(W10R3- repeat of final W9R3, sixth 30 min consolidation run)
Not a good run tonight. I was well rested, possibly could have done with a bit more hydration, but I think the humidity was what made it so hard. Ran a slightly slower pace but still felt like I just couldn't get enough oxygen into my body- promised myself I could stop at 20 mins but then just kept doing a bit more, a bit more- managed the 30 mins but felt utterly dreadful, like I was going to be sick, my head was pounding and I was shaking.
I'm ok now (it's a couple of hours later)
But I realised how much it reminded me of being at school, when I'd really, really tried at PE after being shouted at by the teachers, how awful I felt physically and how much of a failure mentally- how I'd spend the rest of the day feeling sick and sweaty, with messy hair and a red face. For a little while after the run I was back there- exhausted, and utterly miserable. Like a flashback. It's honestly made me cry tonight- I just feel so sorry for teenage me- I want to tell her to tell them to screw their PE lessons and their tennis matches and hockey tournaments, and to just do as little as possible and not even try because you will feel humiliated either way- and I want to tell her it IS possible to find something physical you can do and you don't have to compete or push yourself to be ill. I hate what PE lessons did to a group of women like me who were never encouraged to find an activity we could enjoy. It was always more, more, more...be the best, be the strongest, run the fastest- cups and prizes and races and glory. And yes, the picking team thing. Just dreadful.
Anyway, I'm 47 now and much more able to rationalise things, I think. Tonight was just a bad run. Thank you for taking the time to read, and listening to the rest of it, but I wanted to ask... when it's humid like that, does it make a difference? And was I right to push for the 30 minutes, or would I have been better stopping? I'm so new to this I don't know what to do for the best- my lack of experience is making me unsure.
I'd really be grateful for any advice you can give me.
Thank you xx
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SingsAndRuns
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Sorry to hear of your PE lesson experiences as I child, I used to hate PE especially gymnastics, I couldn’t even do a forward role without cricking my neck and how they expected me to climb a rope is beyond me! Anyway you did the right thing running for 30 minutes, it shows your level of fitness is improving...stay positive and the best of luck with your consolidation runs 👍
I also find it much harder to run if it's humid. I get hayfever and when the hayfever and humidity coincide I find it really hard work. I try to go out early in the morning or late in the evening when the air feels clearer. And your memories of PE sound horrible, it's really sad those memories are still so strong. I hope things have changed in schools these days.
Me too. I think they have, although there still seems to be such an emphasis on competition which doesn't happen in any other subject! I understand that competition can be an important part of sport but it's horrid when you aren't good at it...
Thanks re humidity. It just seems to sap the life out of me.... x
The first run I did in very warm temperatures was, and still is, the worst run I've ever done. I was tired, my head hurt and I just felt terrible. The heat and humidity makes a big difference. Even fitness watches such as Garmin will take the temperature into account, as it knows it will affect your performance.
I know you said you ran slightly slower, but I would suggest running even slower. Your body is working hard to run especially in the heat, so running slower would help it cope a bit better. And if you find you have some energy you could always run faster.
As for running for 30 minutes or not, I would say you're the best to judge whether you should push or not. It's good to run for as long as you can, but equally it's also important to make sure you enjoy the run. I'd weigh just how bad you feel against running for a little bit longer.
Regardless, you did brilliantly to keep going even when you really didn't feel like it. In your face PE! 😄
I think you are probably right. I'm not very fast, and I'm ok with that, I'm running between 3.4k and 3.6k in 30 mins (tbf it's a bit cross country in places, round the lake and so on, rather than straight roads) but I think if it is humid like that again I will try to go even slower. It was really horrid- sounds pretty similar to what you're describing, so thank you for the reassurance. x
You speak for a generation. My school didn't actively humiliate those of us who weren't 'sporty', it simply ignored those who didn't represent the school in teams. That, in itself, is a passive form of humiliation.
