Help and thank you!

[Cassandra61]

Morning to everyone and thanks to you all for being there when I needed you. Thanks so much to Tim for being just inspirational really, I am sad to no longer be able to read his posts, what a loss.

So this is where I am at the moment. I am doing week 7 run 3 . However, I always run a little bit further but I like listening to Laura to get a sense of how long I have been going but also more for the encouragement and the company! I will finish the programme, I want that graduate badge!

So this week I ran for 38 mins round the beautiful East Yorkshire coast and covered 3.9 K. Howver, I know my pace is very slow at an average of 9.4 min / km, but it is a pace I can maintain and keep smiling. My goal is to run the 5K and be able to join the local Park Run.

So finally, my question is this , shall I keep plodding on until I get to the 5K? I know I can do this eventually if I just keep going a little bit further and train my mind to accept that I can do this. I am 61 years old and have only just taken this up since retirement after years of being a running avoider due to a legacy of failure left over from school.

Or do I need to push myself to get a more respectable pace before joining the Park Run? If I could only do the 5k in say 45 -50 mins would this be too shameful? How would I go about improving my pace?

I hope this makes sense and I am grateful for any guidance / suggestions. More than anything, thanks to C25K and everyone on the group for getting me going, this is such a gift.

Keep smiling.

[MissUnderstanding Administrator]

Lovely to read your post and be reminded of Tim. He’s much missed here.

There’s nothing shameful about running slowly. You absolutely don’t need to get any faster before going to parkrun. It’s an inclusive event and all paces are genuinely welcomed. I’ve just looked at the results from a vaguely local parkrun and over fifty people posted times slower than 45minutes. Do you think they should feel ashamed of their times or should they be proud that they did it? I bet you think they should be proud of themselves. If that’s the case-do you think you could feel proud of yourself as well? I’m absolutely sure Tim would say the same-he was the king of slow and steady running. If you can do it with a smile, that’s the right pace for you, regardless of the time.

You’ve done absolutely brilliantly to be out and running with a smile. Keep that going and you won’t go far wrong. 🏃‍♀️❤️🏃‍♀️

EDIT: Sorry I totally focussed on the pace issue! Should have said that generally it’s best to keep to the programme timings-that will reduce your chance of injury. It’s great that you’re in the position of feeling able to run on but if you’re doing c25k for the first time, it’s worth sticking to the tried and tested timings. The other thing is loads of people part run and part walk parkrun so if you wanted to try it before graduating, you can just do your c25k run and walk the rest. That could still be a really encouraging experience for you if you fancied it.

You’re doing brilliantly. C25k isn’t about being fast so celebrate all the successes you’re having and try not worry about speed.❤️

[Cassandra61 Graduate in reply to MissUnderstanding]

Thank you so much for this lovely, lovely reply. Thank you so much for your kind advice and it will really help me to be freed from the worry of the pace issue. Like I said, school Cross County (I was cross having to waste my time doing it) finished me for 50 years until now. So I will plod on focussing on the distance and the joy and not the pace. I absolutely take your point about sticking to the C25K timings regarding the risk of injury and I am careful to stretch before and after and stop when I have had enough. But then the joy takes over and I don't want to stop ! Thanks again for your encouragement and I'll let you know how ParkRun goes when I get there . 😀

[MissUnderstanding Administrator in reply to Cassandra61]

Aw, that’s fantastic. It genuinely made me sad that you might feel in some way shamed by completing a parkrun in too slow a time. I think a lot of us have hang ups about what real runners should look like and how fast they should be. This forum is such a good place to come to remind ourselves that we run because we love it. Pace doesn’t define us. Whatever else you do with your running going forward, just hold on to that joy.

As Tim I’m sure would remind us all, keep running and keep smiling ❤️

[beth_f Graduate]

As MissUnderstanding says, don't worry about speed. You are doing brilliantly.

The great thing about ParkRun is that it should be for everyone and of all abilities. So you could part run part walk it if you wanted. There will always be a tail walker so you will never be last.

