Plateau after WK7R3

My body is telling me I'm doing too much so I'm going to try a couple of 15 minute runs before starting week 8. I've realized that I have been walking every day (about 2 miles and one 5 mile walk). I took a complete break from walking and running yesterday and just did some strength and stretch exercises.

I am in my sixties so maybe this is normal?

[SpanishShuffle Graduate]

I too am in my 60s so know what it's like. Listen to your body. You need rest days. Don't feel guilty for not doing anything. You are doing something your are resting, letting your body adapt and reducing the chances of injury. At our age it takes longer to recover from injuries 😉

[Hidden]

Thank you for your support and advice. 😊

[Beastie_MCCXIX Graduate]

Makes a lot of sense, rest up and come back revitalised

[John_W Graduate]

What do your rest days look like? Have you got a 2 day rest period between the 'weeks'? What's your pace like? Are you jogging? Breathing rate nice and easy?

[Hidden in reply to John_W]

Thank you for your response, John. I'm leaving 5 days between jogs. I don't think I can jog any slower. I do get into a nice rhythm. It's just that I can't do anything else much after due to DOMS . I do stretch after. 😊

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

To maintain the momentum of the plan you might be better off by sticking to the C25K schedule but just have longer between runs.

Listening to your body is key though, so spreading the load is a good idea.

We all have to accept that recovery times increase as we age, as pointed out in this post healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

How is your diet and hydration?

[Hidden]

Thank you. I'm already leaving 5 days between runs. I think I need to back off the walking so much between. I always make sure I drink water before my run. It's my muscles causing the problems. As my quads tighten pressure is put on my dodgy knee so need to be careful about that. I do quad stretches frequently. I just need to keep experimenting until I get the balance right. As you suggest I'll keep with the programme and try WK8R1. 😊

[GoGo_JoJo Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Drinking water before your run is already too late. It is the whole 24hrs prior to your run that is most important. Try to observe just how much fluid you are really consuming in a normal day. Ideally you want to be over 2 liters.

You can also use the "wee" test. The darker the urine, the more dehydrated you are. You really want a very pale gold.

Muscles need water and oxygen to perform well but it can take time to get the balance right 👍🏻

[Hidden in reply to GoGo_JoJo]

Thank you. I'll pay closer attention to my fluid intake. 😊🏃

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Hi,again. I've just read through the interesting link you sent. I need to get into a different mind set I think and accept I have an aging body! Thank you for time and advice

[IannodaTruffe Mentor in reply to Hidden]

You might find this about hydration useful too healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

[Hidden]

Thank you. 🏃🏃😊

[Tasha99 Graduate]

Make sure you’re drinking plenty of water the day before running