Virtual choirs - all kind of virtual music - have been inspirational since the virus started. And singing, which has always been a bit of a geeky thing (which I say as an very amateur singer myself), is now a mainstream thing for people of all ages - easily as important as being able to a forward roll.
As a fellow 47 year old woman, I hear you loud and clear. Hated, hated, hated PE - your experience mirrors mine. I’m a teacher myself and it vexes me that PE can still be a negative experience for some kids. Anyway, I won’t start ranting but will say, “Good on you and me for having the courage to take control of our fitness levels”. You’re much further on in your journey - congratulations on what you’ve achieved.
Thank you. And well done you too- you're dead right, thank you for those words- it really does take courage.
It was just so- out of the blue! I've run for nine weeks and not once thought about it, with the exception of when my running leggings arrived from Marksy Sparksy and I put them on and thought ooooo these aren't navy blue knickers, are they??! So it was unexpected and a bit jolting. I guess it really is a flashback to then but hopefully it's a banished, vanquished memory.... xxx
Same experience for me in PE. I would do almost anything to avoid it and grew up following Oscar Wilde’s example - “if I feel the need to exercise, I lie down until it passes.” I’ve been doing consolidation runs and only managed 20 mins the other night, felt like a complete failure etc. When I got back my daughter said to me - for goodness sake Mum, give yourself a break, at least you’re doing it. Which made me think, yes, she’s right and there will be successful runs and failures but the important thing is we’re out there and doing it and if enjoyment means running slower / for less time, is it important?
Let’s hear it loud and proud for all those ignoring Oscar Wilde’s words (tho I did aspire to them for a good few years) ... it did make me smile 😃 You’re daughters quite right - well done you! You ARE doing it! Outrunning all those people who still live the Oscar Wilde way 🏃🏽♀️👏👏
I attempted the Speed C25K+ podcast yesterday (while consolidating) and for the first time in 10+ plus weeks totally didn't finish. I got half way through and just stopped. My partner said practically the same thing to me when I got home as your daughter did to you. At least we are still running!
The moral for me is definitely just to keep on going slow and to keep building the stamina. Speed is a bit of a deflection I think. Keep going!
I agree I tried the stepping stones podcast and it was just too fast for me so I stopped it quite early on and used my own music and Strava alerts at 1k and I managed 30 mins but it was the hardest 30 mins I’ve done and I think this was due to starting too fast.
Speed isn’t the most important thing at all. The most important thing is to keep going at your own pace even if it is slow.
No real advice but well done for finishing the 30 mins. I went out for my first consolidation run and only managed 25...... it was a shock but thinking about it, the humidity did me in too. In going to try again and and am for 30 x
That's interesting, Cass. I'm going to wait until Friday now I think, I'm hoping to get some new running shoes on Friday so I will go and run near the running shop- new shoes, new location... I'm hoping for renewed strength!!
I struggled both at school with PE and also last night with the humidity- it felt like I was running through treacle! However I just slowed it down I did what I could! Good luck on your next run x
I’m so sorry to hear about your experience but thank you so much for sharing it.
I have had a life long negative association with any kind of fitness thanks to PE in school too, and it’s only in the last year or so that I’ve realised it can be on my own terms and even-shock horror-enjoyable!
Mirroring what the others have already said, well done for pushing through the mental barrier.
I’m not in any position to give advice about what is best, but do congratulate yourself on facing your demons and overcoming.
Thank you. I agree with everything you've said about PE. Thank you for taking the time to respond. Good luck to you too, I am glad you're finding something you can enjoy x
Hi there 😁 i think humidity makes a massive difference, well it does to me. If you feel like that again I would do fast walking for the last 10 mins. Followed by stretching n lots of water n a cool shower, happy running 😍
That's a good idea, thank you. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one. I did my stretches this time but I could hardly stand up, I was so wiped out. And yes, straight in the shower!!
