Just about to start week 5. Am wondering how it will go from what looks like the 1st four weeks walk -run pattern to the dreaded 20 mins non-stop-or-die-trying session on Friday! Think I might take the car for that one.
Oh hang on! Positive thinking might help. Wish me luck!
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This is the part of the program where you learn to moderate your effort. Go steady, you'll be fine! 🍀
Thanks 🙏😀
great advice. Was supposed to do three 5s today and felt good enough to do 2x5 and a 10 which I think sets me up well for the 20.
Welcome to the forum and well done on your progress.
W5 should officially be called glorious W5 to counter the casual negativity of some, which can have a powerful effect on those with poor physical self confidence.
This post about mental approach healthunlocked.com/couchto5... and this breakdown of W5
healthunlocked.com/couchto5... may alter your viewpoint.
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.
Thanks.👍
I’m struggling a bit with the comments about “casual negativity” and “altering my viewpoint” which seem to be at the core of your post. What I wrote was supposed to be funny and not intended to drag others down. I can remove the post if you wish.
If there were no reference to a particular run as being "dreaded" there would be no possibility of attaching a negative connotation to that run.
We spend a lot of time trying to bolster the confidence of some new runners, who often pick up on negative comments and push them out of all proportion. Some people, maybe not you, really do struggle with the psychology of becoming physically active, possibly for the first time in their lives and we try to foster positivity and support, not plant doubts.
I think you might be missing the humour of my post. I wasn’t trying to plant doubts in anyone but to share my challenge for this week in an amusing way and ask for help. For that I sincerely apologise.
Those who have confidence to tackle the challenge and those who have already tackled the challenge often use casual negative hyperbole, but often totally underestimate the effect that can have on those who do not possess that confidence.
To you it is humour. To those who worry about every step in the challenge it creates anxiety.
What is wrong with glorious W5R3 as opposed to the negative version?
Please think of others.
It's a head thing! You can do this!! I look forward to hearing how it went 😊
😀
So far so good 😀
If you go at a nice steady comfortable pace you will smash it. Slow and steady wins the prize, every time 👍
If you managed all the runs before this one - you are physically ready.
Brilliant. Thanks. I’m keeping a sense of humour about all of this which gets me through. And truth is on the days when I’m resting I miss the running and I never thought I’d say that.
A sense of humour is much needed when it’s cold and wet, when the hills get hillier, when the finishing point gets no nearer, when the gazelles leave you spluttering in their dust, and when the bill comes through for your new running shoes.
There’s nothing like running 👍👍
I was going to reply to you, but you've gone!
I think he got fed up with being ticked off by the mentor about negativity. He'd apologised and it didn't seem to be enough. Hope it hasn't put him off the running. He's had many years of pain and this seemed to be doing some good.
I'm very sorry you feel like that, but I don't see any problems with the previous responses.
Week 5 is indeed considered the hard one, but that's actually wrong. The hardest week in the whole scheme is week 4, which has a 77% increase in running time compared with the previous weeks.
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