A couple of weeks ago I finished the C25K plan, although barely, I found my motivation severely took a hit towards the end, and I've struggled immensely to get out and run regularly since graduating.
I've purchased a weighted vest and intend to start the C25K program again while using the vest, in an effort to improve my fitness further while giving myself an incremental plan to follow.
Has anyone experienced something similar with regards to the complete loss of motivation (and therefore fitness) at the end of the C25K? Has anyone used weighted vests, or attempted a similar challenge, and what are your thoughts?
I'd love to get some feedback from you guys, feeling rather unmotivated and disappointed in myself that I didn't finish on a high.
- Suzy
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Missally94
Graduate
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Well done on completing your C25k adventure 👍 great job Suzy
Drop a msg to the link below and someone will pin your medal on you 🏆
Welcome to the forum and many congratulations on your graduation, fellow runner.
It is very common for new graduates to feel cast adrift with no plan to follow, which is why we created the monthly Consolidation Club, which you can find here. healthunlocked.com/couchto5... Drop in, ask for advice and see what others are doing.
Why wear a weighted vest? Do you think that will make you enjoy your running more........I very much doubt it.
You need to be relaxing into your running, not making it tougher for yourself.
Hi - firstly, well done on finishing! You clearly have sufficient motivation and staying power to reach your goals. Having reached goal number one, you’ll now need to find new goals. As Christmas is coming, I’d recommend a holding pattern for December, then go for a new target in the new year. Did you do the 3 follow on podcasts? They’re great! You could stick to your C25k time slots and keep doing those for a few weeks. If you can find a running partner, even better. In the new year, you could look for a friendly running club to join, or an organisation that arranges runs (where I live, some of the sports shops have running groups) or attempt the 10k/60 min plan on here. And when Parkrun is eventually allowed to restart, I 100% recommend you give that a go - addictive! Wishing you all the best, and hope you find a way to enjoy continuing running. 😉
You might not feel like it Missally94, but congratulations on graduating C25K!
I found the immediate post-graduation period difficult because I thought I had to run further or faster every time, and when I (unsurprisingly) didn't I was (ridiculously) disappointed.
For me the solution was to do Ju-Ju's Magic Plan on the Bridge to 10K forum, which for me proved a very simple and rewarding way to get to 10K, not least because it made it abundantly clear that I didn't have to run 30 minutes three times a week forever!
I have to say I can't relate to the idea of re-doing C25K in a weighted vest though. To me that would be pointless and a punishment, and would reinforce negative feelings associated with running.
In my limited experience - I graduated C25K at the end of June this year - you won't always feel fit and motivated and proud of yourself during every single moment of your running journey. For example, I couldn't breathe properly during the first 1k or so of my run today. It was fairly cold, I was running at an odd time for me, and I just wasn't feeling it. But I continued, simply because I knew the "I'm a stupid unfit fraud, why do I think I can run when I clearly can't?" would wear off, as it has before. And it did, and I got home having done 10k, a distance I previously assumed was way out of my league.
I hope you find what you enjoy about running, grab onto it, and take it with you on all your future runs. Happy running!
You seem pretty committed to the downbeat hate running schtick if you've put it in your bio.You can feel proud of yourself for completing the programme. Running's not compulsory, there are other ways to keep your body and mind fit and well... I'm not just being snarky... sometimes what is needed to remind yourself that you don't truly hate running is not to run.
It sounds as though you are fighting yourself all the time - disappointed in *yourself* for not feeling a high for graduating??? Deciding that the answer to running not being enjoyable is to weigh yourself down more???? Yikes! (Unless the weighted vest is a sensory integration thing rather than an 'increasing the challenge' thing of course) Over on the associated Bridge to 10k forum they're doing a running bingo, how about trying that for a more light-hearted motivation for now? Or you'll find plenty of good tips in the pinned Consolidation posts here. Don't underestimate the impact of the time of year, this year especially - the running may merely be a focus for underlying feelings.
I do run with a backpack on but that's just because it's convenient for me (I don't have to leave my valuables in the car and if I twist my ankle [I have never twisted my ankle] I'll have a plastic bag to sit on and a book to read and glasses to read it with... oddly the one thing I don't carry is water as that really is too heavy)
I completely agree with your points, I do dislike running while I'm doing it, but I have rarely had as much of a sense of self achievement as I did when I was getting into the later weeks of the C25K.
After some self reflection (I'm a psychologist) I think I discovered that my mind and motivation responds best when my goal is "just manage to complete this run", whereas I found that after graduating my mindset was "I should be doing this run quicker than I did last time, why am I struggling so much". My thinking behind the weighted vest is allowing myself to get my focus back to just completing each run step by step, and focusing on good form and finishing rather than distance or speed. I've done W1R1 this morning with a weighted vest and it was the first run I've enjoyed in a few weeks!
Thank you for the advice, I think I'll try a few weeks on the weighted vest and then hopefully my fitness and leg strength might be good enough to run the 30 mins (sans-vest) without as much difficulty
I think you have missed the message about how our bodies develop............no pain, no gain went out sometime in the seventies.An easy conversational pace equates to approximately 75% of your maximum heart rate, which is the perfect zone to build the solid aerobic base required to run faster and further, which is why it is the pace at which elite athletes spend up to 80% of their training time.
