5 runs left!! I’m getting impatient now though. The end is so close and I just want to run free. I think that’s partly why this run seemed less enjoyable tonight. Plus I had exactly enough time to squeeze this in before all the other mum things I had to do tonight. Maybe I wasn’t giving it the complete “mindful” approach I’ve given the other runs. My head was too full of things I have to do rather than space to let my mind wander. Just felt a bit more of a chore than any of my more recent runs.
That said - I did it and I did feel slightly better after it. Slower than my parkrun but I don’t care. I got out there - I’m taking it as a win! Only marred by the fact I was 0.2km off 5km. I should be proud - that’s the furthest I’ve done in any of these sessions. I was slightly gutted I was SO close! Something to aim for next time though!
My calves were killing me towards the end. I did pre run stretches and the warm up and cool down walk and stretched out afterwards. They’re not so bad now but can still feel the strain a bit. Does anyone have any advice to ease the pain or why it’s happening? I’m trying to convince myself it’s because I need new trainers (to justify new trainers!) but I’m not so sure that’s the real issue.
Onwards and upwards. Happy running
Written by
Rainbow2019
Graduate
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Well done, but you are sending a lot of warning signs that you are flirting with the risk of injury.
When you graduate, you will not just be able to "run free". It will still be crucial that you continue to build stamina and strength before you are capable of running with sensible constraints on duration and distance. Nothing magical happens at graduation that confers any extra ability on you..............you will still have only a few hours of running on your legs and need to continue your progress in a controlled manner, preferably following a progressive training plan.
It is recommended that C25k is done at an easy conversational pace, not to be condescending to new runners, but because that is the most effective pace to develop your stamina and aerobic base alongside injury resistance. Please don't go chasing PBs. You might get away with it but you may end up injured and not running for days, weeks or even months.
Perhaps your painful calves are just a warning sign that you are pushing your body too hard.
Have a browse through the FAQ Posts healthunlocked.com/couchto5... especially the one about getting faster and maybe it will dawn on you that you may be pushing the envelope too much.
On W9R2 I was tantalisingly close to doing 5km and had a plan. For my graduation run I would do a course that was (almost) all downhill.
During the run I pushed. I wanted that 5km. I had a slight niggle in the ankle but it wasn't bothering me.
About 500m from the end I had to skirt around a very muddy (and potentially slippery) puddle, meaning I had to shift laterally quickly. What had been only a slight niggle in my ankle became bit worse.
I had the end in sight. I was not giving up. There was so little left to run. I kept going.
I did that 5km in exactly 30 minutes.
I was then left with a long walk home on an uncomfortable ankle. The further I walked the less comfortable it became.
Over the next few days it got worse and worse. By a week later I was in pain just walking on the flat.
I then got a physio appointment. The physio prodded and poked and found my left ankle had sprains on both sides. She deep massaged it to break up scar tissue. That was incredibly painful. I was then left with homework to do consisting of several exercises.
On the second visit she could tell I'd actually done the homework and was impressed at the progress of the healing. She repeated the deep massaaaaagghge. I was then not to even think about running for another ten days, and when I was to start again even W1R1 from C25K would be too much.
All in all, that pushing for the magic number set me back with four weeks of no running and then having to restart everything from scratch.
It didn't put me off running. It's over a year and a half since that incident and my legs are much more resilient than then. Ligaments, tendons, bones and joints take much longer than muscles to adapt to the strains of running. Yesterday I ran for nearly three hours continuously, covering a little over 16 miles, had muscle soreness afterwards but I'm fine today.
Well done on getting the run in, but do, please listen to the advice offered? It is all there and although it may not want to be what you want to hear, it makes sense.
Many of us have felt like you and I , ( at a much later stage in my running), than you, came a real cropper. It took me back from HM level, to repeating C25K.
If you just ease back a tad, you may find that the enjoyment and mindful runner returns. Be kind to yourself... as a Mum, you have a full time strength and stamina programme, so, use the running to ease away from those commitments...
Your rest day? exercise should be upped now too. You simply cannot, just run... you have to work at it... with your brain as well as your body.
After you Graduate and after consolidation then you can move forward, ( still slowly and steadily), in your own way..
Speed/distance: whatever happened to your Niko Niko running? You don't do 4.8km (is that including the 5 min warm-up and cool-down walks?) in 28 minutes unless you're going quite quickly and Niko Niko ain't quick. Your impatience , your gym-bunny, is getting the better of you. Be warned ...
Calves: do you know how your feet land? Do you land on the front, middle or back/heel of your foot?
Shoes: what shoes do you have currently? How old are they? Are they running shoes?
Another way to look at it Rainbow2019 is that you have five runs left before the starting line.
I never realised that until sometime during week 8, because I was so focused on completing the programme. The "Uh, this is the beginning, not the end?" really was something of a shock to me.
If you're planning to continue running after C25K, then you have as long as you want to get to 5k, whether that's in 30 minutes or not. Not that it's an obligation either way!
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Week 8, Run 1 = Done! :)
Finish Line in sight 
Week 8 Run 1 (Fail) :(
(Last) Week 8 Run 1: 20min and almost there
Week 8? Or 6? Run 1? Or 2? 
