W6R1

[julie1807]

After conquering the dreaded W5R3 with less difficulty than I imagined, and being rather pleased with myself, I found the relatively easy (in comparison) W6R1 really hard. I was tired, achey, my legs were like lead and felt dizzy after. Could be just a bad night or maybe I am coming down with something. It is a shame, but it seems I will have to give running a miss for a while until I feel better ... Anyone else get bad days like this?

[debbzi Graduate]

I found it more difficult than I expected but it does sound like you are coming down with something. I did run 2 today and that actually seemed to go much better.

[Greg_M Graduate]

Yes, they happen from time to time and for me usually come right after a run where I feel like I am flying. I am sure the running gods are bringing me back down to earth by attaching a bag of spuds to my shorts

That said you may also be coming down with something, look after yourself.

[shelleymcb Graduate]

I found this run really difficult too. I assumed that it would be easy after completing 20mins but have come to the conclusion that the plan goes back to intervals so that you dont get over-confident & cause yourself an injury. (most books say dont increase mileage by more than 10% a week).

if its any consolation you are not the only one. lots of people find this one challenging & lots breeze through. if you managed to complete this run with heavy legs then you should be pleased with yourself.

perhaps take a couple of extra days to recover, but like greg says, we all have bad runs from time to time. & dont forget, you did 20mins not so long ago ~ hold onto that thought!

[ImaRunner Graduate]

Hi Julie and all.

I did W6 Run 1 this afternoon and I too found it more difficult than I thought it would be after my success at the previous 20 minute run a couple of days ago. I'm glad to read the comments from others who also found it a bit of a struggle.

Although I was glad for the chance to walk, I also found it difficult to summon up the energy to run again.

If you take the walks out it was still 18 minutes of running, so I think we should congratulate ourselves on getting this far..

Hope you feel better soon Julie & pat yourself on the back for completing the run.

x

[AliB1 Graduate]

You should be proud that you've got this far! We all have days where it is alot harder than we thought it would be...like you i've found w6 hard!

Completed r2 this morning and everything is aching! meant to be out again on Sunday for r3...dreading it!

Good luck with run2!

[CathCakes Graduate]

I was exactly the same. It's so weird. Perhaps it's a psychological thing - the first 20 minute run seems such a MASSIVE leap forward, so you push yourself to achieve it, and it feels fantastic, and I remember thinking (oh so wrongly!) that going back to walking again would somehow be a bit of a backwards step. I remember thinking that the first run of week 6 sounded ok, and quite easy, but it really was surprisingly tough after the elation of running 20 mins. But it's a really clever plan I think, as little by little it builds up your stamina and your confidence. So do stick with it! As dear Laura would say, "You can do it!". What I love about this is that you constantly surprise yourself with what you can do. I think the bad and difficult days are par for the course, and perhaps you are coming down with something, in which case give yourself a little break. I've just completed week 8, against all the odds, and at times my legs have felt I was running through treacle, and I've wanted to sit down in the road and cry, but then you're rewarded with a really enjoyable run here and there, and that lovely sense that you've achieved something. Oh - and some advice which REALLY helped me a lot was to make sure that you're really hydrated and stretched before you set off. Good luck, and don't panic!

[julie1807]

Thanks all for your advice and encouragement!