Pushing harder all the time is not as productive. Use the remaining 20% to push yourself, using intervals or fartlek.
Pushing hard all the time really is the sign of a rookie runner.
Then I think you missed the point of what I said. Although the weighted vest adds difficulty, I'm starting from the beginning of the plan again. I did W1R1 today and completed it fairly easily, muscles feel fine, I have a fairly low weight vest which is less than 10% of my body weight.
If I continued trying the 30 mins without the vest I wouldn't motivate myself, and I'd probably abandon running. I know this because my consistency fell apart immediately at graduating. I followed the plan very well and felt a great sense of achievement from doing it, but lost this feeling when I got to the end. However, starting the running plan from scratch without adding difficulty elsewhere would simply be too easy, which is why I've opted for a weighted vest but easier runs, therefore I'm still taxing my muscles and cardiovascular system without going overboard.
You say I should use intervals rather than "pushing harder", but intervals and incremental difficulty increases are exactly what I'm getting by starting the C25K plan over again, and the vest should help me build fitness, meaning once I finish it I'll be able to run the 30 mins without the vest with more ease than I did after finishing the C25K the first time.
Intervals for 20% of your running.........the remainder should be easy paced at which you can speak clear ungasping sentences.Slowing down to the recommended easy conversational pace makes it more achievable and for most, more enjoyable.
Say this sentence out loud to yourself "Am I going slow enough to enable me to speak this sentence in one out breath?" If you cannot, you are going too fast.
I was going slowly, in places it wasn't much faster than a walking speed, but I think my struggle was largely motivational unfortunately. I think my muscle and aerobic fitness were good enough to continue happily for 30 minutes, but doing the same duration (30 mins) with no stops and no change was a real struggle for me in terms of enjoyment and motivation to continue. This is why I'm experimenting with the weighted vest to add some slight difficulty without over-exerting, giving me a chance to follow the plan as I successfully have before (and enjoyed doing so).
I doubt the fitness and leg strength will have much to do with it... but the sensory integration provided by the weighted vest may. Unless it is that being profoundly ill at ease (again, sensory integration) with the pace you can currently manage is what is going on.
My son really cannot cope with walking at the slower pace others find comfortable but gets tired. With his specialist OT (hard to track one down with availability) we've been developing a sensory diet - and we all think it would be great if he'd try C25K but no luck so far. He'll come and present problems and not just wanting to be 'heard', asking for solutions but doesn't want to change anything he is doing or not doing...
Hello again Missally94 , I've already replied, but I'm coming back to reinforce that your description of your post-graduation mindset is exactly how I felt.
You're the psychologist, not me, and I'm well aware that my experience and perspective are not yours. However, as you *did* ask for feedback from others, I'd just like to say two further things:
1, IannodaTruffe 's advice is excellent and shouldn't be dismissed lightly.
2, I would certainly have given up running had I not found new, positive ways to motivate myself, rather than beating myself up for not doing better. If the weighted vest works for you, great, but it saddens me personally that you feel the need to burden yourself - literally - in order to continue running. I'm 60, and one of the joys of running for me is that I'm finally managing to unburden myself of some of my 45+ years of negativity about my body, how it looks and what it can do.
I did ask for feedback! I certainly value IannodaTruffe 's advice, but I also think how/why I'm experimenting with a weighted vest has been somewhat misunderstood, I'm trying to ensure that I'm not pushing myself too hard/much, and I feel re-doing the C25K plan helps me to limit myself. It switches the focus from "why didn't I find this run as easy as last week" to "I just need to complete one run at a time" - the latter mindset I struggled immensely to maintain after C25K graduation.
I struggled so much around the point of graduation that I've spent a huge amount of time reflecting on that, doing research, and trying to formulate a plan that will keep me motivated while also pushing me enough that my fitness improves. I do like the idea of the 5k to 10k plan which is also incremental as C25K was, however, working full time and studying a Masters part time means I only really have the time before work as my opportunity to go for a run, and I wouldn't have time to follow a lot of the 5k to 10k plans (up to an hour) unless I got up much earlier than I'd like to 😂
My logic is that I responded so well to the C25K plan, I stuck with it, never missed a run, and I felt really happy and proud of myself after each run. Starting again from scratch would just be too easy because of where my aerobic fitness has got to over the last few months, and I couldn't find any other methods of increasing the difficulty that I think would work for me.
Another option of course is re-doing the C25K plan but running at a much faster speed during the running periods, although I think this would be harder to monitor/control, and sprint intervals isn't something I know much about.
I think I understand part of your logic........but I think you are overthinking it all and for someone who states in their bio that they hate running, making it more difficult for yourself is unlikely to motivate you or build any love for running.
Relax, have some fun, run somewhere beautiful and inspiring and enjoy it .....don't pressure yourself, as suggested in the guide to post C25k running.
Repeating the plan at faster pace is something many say they are going to do but in seven years on this forum I have never known anybody complete it.
