So, I’ve done W9 R1 this morning and although I completed it, it was really hard again.
I’m not sure what’s gone wrong but I feel really discouraged. From the word go today I was having to will myself on and had a huge mental battle with myself all the way round. I think I only completed it because the prospect of having to live with myself after not completing it was a worse option!
I have 3 theories...
1) I’m leaning forward when I run and that must be harder work right? Not sure how to correct.
2) I need to distract myself because when my mind is busy with something else everything comes more naturally and I’m not just thinking about the next step/breath/minute. Might try and listen to a podcast instead of music.
3) perhaps I should try a different time of day. I go as my first job in the morning at the moment but maybe later on the day would be better? When I’m back at school it will need to be the evening anyway.
My husband has just reminded me that even though I feel discouraged today, the fact is that 8 weeks ago I struggled to run for a minute and I’ve just done 30!! Must try not to lose sight of that!
Sorry for the long rambling post....😬
Written by
LouiseG1970
Graduate
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I personally find this to be such a mental battle. Definitely give podcasts ago. I find when I have music on I don’t even really listen, my mind is on whats going on that day. Sometimes I get to the end of a run and couldn’t even name a song I heard.
I switched to listening to the radio which works well for me.
Everything going on in our lives can impact on our performance as a runner. Restedness, hydration and nutrition are at the top of my list of variables that need to be optimised to enable enjoyable running.
Those are the factors under our control but there are many external influences on us that we just have to acknowledge and then perhaps lower our expectations or demands.
One less than perfect run is not the end of the line. Your running career will not be inexorably upwards in trajectory, but you will battle through and that is what makes a runner.
Hi Louise, your husband is right- you have made massive progress in a mere 8 weeks & you are doing really well. 😄👍🏻
Some runs are tough for us all - there are lots of reasons- are you well hydrated, slept well, “under the weather”, is the actual weather hot & muggy? etc etc - lots of factors that can affect us. It’s not just you, you are not alone.
You are right to try different things to see what suits you. (eg although I would love to be a morning runner & sometimes I go then, I know that I am more comfortable later in the day).
I listen to radio 4 podcasts on the Sounds app a lot - Desert Island Discs, The Food Program, GQT, assorted dramas etc - loads to choose from. 😄 At your stage, I found distraction essential.
One more suggestion- you could try slackening off your speed, - run with an attitude of “I could go faster, but I am choosing not to “. I found that very helpful at the stage you are at & still do. I think earlier in the program we just run as best as we can & it’s all very hard work- even though it should be slow - we just have an “I’m coping” pace. A bit later, when we have reached the continuous runs, we are becoming fitter & maybe lose sight of “slower is possible” because running at a variety of paces is yet to be discovered. Try greeting your inner super snail & see if you are more comfortable! - This comfy pace will get faster naturally as you continue to become fitter. 😄
LouiseG
You are really doing well - just keep plugging away. Make sure you reward yourself afterwards.
Talking to some ultra marathon runners in the past it is unfortunately just a matter of keeping going and use whatever mind games that work for you. With me I just set little goals - get past next telegraph pole, up next hill etc.
Sometimes also one just has a bad day - put it behind you and move on.
You are doing brilliantly! You are keeping going, showing grit and determination! I remember some of those later runs in the programme feeling pretty tough, after finding the earlier runs fairly easy.
You may have unconsciously speeded up?
You will do this and your next run may feel completely different. Maybe take a 2 day break too.
I'm completely the same. In fact most of my runs are like this. My brain says take the next left and go home but my body continues on past that left. I struggle with my breathing. I'm going to try my inhaler and see if that helps. Defo check your pace. I might switch off my km audio call outs with pace as that makes me anxious and speed up.
Keep going. You're almost there! No harm in trying alternate times of day. As for the lean, I only do this when I'm exhausted and am forcing one foot infront of the other and running is my bodies way of stopping me falling flat on my face. Dont push too hard. Easier said than done, trust me, I know.
Thanks for your encouragement everyone. This is such a supportive group!
I’m going to try again tomorrow. I’ll go later in the day, listen to an episode of Desert Island Discs and see how I go. I know I can do it and graduate in a few days but I want to do it feeling good and strong...not just surviving!
Or it could just be that running is really hard! 🥵 Running for 30 minutes is no mean feat. I’ve been consolidating for about 5 weeks now and I still had to stop and have a breather on my last run because I was finding it tough. On another run, same route and weather etc I’ll be fine. That’s life’ that’s running. Congratulations on what you have achieved so far. We are still very new runners but we have done amazingly well! I look forward to your graduation post
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