Ju-Ju’s Magic Plan

[Dendev75]

I’m on week 2 of the magic plan and I started with the longest run (I did the same last week) for my first run of the week. Week 1 was okay, week 2 was a 39 minute run which I did slow my pace and still felt like I only just managed it, but the shorter run (15 mins) felt really hard 🤯.

I thought ‘oh that will be a quick easy run and that I’d have more energy’ but I didn’t enjoy it - it felt just as hard as the long run! What’s going on? Has anyone experienced short runs being difficult? I didn’t up my pace either.

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Perhaps you have upped your pace, which is not necessary.

Running fast is hard work, that is unavoidable, bit at this stage you still need an easy conversational pace.

Ease back a bit.

[Dendev75 Graduate in reply to IannodaTruffe]

I’m so conscious of my pace and when I’ve looked back on my splits I’m still starting faster then slowing down - it’s something I really struggle to get right even though I purposely start off slow (or so I think).

[IannodaTruffe Mentor in reply to Dendev75]

Speak out loud to yourself.

Say this sentence out loud to yourself "Am I going slow enough to enable me to speak this sentence in one out breath?" If you cannot, you are going too fast.

[Dendev75 Graduate in reply to IannodaTruffe]

at the start of every run I always feel all over the place - like bambi and conscious of my breathing until it calms down, I put it down to the toxic ten people talk about but I know it’s mainly due to starting off too fast. Thanks Iannoda - I’m going to try my park run ultra slow at the start this week 👍🏻

[dijep Graduate]

I know sometimes I find that because I know it's a shorter run I expect it to be easier and somehow that messes me up and I end up finding it more difficult.

I'm not sure that makes any sense 😂 hope you get what I mean

[Dendev75 Graduate in reply to dijep]

yes I expected to be full of beans and have loads of reserves at the end but I didn’t and found it just as difficult as the longer runs. I know there must be a purpose to the short runs in the plan but I don’t enjoy them.

[M0use Graduate]

so glad you asked this question, I've been really struggling with the short run.This week has been a real struggle, two rehearsals (aka failed attempts at 3k) when I can do 5k OK. It's got to be a week 6 type problem by which I mean I'm setting off too confidently and too fast just because it's the short one. I think I'll try to fit in a 5k before the end of the week just to get my head straight and then do week 2 again next week. Repeat after me, slow and steady 😊🏃‍♀️🐌. Good luck with your next 'short one' 😊

[Dendev75 Graduate in reply to M0use]

yes that week 6 of ct5k really caught me out. We can only keep trying. 🐌

[MissUnderstanding Administrator]

I find a lot of my fifteen minute run is taken up by warming up and I’ve really got to think about starting every run off the same way-slowly and patiently. I’ve found the NRC guided runs really helpful in that respect. My half marathon plan still has a fifteen minute run in it every week! It’s funny running ten miles and then the next run being so short. It’s great to mix it up. You’ll get into it the more experienced you become (and you’ll still have days when it’s all wrong and you’re just glad it’s over like me earlier this week!)

[Dendev75 Graduate in reply to MissUnderstanding]

there must be a purpose to having that short run in the program mustn’t there? You must feel like the short run is your warm up if you’re running 10 miles in the same week. I need a snazzy watch to tell me my pace as I think I’m starting slow but I I know I should be even slower.

[MissUnderstanding Administrator in reply to Dendev75]

It’s strange, each run I start doesn’t really link to the others. I tend to leave the house thinking short run, or speed run, or long run so I’m not really comparing a fifteen minute run with a ten miler. I’ve got some different playlists to help (recovery runs with thumping drum and bass doesn’t work so well!) so maybe that helps put me in a different headspace.

The biggest change I’ve seen is 10k now feels like a fairly short, easily achievable, just another run distance whereas before that was like a marathon. That would have been unthinkable a few weeks ago!

Have you used the Nike Run Club app before? I really rate the coaching on easy/recovery runs which is what they call the conversational pace! A bit cheesy at times but it’s made the biggest difference to my running since c25k.

