Hi! First of all I just want to say I’m so happy this little place exists! I’m 32 and haven’t ran since high school, even then I have every excuse to not have to run 😓, and now I’m on week 5 of the program! I’ve really enjoyed the process thus far, I get excited when I’m getting ready for my runs, this alone makes me so happy 🥲
Every week I get a little nervous to see my run times lengthen and every week it does get a little harder and I have to push myself a little more, but every week I do it!
With that said just finished week five run one and took a peek at run 2..... holly crap!😰
I’ve now retracted and I’m dreading my next run 😓 I’m afraid of failing, afraid of hurting myself, afraid running no longer being fun
Any advice or encouragement would be so very much appreciated 💕
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Funner-runner
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First things first, super well done for getting this far!! 👏👏👍👍 As for W5R2, this prob is in your head not your your bod. Everyone has those 'seed of doubt', thoughts running through their head occasionally/most/all the time. Try not to overthink it, you've got this far so you're more than able to do this!!👍👍 Good luck with your 🏃♀️🏃♀️🏃♀️ & I look forward to seeing your progress, keep us posted. Take care 🤗🤗
Thank you so much Pete9122! You’re right, it definitely is very mental I appreciate your advice and plan to overcome this mentality with everyone’s encouragement!
Don’t get nervous. You are absolutely prepared if you take it slowly. Try not to over plan. Hydrate and go and see where it takes you 😀. You can do it!!!
Thank you so much for you’re words of encouragement! Hydration is a great reminder, thank you thank you!
1 tip: run SLOW! If you run like a snail, you will get there! If you too fast, you might fail. So be a snail. Keep repeating in your head 'be the snail' ☺
Hiya, my best advise is not to think about it just do it! You will supprise yourself, it's completely mental. Maybe start at a slower pace or pick a flat route. Good luck
Thank you Annie! “Not to think about it and just do it” love love this, such good advice, I tell my daughter this all the time. It’s good to hear it back, I can do this- don’t think, DO!
You've had plenty of great advice here Funner-runner, all that's to say is go out there Relax
Take it slow
Better to be faster at the end than the beginning! And well you've got this no problem 💪
Just one foot in front of the other. Just do it. What have you got to lose? No one is judging you. There are no bad runs, just practice runs. Even the good runs are practice for your next run. If you think this is all trite, then just try it. Keep going and don't give a monkey's if people say you can't do it, they're just jealous.
You just say to yourself you are giving it a try, and if you don’t manage it, you will try again the next time. Give your head permission not to complete it, and you will almost certainly find your body will take over and just keep going. And then your head will say - hey that’s magic, I CAN do it after all!
Hi, wk5 run 1 was a nice surprise. Run 2 was a bit of a shock but once I got going it was okay. I'm not looking forward to Run3 today as I know what's coming. But what the heck. I'm 64 and if I cant run it I'll fast walk it. Good luck!
Some great advice above, week 5 was daunting for everyone of us but like us - you CAN do it and you WILL do it. Trust that the plan is designed this way for a reason and that everything you’ve done up to now has prepared you for it. Keep it very slow (speed comes much later) and keep telling yourself you can do it even mid run when the doubts creep in!!! Best of luck for an enjoyable run!!
What a wise bunch here ! I agree most of it is in your mind and adjusting your mind to no I can't to yes I can ! I finished c25k in September and some runs I stopped -I just wasn't feeling it but I'd go back the next day and complete it. We all find our way . I've actually started again from the beginning , even though I probably dont need to do from the beginning, it's my lockdown habit and I like startting again knowing I've done it before ! Funny eh ?! Just trust in the process , be kind to yourself and in a few runs time you'll think what was the big deal ! I wish you so much luck Xx
Hi FR, you've done the hardest part already - that was when you decided to run on day 1 of c25k! Just keep going and as others have said, don't build it up too much in your head treat it as a test run, it's not going to be your only opportunity to succeed - every new day brings a new opportunity.So give it a try, don't worry about it and just enjoy being outside for exercise.
