Horrendous run

[Karen44]

Well after graduating on Sunday I ran yesterday the same distance I have been running and it was horrendous to the point it has put me off for life. Started the run and almost instantly felt worn out but kept going as this has happened before and after 5 mins you feel ok, but I didn't really go away today and my 20 mins I was ready to drop. My daughter was running with me and tbh I normally set the pace and she normally struggles as she didn't do the whole C25K from the beginning as she was fitter than me to start and it was running with her and stubbornness that kept me going till the end. Normally 5 mins after finishing I'm like that wasn't too bad but no it was horrendous and I just wanted to quit there and then. Feeling totally deflated 😞

[EuanR Graduate]

Wow. Not sure what to say other than we all have crap runs from time to time and not to let it put you off. Maybe take a few extra days to recover properly before your next run. Hope you don't quit or all your hard work will have been in vain.

[Charlottefc87 Graduate]

No don't quit, you have done so well and worked so hard! I would honestly just chalk that up to a bad run, we all have them and sometimes for no reason at all. You know you can do this, don't go telling yourself otherwise! Let us know how the next run goes!

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Running with others requires a conscious and regular checking that the pace is okay for everyone. Sounds to me that your sister may have found maintaining the pace easier than you, so you should have checked with one another.

Sibling rivalry may have something to do with it.

[LiisaM Graduate]

Dear Karen44, Laura says in the c25k+ somewhere "A bad run is better than no run." Isn't that true for you? Just chalk it up and keep running. Good runs are right around the corner for you yet.

[Hidden]

Hey remember that very first run when you thought your lungs would burst when it was only 60 seconds of running? Remember the wide grin you couldn't wipe from your face after the infamous W5R3?

Remember the feeling of sticking at a programme for 9 weeks or more and then graduating day? These are all banked as are your kms and stamina.

You wouldn't leave money savings in the bank and forget they existed, so please don't leave your running bank savings either.

Rubbish runs bite you on the bum, often when you least expect them to. Take some rest, give yourself a pat on the back, you didn't quit that run, and I'm guessing you don't want to quit running.

Have a lovely weekend and face the day again with hope and the grit you already possess.

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

Chin up. You are a new Graduate... you have just completed the programme brilliantly Our running legs have only just started their growing cycle... your stamina and strength likewise.

Please, please.. don't let it stop you running..this happens and we do, if there are others involved have a temptation to push..( even subconsciously) I have only ever run with someone else... my son in law and daughter, before I started this programme.. and a friend who wanted to try it... on one run.

That was the only time... and I can remember feeling, I had to keep up... S-i-L and daughter were younger, fitter and faster, even slowing down for me... they stopped running.... and I started the programme alone in 2015... my friend did the one run... she is so competitive in everything,, and always wants to be first.. she bounded ahead and initially I was pushing myself....she bounded ahead, ran up hills went off, came back... at full speed..I pulled back to my normal pace... 7K later... she had to stop, I was fine.... she was totally exhausted....she never came again. She said it wasn't for her.

There is maybe a moral here..not sure. You had a bad run...but you ran... There are a few folk on the forum, who feel as they are doing the journey, that they know everything that there is to know about running and all it involves...( not you:)) it is not the case..we are just beginners and after Graduation, that is when we start to really learn more. I learn something about myself and my running on ever single run.

Try to think of carrying on, finding out about the disciplines of running...you need to be doing the consolidation of the 30 minute runs... the trial of other routes, using hills and off road experiences..trying the C25K+ podcasts etc etc..

You are a runner.... a graduate...this is your journey now... yours...

So... either, discuss honestly, with your daughter... or.. maybe, go for your next run alone. A route that you know... don't choose a time or distance..just, run.... Warm up well, start slow, and maintain it until you find your comfortable pace...then relax and enjoy every slow and steady step... please.. don't let this journey finish here... there is so much more... and we are right there beside you

[Hillrunner2201]

I clearly remember my worst run and only 'failed' run which was just before I graduated from the program and had taken a few days off after Christmas and some bad weather with snow and icy pavements. I did well to get out of bed early to run but just hated it and ran out of energy about half way through and it was windy, cold and miserable. I restarted though a couple of days later in the evening on my first day back at work, it was a totally different experience and I'm so pleased I didn't give up as I'm still running nearly 3 years later. Everyone has bad runs, just stick with it and the rewards will come 🙂

[Realfoodieclub Graduate]

To be honest I hate running with others on a one To one basis, something in my brain kicks in and makes me pull myself to pieces. So many things can change the atmosphere of a run, please don't judge your whole journey on one run, you might be coming down with something. Please try a couple more and see how you get on.

[Valcart Graduate]

Keep on running - it will be worth it!

[Shivani05 Graduate]

You had a bad run. It' happens to all of us, and I can guarantee it'll happen to you again too. That's ok. Just shake it off and go back out there for the next one. Your body is different on every run for any number of reasons - how well you've slept, what you ate, how active you were/weren't the day before, how sore or tight your muscles are - so every run will be different. But the more consistently you run the better you will get, and the bad runs will be just blips in a hopefully long, enjoyable running career.

[Whatsapp Graduate]

You DID IT!! You felt like giving up but you didn't. You stared it in the face and did not find yourself wanting. As the quote goes, "I don't stop when I'm tired, I stop when I am done."

These bad runs are the ones we really should be most proud of. They are the ones where we really dig deep and show our mettle.

Those first runs in the weeks after graduation are hard. I pulled up short a couple of times on runs, and now I wish, like you I had kept going. But what I didn't do is let it stop me running again.

[Irishprincess Graduate]

The only runs I haven't enjoyed in the four years of running have been with a friend. Our paces were different, our expectations different. She wanted to chat and I didn't. I kept thinking of her and not me! You get the picture?

You're each trying to keep pace with the other and invariably one runs faster than the other.

For many of us here, running is a solitary joy so try running alone and find your own pace and rhythm. You could also try running with your choice of music as that can make a big difference to how you feel.

You've worked too hard to give up. If you do, you'll regret it.

[Hidden]

My first post graduation run 4 weeks ago was terrible. I am still struggling to get my pace right - want to run too fast then can't keep going. But determined to stick at it because I know I can get it right if I practise. And my holiday runs have been lovely. It's the getting out there and getting thoroughly out of puff that counts, not whether you had to walk a bit because you were running up a mountain (lot of those in Scotland it seems). That's what I am telling myself anyway.

[MoGr Graduate]

I know that past graduation i found the first few runs a challenge. Having pushed yourself to achieve you do feel a bit lost!! There are 3 stepping stone runs that help you speed up/build stamina. I have been using them and have found my next challenge!!! X

[Hidden]

Well done for keeping going! I hope the next run is better. It would be a terrible shame to give up now.