Week 8 and need an oxygen tank!! Help!!

[LeighBWhite]

I have just started week 8.

I have not found any week easy but I’m a pretty determined person and somehow I manage to dig deep and have got to the end of each run and feel good for getting to the end.

Now in week 8 I feel like I am going backwards. I’ve hit ‘the wall’

My legs are fine, my pace is steady but I struggle to breathe. The more I fixate in each breath, I just get into a panic. I try to block it out and hope I’ll find a natural rhythm, I try to concentrate on music to distract myself but I just can not get my breathing right so feel I have to stop.

Any tips?

[Knightrider_28 Graduate]

Hi, stick in there fellow runner, slow the pace down , remember its not a race, ..try deep breathing on the 5 min warm up, and stretch exercise will help before run...the golden rule if you cannot have a chat while running you going to fast ...slowly slowly and you'll nail this.good ✌

[LeighBWhite in reply to Knightrider_28]

Thank you. I’ll try that tomorrow. 🤞

[Ellaloux Graduate]

I have just had the exact same problem! I got about half way through and could not get my breath and began to panic. I attempted it again today and it went really well- I’m not saying it was easy, it definitely took a lot of mental and physical strength, but I did it! I think those bad days will always happen but just stick at it, have a rest day and try again😊

[LeighBWhite in reply to Ellaloux]

You are so right. I hate it when I feel like I have to stop and I know it’s just a mind game... let’s see what tomorrow brings. Thanks for taking time to help. Much appreciated. 👍

[Ellaloux Graduate in reply to LeighBWhite]

I know it’s so frustrating when it doesn’t go to plan! I was gutted the other day when I couldn’t do it- I couldn’t even run for 25 minutes like I had done absolutely fine during week 7! Good luck with your next run I’m sure you will smash it!!

[FormulaRun]

We all have difficult days and I often find my head is the thing stopping me. So two things I try. If you are genuinely struggling with getting your breathing right you will probably panic and it will get worse - so next run start really slow and keep slow but finish the time. Once you can do the time you could think about going faster if you want to. Second as I said in my head my chimp is usually saying “I can’t”. My strategy to beat the chimp is to count to 60 - however hard that is (I count every other step of one leg so about a minute) then reassess whether I really need to stop or not. By then the chimp has often given up chattering in my ear and I can complete the run!! We’re all different so try things till you find something that works - different music, different route, different pace, running with a mate (socially distanced of course), write your to do list in your head - you’ll find something to get you through the tough days, and you can enjoy the slightly easier ones! Good luck

[LeighBWhite in reply to FormulaRun]

Thank you for your thoughts and some excellent ideas there. Those pesky chimps eh? I will run with a different mindset tomorrow and try some of these ideas. Thanks for your help. 👏

[UnfitNoMore Graduate]

Sounds to me like you’re almost there... distracting the mind really helped me. I switched from music to a podcast so I had to think about that... and I never looked back. We breathe all day without thinking about it... the run doesn’t need us to suddenly change that. Slow it down some more... trust your brain to do it in autopilot, and distract yourself some more.

[LeighBWhite in reply to UnfitNoMore]

Thanks so much. I did exactly as you said, podcast all the way and time time went quickly. I was distracted so my breathing was controlled and only once did I have a moment thinking I was struggling (steep hills do that!) I got to

the end, tired and heavy legs but did the full 28 minutes and only stopped to wait for a car to pass. Thanks for taking time out to help. It’s very much appreciated. Cheers!

[UnfitNoMore Graduate in reply to LeighBWhite]

Excellent job! Hills get me too 🤣 but if all is back under control soon after the summit we’re good.

[Speedy60 Graduate]

What music are you listening to? Ditch any upbeat running tempo songs for the moment. Find or make yourself a mellow playlist, the sort of thing you'd listen to on a quiet night in or relaxing on a beach. You'd be surprised how much difference it makes to your pace.

Good luck 👍

[LeighBWhite in reply to Speedy60]

Great tip as I ran for 28 minutes listening to a podcast today and BINGO!!! I was totally absorbed in the run, didn’t really think too much about breathing and I got to the end, tired and heavy legs but I did it. Thanks for your support and advise. Cheers.

[Speedy60 Graduate in reply to LeighBWhite]

Excellent! Full marks for persistence. That's what you need in this game. 👏👏👏

I've been trying to run to my heart rate. I noticed every time a banging tune came on, I got a warning 10 seconds later that my heart rate had gone up too far - I'd started running to the beat of the song. It all makes a difference.

[Madloonmary Graduate]

Hi Leigh,

runtastic.com/blog/en/how-t...

This helped me, its about belly breathing and i found it very useful. Hope it helps!

[LeighBWhite in reply to Madloonmary]

Oh thanks for sharing. I’ll have a read. Fingers crossed.

[HeavyFoot Graduate]

Try not listening to music for a couple of runs and zoom into your pace (probably slowing down) and breathing. You’re right in describing listening to music as a distraction. Good luck! 🍀

[LeighBWhite in reply to HeavyFoot]

Thank you. I listened to a podcast today and the time went quickly and totally distracted me from thinking about my breathing. I got to the end, tired legs but I did it. Thanks for taking time to offer advise. It’s much appreciated. 👍