Just to add that my 75 year old Mum walks a local ParkRun about once a month and it takes her roughly an hour (and they have recently introduced ParkWalk for that very reason - to get more people outdoors and not necessarily just runners).

[Cassandra61 Graduate in reply to beth_f]

Thanks so much for this and all power to your mum. I am going to push on until I can do the 5K and then give it ago. It is this year's goal now and I don't want to give up although the first five minutes is always the hardest (an uphill run to a bin!) but after that I settle down and it is such a joy. Thank you to you all for this gift.

Take care

😀

[ChannelRunner2 Graduate]

I walked my first parkrun - in about 45 minutes - and was cheered on as I finished. So there's no shame in doing it any way we can that day!

To keep on smiling is far more important than pace! I've been reading in many places that most (recreational) runners go too fast, so I've been working on reducing my pace. I am not quite at my goal of an 8-minute kilometer yet... (I ran the parkrun in 32:25 or 6:30 min/km...)

[Cassandra61 Graduate in reply to ChannelRunner2]

Perhaps we could swap! I'll swap my 9km /hr for your 6 or we could meet in the middle at 8? I make myself do a little sprint section to go a bit faster and push myself but I don't enjoy it and can't do it for long. TBH pushing too fast makes me feel panicky, something left over from school and ghastly PE I think . But I do hope to get faster as I get better. Take care and keep smiling and thanks for the encouraging insights.

[ChannelRunner2 Graduate in reply to Cassandra61]

Well, don't push yourself! Since I've slowed myself down, I've been sleeping better... I suspect that I had pushed myself too hard and my body was telling me to change something! I've decided that for me this is another opportunity to relearn to be in touch with my body - and to listen to its signals before it has to scream at me...

The irony is, maybe, that we will get faster when we slow down! So, yes, just enjoy your runs, no matter at what speed and you might actually get faster. And if not, so what! You'll enjoy the runs 😉

[MissUnderstanding Administrator in reply to ChannelRunner2]

Just a quick wave and good luck with the quest to go slower! I ran my entire couch to 5k too fast and I hardly ever cover as much distance in 30 minutes as I did back in those days when every run was accidentally a tempo run! The thing that made it click for me was going out for a run with really sore legs from hiit the day before. Wasn’t possible to summon up anything like my usual pace but aerobically felt fine. Not that I’d particularly recommend that strategy but it really clearly showed me that I’d been pushing far too hard (I didn’t think I had been!) and I felt how nice it is to breathe really comfortably. Haven’t looked back since. It’s a very worthwhile endeavour and I wish you lots of luck in your journey! 🏃‍♀️❤️🐌

[ChannelRunner2 Graduate in reply to MissUnderstanding]

Thanks, MissUnderstanding ! This confirms my suspicion: My legs are stronger than my aerobic capacity... at least for now... it's funny how challenging it is for me to slow down! (And probably not only with running...)

I did a guided Headspace/Nike Run Club run on Wednesday that emphasized regeneration as the point of most runs. And I felt so good afterwards because I had just focused on relaxing my body and enjoying the feel of running - and went slower because of that.

[BlackCountryLee Graduate]

I would personally say distance and pace are trumped every time by are you coming back from your run with smile on your face. I think that’s what it’s all about. As long as we are getting out there and enjoying the fresh air and as a result making ourselves healthier physically and mentally then we are all winners. 👍🏻

[GoogleMe Graduate in reply to BlackCountryLee]

👏 Some runs will be grotty and gruelling, and it is dealing with that that makes the runner, but what you say still stands.

[BlackCountryLee Graduate in reply to GoogleMe]

I see the point you’re making but we all run for different reasons. I don’t really believe you can tie down one single set of parameters that defines what a “runner” is. If PB’s and distances are your goal then yeah, you will have to go through the tough and grotty, but some people do just do it as it makes them feel happy to do so.

[GoogleMe Graduate in reply to BlackCountryLee]

I think you may be finding disagreement there there is none, except that my experience of this forum is the vast majority of people doing C25K experience a run that was a real slog at some point, and after, whatever kind of running they pursue... and however smiley and proud they are of themselves for every time they got out there.

