I have started C25k and have had a wonderful time until I hit week 8 . I have run two out of the three runs this week and they have been disasters as I cannot maintain the run . I find it especially hard in the first half of the run ?
I seem to be getting weaker not stronger ?
does anyone have a simulate experience and if so what did you do
Many thanks.
Ann
Almost everyone I’d say 🙂
Be patient, keep plugging away, slowly but surely. No hurry , no pressure.
Lots of us get stuck along the way but we push through and finish the programme
Many of us have described the feeling of going backwards. It’s a new exercise to most us so takes our bodies time to get used to.
It’s tiring too! So try and get some quality sleep, and eat well 🙂
We can only deal with the run immediately in front of us, tick that one off and move to the next. You’re nearly there! 😀👍🏃♀️
Congratulations for coming this far, MrsMacca1234 ! 🥳 How frustrating to hit an week-8-wall...
Although this didn't happen to me during Couch to 5K, I had trouble with the Magic Running Plan that was supposed to get me from 30 minutes to 60 minutes of running. What I ended up doing might work for you, too: Just repeat the run that you could do more often! So, maybe stay on the week 7 run another week. Or go for a 26 minute run and see how that goes...
Another thing to watch for: Starting out too fast! I've noticed that tendency as I was doing C25K again after a knee injury. I could sort of wing it with the shorter runs but once I hit 20+ minutes, I really did need to watch my starting tempo. Once I straightened that out, I could run the whole 30 minutes (again)...
Great advice my running buddy is saying that I go out too fast !! Also great advice to drop down to a previous run that I was more comfortable with . I can always build back up again when I feel stronger
Thank you so much again for your advice and your time Ann
I would very much second all the above advice - slow right down at the start, go back a run and don’t be hard on yourself. Don’t have a set expectation of your run and just enjoy it. Be kind to yourself and instead of berating yourself if you feel it hasn’t gone well. Just compare it to an older self who wouldn’t have run at all. You will get there and manage it! You are doing amazing
Maybe also do a longer warm up - a slightly longer walk or dynamic stretches? That could help. I think slowing down a bit will help you more though!
healthunlocked.com/couchto5...
🍏Ann, the above link will prove to you, you are not alone! The first 10 mins can be really hard & is not called the toxic 10 for nothing! Finding a way to tackle them will help you no end. Have a little read! X
Thank you Annieapple , good post about the 10 first minutes 👍🏼
Hello MrsMacca1234 I had a similar experience in week 8, and specifically the second run was incredibly hard and I almost didn't finish it. I felt as if my superpowers had gone 😅 and suddenly it was becoming incredibly hard.
The way I got over this difficulty was to go extraordinarily slow 🐌🐌🐌 and this simple adjustment worked for me. I am talking 🐌 pace.
I think towards the end of the programme is not only the longer runs, but the accumulation of them, what makes it extra hard. It is more important than ever to pace ourselves!
Good luck with your next runs! You are almost there 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Hi MrsMacca1234 , for me personally running strongly means being able to complete a run feeling happy and with something left in the tank. I don't know whether by running strongly you mean fast? If so, there's really no need. Just go along at a pace at which you could comfortably carry on a conversation. That won't necessarily be the same pace every run, some days you'll be quicker than others.
Also, remember that you're demonstrating strength simply by being able to run further than before. And finally, if by any chance you're thinking you have to run 5K in 30 minutes to complete the C25K programme, you don't.
Enjoy the rest of C25K!
Hi. First off congrats on still going on despite things getting hard. All the advice has been offered through this thread, so just wishing you all the best 👍 with future runs when it all comes back to you and the joy returns. 😊
Slow down... it usually works wonders....start it slow and start it steady, relax into the longer runs, just let the legs do what they have learned to and if, ... and only if, you have a bit left in the tank...which you always should have...then just go for it in the last few steps!
