wk 4 R1

[TheFoxes]

just finished w4 r1 and it was tough!!! Feels like a big stretch from last week. Has anybody repeated a week they found particularly challenging before moving on?

[UnfitNoMore Graduate]

Great job completing a tough run… we all get them from time to time.

This is your journey. Many awesome runners who have done this have repeated weeks, sometimes several times. This is perfectly fine, this is your journey, you are allowed to own it… we just don’t recommend the opposite as skipping weeks increases the injury risk.

If you feel the need to let your body “catch up” then by all means repeat… just be careful not to build yourself a mental barrier by having the mindset that you cannot do the next run be the reason to repeat.

Whatever you do, complete this in 27 sessions or 270… you will complete this, and you will be one of those awesome new runners quite soon.

Happy running.

[Instructor57 Graduate]

Well done on completing W4R1Week 4 is a great one to get under your belt and yes, some runs will feel tougher than others

Lots of people have repeated weeks or runs for various reasons and if that works for you then fine ! It's your programme .

But I would say trust the programme, it works and if you have successfully completed a run then you will be physically ready for the next run, The programme is also a mental challenge 🙂

[MissUnderstanding Administrator Graduate]

It’s absolutely fine to repeat runs/weeks if you want to. There’s no rush. I did two runs a week at times when life got in the way.

Personally, I would say that you completed that run, even if you found it tough and you could still go on to the next one. Sometimes runs are hard for no good reason and the next one is fine. It’s totally up to you though.

Really good luck with the next run you choose. You’re in control of your journey!

[Liono Graduate]

I repeated runs during the programme and I think from memory I inserted a W3.5 when I was recovering from an injury, as there is more of a jump from W3 to W4. As others have said, do whatever works for you and as long as you complete all the required runs then it counts! We're all different so do what you need to do to set yourself up for success 🙂

[Remus71 Graduate]

I often thought a run was tough and panicked about being able to do the next one but mostly tried the next one and found that actually it was fine. As others have said it's often the mindset you're in on the day that determines how tough a run is but if you attempt the next run and it doesn't quite go to plan then it doesn't matter, at least you're out there doing it. Keep going and whatever it takes you'll get there I'm sure

[Kirst13 Graduate]

I repeated all the first 4 weeks, several times. I prefer to feel more than ready for the next step (in everything, not just running🤣), others find once they have achieved it, no matter how hard, moving on works for them. You probably can judge which will fit your mindset best, and, either way, your fitness is increasing and your running habit forming 😁🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️

[DocEmmett Graduate]

I can’t add anything meaningfully beyond the great replies you’ve already received. It’s great you’re doing this, listening to your body and making progress. After Week 1 Run 1 when I didn’t know what was coming next I asked a good friend, a runner, whether I ought to repeat W1R1. He advised I trust the programme, so I did and it turned out W1R2 was exactly the same run anyway!

[TheFoxes Graduate]

Thanks for these brilliant words of advice all. I just completed w4R2 and it was challenging (it should be I guess) but not as much as r1 so definitely encouraged that some days are just tough. I am also trying to run at the same speed I did when I was 30 and the reality is I am 38, haven’t run for 4 years and have put on a bit of weight so I think I might just have to slow down a bit!!!

[nowster Graduate in reply to TheFoxes]

Week 4 is when the programme steps up a gear. All the runs for the first three weeks are about the same total length. The first two weeks have eight minutes of running and the third has nine minutes.

Week 4 bumps that up to 16 minutes. That's a big jump. Almost but not quite doubling the amount of running. You will notice it's harder, and well done for completing it.

Just to look ahead to the next week. It's not anywhere near as big a jump, but what week 5 does is prepare you for running without a break. Run 1 has 15 minutes of running, run 2 has 16 minutes of running (same as week 4) and run 3 has you running for 20 minutes with no walk break.

By that point you'll be ready to do that. You might think otherwise but, like many before you, you'll be underestimating your capabilities. To prepare best, the walks between the runs should be as brisk as you can make them, and the runs themselves should be as easy as you can make them.

Week 4 is the pivot point in the programme. The initial three weeks are all about laying a foundation. Week 4 is intense. Week 5 is consolidation (though you might not think of it like that). Weeks 6 to 9 are incremental increases.

My very worst run (by feel) of doing C25K this time two years ago was W4R3. There had been torrential summer rain in the morning and more of the same was forecast for the afternoon. I got out in a brief window of light drizzle in the middle. It was warm. It was hellishly humid. Running was hard. I got a stitch. I hated every minute.

In contrast the next run, W5R1, was on a cool, dry morning and it was one of the best runs of the programme.

[TheFoxes Graduate]

Thank you. This is a really helpful way of thinking about it. I was looking ahead of next week thinking if I am dying in 5 mins what will 8 be like but it’s really helpful to think about it in terms of overall running time. Thank you! Really helpful response.