Gremlins are heavy

[Linaka]

Was meant to go running yesterday but after walking all day my legs felt like they were on fire from that amount of exercise so pushed my run back to today. I've now just finished my week 3 run 3 and the gremlins were at my legs the whole run. It was really tough and kept trying to keep my mind busy and ignore them. I also had a peek at my next run (wk 4). It sounds intimidating, there is a lot less walking in that one!!!

[sophistikitty Graduate]

It's intimidating, but having just done W4R1 it's definitely doable - and you'll feel amazing having managed it.

[Linaka in reply to sophistikitty]

Looking forward to doing it gonna just slow it right down though

[sophistikitty Graduate in reply to Linaka]

I did the same - it wasn't entirely conscious, but I use a tracker at the same time as the podcast which showed that I was running quite a bit slower than on previous weeks (about a 10 minute mile, rather than 8 or 9).

[melly4012 Graduate]

Well done for pushing through! It's those runs where you can push the gremlins away which you gain the most from and add to your fitness.

It does looks scary looking from week to week but the programme will have prepared you for it! Your fitness will have improved so you'll notice that you don't need so much recovery time between runs. You've shown you can shake those gremlins so you'll be absolutely fine

[Irish-John Graduate]

Just on w7D1. It would have killed me if I had looked that far ahead and seeing what was waiting for me when I started. Now I am eager to take up the challenge!

As to the 'Gremlins' - I now know that the first part of my runs will 'wreck' my lungs and the second part will 'wreck' my legs. Just knowing that this is 'normal' for me helps me push through

It's all about progress though - NOT 'perfection' W1D1 almost had me on life support waiting for a bilateral Lung transplant - at least that is what it felt like. My only 'ambition' then was to 'some day in the far flung future' get through W1

This programme builds you up, I repeated several stages several times and that is part of it for me - I now no longer get impatient or frustrated with 'delays' as it has brought me further and faster than I literally could have imagined, so I trust it

My run days now are either 'success days' or 'practice days' - I no longer think of any of them as 'failures'. Because they are not a failure - to go back to the 'couch' part would be however.

Good days are great, 'bad' days are practice Hang in here with the rest of us

[lightweightkate Graduate]

It's scary sometimes - I am on week 5 and not looking forward to my run 3 BUT........you did it today - those pesky gremlins are awful... I imagine them as sitting on my shoulder and me taking them off and throwing them to the ground - this is usually accompanied by me shouting at them (cringe) but it works ......dread to think what I sound and look like Well done on a tough run and believe in the programme - it really does work

[RunningGeek Graduate]

Well done for completing it. You are braver than me, I would rather the next new run be a complete surprise! If I knew what was in store that little voice would become far too loud. Keep going, onwards and upwards towards W9

[McFitty Graduate]

I hated week 3 and in fact had to repeat it. I just read back through my running diary and my first words for wk3r1 were "What? 3 minutes?? All at once???" After completing that, week 4 actually seemed slightly less taxing, I don't know why. You will be fine. Start really slow (my mantra) and then keep it slow. You're doing really well

[RunningGeek Graduate in reply to McFitty]

Aaaargh! I wish I hadn't read this. Have just finished W2 & didn't want to know what I was letting myself in for. Still, onwards & upwards & remember to go slow

[McFitty Graduate in reply to RunningGeek]

Sorry! An update to that is that had I actually have known about running slower at the time, it would have been a whole different story. Keep it slow and steady, you have a great mindset already, you'll be fine. I must remember in future *no spoilers*