I am 48 years old and a mom of two teenagers. Unfortunately my weight is 25 kg to high. I am a stress-eater and I had a lot of it during the last few years...
As I have got a heart disease with rhythm problems, I have to take beta blockers and since last week a medicament agains the rhythmus disease. So I can't ge my pulse up high enough to be good in sports.
BUT - I startet C25K 10 runs ago and since lase week I felt like needing an oxygen tent :-). Anyway -- I managed the first run of week four two days ago and was sooooo proud of it - like flying. Today - early morning - I ran (well, saying to run is not really realistic - I move like a snale) - an from behind me, there came a woman; +20 years; -30 kg and she overtook me so easyly, that all my motivation was gone. I struggled and could not do the 5 min run...
I feel so depressed.
I have to try again - do I have to leave a day rest, even if I didn't make the run?
So, best regards from Switzerland
Petra
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Pepe_1971
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We all have to accept that we are where we are in our running and fitness. Don't feel bad about it, you are doing all the right things. Don't compare yourself to others........it is your journey, so relax and enjoy it.
Hi Pepe - you can do this. You have a lot going on in your life at the moment. Take your rest day as usual, then tell yourself your last run was a practice run and just do it again. Ignore everyone else - I run slower than I walk and have been overtaken by walkers on more than one occasion, never mind runners! That’s fine - I catch them up when I start walking! So embrace your inner snail and don’t worry! Happy running!
Try not to bother about what other people are doing. This running is for you . So keep remembering how you felt when you completed your previous run and how you felt so good. Have a rest day then try again. Good luck 😊
Hi, for all you know that person may have been running for years! This is your journey and it doesn’t matter how slow you are, you are doing it and the benefits to your health, both physically and mentally will be huge. Just remember how you feel after you complete a run. Keep going and good luck
I know how hard it can be when health gets in the way of losing weight, I’m on medication for fibro and it makes losing weight ten times harder.
Like others have said, do this for you and no one else. And if you need to repeat a week you can, I’m only at the start of week 2 and I still get so nervous. Keep thinking of your goal, even if you can’t lose weight yet, your body is getting used to jogging so keep going 🙂
I agree, it zaps the motivation when someone sails past with ease. I always feel like shouting ‘Where’s the fire?’.
One way to recover is knowing that they would have had to start out from scratch like everyone else.
Yes, keep to your day of rest before you run again, keep hydrated and try again. Good luck and one day, you too will be overtaking someone who just started out
Think all the previous replies say it all. I am a fellow snail carrying a large shell. So sending you lots of love and positive thoughts from the UK to Switzerland
Week 4 is really hard. I struggled with it also. Keep plugging away at it and do make sure you have your rest day. It’s not a race, it’s your running journey regardless of how fast or slow it may be.
Hi Petra. Don’t feel shameful just because someone is faster than you. It doesn’t matter. C25k is about endurance, not speed. You should go at a speed that is comfortable to you, not others. I get overtaken all the time. That’s fine though because I can still run 6.5km now without stopping, and that’s all that is important. So, keep going and take your time. Do what is comfortable for you. If you don’t feel comfortable enough to move onto the next stage of the programme repeat runs until you are happy. C25k is about you, nobody else. Good luck and don’t give up. You are doing amazing!
Hi Petra. Dont worry about being overtaken it's about what you are doing not someone else.
Don’t feel bad. Just do you and forget all the other whizz kids!! I like snails and I did my first run yesterday! I would def leave it a day. Also I would check with your Dr that it’s okay to do it.
Hi Pepe hope you are feeling better within yourself bless!
I think everything has been said really about comparing yourself, taking things slowly, building up etc
Please carry on, you’ve got this far and doing well, take each run as it comes and repeat a run or even week if you feel you need to - there’s no shame in doing so!
Good luck for your next run and let us know how you get on 🤗 x
Hi, and we'll done for getting on this journey. Most of us seem to struggle at some point or another, I certainly did. The runs I struggled with I repeated until I was happy. Also, I found that sound week 5 was when I began to get my pace right for me. I'm pushing 60 and on one of my runs (after graduating) I had a guy about 15 years senior to me catch me up. We had a chat and turned out he did marathons! Each to their own. Another thought, and I don't think anyone else has mentioned it, have you spoken with your doctor about what you are doing? He/she might have some advice that could help you on your journey. Keep going this can only be good for your health and good luck.
You're doing great. Doing worry about what anybody else is doing. Just focus on your journey. That's what matters. If you feel up to doing your run the next day, do it. If it's too hard repeat last week 3 runs. There is no shame in that. You are still getting out there and you're still trying to improve. That in itself is wonderful. We'll done you.
The most important thing is to keep going! I also struggled with different runs during my C25K...so what? As long as you (eventually😉) get to the end of week 9, you are a success. Also, any run, even a 'bad' one is one run nearer your goal. Keep focused on your overall progress was a piece of good advice i got on here....
You can do it, you are not competing with anyone! Just take it a day at a time and keep a diary. You will be amazed at your progress when you review your diary weekly, weight, breathing, muscle pain and don’t eat as a reward!!!!
This is your journey. You will have good runs and not so good runs, but you’re out there and giving it a go. I’m regularly overtaken by lots of folk when I’m out for my runs, but, at least I’m out there....feel proud that you are out there too!! You CAN do it 🏃♀️🏃♀️🏃♀️
Don’t give up!!!!! That lady also started from the beginning with her running. Use that as motivation take it at your own speed which is what I do & do the speed that’s best for you. You’ve come this far!
