Wk8r2 - changed my usual 'flat' run to the park where the upcoming Race for Life takes place - quite hilly. By the third hill I thought my heart was going to explode and I had to stop at 20 mins. Gutted as have completed all previous runs but couldn't have gone any slower!
Killer hills!: Wk8r2 - changed my usual 'flat... - Couch to 5K
Killer hills!
Why are you gutted? You added a new challenge into your running and managed the first two hills? Did you expect running up hills to be the same as running on the flat? No, of course not. Adding incline is no different to increasing time or pace or any other variable. It is harder ran what you did before. It makes it more difficult. It takes getting used to. And how do you do that? the same way you got from W1D1 to W8. One step at a time, one rep at a time.
If you have been running on theflat until now, don't throw a hill route in to your mix more than once a week to begin with. And compensate.
AND above all, never be gutted with findinga new challenge hard work. Its a new challenge. I did an exercise challenge this morning and only managed 50% of the target in the allotted time. Wrote it down. Got a goal to beat next time. Felt Epic.
Yeah, sorry! The Race for Life was the initial reason for starting this programme so I was just just feeling rather disappointed with the realisation that I will not be fit enough to run much of it!
Sure you will. Even the world's greatest ultra runners walk the hills some of the time. It bout startegising your energy. And y'know, you're going to ace that race whereas a few weeks ago it seemed an unattainable dream. And there are goingt to be ,amy more races and many more hills to improve on.
You used to be a couch potato, remember? You're almost a gazelle and you're beating yourself up because you're not a mountain goat? C'mon...
A few weeks back I was visiting family and thought the run I'd picked was fairly flat. (Obviously I don't quite understand the squiggles on mapmyrun yet). I had to postpone the programme as I could only walk/run some very undulating territory. I enjoyed feeling a different stretch in the legs and also enjoyed the walking breaks, which allowed me to do little sprints up the hilly bits. I just thought it was funny and ended up being out longer than usual experimenting and having fun. I certainly didn't manage 20 minutes running continuously so well done you! (I understand your frustration that your run was shorter than planned though).