep at it and never let the gremlins win!
GetupandgoGraduate
For me it's negative thinking such as 'this is so hard, my legs are killing me, there is no way I am going to make this', 'does this really matter, do I really want to do this', 'this is so hard, I am never going to be able to achieve this programme so I may as well stop now' These are just some examples from my run yesterday! Whereas the positive thinking is 'this is a good,tried and tested programme, I just need to take is slowly and I WILL achieve this', ' I actually got a rhythm going there and it felt good' etc etc. I find this forum really helps with my negative thinking because it is such a positive and optimistic place with lots of people achieving some great goals. I have found that as I have got more into this programme the positivity of it all has begun to spill over into my thinking about other parts of my life too. I hope the gremlins keep away from you and that you find the forum a good prop to your goals too.
That's the wee blighters right there..exactly as you described them Getupandgo 
Got ya! Yes, I have my own gremlins. My retort is 'toned legs, toned legs' lol
jt24Graduate
Getupandgo's gremlins are definitely related to mine and Sparky's lol! Mine just love to be really quite rude- 'feck this' is a phrase they like to chant at my weakest moments!!
It's weird though, I only visited this forum when I was on week 4. I thought I owned the terms 'gremlins' and 'snail plodding' yet clearly I'm not alone lol!
Ah, I see. The gremlins make you want to give up?
secanGraduate
Mental blocks, self-doubt, moments of laziness, worries... you name it.
"Gremlins" are all the things generated by your mind, that get in the way of your runs. 
JoolieB1Graduate
Just negative thoughts like 'why are you doing this?' Or 'just walk, you can't do it'!
Mental bo**ocks.
JaySeeSkinnyGraduate
I prefer Secan's pixies. These little beasts whisper in your ear once you've caught the running bug, tempting you to run when you shouldn't. On your rest days, when you're coughing, before your shin splints / twisted ankles / pulled muscles etc. have properly healed. They also encourage you to run faster and further than you should - thus risking injury or burn-out. When they're around the gremlins are always very quiet (I think they're scared of the pixies).
Pixies use phrases like "look at that sunshine, it would be a waste not to run", or "you know you want to - go on".
It's difficult this running lark, caught between gremlins and pixies. But it's also great fun!
misswobbleGraduate
No such things. They don't exist. Deny their existence and they bog off
I don't even know if they exist. Are they mental blocks or a voice that makes you want to run on your off days when you should be resting?
'Gremlins' are the mental blocks and waves of negative thoughts when the going gets tough! Apparently it's 'pixies' that are the positive ones that try to make you run rather than rest lol! I think it's going to be a long time until I have to 'worry' about the pixies visiting
misswobbleGraduate
It's self doubt really. You're not having any are you? Nah course not!
Oooh you must take your rest day! Always have a day off running as that is when the body repairs itself and gets itself ready to go again. It's when running legs get built, so don't do it! Do something else instead, eg cycling, walking, swimming, zumba etc etc.
JHutchGraduate
They're those little internal critics that question why you're doing this, why not just stay in bed or have another biscuit/pint/glass of wine, or tell you that you can't possibly keep running for that length of time, or that people will look at you funny, you're not a "real" runner, it's too wet/windy/sunny/dark/hot/cold to go running...
Basically, all those little negative thoughts that crop up as you run that you need to squash and ignore, or those seemingly helpful voices that give you excuses not to get on and do it, which are perhaps more dangerous!
CeltprofGraduate
The little voice that whispers "think about how hard this is- why don't you just stop?"
badgerunGraduate
And the one that says " You can't go out now because you might be "seen""
Or the one that says, "you might as well not bother, the kids and the house and the job and whatever else need your time, you won't have time to run in the future, why start now when you can't keep it up"?
bulgarianlilyGraduate
I now run in a park with an extraordinary number of benches in it. After a few minutes running they begin to look quite comfortable. So to avoid the temptation, and to keep going generally, when I have a negative thought I pick a bench coming up on the path and imagine a 'gremlin' on it. I imagine what he is wearing, how big and ugly he is etc, and then as I go past I mentally give him a big boff on the nose! Works for me.... at least so far.
