Improved fitness

[SquishyBean]

I live near the sea, and during one run in Week 1, I decided to try running alongside the beach. To get to the beach, there is a long and very steep path, which took all of the 5 minute warm up to get down. You can't quite see the extent of it from this picture, but that's taken from the top. The problem (which I probably should have foreseen) was that the 5 min warm down meant climbing back up this path afterwards, and I found it almost impossible after exerting myself on the runs, I was painfully out of breath and on the verge of collapse and decided to change my route to a more flat one afterwards.

Today was the start of week 7. I have climbed up the path twice in the last few weeks outside of runs, and have felt it get easier, so today I thought why not try again with this running route. It was lovely to run along the beach, and as I started the climb at the end, I was surprised to find it very doable. It was by no means easy, but the limiting factor was the lactic acid pain in my legs, not breathlessness or exhaustion as it was a few weeks ago. And that's after running 3.28km in 25 mins rather than just the 9 minute long bursts of week 1. I'm so impressed and pleased with this improvement, and am hoping that using this hill regularly will be a great way to build up the strength in my legs! It's also a safer route for running in the dark (which I will probably have to do in winter), as it avoids the roads.

[Buddy34 Graduate]

Great for getting to wk7. It's amazing how your fitness builds and like you say going back to a route that exhausted you before is now easier. Well done you 😊😊

[Annieapple Administrator Graduate]

How wonderful that you have gained all this fitness: love this path looks inviting!!

[Cath400 Graduate]

It's fantastic when you suddenly realise that something you struggled with is a lit easier isn't it

[iain-strachan Graduate]

When I did C25K first time round 2 years ago I noticed the improved fitness in week 7. We had to move office from one end of the site to the other and did the removals ourselves. I noticed I was running up the 4 flights of stairs to the office without any breathlessness. I must have done this loads of times, together with lugging heavy bookcases an so forth all day. Then on the evening I did one of the week 7 runs. At the start of the program I'd have been out of breath running upstairs just once.

Anyway well done on getting to week 7. After the big challenges of 5 and 6 I think when you get to 7 you really start to believe you're going to make it. Week 7 seems to hold no terrors as you already did 25 mins in w6r3. After that 25 to 28 for w8 seems a small step and 28 to 30 for week 9 even smaller.

Actually on one of the week 8 runs I did 33 minutes as I'd misjudged the length of the circuit to get back to the car, and was due to pick my daughter up at a specific time. So I ran the cool down time to save time! So w9 was easy as I'd already done more.