I’m not one to comment on hydration but I’d personally say stop when it gets that tough but you know what? You’d still be here feeling you’d given up too soon and wondering if you did right. Damned if you do and all that. You don’t want to put yourself off the next run that’s all. I found early on that sometimes I felt I’d never learned anything in 9 weeks as I had to stop and walk several times. It passed, although I still have some days . . . . I’m just stopping to enjoy the view! 🤣
That's it!! I think half the problem was I spent the last ten minutes wondering if I should stop but trying not to!! I even had my phone in my hand for the last four so I could see how long I had to go, and I've never done that in all the nine previous weeks!
I like that... stopping to enjoy the view.... yes! I reckon that might become a tool in my kit!! Thank you x
Yeah PE teachers/classes have a lot to answer for. I feel for you - and I do think struggling in the heat to complete 30 mins running really tests resolve and self-worth - and is emotional. I hated PE and felt useless because I was chubby and slow - I still def do not have an athlete's body (hah) but decades later I found I was actually quite good at karate and could play badminton passably well etc etc. But running is hard! Finished c25k two weeks ago and repeated week 9. Tried the first consolidation run on Monday and it was awful: muggy, calves hurt, spirit and energy really low - fumbled around outside for 30 mins, doing a combo of angry walking and about 10 mins shambolic jogging, then came home. Fear I am at risk of giving up (it's what happened last time I completed c25k). Am telling myself no surrender to lure of couch until I've done 9 weeks of 30 min runs 3 x a week - and I'm inviting my chubby 15-year-old self to join me! Thanks for the post, singsandruns - I'd love to sing arias as I run but will leave that goal for next year!
Thanks for that- yes it really WAS emotional, glad I'm not alone.
I'm not moving off Week 9 Run 3 yet. I have done it every other day since I graduated. I just like the countdown and Jo Whiley telling me I'm amazing!! Not ready for life without that yet. I love the idea of nine weeks, that's great!! We should be well into it by then!!
Maybe that's where I'm going wrong, I should actually try the singing and running at the same time! Not sure the fishermen at the lake where I run would be very happy... I already get shifty looks as I jog past them!! xx
I was exactly the same at school! Spent years losing sleep over doing cross country as it was just humiliating. Finding excuses to get out of swimming because you swam two at a time while everyone watched - it was just awful!! PE lessons made me think I’d never ever be able to do anything active and now here I am almost finished the couch to 5k so what did they know! I’m sorry you had to go through this too!
I find it a lot harder to run in humidity or when it’s really really cold as i find both scenarios much harder for breathing! Well done for completing your run 😊
SAR what a traumatic memory to have brought to the surface 😕 - I did have a wry smile when you mentioned the navy blue PE knickers😂 God they were vile weren’t they?! I was reasonably sporty at school and fairly good at gymnastics but I do have strong memories of hockey in the middle of winter on the freezing cold. It’s sad that you were never given the recognition for your success which clearly is singing. More so back in the day I think, schools celebrated what their strength was, sports,music academic etc and if you didn’t fall into that category you weren’t recognised.
Although I can see you have been negatively impacted by your experience, I do think competition is important, but that can be just against yourself, to be the best you can. I really hate it when it goes too far the other way (IMO) when you can’t have winners on school sports days. That said, I’m a great believe in growth mindset where effort perseverance, resilience and learning from mistakes are celebrated as the keys to success rather than believing that intelligence is fixed and you can only achieve if you are clever. Oops time to get off my soapbox.
Anyway I can’t offer any special advice re running in humidity but I concur that it’s blimming hard and I’m sure it affects performance
Ahh thank you! I am smiling today, and planning for Friday's run- change of scene should help! Thank you for the encouragement.
Competition IS important, and of course there should be every opportunity for sports men and women to emerge from every school setting, and I think that's right. And yes, I agree that sports day should be competitive, I just don't think every child should be made to take part. Can you imagine if in the music department we said we were going to hold a singing day, and every child was going to be expected to sing a solo on a stage in front of the whole school, then they would be judged and marked and the results read out on a tannoy so we all knew who had come last??
