Week Six Run 1: Tricky, but doable

[MidnightRunner]

First of all, I must thank Jay66UK, and the numerous other posters who warned about the W6R1. Bearing their warning, I did took the run seriously.

Having finished the run, I can now say that I know why W6R1 is tricky, it is in fact, the quite opposite of W5R3. Before attempting W5R3, you are afraid that you wont be able to run for 20 mins, but before W6R1, you feel confident that you will be able to complete that with ease, and that can lead you to false security.

In W6R1, even though the runs are short but the cool down/ walking period is only three minutes, and the run-time is increased. As a result, if u relax too much during the first 3 min cool down period, u will feel a proper sting in your legs during your second run, and that is the tricky part, cuz it can increase the mental pressure.

I guess W6R1 is added to the program to test the strength of coping with the shorter warm-up periods combined with longer runs. I mean, W6R1 does test and increase your physical and mental stamina.

Thanks to the warnings in advance, I completed the second run, the first half-way mark was difficult. In my third run, I ran for 10 mins instead of the required five because I was feeling pretty good and wanted to cover 5 KM.

All in all, a very good run. I will attempt it several times (for stamina and fun), then I will go to the W6R 2/3, which wont be hard at all.

[cheeseheads]

I did w6r1 Monday and agree it really was tricky. I was on top of the world when I did my 20 minute run and w6r1 gave me a reality check. Luckily w6r2 was much easier. Great job though on getting it done

[MandiV]

Ha! My legs were fine but my head was all over the place!

[Dexy5 Graduate]

Hi I just wanted to introduce myself as I am Dexy and you are Midnightrunner.

If I was you I would only repeat a run if you can’t complete it. The programme is designed to take you from one run to the next. I found the run 3 easier than stopping and starting in runs 1 and 2. Well done you are past the worse now, although you probably don’t feel it.

[Fabulous450 Graduate]

Great MidnightRunner! Well done abc for figuring it out too! It was a complete mystery to me why it felt so different. But like you say it builds you up nicely for the next run! Congratulations! 👋🏽

[Beanjo Graduate]

Hi MidnightRunner. Thanks for de-mystifying r1w6. It does make perfect sense now I’ve read it and it backs up the fact that a positive mental attitude is so important in this programme. Hopefully tomorrow’s run W6R3 will be an enjoyable event. I’m certainly going into it believing I can do it 😊

[cheekychipmunks Graduate]

I hear you! I’d read all the posts regarding that run and thought ‘how hard can it be?, especially just having nailed W5R3. But it comes back to bite you in the behind doesn’t it? Complacency, too fast? No idea, but it was a stinker! It can’t be coincidence that the vast majority of us find it troublesome.

That being said, I really enjoyed R2 and absolutely loved R3, which I did today. ❤️

Enjoy R2, your final run with walk breaks! Then the serious stuff starts!! 😀🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️💪🏻

Good luck!

[Hidden]

It's funny, for me the hard part is the beginning. The starting and the first couple of minutes. Everything feels horrible and pointless and I feel weak and not capable. Example: did not think I could survive the first five minutes of Week 5 Day 3...then ended up running a few minutes over the twenty minutes because I felt so good.

So weirdly these little shorter bursts are almost harder than Week 5 Day 3 because it's all "beginning". If that makes sense.

[Deals1 Graduate]

before I went on Holiday ( I did think about jogging on hols, but whey too hot and too many hills!!) I failed to completed WK8 R2. So when I came back I jumped back to Wk7 R3. Now my next one is Wk8 R2 again

[Mini67 Graduate]

So reassured to read these comments. I too felt Wk6 R1 would be a breeze and blamed an unfamiliar course for being the problem. Will be doing Wk 6 R3 tomorrow at the crack of dawn on a familiar not too hilly course.

One bonus: I caught sight of my calves and wondered who they belonged to (in a good way).🌞