Hi! This is my first time posting, but I have week five run three tomorrow and am looking for a bit of advice. I’ve decided to believe my body can do it physically and not let that aspect scare me, but I’m still a bit concerned about how to run that long without my brain convincing me to stop/get bored. Does anyone have any techniques you use to keep yourself mentally stimulated or distracted during the longer continuous runs?
Thank you!
Update: Completed it, accidentally running an extra 45 seconds due to the app glitching! Stopped once to tie my shoelace but figured that’s better than tripping and falling to my death... Thank you for all your advice - was super useful and I’m very proud of myself. Come on week 6!
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rootruns
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Knowing it's going to be long actually works in your favour. After five minutes you may think "already ", then you're 10 minutes in and realise your halfway. When you reach 15 minutes you're smiling because you only have 5 minutes left, how can that be? You're tempted to pick up the pace, after all you've come through the worst of it. But don't be hasty, slow and steady, that's the advice...so on you plod making plans to step up the last 2 minutes. But it's too late, Sarah has just called it, it's over, done! Some elation, more disbelief, you did it, you really did it. High 5 and relax. So, that's tomorrow for you. Enjoy, rather than endure and you'll sail through. Good luck!
Good music and pick goals. By picking goals I mean motivate yourself by thinking of anything a little bit in the distance and telling yourself that that’s where you’e aiming for, then when you get there, aim for the next short goal. It helps if you know your route. I think of the next house along (there aren’t many houses where I run), the next field, and things like that. Good luck, you will smash it! It helps enormously to have a positive attitude and go for it, rather than worry you can’t do it
Hello rootruns, this is where you really begin to believe you are a runner. For the 20 minutes, I ran 5 minutes, turned around 5 minutes etc. This was so that I could see where I was running to, and it broke up the run without stopping. It was the only run I did this on but I think it helped a lot for that first nonstop run. You will feel great when you’ve nailed it.
Great posts regarding week 5 run 3, I start with run 1 of week 5 tomorrow Wednesday, run 2 on Saturday and I plan to run around Linlithgow Loch in Scotland, 20 miles from where I live next Monday. I know this place very well indeed, I have walked and cycled round the loch many times but next Monday will be the first time I will have run around it. 20 minutes won't get me all around, perhaps about halfway, there is a small hill around the bottom of Linlithgow Palace, that's where Mary Queen of Scots was born, but I hope that I won't reach that part before the 20 minute run is complete, I suppose doing it slow and steady will help a lot, if I go too fast I will reach darned hill sooner than expected.
Dexy5 that is a brilliant idea! Thank you so much for letting us know about that. I've got the 20 min run on Saturday and I'm going to try this out. Cheers
Desert island discs on a podcast (or something interesting/funny to you) The c25k app works alongside so you still get all the running chat and prompts but you’re actually listening to something and that really takes care of the minutes. For me music can become a bit monotonous so its horses for courses really. Good luck whichever way you go!
Yes I started with the nhs podcast which provides advice and music. Then I moved on to the BBC app with Jo Whiley tAlking you through it while playing my own music from a playlist. Now, through this forum we find we can listen to desert island discs (which I love), spoken books, the list is endless.
I always take my watch off as well. If I keep looking at my watch and realising only 12 seconds have past since the last glimpse it is soul destroying!
Thank you everyone for your advice!!! Just got back - disgustingly sweaty but feeling incredible that I managed it with enough energy to give a push at the end. Now off to work 😩
Brilliant! But this update definitely needs a post of its own. I checked your profile for an update but didn't see it so thought I'd check here. Nearly didn't catch it though! Well done you!!!!!
I have just done week 5 run 3 and it wasn’t as bad as I’d thought! Your really only running for 4 more minutes than last time! I listen to music on my runs so I just worked out roughly how many songs it would be (about 5 or 6) and sang along in my head to distract myself! I also did this run first thing in the morning, not too much time to fret about it! During the run I tried to just think about all the things I needed to get done today, just tried to mentally take myself away from the actual running!
Phew! Hello Ms Floyd. Glad to hear it wasn't some rock band hommage. No-one shd try to run to Pink Floyd. Mainly because it's ghastly. I am now going to get flak for that.
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