Perhaps looking at the Consolidation Club and seeing what others are doing might help you.
I wish you luck with whatever approach you feel you need to take.
My bio is fairly light-hearted, I may not enjoy running much while it's happening, but I certainly enjoy being able to run further with each week, and I enjoy being fitter and healthier and achieving something outside of my academic and professional worlds! I'm still fairly new to the running world in general, but I do know that my enjoyment of running plummeted when I no longer had the C25K plan to follow, even listening to the audio from W9 every time I ran (mostly for the soothing tones of Sarah Millican) I still felt like I'd lost something I had previously, although exactly what I'm still not sure, perhaps it was just a sense of "ok I achieved that, now what?".
I know that the weighted vest might seem like it's "more difficult", and it certainly would be if I was trying the 30 mins while wearing it. However, doing W1R1 this morning with the weighted vest felt like a new challenge, and all I know is that I feel good about doing it and I'm excited to see how I do as the weeks increase in difficulty.
I'll definitely check out the consolidation club, for now I just want to focus on getting enjoyment out of experimenting with running and finding new/different things that keep me excited and interested in it, particularly important when it's freezing, dark and foggy when I wake up to go for a run!
🥶
Thank you so much for sticking with me while I (poorly) explain myself, and offering some advice which I'm certainly going to take into consideration as I experiment
I graduated in June and I still use the 20 and 25 min runs from the app (Wk5R3, Wk6R3) just because I like the timing and the motivation. Also Nike Running Club app to track my runs, and tell me when I get to every half kilometre also helps. I mainly listen to music and that really keeps me going.
I was quite disappointed that I seemed to be getting slower (I hadn’t realised I could be slower 😂) and less able to run for 30 mins, but I’m finding it hard to get 3 runs a week in now other activities are here and it’s getting dark so early.
I’m trying to prioritise getting out, for a run if I can, and a walk if I’ve not enough time for a run (stretching/showering etc add in so much time!)
This has helped and I’m speeding up a bit (to just a v slow 🐌) and getting stamina back. I did think of doing the app again but trying to go faster, but actually just keeping up the running will make me faster.
I’m mixing up my route a bit more too.
The NRC app gives you distance, timing splits, pace etc so obsessing about those can give you some motivation. I did time myself walking briskly and there was not that much difference from my running pace (I was a bit upset about this) but at least it means I know if I have to have any recovery walking (normally due to calf pain for me) it won’t affect my pace too much.
Hope this helps and you don’t feel like you are the only one struggling. I don’t want to run 10k, so did feel like what next to keep me motivated. The forums on here are really good though. Reading about other people’s experiences helps.
Hi - I've struggled off and on with why I still (several months after graduating) don't love running as much as many others on this forum. I do have moments of feeling great while on a run but generally I find it a slog and most of the pleasure derives from sipping water, eating some fruit, stretching in the garden and admiring the sunset when the run is OVER! I do plan to keep running though - because it's free (and I now have all the gear!!) and I feel stronger and fitter than I have in ages. Am aiming to set very modest goals for improvement (5k in 40 mins e.g.) which I can achieve without constant demolition of self or some magical transformation of self into a person-who-loves-running. In short, don't beat yourself up about having to love running or be good at it/run faster or for longer - sometimes a brisk 30 min walk with a 5 min run is all I'm up for and when in combo with a good podcast or playlist, I do find pleasure during and not just after!This article in the Guardian yesterday spoke to me: theguardian.com/lifeandstyl... luck
I went through a phase of not being able to complete a run post graduation, it was not a physical thing, I just stopped. I had also got so bogged down with the whole "run continuously "thing that I wouldn't restart, I'd walk home!But I still wanted to run. I would say I was more an enjoy the after run, than the run person.
Anyway I had developed an injury so re did the programme, then a bit later I was involved in an RTA and had to start slowly.
At some point I decided to take the pressure off myself and set a minimum time (25 minutes) after that it was okay to stop, oddly enough I always ran for longer. What has really worked for me was deciding to run most of my run duration in the cardio zone, previously almost all was in the peak zone. A revelation!. I enjoy the running bit now!!!. I regularly run further and longer, I often go all out on the last km (to ensure that I still can) My problem now is I want to run more often than I should. But after 2 plus years I think I'm OK running 4 times a week.
I hope you find a solution, I can't say that re doing the programme but weighted, is likely to make the next part of your journey any different to your previous experience of running. My advice is to try slower longer runs once you've consolidated, at least for one of your runs. I'm only talking about an extra 5 minutes or so, build up to...as long as you want.
Hi Missally, I have just been through a period when the body would not function and my mind in the doldrums so I resorted to running with Laura and did the 'Stepping Stone' podcast twice and then on to 'Stamina'. Thankfully this has brought me back on track on actually running/jogging the 5K(3.1 miles ) all be it in 44 + minutes. However to my disappointment my Medical Centre has strongly advised me (because of my age) to avoid the cold and icy paths and stick to the treadmill over winter. At least I can still run but I shall miss the fun of the 'Outside'. Good Luck!
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