I’ve just finished week 8 and today a thought flitted through my mind.. ‘I’ll never be able to run for longer than 30 mins’ but then I remembered when I thought I would struggle with 5 min runs, now I’m doing 28! We have to trust the programme and keep going. I struggled with my breathing and the heat on outdoor runs (probably going too fast) so decided to get through the programme on the treadmill then go back maybe to wk6 and start again outside when my fitness was a bit better. It’s all hills where I live and my knees hurt with downhill running more than the uphills, going to try & include the stamina training on non run days (if I can find it on here)
I’m disappointed that I struggled with outdoor runs so I’m determined to crack it slowly but surely.
Any tips welcome
Written by
Jilpy
Graduate
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Try not to give yourself a hard time. Hills are tough. Hills when it’s hot are a nightmare. Remember we’re all just beginners at this running lark, and we can’t expect miracles after just a few months running. Relax, take things at you own pace, and remember - you only fail when you stay at home on the couch. You found it tough but you gave it your best shot, and that’s all anyone can ask. Good luck!
Well done for sticking with it and reaching week 8, that takes motivation! I also live in a hilly area and just try to plan my routes for flatter parks and playing fields and go really slowly on the hills.
The fact that you’re giving it a go means you didn’t fail! When you encounter a hill, slow right down and watch the snails on the path shoot past you. 🐌 There’s no hurry, just keep your feet moving and don’t be tempted to walk. Eventually you’ll gain more stamina and strength, and you’ll be fine! 😀👍🏻
👍 running downhill is very hard on the knees. The key (for me) to both is smaller steps. Shorten your step to sometimes as small as half your foot length. The steeper the hill, the smaller the step.
When going down ease up on the pace. You have to be careful especially on steep inclines. I go slower downhill on steep hills than up. Be extra careful of surface, you don't want to slide on mud or trip on a ragged edge or loose ground.
It's all practice though. Any way I go here it's hills so I built the biggest one into the beginning of all my c25k runs to get it out of the way. It paid off. I can now get up hills much easier. 👍😁
Don't be so tough on yourself Jilpy, you've done really well and if you have achieved all the runs so far there is no need to go backwards. By all means, mix it up with doing some runs on the treadmill until you graduate. Then you can add some incline to get you used to hills during your consolidation. Go for it and trust in the programme - it really works
I love reading all these stories about people thinking they would never be able to do 3 mins / 5 mins continuously but here everyone is, running 30 minutes without problems. And that got me wondering that there MUST be people out there who couldn't do it or have tried completing a certain week for a month, etc. Otherwise it just seems like magic...
There was a time when the 60 second run had me waiting for the walk break and now I am running 5k with ease albeit at a slow pace. I live in a hilly area too. Depending on how I am feeling on the day, I vary my route for a flatter area/ hilly area. I had difficulty going downhill more so on my right knee which made me stop running for a couple of weeks to recover. Then I wore a knee support for a few runs that helped. The other thing I found useful was the advice in the runs to maintain the same effort and not pace on the hills. Although I would say that for going downhill it's better for me to slow down quite a bit (jog pace) and then uphills I run faster. Keep at it and I am confident you will soon be able to do them comfortably. I find that uphill/downhill and doing pace variations in training help as they work different muscle groups. All the best with your running. X
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My first run outdoors
Treadmill running vs outdoors
Not built for outdoor running 
Running outdoors
First Outdoor run since W5
