Week 5 struggling: Advice please, I've just made... - Couch to 5K

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Week 5 struggling

Prinnysvg profile image
7 Replies

Advice please, I've just made it to day 1 of week 5, cant believe I've made it this far, as day 1 of the 60 second run I thought I was gona die but still, lol.

I'm starting to struggle in the last ten minutes of the session, my legs feel like led and my shins have started to hurt again especially on my right side and I have been getting pins and needles in my left foot. Any advice, thank you x

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Prinnysvg profile image
Prinnysvg
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7 Replies
Devon59 profile image
Devon59

Hi, I would suggest taking an additional rest day between runs, but continue to walk as much as possible, that’s what I did when I had some minor injuries.

IannodaTruffe profile image
IannodaTruffeMentor

If you struggle with any run just slow down.

Can you speak aloud, clear, ungasping sentences as you run?.........if not, you are going too fast.

Heavy legs can be symptomatic of poor hydration. As a runner you need to drink a minimum of 2.5 -3 litres of fluid each and every day, running or not, as mentioned in the guide.

Stretching immediately after every run, nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/h... while muscles are still warm and supple, pulls out contractions, avoiding carrying tensions into the next run and also improves recovery by improving blood flow, as recommended in the guide to the plan.

Many people do not hold their stretches for long enough or put enough effort in. Hold post run stretches for 30 seconds and make sure the pull is strong enough to be on the verge of discomfort.

Follow the advice in the guide on minimising impact.

nowster profile image
nowsterGraduate

Pins and needles in the foot might mean you're lacing your shoes too tightly.

GardenGnome12 profile image
GardenGnome12Graduate

If you tend to run the same route a lot, it might be your gremlins telling you that you are going to find it hard from a certain point. Changing your route might help you break them - they won't know when the last ten minutes is coming 😁 Keep going - you know that you can do this

pepecat profile image
pepecat

I completed w5r1 yesterday. I was ecstatic. I’m pretty ancient, struggling with weight, plus have other health issues. I got stuck for a while on w4 r3 and wasn’t looking forward to it at all. Found it so much easier choosing to do it early in the day, on a cool day in drizzle. I’ve suddenly realised that going really slow and consistent is the way forward for me. It was the first time since I started that I didn’t find myself gasping for breath. Feeling it in my knee today, but positively looking forward to tomorrow’s run. Can’t believe I just said that!

Wordsearch profile image
Wordsearch

Cant give you any advice sorry😒 im on the same as you did my first run in week five yesterday,dreading but kind of excitied for the last one 20 mins 🙃

pegasus2512 profile image
pegasus2512Graduate

I found at this stage I needed to warm up properly as my legs were killing me. So I watched you tube for warm up ideas. Only do about 5-10mins and it worked a treat. Also my left foot was the same and it was a combination of the way I laced my trainer (again lots of YouTube videos) and the fact my foot wasn’t landing mid strike. So when running try to land your foot mid sole and lift you knees and straighten your posture and look 10 steps ahead that seemed to help me. So good luck!

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