Hi there guys!
So I haven’t ran for 7 days due to feeling under the weather and being anxious about getting out. But feeling better today so I’m going to get myself out there! Does anybody else suffer with anxiety and find that it stops you getting out the door? Any advice on offer will be much appreciated!
I’m waiting a couple of hours until I go out as it will be quieter! Wish me luck!
Hi Pymander10 , is outside generally scary for you or is it running outside that's scary? Either way, you're doing really well to get out there.
Personally I've never run indoors - being able to get out and about is one of the main joys of running for me. I don't like crowds or events though, I much prefer running solo in the countryside where I live.
Remember when you're out there that you've nothing to prove to anyone, other than how amazing you are by being out there running. Have fun!
Thank you Cmoi
Getting outside is generally scary for me
Funnily enough I’ve never ran indoors. I’ve been running for 6 months outside now but my physical and mental health went down a couple of months ago and that effected my running I think.
Like you I like to run solo and don’t like crowds. I’d never do a park run I don’t think.
I run very slow even though I’ve been running for a while and a lot of the time I have problems with my pace as I lose concentration easily. I am conscious at the moment of how slow I run as I feel like I should be faster now and I’ve only managed two 5k runs but I guess that’s just me
But guess what! Just now I went out and did a 20 minute run and it was great! I feel so much better now! I have a plan to carry on for next week and I’m going to attempt 4 runs so I’ll see how I go with that! I’ll keep my pace slow as I just think that’s where I’m at and I can’t manage more right now. I just need to remember how good I feel now on Monday to get me out of the door into the scary world. But I’m not scared when I run 
Thank you for your support it really helps!
Well done on that run! Just hold on to how good you felt afterwards, it’s a huge motivator for when we don’t want to go out. Sometimes just knowing how brill I’ll feel after is the only thing that gets me out the door. Hurrah!
But I’m not scared when I run
You don't realise how happy you've made me by saying that Pymander10 . I think you might have a new mantra, not only for getting you out of the door for a run, but for the next time the world feels too scary.
I'm chuffed about the 20 minute-run too, and the feeling great and plans for more runs too, obviously!
A slow pace, by the way, will benefit you far more than trying to speed up. See this link: womensrunning.com/training/...
Happy running! 😁
Oh thank you! I never thought of using that as a mantra so thank you so much for pointing that out to me. I get anxious at the start of runs and if I lose my pace but otherwise I have no anxiety’s whilst I have a good run with a good coach. I really haven’t thought much about this since today so thank you for helping me find my way and the link is a good readHappy running to you too I hope you are getting on well with it
That's brilliant that you went out to run, and you were able to overcome your initial fears and enjoy it. I also get very anxious about going out, it took me until week 8 (last week) to feel confident enough even though my brain was throwing up all sorts of sabotaging thoughts. It really helped having one ear bud in with some quite relaxing music, telling myself I could cope, and I've found that reading other people's posts on here is really encouraging.
I see you're a graduate, Pymander10, so did you get there only running indoors? I used to find going out the door stressful, thinking everyone would be judging me, but then I realised no one was looking at me and if anyone did it was usually a smile and a thumbs up from another runner! My way back then was to go out early and that's still my favourite time but I really don't think about it any more. So going out when its quieter later is a good plan. You'll soon build up confidence, I'm sure 😊
No funnily enough I’ve always ran outdoors. Always the same route as I’m too anxious to mix it up and go somewhere I’ve never been before. I hope to conquer that one day too!
I run very slow so yes I feel that people look at me and my age (38) but I look quite a bit younger and they then think why is she running so slow she must be so unfit and lazy at her age but it’s honestly all I can manage right now. I have physical and mental health difficulties and being on a lot of sedating medication doesn’t help. I’m in the process of coming off of one medication so I’m hoping that will mean I’ll have more energy and motivation.
Thank you I hope I’ll build some confidence. I did get out today for a 20 minute run and it was glorious I had a great coach on my Nike run app which really helped and got me quite emotional at times listening to encouraging words and someone rooting for me. I’ve had much of the opposite in my past so it felt good!
Thank you
I used to get quite agoraphobic, but medicines really help now. But what I do is tell myself I'm just going for that 5 min warm-up walk. If I don't feel like running after that - I can always walk home again. But I never have!
For new routes, I normally walk them first - sometimes more than once. This greatly eases the anxiety, and gets me familiar with how it looks.
I wouldn't worry at all about speed - we're all built differently and have our own comfortable pace. The main thing is to enjoy the run, which helps keep motivation up. But otherwise, interval training is great for improving speed. You use the Nike app? That's got programmes for interval training.
In the end, what really helped was joinging a running club - then when in a group, I never feel at all self-concious running around town.
Well done for getting out!
You did good work getting out today. Well done.
Also I think it’s amazing that you can feel that way and still have a couple of 5ks under your belt. I’m still not close to 5k. You are strong.
Thank you Solor you will get there just stick to the programme if I can do it anyone can!
To quote from The Lord of The Rings:
"It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door," he used to say. "You step into the Road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to."
Great quote and I love lord of the rings. Thank you!
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