W1 R2

[Rustig]

Hey everyone! It's my third attempt to finish the C25K plan.

And I am really hoping that this time I will graduate it. 🙏

I have a question. I am an absolute beginner in running and physical activity in general. My second jog felt much harder than the first one.

I almost could not finish it, I was out of breath and it was almost impossible to move my legs.

Meanwhile the first run went absolutely great (like after the first run I felt like I could keep on going for at least a few more rounds)

Why is that? Any ideas? And has anyone else came across the same struggle?

[MissUnderstanding Administrator]

I actually think the second time you do anything new is harder than the first time. The first time often has nervous excitement so the adrenaline can carry you through. The second time you might be a little tired from the first time, you know what’s coming and you might expect yourself to do better than the first time-even though you’re still new! Through the whole programme my second runs of the week were the worst because they didn’t have the novelty value of being run one or the excitement of completing a week!

You can comfort yourself that you got through it-that shows you’ve got some mental toughness you can draw on. Sometimes runs are just hard for no reason. Sometimes it’s things like tiredness, coming down with a bug, not having hydrated enough before or underfuelled. Maybe the terrain or the weather was tougher. Also, the main thing newbies often do to make things harder (I was such a slow learner on this) is to go too fast. You’re best aiming for a pace where you can talk out loud in full sentences without gasping. The speed on your watch (if you’re using one) is irrelevant-just aim for comfortable. It’s counterintuitive but you’ll develop your fitness best that way. Lots more hints and tips here…

healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

What’s happened on your previous couch to 5k attempts to bring you to a stop? It’s worth thinking through in case there’s anything you can do to help you through this time. There’s loads of support here and we’ve got many runners who took a few gos to finish. This is going to be your successful attempt I’m sure! Good luck and let us know how you’re getting on!

[Rustig in reply to MissUnderstanding]

Thank you for your kind, cheerful and detailed answer! And thank you for an advice to look back and figure out what has caused previous attempts to fail. I will definitely think about it.

Also i will try tomorrow to jog with a slower pace, maybe I just thought that it was the same speed as the first time, but I actually ran faster.

[MissUnderstanding Administrator in reply to Rustig]

Sorry l missed this! Post notifications have been really hit and miss for me lately.

How did your jog go? Did you try slower pace? It can be a learning curve to find it. Really good luck!

[Rustig in reply to MissUnderstanding]

Yeah, the problem really was about the speed. I tried running at a slower pace and felt so good at the end of the run. However, a new problem has occurred. After changing my speed, I experienced pain in my ankles and the muscles above them. Apparently, I did something wrong again

[MissUnderstanding Administrator in reply to Rustig]

Try not to think of it as “doing something wrong”. You’re a new runner. Your body is getting fitter and stronger and sometimes that comes with aches and takes a bit of trial and error to find what works for you.

If you’re in pain during a run, particularly any sharp sort of pain that gets worse as you run, it’s really important to stop. Warming up extra well and stretching afterwards might help next time? There are some good videos in the programme guide.

It would be worth popping over to Strength and Flex to see if there’s anything you can be doing to support your ankles. Oldfloss and CBDB might be able to help you out with a good place to start.

When you’ve had a tougher run, it’s natural to feel a little down, and I think I can see that in your post. Remember this is early days and you’re still moving forwards, even if it doesn’t feel like it.

[Cmoi Graduate]

Hi Rustig , I see that you describe yourself as "an absolute beginner in running and physical activity in general."

While the advice from MissUnderstanding is excellent, it's a good idea to be able to comfortably walk briskly for thirty minutes before you start C25K. If by any chance you can't manage that, I'd suggest you get used to regular walks before you give C25K a go.

If you're fine with 30 minutes' brisk walking, then definitely take a look at the How to run C25K link already provided, particularly with reference to rest days, hydration, pace and stretching.

Enjoy the programme!

[GoogleMe Graduate in reply to Cmoi]

No! I would never have done C25K, never run 13kms if I had applied that metric!

In fact, I decided to try C25K precisely *because* brisk walking was too difficult for me to sustain.

Over 11 years later, brisk walking *remains* too difficult for me and has adverse consequences that running does not [actually even worse now than back then] and on reflection, my difficulties in the early stages of C25K were at least as much due to not slowing down the walk sections as the (pretty much universal) error of going too fast in the run sections.

This is something that needs to be understood: running is a different motion, not a different pace and it is not necessarily harder (or as hard) as brisk walking (although probably for most possibly higher impact in musculo skeletal terms - hence the need for low impact days)

[Rustig in reply to Cmoi]

Hello , thx to your reply, I have never actually tried brisk walking for half an hour, but if talking about walking in general, I can walk for like 9-10 miles without the problem. So i don't think that my shape is so bad. But i guess just my heart and lungs are not used to this strain

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

As MissUnderstanding says...pop across to the S and F Forum; there are loads of ideas there to support you with your runs and help you and your wonderful running body...

Try this post out for starters.. simple exercises for every bit of you... the ankle ones are great...

healthunlocked.com/strength...

Just click on the links and if some don't work...just let me know !

Loads more links there too... and I am about to re-organise a few areas as well which will make it even easier to navigate

Huge well done you for doing this ... we are going to get there ! x