Hi. Keep going your doing great! I’m just starting and for the second run my hubby came with me on his bike. He had a camera on it and he video’d me. Omg I never knew I looked so bad from the back lol 😂 going for a run tonight so wish me luck. 😁
When I bought my running shoes in a special shop, they filmed me on a treadmill - well I wish the camera would have stopped under my knees. I never saw my backside wobbling like this OMG Whenever a big size model will be wanted with lots of cellulitis - thats my chance...
When he could film you on his bike, you must have been so fast, that he could ride a bike - thats great!! Go on!!
Lol. He was almost falling off his bike cause I was so slow. Hopefully I’ll pick up speed as I go on. I did notice that I need to lift my head and drop my shoulders when I run 🏃♀️
That’s a good point Joanna-pink, I always look down (cos of uneven footpaths and doggy land mines). I don’t want to injure my ankle or ruin my shoes 😆. Maybe i need to find somewhere else to run
Yeah I’m the same, if I do as much as stand on a pee sized stone I go over my ankle. So I’m constantly looking for any hazards!! Almost like doing a health and safety assessment while I move 😂
Hey, you're doing great, really! I'm relatively fit and healthy and my weight is where I want it to be - but I can only run super slow and most people will overtake me. But think hare and tortoise, and keep going at a pace that is sustainable for you. Everything is relative, and your achievement already sounds impressive. Just don't give up on the programme, take it and adapt it if necessary to your own circumstances, keep doing what you're doing to work towards your goals and you WILL make progress (and even find a bit more speed in time!). Best wishes.
Haha. Yes and no. If I get it right it feels good (AFTER the run). However if I get it wrong and try to run to someone else's pace which is too fast for me, I end up having a very miserable time with my head pounding and struggling to breathe and the end of the session can't come quickly enough. I prefer other aerobic workouts than running.
Congratulations. You started. You're still at it. That's the main thing. Whether you move like a snail or a greyhound, what does it matter? The fact is - you are moving. That's more than a lot of people in this world are doing.
So, first, give yourself a big backpat. As Laura says on the NHS C25k programme, a bad run is better than no run. Secondly, listen to your body. Take the day's rest and resume the programme or repeat the day you feel that you did "badly" . We've all been there. Good days. Bad days. What unites us is that we kept going. You are great.
Don't compare yourself with others. Let the 20 year olds fly. Will they still be going in 20 years' time? Will they have slowed down with age and responsibilities? Undoubtedly. There is room in this world for us snails too.
lol the woman was not 20, but 20 years older than me (meens 70)
I hoped to look around and see a young girlie - but.... oldies are goldies...
The point you mentioned "a bad run is better than no run" - thats a good point.
I ll give it a new try tomorrow and we will see....
I hope to have the energy to go on like many ohters here - especially, when holidays are over and I have to go to work again - and childrens to school.
But you are going faster than the person sat on the couch doing nothing! Dont worry about what others runners are doing. They are on their own journey . Focus on yours. You got this!
Hi Petra, you already have 43 replies, but here is another one. I finished couch25K early January. Since then, I have had two false starts at bridge to 10K and two false starts at re-running couch25K. Never compare yourself with anyone else, whether you know them or not. You are the only one that matters, the only one you need to love, and next time you feel like you are going to the dark side, just think of 44 of us popping our heads over the hedge to see you on the other side, jogging so smoothly we can't even see you moving up and down any more. Best of luck, and long may it continue.
Thank You so much for your enspiring and motivating words!!!!!
I tried again this morning - and...?? Didn't make it again... BUT I could do the 3 minutes, then 2.5 minutes, again 3 Minutes and the last 5 Minutes.
When I started the brisk walk, I nearly starved from less of oxygen - the same with the second walk... I struggled and wanted to give up and go home.
Thanks to You all - I went on and thought of all the good things you wrote. Even if it was frustrating, I know, the step backwards is because of the new heart medikament.
I WILL NOT GIVE UP!!! Maybe next time I start with 15 min "brisk" or less brisk walk, until my heart starts beating a little faster and start running then.
Now 1 day rest and I will give it a new try....
Without all the wonderful answers I would not have the energy to go on.
Hi fellow snail ☺️. I'm struggling with week 4 as well, but I try and see every run I get out and attempt as a win... We got up from the sofa and tried!
For some reason i managed my first two week 4 runs but couldn't finish my next two. But I hope that every time I try my body is getting fitter and eventually I'll do it and move on. In a few weeks time week 4 runs will feel easy for both of us. Good luck and keep going.
It doesn't matter how slow you are compared to someone else, you were still faster than you are when you're sitting down.
Good days and not so good days are part of life, the same goes for runs. I'll never be the fastest runner, but I am so much fitter and quite a bit faster than when I started out back in March and that is the only thing that counts.
Always take your rest days. Even if you don't manage the full run, you've still managed a run and your body needs to recover from it and repair before the next one.
Take it slow, take it easy; sweat but don't fret.
You've got this, and you've got us cheering you on too...
49-y-o mum of two teens (and a little one) too and about same amount o’weight! We can do this! Did W4R2 last night and boy it was tough. Went from snail 🐌 pace to old snail 🐌 pace! But it worked - even if could be overtaken by fast walkers... Remember why you’re doing this. I want this for me first and foremost. As mothers we do sooo much for sooo many. This one’s for us! By being healthier we will be happier and hopefully everyone will benefit from that! I hold on to that sense of ‘this one’s for me!’ when I struggle. That and some pumping music 🎧 seem to help. Take your rest. You went out and ran. It wasn’t what you wanted this time. Go again. Change the way it ends this time. This one’s for you! X
You are so right!!! You wrote all the necessary things in your post. Finally i made this run und we mothers are so strong for anyone else. No its the time to do it for us...
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