I totally agree about growth mindset though- I think that's really important. Effort and perseverance are the keys to success, and mistakes should be embraced as part of that process.
Thanks re humidity- it's just good to know I'm not alone!!
We had to embroider our names on our Navy Blue knickers... o_O!!!!
Oh god I’d forgotten about having to embroider our name on the knickers -and the aertex shirt!! Did we go to the same school?!?! Actually no, because my school always read out the music grade certificates in assembly. You would have been a star, our music teacher was a fantastic singer.
I can’t disagree with your points re sports day- all very true.
I find mixing up my runs really helps my motivation and stops me from getting too familiar with where the minute/distance markers are.
Yes to embroidery on the shirt!!! I bet the boys didn't have to do that.... !!!
I think you're right, I've only run the same route since starting. It's been useful to gauge how far I've come but I think a change of scene would really help. Thank you xx
Oh bless you!.... made me really sad reading this... I loved school and had such positive experiences.. had a great circle of friends... I was never an avid PE fan .. not because of the class itself but for the fact our PE teacher had the same bullish approach to getting in showers... communal showers... not an ounce of understanding that at that age everyone was so body conscious....
anyway back to your run... 🏃🏽♀️ I’m still too new on the running journey to know what’s best... I think some days we will have good runs and some bad but my main thought is... you should enjoy it... if it invokes horrible memories like this then perhaps stop, go home and spoil yourself!
Give yourself a pat on the back cos you are doing brilliant! I hope to be where you are in a few weeks..
thank you for sharing it and being so honest... I’m sure there will be some more useful answers for you than mine but I wanted to you to know that you’re supported here 💕
Ahhh thank you! And well done you too for getting out there and getting going. It's the hardest part. My experience at school generally was good, it's just the negativity attached to physical exercise I seem to have carried into my adult life. And showers... oh my. We were never made to do them, for which I feel blessed- it's a double edged sword, sweaty all day or communal showers- mad.
Thank you for the support, it's really appreciated
Thanks for this SingsAndRuns , from someone else who was way way way behind everyone else on the school cross country runs but who (a) sang and still sings and (b) has recently graduated from C25K.
I think there are a lot of posts/comments on this forum about bad memories of exercise at school, and it's one of the reasons I really appreciate it. Everyone is so encouraging and we are all ages.
I just 'failed' to complete my first run in 10+ weeks yesterday (the Speed C25K+ podcast - beware!) which was a disappointment, but realise I need to do what you are doing and just keep on SLOWLY with the 30 minute runs to build my stamina. Keep going. You are a runner!! 👟
Thank you. The terminology is interesting, isn't it? I was thinking about it yesterday- there's no doubt I would have felt like I'd 'failed' if I'd stopped, and yet- if you'd asked me at Christmas if I would class running for 25 minutes or even 20 minutes as a failure I'd have thought you were joking. We're hard on ourselves, I think. We need a better word... what about "I commuted that run.... to a walk..." ha!
You're dead right about this forum though, I couldn't have posted all that lot anywhere else. The support has been amazing
Tell your younger self that she's OK it's not the student's fault!!!!!! and that she'll have the last laugh because when she's 47 she'll be running for 30 minutes and at 48 probably running it comfortably. In fact let's tell all young people there's a sport for everyone to enjoy and you don't have to be a world beater to enjoy a sport. I did my first consolidation run this morning and found it so hard. I hadn't even considered that the heat and humidity might be the issue.
Yes! That's what we need- something for everyone to enjoy and feel proud of. I agree. I hope you're right about 48!!
I really think it's what made it hard for me today. Hopefully it will be a bit less on Friday, and I'm going a bit nearer the shore so that might help!
