Will it get easier (:

[ruralrob]

I have been attempting the c25k since 2nd January. I am male 54 years and probably at least 20 pound overweight ( currently 14.3 down from 15.2 ) so I am working on reducing my weight too. Although I was just about able to complete and finish weeks 1-5 but since it jumped from running 8 mins continuously to 20 I have really struggled with it. I know people say start off even slower , so you can hold a conversation etc but honestly if I went any slower I may as well walk. My limit at the moment is about 6 mins before needing to take a walk break. Just asking if anyone else had this issue? did it eventually all click in ? I am desperate to just get that feeling of lacing up and feeling confident to run for 5k continuously and enjoy it!. ps I am also planning doing the local Park run the saturday after we finish c25k even if I do have to have walk breaks.

[Cmoi Graduate]

Hi ruralrob , good to have you here!

From your profile and previous posts I gather that you used to do parkruns, so there's no reason why you can't get back to that.

I do wonder if you're so keen to run rather than jog that you're actually not doing the best thing to develop your running, which is to take things as slowly as you need to. You'll build up your fitness and stamina better by going at a comfortable pace at which you can talk easily, rather than pushing to increase your pace. It doesn't actually matter if you could walk faster!

A return to parkrun immediately after completing C25K would imo be best done as a repeat of a week 9 run, plus any additional walking that you might need to complete the course, rather than an all-out-effort to run.

Maybe refresh your memory of the How to run C25K guide too? healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

Hopefully all the info in there will encourage you. You can do this!

[Bruch1 Graduate]

Hi ruralrob, please don't worry. Yes it does get easier but remember this is a marathon not a sprint. The first time I attempted C25K it took me months to complete it. You can always repeat previous weeks until you feel comfortable and then move on gradually. It doesn't matter how many times you repeat a week - it's your body so work to your limits. It's not a competition. I'm 69 and completed the challenge about 3 weeks ago. My running is most people's quick walking but who cares? At least I'm moving! You just take it steady and you will get there. Good luck.

[Languid_Lil Graduate]

Hi ruralrob I totally get your frustration with feeling slow but honestly I would slow down and embrace it. In my experience, trying to run faster than I really can hasn't helped at all, the only thing that has helped is taking the long way round i.e. running as slowly as I need to (which as Bruch1 says below is most people's quick walking - frankly I've been overtaken by really quick walkers before now) until I've built up my stamina, then keeping going which has built up my speed (though probably still at or just above "quick walking" pace.) As Bruch1 also says it's a marathon not a sprint so I would say slow down for now until you've got the stamina sorted, then just keep going regularly and you will get faster naturally.

[nowster Graduate]

What sort of runs are you currently doing? Are you still on C25K or doing something else? Are your routes flat or hilly?

[NettieNoo Graduate]

I'm on my second go through c25k, so I know I CAN do it, but that doesn't seem to make it easier. In all honesty, I think it doesn't feel as though it gets physically easier, because progress is slow and gradual, so it takes a while to really notice, but what does get easier (in my experience) is your approach to it psychologically. I run (jog/hobble/whatever you want to call it) for 5 or 10 minutes, utterly convinced I CAN'T do it, convincing myself I can't breathe and that everything hurts too much to carry on, but I do carry on and really, it's my mind that does that, not my legs. When it gets to 6 minutes, or whenever you start to flag, distract yourself somehow, or tell yourself you'll just do another minute - when that one's up, do another one, and then before you know it you'll find yourself with only 5 to go (this is my internal monologue anyway 😆) at which point you tell yourself, "I've already done 15. I can do another 5."

[John_W Graduate Ambassador]

What happening physically at the 6 minute mark that means you have to walk ?

[John_W Graduate Ambassador]

Hey  ruralrob ...

"since it jumped from running 8 mins continuously to 20"

You were actually running for 16 minutes but with a walking break in-between. Many C25K first-timers often overlook this and don't realise that that apparent jump in time, is more a mental hurdle than a physical one.

It's the TOTAL running duration that you do that builds your fitness, not the length of any one separate segment (eg '8 minutes')

Let me show you, starting from Week 4:

W4R1 - you run for 3, 5, 3, 5 mins - a TOTAL of 16 mins

W4R2 - ditto - another 16 mins

W4R3 - ditto - another 16 mins

W5R1 - you run for 5, 5, and 5 mins - a TOTAL of 15 mins

W5R2 - you run for 8 and 8 mins - a TOTAL of 16 mins

So by the time of W5R3, your body (not you mind) has actually got used to running 16 or 15 minutes 5 times in the previous 5 outings ... that means your body (not your mind) is more than ready for W5R3 - the 20 min one.

OK, great, you've done it but it was hard for you. This is both a mental issue and also one of getting the pace right.

In my observations during 8 years on this site, men tend to struggle with pacing more than women, and that's often down to our egos and what we think running should look and feel like. Slowing down to what is often slower than a brisk walk sounds and feels completely alien to what you think you're being asked to do.

I'm 54 as well but not overweight. You have to factor that in to be honest... So ... "if I went any slower I may as well walk" ... that's not true and I think you're capable of going slower than you are. If you're not making it past 6 minutes before having to walk, then there is nothing in particular wrong with you, nothing unique going on... you are simply going quicker than you realise.

LOTS of C25K-ers have this exact same issue, so you are NOT alone.

"did it eventually all click in ? I am desperate to just get that feeling of lacing up and feeling confident to run for 5k continuously and enjoy it!"

Yes, it does click in for many people ... and if you're that desperate, then I'm more than happy to share the 'secret sauce', the 'cheat code', for you that will enable you to achieve 5k of continuous running (JOGGING!) ... Yes, the clue is in what I've just written.

There is a pace, a speed, which for now, might only be a bit quicker or even the same speed as a brisk walk ... it's a JOG ... it's feel very comfortable, your breathing is really easy, and it's no struggle. It's slower than you probably want to go or feel you should be going - forget all that. Trust me, the male running ego is a strong force.

Once you discover YOUR pace - one at which you talk quite comfortably at, everything will fall into place, trust me. It will be like a new dawn! And over the next weeks and months, that pace will actually get quicker as your fitness improves.

Capisce?

Good! I hope that helps - now crack on and please let us know how you go.

John

PS - Japanese Slow Jogging video added for good measure and reinforcement - That Prof Tanaka (RIP) was a very quick marathoner - the Japanese know how to do this stuff.

youtube.com/watch?v=9L2b2kh...(Not working as expected?)