Hi, I have just completed day2 of week1, will I get used to running ? I felt fab afterwards but I seem to be gasping for breath !! Is there a way to regulate my breathing when I run ?? And do I stay on the same run until it gets abit easier or do I keep going ? π€
Does it get easier ? : Hi, I have just completed... - Couch to 5K
Does it get easier ?
The short answer is: absolutely, It really does get easier. I found that when I started, and even occasionally now, I struggled with stitches. Regulating my breathing became very important for helping me get through the runs. I found that breathing out in an exaggerated manner (almost as you would into a paper bag) for 3-4 left foot strikes and the same in, helped immensely. It helped regulate the diaphragm and prevent the stitches and shorter breaths that made me breathless over a run. The programme is there to work for you, if you feel you need to repeat a week, do. You need to balance this, however, with trusting your body and having the confidence to try the next run in the programme. Best of luck.
Yes it does! Take your time though, keeping going for the time is more important than having a race with yourself. I varied the routes I took outdoors, usually on a weekly basis just for some variety. I also ran at night so had to keep to well lit areas
Don't know about your breathing but I have not been able to regulate mine I still gasp and pant and suck air - but it certainly is easier now
Basically, I now start feeling the 'pain' at 1.5 miles that I used to feel at one hundred yards. I'm not kidding.
I guess at some point before graduation I had a vision of someday being able to effortlessly bound around with a smile on my face and holding a deep philosophical conversation with a silent partner while breathing as naturally as when sleeping
Ain't gonna happen But - would not be such a sense of achievement every time I finish a run if it did
So - yes, it does get easier. Simpler? - that's a bit more complicated
Before you think of giving up though - read my earlier posts and those of other like me and see the absolute honesty when I say 'If I could graduate - so can you'
I hope you stay and keep running with us - we have a lot of fun around here. We might run on our own, but we are never alone
It is tough - part of running is training your lungs, heart and muscles to cope - and it does improve.
First rule is always to SLOW DOWN if you are struggling. Just keep plugging away - you'll get there!