Nth Time’s a Charm...

[V-5k]

Honestly I can’t even remember how many times I’ve started & failed to complete this programme. And I’m ashamed to admit it, but last time around I got all the way to run 2 of Wk9 but then a few things got in the way of the final run, then a few more things, then Christmas, then a house move...and before I knew it it had been 8 months since I last went out for a run & it seemed utterly impossible to start up again 😕

Basically I got all the way to the very end then I wussed out (again) & found multiple reasons (ie excuses) not to pick it back up, so never even graduated.

So while I’m thinking about it (which I have a lot since I stopped, but always had an excuse why I couldn’t just get out there), I’m going to go get changed & go out, right now.

Like, now. Right now. Once I’ve posted this. After I’ve checked the grammar & rewritten it a few times, obviously. But right after that.

[UnfitNoMore Graduate]

Have a great run. You know you can do this... keep dragging yourself to the start lines

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate]

Get right out there now V-5k, English grammar can be a bit confusing, write and right, there and their, back to school, but I got the jist of your post, you cannot put off running for ever, I just hope that you can resume the program and most of all, complete it this time. 😊

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Well done, you are back.

Have you read the guide to the plan? healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

[Hidden]

Well done for coming back to it. You know it all, and you know you have it in you, now just follow through to that one extra run more. You can do this. Have a great run!

[V-5k]

Thanks for all the encouragement, as always this forum is one of the nicest corners of the internet 😊

Week 1 run 1 down, just 26 more to go till I can get one of those fancy graduate stickers!!

[Debston Graduate in reply to V-5k]

Well done for getting back on the programme - you have the advantage of knowing you can do it all. And you're going to ace it!

[SaskAlliecat Graduate in reply to V-5k]

Whoohoo! Way to get out there and do it 👏👏👏

[NewRunner4 Graduate]

Well done getting back in. You’ve done it before, you can do it again. 👏👏👏

[Mercmancouchto5k Graduate]

Hey there. I very much enjoyed your honest post. Somehow writing a blog can have a beneficial effect like you were just talking to yourself, with the added attraction of possible feedback from people in similar situations. We are all human, and all have many commitments that seem to be more important. Occasionally, I get strong and prioritize my own needs over those of others. But it is difficult.

Having completed couch25K at the beginning of the year and progressed directly to bridge210K I failed at week 2. Like you say - new job, extensive travel, more "stuff" to do every evening and morning.................. I restarted in a very dumb way and did one run of each weekly regime of couch25k until I did a run from week 5 on day 6 of my new regime, and felt like going to hospital. Not a clever idea. Then I reverted back to week 4 and did all the runs again from week 4 to week 7. Then one per week and ............................. back to needing the regime again. On my original couch25K series, one run was accompanied by my nephew from London, who went on to complete the entire course himself, and two further runs were accompanied by my younger son visiting from Uni in London, and he power-walked whilst I jogged. These were the most enjoyable runs of my life. I am promised at work by three colleagues to do joint running, but that has not yet materialized. Importantly, it is still on my mind every day, and I do maintain over 5,000 steps most days (target is 7,000), so it's not completely lost, but I need to get back to my mind state of four months ago to feel fully content. It will no doubt come back

[V-5k]

I think it can almost be more shameful to have completed something & then just given up, than it is to fail while in the process of trying to complete.I felt like I’d made such a big deal of nearly getting to the end - I’d actually run for 30 minutes straight twice, I was now to all intents & purposes ‘a runner’ - that I couldn’t backdown from that achievement & face struggling with it again. And the longer I left it, the worse that feeling got.

What I’m trying to remember now is that doing *anything* is better than doing nothing! So last night I did Wk1 run1 & while it didn’t feel like much of an achievement I’m keen to stick to the programme in the right order because I know it works & it’ll stop me getting disheartened trying to launch back into a full 5k & failing miserably!

Badger your friends at work until they’re sick of you going on & actually go out running with you just to shut you up lol! It might be that they really want to but taking that last mental step of ‘ok, I’m not just saying I’ll do it, I’m actually going to do it NOW’ is quite hard, it’s so much easier to keep putting it off but I bet they’ll be glad for the final push & a bit of comradeship once they get out there with you. Good luck for getting back into it!!

[Hidden]

Things happen! I’m similar to you. But the main thing is we are still drawn to it and keep coming back. It takes me a lot of effort once I’ve stopped to get started again. But once I get out there I love it and want to all the exercising! 😊