Its all been going really well so far, but the thought of running for 20 mins without stopping is terrifying!!
someone tell me it's ok?? :o)
Wk 5 Run 3........20 mins!!! can I do it??! - Couch to 5K
Wk 5 Run 3........20 mins!!! can I do it??!
Written by
LJB74
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Guess what it's ok. The best thing to do is go and look at the Wtf it's W5R3 'before' posts, and see how many 'OMG I did it' posts there are...
LJB74 in reply to
thank you......will take a look. I will be very proud of myself if I get through this :o)
iain-strachanGraduate
It's absolutely fine! But everyone (including me) is terrified before it. Here's a way of thinking about it. Week 5 Run 2 you do 8+5+8 with the 5 minutes walk in the middle. That's 21 minutes from starting running to ending. With run 3 you are 20 minutes from starting running to ending.
If you don't get too far out of breath for 8 minutes, you have found your sustainable pace and will be able to do it for 20!
When I did W5R2, it was on the hottest day of the year, and I waited till 9:30pm when the temperature was only a mere 28C. I found I didn't really need the walk break in the middle, though I still did it.
thanks for the tips! The support on this site is fab! i'm nervously looking forward to it!
As a graduate......has running now become a regular part of your life?
in reply to LJB74
Yup 3 times a week, no excuses...
Ah thereby hangs a tale! The intention is that it will do. The week after graduating I did two 5k runs (for the first time - only covered about 4.5 in the 30 mins), as practice for the Parkrun. Then made what turned out to be a mistake of doing a yoga class the day before, having never done yoga before. Felt marvellous after it, but morning of Parkrun I felt slightly stiff. Did the parkrun in a reasonable time for me (37.5 minutes), but after it, back felt awful (all previous runs had left me with a wonderful feeling of calm and like all my joints were lubricated. On the Sunday I went for a long walk that seemed to ease it, and tried again for a run ( NHS Stepping Stones) on the Friday - noticed my pace had dropped considerably, and after it the back flared up again. Have now not run for about four weeks, enduring agony getting out of bed in the morning, and only stopped eating pain-killers a couple of weeks ago.
I'm almost certain it was over-doing it in the yoga that did it - as had not had the slightest pain running before.
So right now I'm just itching to get back into it! Physio says take it easy at first with run/walk cycles and use a soft surface or a treadmill.
ouch!!! sounds horrible.....i'll stay away from the yoga then. I hope you recover quickly and enjoy being back out there
Yoga should be brilliant for you. Problem was, it wasn't a beginner's class and I tried to do everything. Most of the physio exercises I've been given are pretty much based on yoga, but chosen for less advanced than me!
BTW be sure to let us know how you got on with W3R3
in reply to iain-strachan
Sorry to hear of your troubles Iain, I hope you are up and at it really soon (but obviously not too soon!)
BluebirdrunnerGraduate
Of course you will do it..its the next run and you are ready for it...😊
Feel positive, start slowly and think of it as five minute chunks. You can do 5 mins.😆 then 5 more...and you may find you feel in the zone for a bit..and then its done!
Trust the plan..none of us are still stuck on Week 5 R3...we did it and so will you.😊..
Thanks. good way of looking at it. I know I will feel like I have really achieved something afterwards!
I was just like you, full of self doubt. I even contemplated repeating the previous run just so I didn't have to face it but guess what? I did it and it felt fantastic!! Such a feeling of achievement.
I had to give myself a good talking to during the first 5-10 minutes but then I hit my stride and it felt wonderful! I even sped up for the final 60 seconds and felt as free as a bird..
Take your time and don't forget to breathe and you'll do it too!
Good luck 
LJB74 in reply to
great!! actually quite excited about doing it now. I always have a word with myself as well :O)
Stephanie1976Graduate
I am at week 5 run 2 but I checked what was waiting for me Friday. I am also terrified about running the whole 20 minutes
Keep up you can do it!
ha.....i know what you mean. I wish I hadn't looked now. we can do it!!!
You WILL do it. Nice and slow😊x
RunningraspberrydivaGraduate
Sneaking a peak is what I would do & the thought of doing it was worse than actually doing it!
It was & still is my favourite run of the program, I think it consolidates you as a runner 🏃
Believe in the program & you'll smash it.
That is why I never peeked
All through the programme I kept scaring the bejesus out of myself by looking ahead. There was no need - this programme works; it takes you through manageable progression, making you stronger with each run and then you graduate.....Trust the programme and yourself. It'll be ok!