There are many like myself, in our 60's who have also not run since school, but we find we can still do it and go on to do much more. For someone your age, you will be even better placed to find your running legs, just remember it's really not about speed, just find the comfortable pace for you and keep going.
Just look at the numbers at the top of the posts. It says how many members/posts. Those give you an idea of how many people have ‘tested’ this run for you. And we all survived!! This is when you really start to train your brain but you can, and will do this. Good luck.
A mixture of happiness, excitement and also what seems to be genuine fear.
HAVE NO FEAR! Words like 'dreading', 'afraid', 'hurting myself' should be banished from your mind. C25K is NOT , repeat, NOT a physical test... it's a MENTAL test. The program is designed to be achieved by almost anyone from the COUCH. So instead of fearing what lays ahead, change that mindset. EMBRACE what's ahead. You've chosen to do this.
Week 4 was the big step up but you didn't realise it - very few do. C25K is, like any progressive exercise program, a mental test. They should all be easy enough for most of us to start, and then it's about whether you've got the *mental* strength to see it though, despite the apparent physical hurdles in the way, when in fact they're not physical but mental.
Week 5 can look daunting, but really, you're physically ready for it. Your post highlights, like so many before you, that C25K doesn't train the mind, only the body.
Remember it's a 9 week program, with Week 9 being 3 sessions of 30 minutes of continuous running (JOGGING!). So, designing your own program, work backwards from Week 9 and see how you get yourself to 30 minutes in 9 weeks - interesting exercise!
I have 2 mantras for you to repeat to yourself either before or during a session:
Mantra 1: every run you've done prepares you for the next one (i.e. your BODY is ready)
Mantra 2: the body is ready but the mind less so (i.e. ignore your mental gremlins)
Mantra 1 - yes, any progressive exercise program like this one, where there is an end goal and you're starting from quite a distance away (the couch in this case) will involve a week-by-week progression towards that goal - obvious. So... Look back at Week 1. How did you achieve W1R1? Because it was designed to be simple and easy enough for almost anyone coming from the couch to do.
Now Week 2. 3x a week of 6x 90 seconds - a bit longer. Your body was able to do it cos of the bit of fitness gained in Week 1.
Week 3 - you've now got fitness from Weeks 1 AND 2 ... so you're even fitter and that enables you to do Week 3.
Week 4 (you see where this is going). Week 4 is special - it's nearly my favourite week. Why? Cos it's the BIGGEST INCREASE in running time in the WHOLE program. A whopping 16 minutes of total running per session when Week 3 was 9 minutes (3x 3 minutes). And you got through Week 4!!! YAY!!!
To show you that in another way:
Week 1 - you ran for 8 minutes (3 times - so that's 24 minutes )
Week 2 - 9 minutes, 3 times (27 minutes in the week)
Week 3 - 9 minutes (another 27 minutes)
Week 4.1 - 16 minutes
Week 4.2 - 16 minutes
Week 4.3 - 16 minutes
Week 5.1 - 15 minutes (by now you have over 2 hours of running in your legs!)
Week 5.2 - 16 minutes (should be easy by now, right?)
You see? Focus on the TOTAL amount of running (JOGGING) time, not the length of indiviual bits , e.g. "OMG, 8 minutes!"
To illustrate that Week 5 is just another week and that Week 4 was actually the 'big jump' that many claim Week 5 is, have a look at this:
THANK YOU for ALL of your kind words of encouragement!!!!!!! I read every single reply a minimum of three times haha, did my second run for week five and that was very manageable, difficult, but also manageable. It was actually that third run that I was most worried for and writing about! Below is a screenshot of a video I sent my husband when I immediately broke down in tears once it was time to ‘cool down’😭🥲. Never, ever, a single time in my life have I ran 20 minutes straight- but I did this day!!!!
I’m so very appreciative for everyone who took time out of their day to reply to me. You all gave me that extra lil push I needed, THANK YOU again!
Good for you. You’re amazing! You will never be able to say again that you don’t think you can do it, because you know you can. Thanks for letting us know...
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