Week 3 behind me …

[ObjectiveBob]

My final W3 run completed yesterday, or was it?

A few achievements: I think I’ve found my speed - it’s a lot slower than I attempted in W1 (the Slow Jogging video on these pages was really helpful). I am now happily taken over by old ladies with their dogs and toddlers on trikes. But I’m completing the runs and found W3 a little easier - and shorter - than previous weeks as a result.

W4, however, looks really intimidating. A leap from the 8-10 min running so far to 16 mins. Almost feels like they missed a week out!

So I’m pondering on a repeat of W3 to get a bit more stamina built. Has anyone else tried this? I think I’ll give W4 a shot on my run tomorrow but not going to beat myself up if I drop back and this becomes a 10 week odyssey…

Or is it best just to push through?

[MissUnderstanding Administrator]

Congratulations on another successful week! It’s great you’ve found that slower pace is more comfortable to run at. That will stand you in great stead.

Some people do like to repeat weeks but personally, I think it’s better to keep going if you’ve completed the runs. The programme builds up at a tried and tested rate, and you’re ready for it. There’s nothing wrong with going back if you want but there isn’t any need. You could always try the week 4 runs and see how you get on. Now you’ve experienced what a steady pace feels like, that will help a lot. It’s totally up to you though.

Good luck with next week, whichever one it is!

[Cmoi Graduate]

Well done completing week 3 ObjectiveBob ! You're right that week 4 is a step up, but once you've achieved week 3 you're prepared for it.

You're also already discovering that running isn't just a physical game, it's also a mental one. If repeating week 3 would boost your confidence for week 4, then why not? However, you don't need to.

For me, the downside of repeating successfully-completed weeks is that it can reinforce apprehension about the coming week by building it up into something more than it is. My own trick when runs feel a bit scary is to break them down mentally into do-able, ever-decreasing sections.

For example, you know you can run for three minutes. So when you're asked to run for five, tell yourself you're going to run for three minutes. That's over half that run section done. Then run for 1 minute 30 seconds - half of what you just did - and then another 30 seconds, i.e. a third of what you just achieved. Lo and behold - five minutes done!

I think you'll amaze yourself with what you can do. Happy running!

[RunforMum Graduate]

Oh my goodness. That's pretty much exactly my post from just over a week ago!...and my experience with the speed too. Good luck with whatever you decide.

[MissUnderstanding Administrator in reply to RunforMum]

What did you end up doing RunforMum ? This is the great thing about this forum-so many of us come up against the same sorts of challenge that there’s always somebody with their experience to share!

[Kirst13 Graduate]

As others said, the programme is well designed to build you up and lots of people who were apprehensive about the next week discovered they did have it in them. For me, I repeated all the 1st 5 weeks, feeling that even if I stayed on week 1 forever, it was more exercise than I had been doing. Whichever way you take it, your body is building fitness.