My BMI is around 25.5 and I’m a 45 year old female.
W1 R1: I managed all the runs except I cut run 5 short by about 10 seconds. (I did better than I thought as I have been a couch potato my whole life).
W1 R2: I managed all the runs (Great I thought, improved).
W1 R3: Disaster. Did run 1 and 2 bit couldn’t finish any of the others - I went back to walking around 20 second early for each one and only did half of run 7 and just walked home after that and didn’t do run 8. (I feel so low and upset. How can I have regressed like this? I’m supposed to be improving and I can’t even replicate my first run! I need to be able to pass a fitness test in a month where I have to run for 5 or 6 minutes non-stop and I’m seriously worried I’m gonna fail. Feeling very low
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ForeverMonna
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Hi and welcome. Don't worry, it will come right. I would guess a couple of things may have caused your woes.
1. Going too fast - it's the number 1 rookie error.
2. Hydration - has a big bearing on this running lark. You need to be well hydrated at all times (light coloured pee). Without good hydration your body struggles to keep the blood thin enough to get to the necessary muscles and everywhere else - amongst other things.
Have you seen this link (below) long but full of great info.
Don't let it get to you. So much of this is mental and not physical.
Did you know that the brain will give up when the body has only expended about 40% of its energy?
So part of it is determination. If you want it... you can do it 👍
As mentioned part is preparation, the right food and hydration makes a big difference. Running morning or evening can make a big difference for some too.
You've got this, and in turn your fitness test, you just need to believe it 👍😉
Firstly ... a big pat on the back for getting started!
Do NOT get disheartened by what is just a small glitch. All through your running life (you definitely will have a running life!) you will have good runs and some that don't go so well.
Slow down ... you might think you're already moving at snail pace but believe me you can still go slower.
Possibly at this early stage your body might need an extra rest day or two.
Repeat Wk 1 runs a few times to help build your confidence.
Importantly, trust this program, many have gone before you (me included) and it works.
Keep reading this forum, there's lots of advice, support and encouragement to be had and keep posting so we know how you're getting on.
Keep smiling, keep running and good luck ... you CAN do this!
Don't worry. Try run 3 again if you managed 1 and 2. Just go nice and slow. Slow enough to talk to yourself.
Now this may seem an embarrassing confession, but I found that lip syncing to my playlist kept my pace slow enough ( At least I hope it was lip syncing 😳😳)
I did what you did! Repeated week one and now I am flying into week four. Do NOT give up, you are building a new creature made of bone and belts which are stretching to move in a brand new way. Things I learnt that might help, mainly from people here. You have to stretch before and after and on between days at least ten minutes. My thigh muscles scream at me if I haven’t drunk enough. Music with a slow pace made sure I can do it! (There are playlists out there built for slow running, I use Spotify). Trust a program built by health people. Some runs just go wrong, it’s to do with the way the planet is tilted that day and not you.
My BMI is 33.1 after completing the programme. I’m 52 and I struggled like mad at various points in this programme, having done no exercise at all for over 20 years. Yesterday I ran for over 37 mins non stop.
You can easily run 6 minutes. Not today. But within a short few weeks.
Others have given you loads of good advice. Most of this is overcoming your brain. Think back to why you stopped each time - I bet your head told you “you can’t do this, stop” or similar.
I’ve faced that throughout and know recognise it for the false alarm that it is. But that’s from this end of the programme. In the middle of an early run it feels totally real.
Take an extra rest day, eat well and drink plenty the day before and try again. Go really slowly. Unless you are injured or die, keep running for the time you have to run, slowing down as much as you need to to reach the end.
Everyone here is rooting for you. You can and will do this, if you want to. Good luck!
Thank you everyone for all your support and amazing advice you gave me. I had a terrible migraine for two days after that horrible run and whilst I’m feel I’m only at 99% I decided to repeat that W1 R3 run this morning. I was dead nervous because I’d really lost all confidence but I’ve just come back and I DID IT! I thought about the mental stuff and ‘do I REALLY need to stop early’ throughout but also my body just seemed a little bit stronger today too, which surprised me as I’ve had two days off. Now I’m here, I’m really nervous of starting W2 as running for 90 seconds seems like a mountain 😬
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