Week 2 run 1 feeling good

[Roxy71]

When I found out I had to fun for 90 seconds a 50% increase since last week I thought WHAT!!!! But I did it and found it to be good just take your time when running and enjoy the achievement it’s a great feeling I promise.

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Well done.

You ran for nine minutes, not 90 seconds.

[Alast in reply to IannodaTruffe]

I understand what you both mean here. I'm like Roxy71 and measure my initial achievement (or improvement) in being able to run non-stop for a certain length of time. The overall time that I ran during the whole thing isn't so important to me. Plus, (for me) comparing week 1 to week 2, I felt it far more spectacular to be running (without stopping) for 50% longer, saying that I ran for 9 minutes in total instead of 8 doesn't seem so special. Going from W2 to W3 the overall running time is the same, but doubling the non-stop running time for me was a big achievement, but maybe that's just the way that my mind works...

[John_W Graduate Ambassador in reply to Alast]

"...being able to run non-stop for a certain length of time. The overall time that I ran during the whole thing isn't so important to me."

It's not just how *your* mind works... it seems that's how the vast amount of beginners see the various increases week to week. It's is entirely understandable.

HOWEVER! If you understand how the build-up in overall time increases your fitness (by accumulation), then you'll have more confidence as you carry on and be less daunted by what *seem* to be big increases (but aren't actually) later on. An example of that is captured in one of my C25K mantras: "every run you do prepares for you for the next one". So instead of worrying about W4R1 or W5R3 etc, focus on the fact that the body had been readied for it by all the preceding runs.

[Hidden in reply to John_W]

Well said, I’m on w3 r3 and dreading it, just before I go out I feel like I have no energy and I’m going to find it hard and fail. I need to adopt this mantra!

[Roxy71 Graduate in reply to Hidden]

If I can do it so can you. Before I go out I play the first song of my running list in my head this really does help me.

[John_W Graduate Ambassador in reply to Alast]

PS. the overall time is *very* important actually, nay critical. That's the crux of the program. How it actually works and gets you to Week 9. Without the accumulation of all those minutes on your feet, you wouldn't be able to progress.

Just think... if the length of a single non-stop run was your main unit of achievement *and* progression, your program might look like this:

Week 1 (R1, 2, 3) - a single 60 sec run

Week 2 (etc) - a single 90 sec run

Week 3 (etc) - a single 2 min run

Week 4 (etc)- a 3 min run

Week 5.1 - a 5 min run

Week 5.2 - an 8 min run

Week 5.3 - a 20 min run

etc etc. And you'd fail miserably because of the lack of running on each session. So what you think is important (and it is, mentally) ... isn't *THAT* important! The total/overall (the week-by-week accumulation of time on your feet) is SO much more important.

[Alast in reply to John_W]

Hi John, thanks for taking the time to write your two replies/explanations. I do (think I can) see what you mean (as far as progress from C25K is concerned), but even in the examples you have listed to week 5.3 each time there is a noticeable improvement/progression/extension in the time of each single run. Admittedly, this falls flat come the start of W6 when the longest run is only 8 minutes, but then the overall running time also reduces by 2 minutes too. Please don't think I'm trying to be argumentative (because I am not), but as my Grandmother used to say, there are many different ways of skinning a rabbit, and (probably like a politician) I am using whatever statistics seem the most impressive to me (as my motivation)! Seriously, thanks again...

[John_W Graduate Ambassador in reply to Alast]

Hi Alast

No problem at all. And if you're motivated and delighted by being able to complete increasing longer single run efforts as the weeks progress then that's brilliant.

But I think you've misunderstood my example, which was to illustrate, that if there was only a 1 (ONE!) portion of running per session (so literally only 3 bits running per week) then we'd all be doomed to failure. It simply wouldn't be enough time on your feet to build up the fitness required to progress each week.

So yes, if Week 5.1 was just a single 5 min run, W5R2 a single 8 min run and W5R3 the 20 minutes, then that would be a crazy progression! A recipe for disaster. It simply wouldn't work. And if the same logic applied across all the weeks there'd be no Couch to 5k. Simply 'Couch to Injury Couch' !

But if instead Week 5 was a gradual build up in overall running time then doing 20 continuous minutes at the end of the week should be achievable by all. And it turns out that it is! Highlighting that the accumulation of fitness works and W5R3 is not an unreasonable ask.

The idea is to progress each week, otherwise, how do we reach 30 minutes?

Going back to Week 5 ... W5R1 is actually 15 minutes of running but split 3 ways, W5R2 is 16 minutes split in half and W5R3 is 20 minutes with no break ... but I know what you'll be thinking (along with most other people!).

But without realising it... Week 4 is actually where your body makes the big leap/progression - it's just that your mind won't/didn't realise it ... NOT Week 5.

I'll stop there and link you to my other posts about it