Week 5 struggles!

[cloranryan]

So today I completed day 1 of week 5 without too much difficulty. Feeling very proud of how far I've come, but I'm looking at day 3 of this week thinking how on EARTH am I going to run for 20 minutes in a matter of a few days?!

Just looking for reassurance that it is possible, and any tips from those who have done it

Thanks!

[Slinkyminky Graduate]

Absolutely definitely possible, there's a lot of us who've done it 😊

Try not to worry about it, everything you've done so far is preparing you for it. Just remember to go slow slow slow 👍

[Beccym Graduate]

Everyone feels the same about this run. Trust in the program and remember you can always repeat weeks.

[runlikeagirl Graduate]

Everyone who is (was!) a true coucher feels the same way about this one. The way to do it is s...l...o...w. If you put week 5 into the search button at the top right hand corner you will see this mantra repeated again and again. Get speed and distance right out of your head at this stage as the programme is designed to build stamina in a safe and sustainable manner. If you take this one slow and steady and followed the programme thus far then you CAN achieve this seemingly unattainable time... (and then you can enjoy worrying about week 6 and the 25 minutes goal )

[LordLuton Graduate]

You'll do it and you'll feel amazing afterwards. By 8 minutes, you'll think you need to stop but you don't. By 15 mins, you'll think you can run all day but you can't. But you can do 25 and you will. Slow and steady. Lean forwards. One foot after another.

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

Focus on how far you have come... and not what is to come... Keep it slow and keep it steady...you can and will do this ( honestly) !

[Shan93]

Hi!

I did W5R3 last week, and honestly, afterwards, it's one of the best feelings ever. It's so easy to convince yourself that you won't be able to do it - but when you get out there and start, you'll find that you just want to keep going, you want to prove to yourself that you can do it, and that you're going to smash it!

It'd probably be a good shout to have an idea of your route beforehand so that's one less thing to think about while you're out there. I was also strategic about the songs that would be playing while I was out. I made sure that a song that I knew would cheer me up played around about the half way mark, and then again at about fifteen minutes and eighteen minutes. Just little things that made it a bit easier.

Genuinely though - you can do this. Take it at your own pace and try not to psych yourself out beforehand