Tempted to skip

[Lauracorin]

Ran week 5 run 3 this morning. It felt really easy - I was very surprised. It seems odd to go back down to walk/running next week. Does anyone know the rationale for dropping back? Yes, I'm impatient.

[agedsnailspace Graduate]

Stick to the program - it will surprise you! Week 6 is about building resiliance and learning to beat the gremlins. Definitely do not skip it and come back and tell us how it went. Week 6 is often trickier than people expect. I'll say no more!

[Davoda Graduate]

That's exactly what I thought & wanted to know! Honestly I could have written this post - right down to the impatient bit!!!

[Davoda Graduate in reply to Davoda]

The other thing I would say is, I'm just ahead of you - just about to do wk7r3. Wk6r1 &2 are only 2 runs, so in the big scheme they are nothing! Having asked your questions 10 days ago & felt tempted to skip them, they're already behind me!

I'm glad I did them! I decided at the time just to trust the programme, it had got me there & it was right, so I assumed it was right about those too!

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to Davoda]

You were right.. totally

We have a friend on here... Rignold ... , not around too much currently, but a fantastic guy and so supportive, and very down to earth!!! and his point was, if you are using the programme, you follow it.. simple as that...

[Beccym Graduate]

These are the last intervals, lots of people findcwk 6 hard. Intervals build stamina.

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

Patience...it is the only way.

Many of us felt a little like this, and, as agedsnailspace says, a few folk were very wrong footed when they hit Week 6... so, follow the programmes careful structure .

The whole idea, is to get your stamina built up to those thirty minute runs after the nine weeks, and to do it comfortably, injury free and having an enjoyable journey

[Flossie22 Graduate]

Agree with all, don't skip a week, it's there for a reason. Enjoy your journey to graduation 🎓 😀🏃🏼‍♀️🏃🏻🏃🏼‍♀️🏃🏻

[Jonesycat Graduate]

This is a tried and tested programme completed successfully by thousands of people. Nothing in it is extraneous or trivial; there is no 'going backwards', there are no 'easy' weeks. Intervals are not an 'easy' option, they are used by runners of every level for every type of event to improve resilience and gain stamina. And runners, for the sake of their health, well-being and avoidance of injury, have to have patience and progress gradually.

Here endeth the lesson

Enjoy that huge enthusiasm you obviously have, stick with it and you'll be glad you did.

Best of luck!

[GoogleMe Graduate]

I think you almost answered your own question... you know you are impatient... the programme helps to teach patience. And humility. My observation is that of the people who struggle to complete the programme and thereafter run regularly for 30 minutes (or more, as they choose) a high proportion are those who because they already see themselves as fairly fit or do sport struggle with 'doing as they are told' and tend to second guess or want to rush things.

[Lauracorin in reply to GoogleMe]

I do walk a lot and haven't found the programme to be a struggle so far (I run very, very slowly though). Nonetheless, I am truly amazed that I can now run 20 minutes. If I stick with the programme, I will have my last few runs when I'm off work over Christmas, so unless Scotland has the snow that some have been predicting, that will be lovely.

[Pc59 Graduate]

I was surprised at that too but was also shocked as thought it would be easy after continuous running. ... Believe it or not one run was a struggle!! Follow the programme it's amazing & works!!! Good luck & most of all enjoy😊🏃🏃😊

[Rosie958 Graduate]

I was one of those who were wrong footed by Week 6! Like you, I had progressed through the programme with relative ease, so it came as a bit of a shock to be honest. I'd echo what everyone else has said about following the programme, I'm glad I did!

Oh, and whereabouts in Scotland are you? Hello from Edinburgh

[Lauracorin in reply to Rosie958]

Sunny Fife (at least sunny this morning).

[Rosie958 Graduate in reply to Lauracorin]

It was a gorgeous sunny morning this side of the Forth, but flipping freezing! I hope the snow stays away, I really don't fancy the idea of running in that!

[Lauracorin in reply to Rosie958]

Today's not a running day, so Husband and I went for a walk in the sunshine. Not too cold in the sunshine.

[Linda_pink Graduate in reply to Lauracorin]

We are in Fife too, it was gorgeous this morning when we did W6r2 x

[Michael_W Graduate]

Heartily agree with comments about week 6. I thought I'd broken the back of it after week 5 but week 6 had other ideas! If you really are finding it very easy though, perhaps crack on a bit. I know the program is all about time and not speed but no harm in testing yourself, especially in the last couple of minutes of a session. Lots of folks don't reach 5km by the end of week 9 but some of us do so if age/fitness are on your side then why not give it a go?

[Lauracorin in reply to Michael_W]

Ooh. Scary. I'm 53, so I think I'll stick with slow....

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to Lauracorin]

You do right, I, like many, feel it is the way forward.. we are all different . but speed and distance can follow...and it does if you want it to.

I did my first 10K, on my one year runniversary, ( at 66)... but it was a very slow process getting there... lots of fun on the way though

[davidy233]

The app I'm using (C25k free) doesn't include the NHS plan week six - goes straight to a longer non stop run as part of an eight week graduation programme - so at the end of this week I'm going back to the NHS podcast for week six then onto the last two weeks of the app's schedule

[mfamilias Graduate]

Week six is there for a reason, do it. I might be a bit of a damp squib here, but the 20 min run gives a sense of false security. Week six made me eat humble pie. It builds resistance and endurance, and the timing of those run/walk sessions make the three runs real work-outs. If you miss out on it then you won't have completed the programme - you graduate when you've ticked ALL the boxes. 😇 Go!

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate in reply to mfamilias]

Totally agree my friend... cross the Ts and dot the Is..it is the only way !

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Of course you can skip runs and use the programme as an outline and you may well be successful in doing that. If you do not succeed, then you will know where you went wrong. You are building yourself up, hopefully, for a lifetime of running. Getting to the end of a tried and tested training plan a week or so quicker is of little consequence in the longer scheme of things. When you do graduate, you will still be a very, very new runner, with only a few hours of experience. I thought about skipping some early weeks, as I found them easy, but decided that the designer of C25k knew more about running than I did, so stuck to the plan. W6R1 took me by surprise..........it was tough.