[Dendev75 Graduate in reply to MissUnderstanding]

thanks for sharing all your experiences around this - it does help. I did try the NRC app but found the coach really cheesy and his voice was so annoying but I will try it again for the recovery run but I can’t bear to listen to him say ‘easy’ one more time (sorry to coach Bennett fans) 🙈🤣

[MissUnderstanding Administrator in reply to Dendev75]

🤣🤣🤣 It’s a bit marmite. My natural pace is far too fast so I need to constant telling to slow down and run smart, but I totally understand the irritation.

Some of the other coaches are a bit less cheese fest. I did an interval one with Coach Cox this morning which was great. She’s a lot more straightforward and less reflective. That sort of run might help you find your different paces so you’ll nail what it feels like to run easy (sorry, I said easy!!!). It was working through 10k, 5k, mile and best paces based on your effort. It’s surprising how when you do that a lot, you can start to do it much more instinctively. I’m just getting to that point after quite a lot of speed runs!

I’m sure there are other apps that do the same thing but with a different flavour of commentary. Good luck to you!

[Dendev75 Graduate in reply to MissUnderstanding]

it’s my starting off pace that’s fast! Yes very marmite - great app and guided runs but I found myself telling him to shutup whilst I was running and rolling my eyes when he said ‘easy’ for the eleventybillionth time 🙈🤣😂

I need to have a good explore of these apps and try the voices out, I was so spoilt with the lovely Sanjeev on ct5k 😋

[gxrt]

I've completed up to week 6 run 2 of the Magic Plan. I'm consciously doing the 2 short runs at a tempo or 5k pb pace, so they do feel uncomfortable compared with the long runs which I am taking more slowly. Given you are trying to keep them all at a comfortable place, it could be that you need to vary your rest intervals - I've found I need to listen to my body and take 2 rest days when I need it; at other times I do 3 days consecutive days running because I feel good. I have increased my amount of warming up, from the c25k style 5-minutes walk to more jogging for up to 1k then recovering for a couple of minutes before doing a short run.

[Dendev75 Graduate in reply to gxrt]

this is all interesting and helpful, thank you. I will think about some of these things and try to fit them in around work and life 👍🏻 Well done so far on your magic plan journey 👏🏻

[DocEmmett Graduate]

Hi Dendev75, maybe you have tried this: You will have done plenty of 30-minute consolidation runs after C25K. What happens if you go out with that ‘benchmark’ 30-minute run in mind but just stop running at 15 minutes (or whatever your short run time is) when what would ordinarily be your ‘half-time’ bell rings? Can you trick yourself into thinking you’re running a regular 30 minutes but suddenly cut it short to the shorter run time then go into brisk walking cool down? I’m currently still on 30-minute consolidation runs, with Ju-Ju’s Magic Plan to come.

[Dendev75 Graduate in reply to DocEmmett]

Hi there, I am going to give all these useful tips a go. It is psychological as once I’ve got that long run done I’m like a spring lamb on short run day thinking ‘yeehah - just a short one to do that’ll be easy’ 🤣🙈 but it’s definitely not! Well done on your consolidation runs, how are they going?

[DocEmmett Graduate in reply to Dendev75]

Thanks Dendev75. I’ve run 15 consolidation runs after completing C25K in early August ‘22: Three runs per week of 30 minutes each, for five weeks. I’ve found that it’s been variable, some good days, some bad days, but now I’m beginning to settle into 30-minute runs being ‘comfortable’ where my engines are still powered enough to pick up the pace through the 30-minute end-point plus a couple of minutes. I find I feel even better after my run if I have been able to pick up the pace at the end before cooling down. I have had a ‘no prisoners’ approach to running from the start of C25K, meaning no stopping and following the plan to the letter which became easier when I read here about running at a ‘conversational pace’. I’m getting better at ‘self-coaching’ which is based on everything I’ve read here. I’ll continue with consolidation runs for four more weeks then start Ju-Ju’s Magic Plan, so your experience of it is particularly helpful to know, Big Thanks.