Week 6 run 2

[Lilysrunninglegs]

I’m so proud that I am managing to get through the runs but am I the only person who is still finding it a slog? It really must be mental but still find it hard to breathe and not running fast. Does it get easier eventually?

[Berksrover Graduate]

It does get easier to do the easier runs (you would find it a lot easier to do W1R1 now than when you first did it), whilst you are going through the programme each run / week is more challenging than the previous one but you are better prepared for it and you are doing fantastically well to be in W6 💪👍

[Lilysrunninglegs in reply to Berksrover]

Thank you. Fingers crossed I will soon be one of those people who loves running 😊

[Mayanow]

Both w6r1 and 2 were the hardest! You will find YOUR tempo eventually.

I think it actually helps NOT focusing on the breathing. For me anyway.

This was the crucial point- switching from the podcast's boring music to comedy podcasts. Took my mind off what i was doing and i managed all the runs better after those!

[UnfitNoMore Graduate]

To get to 30 minutes in 8 weeks... that’s almost impossible... the only way to do it is to keep it right at the impossible end of challenging. Yes, it’s bloody tough. But you beat that... that means you must be tougher.

Try to forget about the breathing... distract yourself from it however you can. You just did W6R2 and you didn’t die! You didn’t run out of air, you didn’t feint... your breathing was good enough, and that’s with you thinking about it. Stop thinking and it will be even better.

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate in reply to UnfitNoMore]

You do get the occasional person saying that they ran 5k in week 7 in 25 minutes having had never ran before, not a former athlete returning to the sport, but someone completely new like most are here. I always hope that the vast majority of people on this site are honest, but the very odd person who says they have run a sub 30 5k in 25 minutes is very questionable, there was a guy about a month ago who said just that, I replied to him but have never heard of him since.

[UnfitNoMore Graduate in reply to AlMorr]

There’s the odd person who’s just genetically set up to run distance... the great runners have almost certainly also had a childhood involving lots of running... and they’re highly unlikely to have not then had a need to continue to run.

I watched Breaking2 the other week... the conclusions as to what it will take to go 1:59:59 marathon are damning to all people who grew up with a car in the family, or even a bicycle, maybe even shoes.

I don’t think we get too many of those people through here 😂

[Lilysrunninglegs]

Thanks for all the comments. It makes me feel so much better

[Oldman51 Graduate]

You look a helluva lot younger than me (I'm 67, but there are some here older and much fitter than me!) so my comments may not be relevant. My journey may not be typical. I've never liked sport or exercise, but I've recognised the need for exercise for years, and I walk, swim and garden (a lot of the latter!). It's a longish story but I decided to try running, possibly because I thought I would only last a couple of weeks. Curiously I found W1easy and W2 only a mild challenge. "I've got this nailed!", I thought. It then got tougher and tougher. I reached my peak in W6 and the last three weeks were just grim hanging on. I graduated 4 weeks ago, only managing 3.2k in 30 minutes. I've done my "consolidation runs" and my 30 minute distance has not changed a metre. I can only envy those who say "I felt so great after my graduation run that I kept going to complete my 5k". I accept that I'll never run (I really mean slowly jog) 5k let alone in 30 minutes. That doesn't really worry me, but I wish it wasn't, as you so well put it, a slog, even at my pace to go 30 minutes. I'll keep going, as I hope it will boost my weekly exercise totals, especially in the winter when I can't swim outdoors. I don't think I'll ever love it, but I do love being alive, and illness-free. I wish you luck!

[Lilysrunninglegs in reply to Oldman51]

It’s great that you are doing it. I did run 3 of week 6 today and it was ok. Have been doing it on a treadmill so think that may be easier. Need to have a go at outside