Week 9 run 1

[BS44]

Hi all I need some advice


I tried to do week 9 run 1 this morning and really struggled.


I’ve managed to do all the other weeks and even though I found week 8 hard I still managed it and ran every Monday Wednesday and Friday without fail.


My treadmill has been broken so haven’t run this week. I did try to run outside on Monday but that didn’t go well. The route was very hilly and the start of my run was a steep downhill which killed my knees. I ended up just walking for nearly 5 miles with an uphill struggle home. My legs have only just recovered.


This morning I was shattered after 5 minutes and couldn’t get my breathing right. I had to slow down to a walk for a few minutes then after that I just managed intervals and stopped 10 minutes before the end.


It’s really hot and muggy here and I’ve never sweat as much in my life.


Do I just try again on Monday or go back a couple of weeks?

 

Sorry for the novel this ended up longer than intended ☺️🤣

[Instructor57 Graduate]

If you have always run on a treadmill then you might find the transition to outside running tricky for a few runs so don't be too surprised about this .It will take time to get used to the varying terain and inclines which can be difficult especially if your used to running a steady pace on the flat belt of a treadmill.

Can you find a route that's not hilly ?

Or circuits around part of the route that is flat ?

If you are struggling to get your breathing right then you may be going too fast .

Try to run at a conversational pace , you might of course need to make this even slower on the hills to achieve that .

Also, do pay attention to hydration , you really need to be drinking a minimum of around 2.5 litres a day , even on non running days .

Hope that helps 👍

[BS44 Graduate in reply to Instructor57]

Thanks instructor57 very helpful.

I don’t think I made it very clear that I was on my treadmill this morning.

The problem on Monday was I was going to the cycle path a couple of miles away but decided to walk/run it downhill then of course I had the walk back up 🥵🤣

I think I’ve decided to go back to week 7 as I felt ok then. From week 8 the gremlins in my brain were telling me I couldn’t do it!

I’m a similar age to you and I haven’t run since school cross country and I didn’t really run then either or only till I was out of sight 😛

Once I’ve conquered week 9 I’ll try outside again but this time I’ll drive to the cycle path 😃

[John_W Graduate Ambassador]

Try again on Monday - sounds very much like a pacing issue given you were outside on hills rather than your usual treadmill.

Try jogging at a pace that only a bit quicker than your brisk walk and pay attention to how hard you're working, i.e. your breathing rate. See if you can slow down to something that feels like your normal treadmill pace.

[BS44 Graduate in reply to John_W]

Thank you John . I was on my treadmill this morning running at my normal slow pace. I think I might go back to week 7 as that’s where I last felt comfortable.

[John_W Graduate Ambassador in reply to BS44]

I really don't think going back to Week 7 is the answer you're looking for. The issue is speed, your pace.

EDIT: and this more importantly "From week 8 the gremlins in my brain were telling me I couldn’t do it!"

What's going on in your head? The mental side is FAR more important than the physical side. If you start thinking you can't do something, then it become increasing difficult to do it. If you repeat Week 7 over and over, on what criteria will attempt Week 9?

What speed have you got the treadmill set at normally, e.g. for your Week 7 runs?

Here's a tip: the longer the duration (eg Week 8 then Week 9), the slower you go - that way you'll have a much chance of success. Treadmill's are great for this type of thing, i.e. the control. Use it to your advantage.

So, whatever you Week 7 speed setting is, try a bit slower for Week 9 and you'll fare far better.

[BS44 Graduate in reply to John_W]

Thanks I’ll try slowing down a bit more and carry on with week 9. I have slowed down a lot as the weeks have gone by 👍🏻

[Hepsibah]

Hi, I really feel for you, I did W9R1 this morning having put it off for 3 days and it was really hard but i did run for 30 mins. The whole pace thing is a real bugbear of mine, I can tell you in 30m mins I covered 3.26 k 9.27 min/km. That's way slower than lots of peeps on here saying they are going so slow!! This was the hardest run of all of them for me - so not looking forward to R2 - but now the thing that pushes me on is I want to finish the programme having never repeated a run. So maybe going slower is the answer for you as advised by others, but really what I wanted to say is find 'the thing' that pushes you. For some this is PBs timewise, running for charity, beating their husband/wife whatever (not physically, you know what I mean).Hoping you find 'your thing' and finish W9R3, I'll be looking out for your post.

👍

[BS44 Graduate in reply to Hepsibah]

Thank you so much 😊

I did try again this morning and slowed down a bit. My treadmill measures in miles/mph though 🤣🤣 I’ve had it a long time but mostly used as a clothes horse 😊

It’s actually so humid here at the minute and I think that’s what’s affecting me most - living up north I’m not used to the heat and humidity. I did manage to run for longer today but still nowhere near 30 minutes 😬

I’m just gonna carry on running 3 times a week to build my stamina back up and try week 9 again when the weather cools down a bit 😬