The first 1:30 I felt great, however after about 2 mins into the first 3 min run I was really struggling, managed to push on through and kept running the full 3 mins but I was a real struggle.
A nice 3 min walk and then back on to my second 1:30 but then the 90 second walk just didn’t feel like anywhere enough rest time.
I ran for I guess about 1 min 10 of the second 3 min but just tied up and ended up walking most of the remaining time.
I did run another 1min or so on my warm down walk but it felt in vain, I’m so so disappointed, this is the first time I’ve not finished a time challenge since I started.
I’m tempted to go again tomorrow to try and put it right but I think the rest days are a must.
Been beating myself up about this all day but I simply think I went off too fast, this is backed up by my Nike app which shows my fasted initial pace since I started.
I felt good though, wasn’t pushing it crazy or anything, it’s just the 90 second rest between the last 1:30 and the final 3 minute run seemed so short, I barely had my breath back.
Lesson learned, I hope.
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NickSX
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Don’t beat yourself up it sounds like you’ve learned a valuable lesson about pace that many of us learn along the way. Take your rest day, that’s really important and next time you run just take it really slowly and you’ll be fine. Good luck!
Don’t worry and don’t be hard on yourself. Just take your rest day and go a bit easier on pace next time out. Also try to have enough water and do a bit of stretching before and after. Try to listen to your legs and lungs while you are running. You are pushing your body to new thresholds so it will be tough, but you can ease into it and you have time to redo what you want to if needed. Rest up and give it another go. You’ve got this!
May I ask if you're doing the warm up walk? And if it is brisk (you'll be surprised how brisk it needs to be!)?
I'm going to admit I didn't at first - bad mistake! When I started going a bit longer/further, I was struggling for breath and had some tightness in my leg muscles, so I decided to do some stretches and actually do the brisk 5 minute walk properly.
It made such a difference! Opening up your lungs so you can get that breath in made the runs seem much more manageable. If you don't do it, you're on the back foot straight away and actually the first couple of minutes was the hardest. Was stupid of me not to do it from the beginning!
Absolutely not a fail, you were just going too fast. Try not to track your pace at this stage in the programme, as I think it can encourage pushing too hard. Super slow is the way to go. You can get faster once you've graduated. For now, it's about completing the programme! Good luck.
Couldn’t agree more. By tracking you are setting yourself up to push too hard. The only challenge you should be concentrating on is completing each run regardless of how fast or slow you do it. Don’t beat yourself up over it. Have a rest and go again. We all have an off day and you need to get it out of your system and believe you will nail it next time. Good luck and let us know how you get on with the run 👍🏽
Not a fail at all...just a First Attempt In Learning. Beating yourself up is not allowed we must be kind to ourselves while we educate ourselves on a healthy happy lifestyle. Happy running 😎🏃♀️🏃♂️
It's not a fail, you learnt something. Just repeat it I had to repeat so many in the beginning. Have the rest day and try again, a bit slower with a burst at the end if you fancy it.
The fact that you feel so disheartened is a good sign that you have the desire to really want to achieve this! That shows you have the motivation succeed.
I have just completed W3R3 and found it SO hard, so hard in fact that I didn’t think I was going to be able to do Week 4. I asked for advice on this forum and people were suggesting that I slow my pace right down, especially at the start, and, also, just like AmenBreak suggests, I focused on what I was doing on my 5 minute warm up. I increased the pace to very brisk and tried to breath deeply, mimicking what my lungs were going to have to start doing when I started running, and did the occasional ‘jogging on the spot’ to get my lungs & heart activated. I think both the increased activity and deep breathing of the warm up, plus slowing down the pace of the first two runs, made a big difference, as I actually surprised myself by managing W4R1 and found it easier even than W3R3!
I find it’s difficult, as a beginner runner, (I haven’t run since primary school playground and I’m now 52!) to slow your pace right down because you feel, if you do, it will hardly be much faster than walking and it feels embarrassing! That’s how I felt anyway. But because, like you, I do want to be able to do this, I decided to follow people’s advice and not care about how I look when I’m running. I think if you’re new to running you don’t realise how important it is to warm up properly and go VERY slowly at the start. But I’ve learnt it pays off. You’ll be surprised how much of a difference it makes. Best of luck
Hi NickSX, I am also on week 3 r1, I feel a little overwhelmed because I finished week 2 in good style and then ive had a week or 2 off due to a back issue, so im notw not sure if to repeat week 2 or just continue into week 3 and see what happens. I am expexting that this is the hardest week at the beginning of this programme, as it doubles in regards to the time running very quickly. I would just repeat it and take it easy running, I run at a very slow pace anyhow. Make sure you enegise about 2 hours before running. You will get through this 😊
Agree with what others say about going easy on yourself - it is week 3 that's taught me about pace and that I need to run to my breath, which means run slowly! Which also means you can finish the 3 minutes - it's a great feeling when you realise you can! We start W4 tomorrow - I feel like this will be another hump! Keep going!
This run was a killer, so I sympathise. Luckily, my husband did it first with two of my sons - it almost destroyed him - so he warned me to go slow. I ran slow and that second 3 minute run still almost did me in. I have now completed the 3 runs of week 3 and can confirm that it does get easier. I still go very slow and steady, though.
You haven’t failed at all lovely! Keep going. You were so close and as soon as you take down the pace you’ll be totally fine. Have the rest day and go again, it’s all positive progress! Much love x
Hi just also done W3 R1 I was a bit scared and certainly found the 2nd 3 min run tough but tried to keep slow and did finish it, but overall I know I pushed myself a bit when I knew I could go faster, (mistake). I do also use the last minute of the 5 min warm up walk to do some dynamic stretches so we tend to look like John Cleese funny walk for a few steps but hey who cares, also religiously do the after run stretches, and strengthening exercises on rest days and so far touch wood no injuries or dreadful muscle ache just a nice feeling that muscles have been used
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