Hi MrsMacca1234, I'm also in Week 8 and I know what you mean....but it's really important you congratulate yourself first for how far you've come rather than worrying too much. We're both doing AMAZINGLY well!!! I repeated two of the runs in Week 7 before moving to Week 8 and I believe it really helped - not just physically, but psychologically it helped me realised I could do something a little bit longer...and that my 70-year-old body wasn't about to drop dead.
I'm discovering (and many other people have confirmed this to me) that the first ten minutes of pretty much any run are always the toughest - both physically and psychologically. That's why I always set off really really slowly (barely moving in fact!) and I pick up the pace (slightly!) at around about the 10 minute mark when everything suddenly starts working properly.
As for thinking you're getting weaker - I share your pain (see my last post) but other lovely members of the community have persuaded me that I'm actually getting stronger. I was annoyed? concerned? that I had covered less distance doing 28 minutes than I had when doing 25 - therefore I must be a wimp, right? No! Marathon runners run slower than 100 meter sprinters was the explanation. Love that!
My next 28 minute run (today or tomorrow) I'm selecting an all-new playlist of very upbeat tunes to uplift my spirits...and for my last 28 minute run (which was also my first) I became deeply absorbed in a BBC R4 podcast about unsung wartime heroes and their exploits. If you're into podcasts (or audio books) choose something really gripping and you will hardly notice the distance.
Good luck - and keep us posted please!
Thank you so much for your time and also your thoughts
I will think about your post when I go on my next run which will be tomorrow and let you know how I get on
Can I offer my congratulations to you for your success and progress in C25K . Keep going and enjoy yourself out there xx
Do you think it might be psychological? I found 28 minutes incredibly difficult because I couldn't break it down in my mind into smaller bites. 25 is 5 x 5 mins, 30 is 6 x 5 mins or 3 x 10 mins, whereas 28 only divides into 7 or 3.5 mins, which is a bit ridiculous 😜. I did the runs, but enjoyed week 9 much more, despite it being longer.
You could be right !
I had no problem on the 25 min runs and this week is only 3 mins more !!
"Only 3 minutes more" might sound small MrsMacca1234 , but it's a 12% increase in running time. Give yourself credit for that!
I'm a great fan of breaking challenging runs down mentally into smaller chunks, but not equal ones. I find it more helpful to use chunks that are shorter (or at worst no longer) than the previous ones, so that each section feels more do-able. For example, 12 + 8 + 5 + 2 + 1.
Slow, only run in your comfort zone. Can you have a chat while running? Don't knock yourself out or set expectations of how fast or long you can run therein is the entrance to the dark zone. Run Snail Pace runs which build endurance. So if Brian the 🐌 is not overtaking you......You are putting too much effort in so slow up and enjoy, speed and endurance comes later, much later. Don't overthink your runs just Enjoy
All you need to do is…… slow down.Are you starting off too fast perhaps? If that’s the case then you will find the first half hard. Is your warm up walk long enough?
Why not on a day you’re not running write down pro’s and con’s about what is causing your running disasters. I suspect maybe you’re starting off way too fast, worrying about the end result etc. There is loads of reasons that can upset your running experience but none of which you cannot overcome.
Enough sleep, good nutrition,well hydrated, all of these will give a better outcome to your running. However the main thing is not to stress and worry about your runs that don’t go too well. Just move onto the next.
I think from experience I have to say… when we start this brilliant process we expect too much from ourselves too early and we can become quite despondent when that doesn’t happen. However this is an experience that we should enjoy and you know that’s what it’s all about enjoyment.
So go on …….stop worrying and just enjoy …because your doing brilliantly 😉👍🏃♀️🏃♀️😂😂
Am I to old and unfit I cannot run 10 yards
Week 8 Run 1 - Wow am I really doing this?
week 9 run 1 - made it to 30 minutes for the first time!
I am sooooo happy to be doing week 1 run 1 again
Completed Wk 5 R2 today and still not really seeing how I am going to be running for 30 minutes straight!