Goodness, lots of flashbacks reading all these posts and sadly with regards to PE I can relate to all of them. The outfit, the team line up, being last in the activity and the last to be chosen, the showers, the teachers, the hockey 🤕....... I'm of the same generation.......crazy that we have all had such an awful experience 🙁.
I wonder if all those teachers were just desperate for us to feel the way we do after achieving C25K...... whether we were ready for it or not, so come hell or high water we were put through hell and high water 🙄......if only their teaching methods were more inclusive and appreciative of all physical abilities. Aaaaagh well opportunities lost, I'm sure (or I hope) the majority of those teachers would be absolutely mortified if they knew of our thoughts and experience........ but then I did have a couple of PE teachers who seemed to gain enjoyment from their bullish behaviour 🤷♀️.
But finishing C25K has been amazing and I get a positively euphoric feeling when I've managed a good run. Yesterday however was SOOOOOO hard 🥵......the heat that was actually rising from the ground was stifling, and it took me longer to get round, but we did it 👍.
So I stick my tongue out to my awful PE teachers of the past and cheer the ones who try harder to include and accept ALL, there are some out there I know it, or I hope there are.
Keep running everyone, at your own pace and thanks for the post 👋
I know, it's hard not to have this sort of 'Trunchball' character in your head when you think back, but they can't all have been bad!! But I totally agree- raspberries all round, and we keep running
Well done on getting through it. I can't speak about your school PE experiences but the replies above speak for themselves.
Was it right or wrong to push through the discomfort and get to 30 mins? I don't know... but I can say one thing... you showed grit, perseverance, resilience and determination - all of which are very positive traits and ones you should be proud of and focus on.
Look at the positives re: your run and also learn some lessons from it:
- take the weather conditions into account
- if it's hot and humid, make sure you're hydrated before out and slow your pace down
Now, enjoy your consolidation!
Cheers
John
PS maybe consider joining a running club or a women's running group in your area?
Thank you John, they are really encouraging words. I think hydration is something I have to get better at- I've just finished a morning's teaching (on Zoom) and the water I poured myself at the start is still sitting there....
I will have a look and see what running clubs are available. I'm not sure I'm quick enough yet though and it worries me that I will feel all those 'failure' feelings again if someone has to slow down to stay with me.... I'm only running 3.4-3.6 k in 30 mins at the moment.
I quite enjoyed PE (although I was never any good at anything). We spent one summer running round and round a local field pretending we were Steve Ovett (not Seb Coe), and timing each other on our new digital watches (definitely not world record breaking times among us).
By the time I got to senior school however, I HATED cross country with a passion! I could not understand the point of it and would often get lapped (sometimes more than once) by the county champion in our year. We recently reconnected through Facebook and it's been great that my nemesis is now cheering me on
Ahhh that's a lovely way to end it! I'd never thought of that, it must have been a bit awkward for the ones who WERE good at PE I guess too, to constantly be lauded and praised at the expense of their classmates. It just all matters so much when you're that age... I couldn't care less now if I'm lapped ten times over
You know I think you’ve hit the nail on the head right there...nowadays I literally don’t care that I’m a complete sweaty beetroot pootling along at a snails pace - this is me! ( love that song 🎶) I wish we could tell that to our teenage selves.
By the by of nothing - do you listen to music and sing when you’re running? I bet you’re amazing - I do but I’m no singer- as the poor people on my routes will tell you!! It gets me through. I do always sneakily look round first to make sure no one is around 😜
Now it's really funny, but no, I don't!! I've found if I run to music it's almost impossible not to try to run in time and that messes with my rhythm and my ability to slow down if I need to!! I'm like that with everything though, I don't have music on whilst I'm working- my brain just tunes in totally to it and I can't concentrate on other things. I'm a nightmare in shops, I'm forever saying 'why on earth did they think THIS was a good song to shop to' when the other person hasn't realised there's any music on!
I use spoken word podcasts mostly. Louis Theroux on the BBC Sounds app is doing some amazing lockdown interviews at the moment....