OldflossAdministratorGraduate
It's okay... and so are you... slow and steady and one step in front of the other.. you are so ready for this
"Nothing to fear except Fear itself"
IannodaTruffeMentor
Psssssst..........this is a secret........ don't let anyone else know..........go and stand in front of a mirror.........make sure nobody is watching........now twist your face into the biggest grin you can manage........ hold for ten seconds......... relax for ten....... then repeat five times. This way it doesn't hurt when you grin non stop for 3 days.
Oh.......... the run? ..............Don't worry about that, you'll be fine. It's the grinning you need to worry about.
Keep running, keep smiling.
DID IT!!!! 😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁
Was hard work but achievable!
So hang on to that self belief.
You can do amazing things, but every run requires respect, especially the next one, wherever you are in the programme. Every run is hard......every run is easy.........if you believe in yourself.
YESSSSSS!!! What did we tell you?
You're entitled now to have a massive fit of smug.
Thanks Iain!! Dose my massive dose of smug come with a glass of wine?! 😁🍷🍾
The glass of wine is obligatory! 
Yay!!! Well done!! 🎉👏👏👏
rolysmateGraduate
You CAN do this, every run you've done so far has been preparing you for this, building both your strength and stamina.
The thing to remember is take it slowwww and steady keep it down to snail pace minus 1 and you'll be fine and then when you've done it come back here and tell us all about it
Finished it about half an hour ago......vdey proud of myself! 😊😊😊
Very well done, this run in my eyes is a game changer and a real confidence booster as it's your 1st proper run and you did it
From here on in it's just a few minutes more BUT you know you can get there and you'll shrug the gremlins off and just do it
Yes you can do it! Put on your trainers and go! You've followed the programme and therefore you are ready! I admit I felt the same but I was pleasently surprised it wasn't anyway near as tricky as I thought! Good luck and embrace the 20minutes running! X
Morning. I felt exactly the same. The first time I attempted it i could only complete 15 mins. I checked out comments on here and decided it was mind over matter and a few days later I completed 20 mins. But I would have persevered no matter what. Who cares if you cant do it first time?? Just complete at your own pace. X
JaneM21Graduate
It really is ok. I did it yesterday, and as I hadn't looked earlier to see what was coming up, was totally terrified when Mr Smooth told me what I had to do. But I did it! I found the 2nd lot of 5mins the hardest, but once I got to the halfway mark, it became easier mentally, which is probably the biggest hurdle.
LeeUGraduate
I'm approaching W5R3 also, and like you I first looked at it and thought 8 minutes straight up to 20, I'll never be able to do that BUT here's where I changed my way of thinking, I stopped using NEVER and switched to thinking WILL.
I admit, I may need to practice the run a few times before I actually complete it but I'm not going to fail in doing it.
In the last few weeks I've been working on my breathing, a friend of mine is a marathon runner and I asked him for some tips, the first thing he said was sort your breathing out, once you have done that you will find running longer gets a lot easier. I know Laura has mentioned breathing in the podcasts BUT I don't think there is enough emphasis on it.
Breathe correctly, control your pace and you WILL do this, if you don't make it the first time you do it, chalk it up as a practice NOT a failure and don't beat yourself up about it, next run day, do it again.
Have you heard the old saying, Practice makes perfect?
Good luck, let us know how you get on.
I still cant get the hang on breathing in through the nose. it feels like i'm not getting enough air in!
I have W5R3 to do next too. I figure if I get lost in the dilemma as to whether to do it Friday evening or Saturday morning, I might forget how long I have to run for until after I've done it. 😆 I'm just going to think positive. It seems to have worked so far. We've got this. We can do this! ☺
ha....I've been like that all the way through, procrastinating over which days I will choose! this time I picked the earliest day and just manned up! it worked :o)
BexHMGraduate
Yes you can!! You will be amazed. Most of us have felt that it's beyond us, but keep it slow and steady and you will do it. Truly.... The programme works. Good luck and keep posting!
Everyone on here is so amazingly supportive. it really does make a difference! x
I never thought I would be able to do it, but I not only did it yesterday, I even upped my pace in the final 30 seconds. Totally amazed right now at what my body is actually capable of.
HDJ1Graduate
Ah! The dreaded 20min barrier! I struggled like hell getting to and past that, but, I did it and so can you! I found not taking too many deep breaths helped, steady breathing. I used to take 2/3 deep breaths every 5-10 seconds when you only need 1 every 20-30 secs, see what works for you, but, it was a real game changer for me! I also use a Sport 2 intra-nasal breathe aid, which helped enormously! By the way, I'm 49 and was 17st when I started in June this year and I now run 5k, 3 times a week with a PB of 28:54, that means if I can get this far so can you! Go for it and good luck!!
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