Couch go 5k

[Combatqueen7]

How fast should I be running in week 6? And how to I stay mentally focused to keep going for 25 mins?

[Instructor57 Graduate]

The program isn't about running fast !

It's about taking your time to gradually build your strength and stamina and resistance to injury .

But a more direct responce would be to say you need to be running at a conversational pace as advised in the program guide .

healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

Remember the goal of this program is to get you running 3x30 minutes in week 9

Speed and therefore distance is totally irrelevant.

As for motivation , are you listening to music or podcasts ?

I started with the music from week 6 run 3 and certainly found it helpful.

I had a particular track that was just around 24 minutes, so I knew when it had finished then so could I

Enjoy the program!

[Wavy-chick28 Graduate]

Don’t worry about speed that will come or not it’s about the running! I like to have music on or a podcast and eventually you don’t think about the distance or speed, you will get there 🏃🏼‍♀️🏃🏃🏻‍♂️

[Roxdog Graduate]

To echo the other comments, keep it slow at the moment. It's a common mistake to run too fast and then lose motivation because the later runs in the programme are longer and it can feel tough. Forget speed at the moment and finish the programme at a speed which is comfortable.As for focus, I found varying my routes helped a lot

[Yesletsgo Graduate in reply to Roxdog]

Hi Roxdog when I was doing C25K I really enjoyed running the same route as that way I got a feel for how far I'd run and how far to go. It was only once I'd consolidated that I realised the fun of varied routes, runs etc. I suppose it depends on personal preference.As to staying focused, music helped. I tried long pieces and short ones, and found that Sarah Cox's Half Wower podcasts on Radio 2 (BBC Sounds) fit the bill perfectly. Knowing each song was 3-4 minutes long helped me know sort of how long I'd run without clock watching and it was all very lively, cheerful and upbeat. Mind you, as Combatqueen7 is a spring chicken, unlike me, she will probably want to listen to something a bit more contemporary

😂

[Cmoi Graduate in reply to Yesletsgo]

How did you manage the increasing distance though, Yesletsgo , running the same route? I had to change because my original route was far too short for the final weeks, and I really didn't fancy running back and forth up and down the same hill time after time. Admittedly I ended up having to do extra-long cooldown walks at one point, just to get home!

[Yesletsgo Graduate in reply to Cmoi]

I always ran alongside the river near me. Although there are minor landmarks on one side it's all pretty similar on the other (sea wall or the river). On one of my week 5 runs the C25K app stopped working and I just carried on running instead of stopping at 8 minutes, thus discovering that at around 2.5km from my starting point there was a gate across the path. I knew I was never going to do 5km in 30 minutes but I did learn where 1 km and 2 km were. I knew that if I saw the gate I'd gone too far.Sometimes I would just enjoy being outside and running so I'd carry on towards the gate and enjoy an extended cool down on the way home

[Cmoi Graduate in reply to Yesletsgo]

That route sounds lovely Yesletsgo .

I used the podcasts, not the app, and never recorded anything until after I'd graduated. I've just done a no-tech run this evening, in fact: no headphones, no Garmin, no Strava, no measuring anything. I need to do that more often to stop me getting overly hung up on stats.

Happy running!

[Yesletsgo Graduate in reply to Cmoi]

That sounds like a great way to run, unfortunately I've become a little bit too obsessed with the numbers. I don't know why but I find it really satisfying to look at them, strangely comforting 😂

[Cmoi Graduate in reply to Yesletsgo]

Oh I spent much of this evening's run trying not to fret about pace, distance and running time!

[Sighthoundfan in reply to Yesletsgo]

Love the Sara Cox tip. I will so try that

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

The longer runs can be tough, especially if you are pushing too hard.

Slowing down to the recommended easy conversational pace makes it more achievable and for most, more enjoyable.

Counterintuitively, it is an easy conversational pace running that builds your stamina and endurance, not fast running.

You may find distraction helpful, so that the last things you think about are time and the physicality of running. If music doesn't do it, try podcasts or audiobooks. I used to give myself a running commentary on everything that I could see, hear, feel and smell as I ran, in full florid sentences.

[Cmoi Graduate]

As slow as you like Combatqueen7 , no faster than a comfortable can-talk-easily pace.

I never think about staying focused for the entire duration of a run, I always find it much easier to break runs down mentally into do-able sections.

For 25 minutes, you could think of it as 10 + 10 + 5, or 10 + 10 + 3 + 2, or 10 + 8 + 5 +2, or 10 + 7 + 6 + 2. Basically anything where the sums add up and it's easier the further you go along!

I usually listen to music, but also podcasts, and sometimes nothing at all.