1) I’ve just done w6r1 & struggled. How can 5,8,5 with 3 minute intervals be harder than the last run of 20 continuous minutes?!?! I did it, but am feeling a bit deflated.
2) I love the concept of this health app, but am struggling to ‘search’ for specific topics regarding c25k ... I know they’re out there, but I can’t find them! It may be my internet connection ... I live in rural Africa.
Thank you for your help ... & your inspiration!
Written by
Chokka
Graduate
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I can only answer number 1. The Reasons Week 6 Run 1 can be harder than week 5 Run 3:
1) The intervals may have had a subconscious effect on you. The intervals, being much smaller, seem much more manageable to ones brain and therefore a lot of people make the mistake of running a little bit faster than they should on this run. I know that I ran faster on this run and it hurt a little on the last run.
2) Environmental factors and conditions:
- Did you use the same route?
For W5R3 I went left out my house. Most the route is down hill. For W6R1 I went Right where the start is uphill and it is a little more uneven terrain and undulating.
-What was the weather like?
Where I am the temperature jumped like 5 degrees clecius between week 5 and 6. For health reasons I do not tolerate heat well and this made the run harder. Was it humid? That can make runs seem disproprionately hard due to the difficulty sweat has cooling you down.
-Did you do something different before the run than you normally do ?
Normally, I eat a banana before going for a run and drink some water. If I do not do either of these, I tend to have a harder run. Either due to mild dehydration or I more often get leg cramping. Another example of this would be did you sleep badly the night before. Where was your head at when you went out? I have also had one day just fail because I was emotionally stressed about something that was going on that day.
-Were you fully recovered from you last run?
At this stage we are still relatively "new" runners. Our legs do not have many miles on them and are not used to the pounding. I have found just occasionally one days rest is not quite enough (that is normal for many new runners) and I can not tell until I am running. Those are always hard runs.
There are so many reasons that it could have seemed harder. It is likely to be a combination of many and you will not be able to pinpoint one thing. Reflection on the various factors might be helpful to see if changing something would help prevent a repeat but do not be hard on yourself if you can not see what to change. You went for a run and thst is the most important thing.
I can only provide a much more basic answer to 1) based on my own experience of struggling in the same way you describe in that week! I think part of the reason it’s harder is that once you’ve got the longer run under your belt, going back to the stop start pattern can disrupt your rhythm and cause you to become a bit disjointed or a bit less focused. And as above, it could have affected your pace. Don’t be discouraged - you’ve done amazingly to get this far. So many people are caught out by this run - you’re not alone! Speaking as someone who also found it hard - I’m now in week 8. Push past it - you CAN do this!!
I do think the intervals mess it up a bit for me ... psychologically I thought this run would be easy compared to the last one, so was a bit more blasé about it. I also find the first 3 or 4 minutes of any run tough, so I guess there were three of those in this run!
I can’t possibly be running too fast, honestly if I went any slower I’d be jogging in the spot!
I was well hydrated, it was hot but not humid & the route was pretty flat. I’d had a full days rest in between (but I do yoga every day, so still did that).
My husband commented that I’d had hardly any carbs that day ... I’m trying to lose 2 or 3kgs, so am really watching what I’m eating. I guess I thought that the ‘runs’ are so short that I didn’t need to think about what I eat in preparation for them ...
Thanks for that pointer, I’ll look into that one!
Thanks again for such a detailed answer ... I’ll definitely look at what, & when, I’m eating.
Also, it’ll be interesting to see how run 3 goes as it’s a continuous run again with no intervals ... I may find that easier than the stop/start.
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