Really struggling with week 3

[hikasu2]

I just did my second week 3 run and I had to stop and walk instead of running a few times. I get out of breath more and my legs really hurt.

I’ve also gotten a lot less far than week 2: I reached 2 miles but now it’s 1.6-1.8 miles with week 3.

Am I doing something wrong? I found week 2 easier than the first week and I feel like it should get easier each week.

I feel like a failure to be honest because I should be able to do it as I have no health conditions and I am average size for my age.

If anyone has advice I’d really appreciate it. Thank you

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate]

No one is a failure on C25K, take a extra day off running, drink plenty of water to keep hydrated, run the running parts of week 3 a little slower than you did the first time, you can repeat any runs or week's if you wish to, so no failure, just put it down as practice, good luck. 👍

[hikasu2 in reply to AlMorr]

Yeah I ran slower the first day of week 3. It was tough but easier and I didn’t stop much, however I only reached 1.64 miles but with week 2 I got up to 2.1 miles ... so I wanted to go faster this time but I still didn’t get as far.

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Welcome to the forum and well done on your progress.

If you are out of breath, you are going too fast.

You need to be able to speak aloud, clear, ungasping sentences as you run.

W3 workouts are a shorter duration than the previous weeks, so you will travel less distance.

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.

This guide to the plan is essential reading healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

and includes advice on minimising impact, stretching after every run, hydration and strengthening exercises, all of which will help.

Enjoy your journey.

[hikasu2 in reply to IannodaTruffe]

Okay thank you! How come it is a shorter duration? I think I was caught up in getting a longer distance that I pushed myself too far and ended up having to stop. I struggle with water but I’ve been drinking more recently and using reminders to help me remember to drink. I’ll have a read of the guide. I always stretch before, so I’ll try after too. Thank you for the advice

[IannodaTruffe Mentor in reply to hikasu2]

It is just the structure of the plan, gently building your running durations then reducing the walking intervals.

When the duration increases you need to slow down, not speed up.

Make sure that you are doing the correct dynamic stretches pre run as explained in the guide. Static stretching pre run can reduce muscle power and potentially cause injury. Keep them for post run.

[John_W Graduate Ambassador]

" I get out of breath "

"Am I doing something wrong?"

Yes. 2 things.

(1) you're going waaayyyy toooo fast. Your breathing is a sign of that. S L O W..... D O W N.

(2) stop focusing on distance - the aim is run (JOG!) continuously for 30 minutes, 3 times, in Week 9. NOT 5k despite the title.

You should be JOGGING at a pace at which your breathing is easy, relaxed and comfortable. That means going much slower than you think. We call it conversational or chatty pace and EVERYONE has it, it's just matter of slowing down enough to find it. Once you find it, you'll be absolutely fine.

Watch this:

youtube.com/watch?v=9L2b2kh...(Not working as expected?)

[hikasu2 in reply to John_W]

Thanks so much for the advice, I’ll watch the video when I can!

[maercela]

Very useful video. Now I get what you mean by a slow jog.

[Hidden]

Keep up the good work it will be so worth it

🌸🏃‍♀️🌸