W5R3 psych out

[MissTammy]

This is my first post, although I've been lurking here for months trying to absorb all of the wonderful positivity😊

Being a "woman of a certain age (and weight 🙄)" who hasn't run since my early teens, I've had a couple of false starts. When I first attempted W1R1, I was literally trying to decide if childbirth had been easier!

This past November I put my stubborn hat firmly on my head and decided I'm doing this!

All was going fairly well, and though I run slower than many people walk, I was still running... until the dreaded W5R3. I was practically having a panic attack on the warm up walk, and I couldn't get my breathing sorted for the whole run. When I though I was just about ready to die, I checked to see how much time I had left, and THE APP HAD STOPPED!!!!

Of course ALL of the wind was out of my sails at that point, so I just trudged home. After analyzing my Fitbit, it appears that I only ran for 16 minutes 😭

Fast forward to today. I was psyching myself out so badly that I was practically hyperventilating. I decided that I wasn't going to use the app today, and instead I would walk for 5 minutes and then just run for as long as I could.

I ran for 27 minutes!!!!!

I know it's off program, but the moral of this long tale is that this program really does prepare your body to do this! The hardest part is believing in yourself and staying out of your head!

Thank you all for your wonderful stories and encouragement, and I truly hope I've encouraged someone today! 😊

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Welcome to the forum and well done on your progress.

Please read the guide top the plan healthunlocked.com/couchto5... and I would also recommend following the link in there to the post about mental approach........do not fear any run.......it is totally counterproductive.

Sticking to the plan is the best way to avoid injury.

Take care and please don't refer to wonderful W5R3 as dreaded.

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate]

Good post from you Miss Tammy, so run 1 of week 1 is as bad as childbirth, hmmm, I don't know about that for obvious reasons, anyway congratulations on completing run 3 of week 5, even if it was 7 minutes longer than it should have been, run 3 of week 5 is a milestone run with C25K, onwards and upwards to week 6 run 1 but be careful about that run as it catches out some people with the interval walks and runs after the non stop 20 minutes, in your case, 27 minutes run which you have just ran 🏃🏾 😊.

[Jalapenolover101 Graduate]

Hey✋, you did it! Remember that! Stuff, gets in the way sometimes, can’t get around it, but you will do it 🌶x

[Alast]

Well done MissTammy, to be honest, yes you have inspired me, thank you. Although I find the running difficult, I am convinced that for me most of this challenge is mental and not physical. I'm on a re-start at the moment, currently re-taking the Week 2 course. In the past I've (just) got to Week 4 and found that in the first 5 minute run I run out of steam after a couple of minutes, even though I've run 3 minute sessions in W3. This has definitely been a mental thing which I must learn to block. Well done with your extra-long run, and good luck with the rest of them. Please let us all know how you get on.

[MissTammy in reply to Alast]

Thank you Alast!

I never made it past week 4 on my first attempt. Even though everyone said running slower is key, I couldn't figure out how to do it!

On my first run of my current attempt, something clicked(no doubt owing to all of the posts I've read on here), and suddenly I was slow running! It probably looks more like a sort of tip toe through the tulips, but according to the definition, it's running!! Haha!

I know this program works, and even though at our age we sometimes need an extra rest day or a practice run thrown in from time to time, we can do this!!

Best of luck to you! I'll be following your progress👍👍

[Alast in reply to MissTammy]

Thanks MissTammy. Thanks too your comment the next time I run (also slowly) I will be singing Tiptoe through the tulips in a falsetto voice just like Tiny Tim! (You're not goiung to be old enough to remember him, here is a YouTube link: youtube.com/watch?v=zcSlcNf...(Not working as expected?)

[MissTammy in reply to Alast]

😂 Haha! I absolutely DO remember him!

[Jogunlikely Graduate]

Congratulations on beating those pesky gremlins that lurk in our heads. Once you've mastered "go slowly" which you have, the rest of c25k is mind over matter. W5R3 being "the biggy" but you've cracked it 👏👏👏

Time to power on to the graduation podium. Go girl!

[MissTammy in reply to Jogunlikely]

Thank you! I know I'll make it this time!