I might try singing one day! Got to be worth a go!!
That’s really interesting- I always have music in the background of whatever I’m doing. I use singing as my way of telling if I’ve got enough breath or if I’m going too fast.
Until today I have always used my own running playlist that I created but today I listened to a Stevie Wonder playlist on Spotify because I’d fallen asleep last night listening to a documentary about him on iplayer. It was nice to have a change actually- lots of people like their podcasts or audiobooks- I might have to branch out .
I was just talking about how pointless and damaging PE classes were with my husband the other day! I've always thought I can't run, but with this course I can see that I can, when I am told how to do it gradually! Why did they think that telling kids to go and run anywhere between 1-4 miles with no training, no build up and no tips on breathing or pace or anything else was a good idea?! It put me off for life but made me feel like I was weird for not being able to just do it! It was really lazy teaching. I really hope now that they build kids up to run (like the C25K) and actually teach them how to gradually increase, instead of just expecting everyone to do the same thing with no guidance on how to do it. There's a whole generation of girls out there (I am 48) who had to pretend to have their period every week to get out of PE!!!
Totally agree with everything you have said. 100%.
I really hope it is better now. Even the Nike campaign, 'This Girl Can' felt a bit revolutionary, and that was what, like last year or something?? It shouldn't have taken this long... xx
Spent most of my school days hiding from the PE teacher and sitting on the radiator dispite her dire warnings that we would get piles !!😱.
Humidity, heat, and direct sunshine raise your heart rate and make breathing difficult so those conditions definitely affect performance. Give me a rainy day any time. I ran with my running group and everyone struggled, even the normally fast fit ones.
The very fit warriors seemed to keep going but they were suffering. Our slower group just went slower still and took a walking break at the turnaround for a few minutes. I was very conscious of drinking enough water during the few days before as it's not enough to just slug down a big glass before you go out. You need to be well hydrated over a 24- 48 hour period before.
A short red shirt and red knickers was the sports kit for me back in the day.🤣
Absolutely, just a few mins to get your breath back. No point in killing ourselves.
You’re not alone, I had my first consolidation run on Monday and it was an unpleasant experience from the beginning. I too felt like I wasn’t getting any oxygen, completely different to the runs prior to that where I felt great! Here’s hoping our next runs are more comfortable. I was at school in the 90s and PE was a negative experience, it’s sad that so many women were left feeling this way.
Getting to the end of the programme is a great achievement on its own! Some runs feel better than others and we can't always work out why. Well done getting to the end against all those challenges! That showed real determination! You should be really proud of yourself. Maybe even though you slowed down you were still trying to go a bit too fast? I think it's really easy to do that because you feel you should be "running" I had a similar run when for 2 pins I would just have stopped from about the first step so I just took it so slowly i was hardly moving but Laura's voice in my ear got me there!
Sore head might have been the dehydration ? but the atmospheric pressure and humidity might have contributed.
I have been doing the NHS post C25K Speed runs which I quite like because the speed is set by Laura and you go from 150 steps per minute to 165 then back again so it feels like progress!
Sounds like you've come a long way so just keep on running!
Thank you. I've not braved the next bit yet, I'm still doing week 9! I'm not ready to leave the safety of Jo Whiley's soothing voice just yet. Although I am intrigued by the steps per minute, seems interesting!
I did run about the same distance as the previous run so whilst I wasn't running faster, I don't think, I probably should have run slower and taken into account the heat. I think you might be right about the sore head.
Thanks for all your support. I'm taking an extra rest day tomorrow, I've only done that one other time in all the programme, but I want to leave that run behind mentally. I am getting some running shoes on Friday, so we'll go and run by the sea near where the running shop is. Change of scene, change of shoes.... hopefully it will all be well.
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Wk 9 - whoever thought it?!!
Progress and Advice
Week 6, Run 2 - not sure I believe it
Running much more - week 4
Sorry Laura, but you're boring me now...
