Help!

[mariamc67]

First time posting but have been lurking in the background and gaining silent support from you wonderful people 😊

I seem to be stuck on week 5 run 2! I've had to repeat a couple of runs before but nothing like this. I'm not sure if it's a mental attitude thing or a physical thing but it's driving me nuts! 6 times I haven't managed to complete it now and whilst I'm trying really hard not to let it get me down....it damn well is!!!

I manage the first 8 mins ok (well not easily but you know what I mean!) but about half way into the second 8 mins I just go to pot....it's either my legs or my breathing.... The most I've managed is 6 mins on the second run.

Now I know that's great for someone who gave up the cigs 3 months ago and has never ran in her life before....and I do keep telling myself how well I'm doing but I'm at a loss what to try....do I go back to W5R1? Any advice? I'm determined not to give up!

[Beccym Graduate]

Don't beat yourself up. A lot of the time it's mind over matter you'll find your breath evens itself out, I can run for an hour now but still find the first 5 to 10 mins the hardest. Try repeating run 2 a couple of times.

[mariamc67 Graduate in reply to Beccym]

Will keep repeating it until I manage it....it's not gonna beat me! My first run section is always the toughest but then I seem to find a rhythm. Thanks for the encouragement!

[JaySeeSkinny Graduate]

The mantra is "slow down". Take it slower on the first 8 mins so you've got some energy for the second run. You can do it, you've already run 3x5 on run 1, and you can do the first 8 mins of run 2, so it's all in your head. Maybe change your route a bit. Good luck - you can do it!

[mariamc67 Graduate in reply to JaySeeSkinny]

Ok will try and slow it right down on the first run. I normally run on a path through the dunes at the beach which is lovely but hilly! Maybe I'll try the flatter road next time. I do think it's a mind thing which I'm finding very frustrating!

[Millsie-J Graduate]

You can do this, ypu are almost doing it already. Have you tried a diffetent route maybe? It works for some but not for others...... Is there a park perhaps where you can treat youself to flatter ground just to prove to those gremlins you can do it? I did a river run when i needed that extra confidence, the scenery helped me relax, you can take time to look and enjoy rather than thinking how much longer! Whatever you decide, go slow and steady, and be kind to ypurself by making sure you are not leaving a nasty incline for those last couple of minutes! As Laura would say....you can do this! Keep us posted😀

[OldPossum]

Those pesky gremlins almost certainly have a part to play here but you CAN do it. Slow right down and kick those gremlins in the butt! At that stage in the program I ran slower than I walked and if I had anything left in the tank I sped up a bit right at the end. We will all be with you spurring you on 😀

I'm reading "Running Like a Girl " at the moment and she offers a scientific explanation for the difficulty we experience in the first 5-10 minutes of running. Apparently it's something to do with a build up of lactic acid which starts to clear once you get past that point. I'm sure there is more to it than that but it does get easier.

[lightweightkate Graduate]

You have almost done it and well done for keeping going....not more I can add to the already great advice here - except to underline the slow down mantra. When you want to stop , just keep taking it down a gear and if you are anything like me don't start too fast either 😀 as I never have the stamina to complete the time markers if I do that 😀Good luck and let us know how you get on - You can do this - promise you 😉

[Irish-John Graduate]

One of the best runs I ever had was the day I kind of felt like just having a bit of a laugh and decided I was going to see what it would be like if I ran as slow as humanly possible

It turned into a great therapeutic session! I got rid of a lot of "uptight, competitive,must run perfectly" Gremlins, really enjoyed myself, felt like I had had an unexpected day off work, was in good shape when I finished.....and was flabbergasted when I saw my time was not all that much slower after all!

We can put a lot of mental pressure on ourselves which can lead to "self sabotage" sometimes. Maybe just going out for a "fun run" might help you trample a few Gremlins that are holding you back?

[runswithdogs Graduate in reply to Irish-John]

Great idea IJ - people can almost always go slower. That sounds like a very entertaining idea. I will go out and try it this week.

[Irish-John Graduate in reply to runswithdogs]

It's fun, feels really different and you have to concentrate so much at first you cover a lot of ground without feeling it

[runswithdogs Graduate]

Try a mantra. When the going gets tough, picture yourself as an athlete pushing through on one of those sports ads. Repeat in your head something you find inspiring - anything from 'I think I can, I think I can' to my OH's favourite 'Slow is smooth and smooth is fast'. Something to focus your mind when you're fading. You can find lots if you google running mantras.

[melly4012 Graduate]

Slow down. Even if you physically feel you can't run slower, you can! When you begin to struggle trick yourself by breaking up the distance mentally, for example, tell yourself you'll run to the next bench/lamp post/end of the road and then you'll stop - but when you get there, aim for the next one.

Remember, physically you can complete the run! The programme has prepared you for it so there is no reason, besides those pesky gremlins, that you can't get through. If you've managed six minutes of the last running interval, you can do the last two minutes, even if you have to shuffle through them. Just keep those legs moving. You can do it!!

[Ullyrunner Graduate]

Don't feel down. You've come such a long way.

You know this is probably a mental problem as much as a physical one. Can you change your route so you don't reach a point where you think ' oh, this is where I always have to stop'?

The other trick is always to slow it down. It may be you are going out too fast on your first run and leaving little puff for the second one.

Keep plugging away. You will do this!

[mariamc67 Graduate]

Thank you so much for all the great advice! I think I'm running/jogging too fast! Also my scenic but hilly route is probably taking more energy than needed. So! Tomorrow night I shall go at a snails pace and run the flat beach road. I will not be beaten by week 5 run 2!!!! Will let you know how I get on!