[OldManRunning Graduate]

There is no shame involved here whatsoever. You are doing great and parkrun is a definite yes even if you walk. I'm sure others will expand on that. Just remember you're doing this for you, no one else 😁 Good Luck

[Karen59er Graduate]

you are doing brilliantly! The physical running is just part of this challenge but the biggest part is dealing with those demons in your head that keep challenging your motivation to run. There’s no shame in slow running- it’s better for your body and long term motivation. If you can keep smiling and enjoying the runs, rather than measuring yourself in terms of time and distance then you’ve got this! I deliberately avoid Park Runs because my brain automatically focuses on all the people ahead of me and that spoils the whole mental health benefit of mindful immersion in nature and doing something good for myself. C25K was (and continues to be) very important to me to discover that I can actually run for more than a minute and the importance of warming up. Keep going, keep sticking to the program and keep smiling - you’ve got this and you’ll get there!!!

[SueAppleRun Graduate]

Just an interesting thing that happened to me, at the beginning of C25k I ran as fast as I could, wheezing and panting, by the time I finished the programme and had learned to run at that conversational pace, I realised my gentle pace that I could keep up for miles was much faster than those first few gasping for breath runs, have fun is the important but

[RollingPea Graduate]

I had a thought (better late than never) about your admirable determination to push on to 5K and do a Parkrun this year. You could find a Parkrun near you by scrolling down and clicking on 'Find Nearest Event' at their website parkrun.com/Then you can follow links to find a map that shows the running route of that particular event. Like all other Parkruns, it measures exactly 5 km. Now you know this information, you could go there on a Sunday or a weekday and run/walk the course by yourself, or with family/friends. Perhaps by becoming familiar with the route and gradually increasing your run distance on it, free of any pressure and crowds, you will come to know when is the right time to register yourself with Parkrun and join an official Saturday 9 am Parkrun/Parkwalk.

Alternatively, you could attend your nearest Parkrun event as a spectator or volunteer, to see what goes on. There are lots of non-running volunteer roles associated with each event. Anyone can offer to help, you don't need to be an expert or athlete. This enables people to connect with and support a local running and health-orientated community.

[Vespina Graduate]

You’re doing brilliantly. You’ve had lots of great advice above so I’ll just add in a few of my own thoughts.

1. It’s really Couch to 30 minutes, not Couch to 5k. So do follow the timings for the run and walk sections. It’s important to not push too hard or too fast. You make the biggest improvements in your running at slower paces. It’s known as base building and it’s essential to becoming a strong and happy runner.

2. I’m coming up to my one year anniversary of starting C25K and I still haven’t cracked 30 minutes for a 5k (my PB is 31:24 and that was a flat out effort). That’s partly because I’m not a naturally fast runner and partly because I’ve been focused on increasing distance. It’s hard to both get fast and run for longer at the same time. Your body needs to adapt in two different ways which it’s not so good at. The same will be true for you as you’re adding more running to your runs. So I’ve been focused on distance and my pace has very slowly improved naturally. But the key thing is that I’m still enjoying it and still running 3-4 times a week. That’s the biggest win from C25K for me.

I’m saying all this as someone who tried to PB every run. So I know how you’re feeling. But easing back and not pushing means more fun and a lower risk of injury.

Good luck with the rest of your runs. Just follow the programme and have fun. You’ve got this.

[Cassandra61 Graduate in reply to Vespina]

Hiya! Thanks so much for getting back to me and for replying in so much detail. What you say makes a lot of sense and well done for your own PB 5K . I am a strong swimmer but I hate swimming races and am much happier to settle to do a distance at my pace. I have swum timed distances but this took a lot of training, wasn't a pleasure and I don't want to do this three times a week. I think it might be the same with running. So I shall carry on adding the distance at a pace I can manage and feel comfortable with and if I get a bit faster in time well good and if I don't then I will be happy to at least be out in the fresh air doing something good for myself.

Thanks again for being inspirational and generous with your advice, 😀 take care and enjoy your running.