Hello all,
Really enjoying couch to 5k and finding it’s the only motivator to get out and exercise at the minute. I did 20 minutes today however I had to stop at 10 minutes and then walk for two minutes before I started back again. I really felt it today the other runs have been doable. Tell me does it get any easier? 😅 I’m thinking I should repeat this run 🏃♀️
It does get easier Zaza87 but I think before you go on to run 1 of week 6 you should repeat run 3 of week 5 by running without stopping, run it this time slower than you did today. good luck.
Well done giving it a go !And yes, you would need to repeat if you didn't complete it without walking .
Think of it as a practice run .
Take a day or 2 rest and give it another go only slower !
Yes I noticed my pace went down to 6:43 usually it’s around 7-8. I think I speeded up and wore myself out. I’ll take it slow and repeat thanks 🙏🏻
It’s really easy to accidentally speed up and tire yourself out. It sounds like that’s what might have happened, especially after a bit of a break. It was tough out today in the muggy heat. Sometimes runs are just tricksy! We all have them, even experienced runners. The most important thing is to reflect and learn for next time.
Repeating the run after a break, maybe at a good time of day making sure you’ve prepared well by drinking lots of water, planning a good route and deciding to go as slowly as you can will give you a the best chance of success next time. There’s no reason to think you can’t do that run.
Really good luck to you. You’ve got all of us virtually cheering you on (and yelling “slow down”!!!).
Thank you for your kind words. You’ve all cheered me up today was the first time I thought I can’t do this anymore but I’ve come so far. I will try again on Friday and make sure I’m prepared a planned out route sounds good also I never usually do this.
Honestly, it’s totally normal to have tough runs. It doesn’t make you any less of a runner. It doesn’t mean all that progress you’ve made has suddenly disappeared. Think about when running for ten minutes seemed impossible and you still did that today.
Really good luck for Friday. ❤️
Ps: has anyone told you about the “toxic ten” yet? Often the first ten minutes of a run are really tough as your body warms up and you settle into a rhythm. I find being mentally prepared for that really helps me to take it super easy starting out.
No I’ve never heard of this but it would make sense as I haven’t struggled this much before. I’ll let you know how it goes this Friday 😄
Being prepared for the toxic ten will change your life! Well, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration but it’ll make the longer runs so much better knowing that it won’t feel so hard all the way through. It was what finally cracked running for me! I’d never kept going for long enough to get beyond the point where it feels awful. Plus, like pretty much every new runner, I was going too fast!
The Toxic Ten is one end of the metabolic process of running.
The other end is the Tomato Ten where your body is still in running mode, but you're not running any more. The effect is a red face, feeling hot and sweating lots.
The reason seems to be that your body takes time to ramp up the metabolism to handle the greater demands made on it. It then needs time to return back to normal when the activity has finished. For most people this takes about ten minutes either way.
Completely the same and I go get tomato ten so bad after running. I also find that I can’t stop moving and end the run with a dance around my living room 😂
You’ve had good advice so i just popped in to say hope it goes well friday, we’ll all be cheering you on
It really means a lot as it knocked my confidence somewhat and was worried I wouldn’t get back on track but I’m now very optimistic x
Yes it does knock your confidence when a run isn’t as good as you hoped but those are the runs we learn from, we change a bit and the next run goes better, and we all have those runs when we just can’t do what we want, but there is no shame in a short walking break and you will accept them once the programme is completed
It’s made me realise I did a bit more prep hydration and stretching and a good nights sleep. I was against it today in the heat also found that hard
You will be flying come october, summer heat makes it harder to run
Welcome to the forum and well done on your progress.
Can you speak aloud, clear, ungasping sentences as you run?.........if not, you are going too fast.
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.
In respect of W5, this post explains the principles at work healthunlocked.com/couchto5...
Enjoy your journey.
I felt like I could barely breathe the muggy heat doesn’t help either. Thanks for this I will give it a read
Well done for getting to week 5 👏🏻When you complete this run you will feel euphoric. It was around week 5/6 that I consciously slowed my pace down because I wanted to be able to complete the longer runs without feeling out if breath or having to stop. I’d try to slow your pace before you try this run again and you will be able to do it. It’s more about that distance than the pace. Good luck!
Well done for getting out there and giving it a go! I got stumped when I moved from 20 to 25 minutes, I just couldn't do it! Then I found this forum and what a wonderful bunch of people here to help. On advice I slowed my pace right down, almost feels like walking but I'm overtaking walkers, slowly, so I know I'm faster than them lol. Having said that it's not about speed for now just building up your endurance. Good luck with your run tomorrow x
Hi I know you have had lots of lovely replies, but I wrote almost the same on here, but mine was the the 25min run I had had to stop and walk twice and it was hot. The heat plays a major factor on my ability, but I took the advice given here and ran slower , I also realised that yes after 10 mins it was slightly easier! And to look had what I had done, so already done 10 , well I can do 10 more oh and then only half that left etc, focusing on what you can do! Good luck today I am sure you will be fine.
Thank you I have found the heat to be hard going I will be running this evening using the advice here to run at a slower pace and listen to a podcast instead of music I’m wondering if that could be a good distraction.
Week 5 Run 3
Week 5 run 3
Week 5 run 3!!!
Week 5 Run 3
Week 5 Run 3 ✅
