So I managed week 2 on repeat …. And I’m still hating it .. Am I not good at being told what to do ?? Is it the roads that make me bored and fed up ? Is it the constant of being told ok now run ok now walk , when on my usual runs I do my thing my way ???
I don’t even think I’ll manage week 3 if I’m honest , the competive part of me is like maybe try day 1 of week 3 and if you still hate it or struggle then quit c25k and run your runs your way … or do I admit defeat I can’t run and quit altogether.
This whole getting older is super hard and I know for a fact it’s taking its toll on my running too, I’m on year 2 of no time of month so my body is all over the shop . Grrrr
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HAPPYPLODDER18
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What would “running the runs your way” look like? If it’s a gentle build from where you are, do that! Life’s too short to do something you hate. You know you’re a runner-you’ve been there before.
When I’m building back, I give myself permission to hate all my runs for a few weeks as I’m starting off. Usually it gets better when suddenly I feel fitter. Sometimes you’ve got to go through a bit of misery to get to that point t though. If couch to 5k is making it worse, bin it.
Hi happyplodder18, great advice from MissUnderstanding but may I add that in the song My Way by Frank Sinatra you can RUN your way, you began C25K because you wanted to get fitter and healthier, you certainly don't have to run fast, you can repeat as many runs or weeks as you wish, but don't give up only in week 2, slow and steady is the motto of C25K, at least give it a try, good luck 🤞
I started couch to 5k after getting plantar fasciitis and had to have 12 weeks off and didn’t want to veer back off running my way and end up harming myself , I’ve been running for a long time and when I got Injured I was like hmm what to do . But if this is making me miserable and not enjoying my runs then I bin it . But now the competitive side of me is like try week 3 and if you still feel and sound like a wheezy dog then go back to your trails runs you know you love and can manage
Me again! I'll be honest - I don't get why you say you can manage your trail runs, but not C25K road runs?
Is it about pace? Are you inadvertently going faster than is currently comfortable for you?
Is it about audio instruction? If you hate being told what to do it's unlikely that you'll suddenly adore it just because it's C25K. So, as per my previous reply, maybe write the timings on your hand and dump the audio instructions!
Is it about hating roads? Again, see my previous replies!
Is it about "Yeah but I've run much further on trails, why should I have to go back to stupid stop-start road runs with ridiculous instructions from patronising coaches who don't understand where I am"? If it's that, as others have suggested, either scrap C25K and build back your own way, or accept that you'll have to tolerate a few hours' hating it, in order to get back to where you were.
I know from personal experience that it's frustrating, feeling you're regressing rather than progressing. I get constant reminders from Strava that three years ago I was well into training for a marathon, and I'm nowhere near that now. There again, I'm still running, which for non-sporty me (school PE was a disaster and I was 59 when I did C25K) is an achievement in itself.
Do read Yesletsgo 's excellent response re advice re ageing and menopause. While I've never taken HRT myself, I take the view that getting older is better than the alternative.
Thanks lovely. To be honest I’ve no idea . When I’m doing run runs everything seems such an effort and so hard if I’m struggling to run for 90secs on the roads yet when I’m on the trails I don’t find it hard I seem to lift my feet better on the trails . I know none of this makes sense . It must be a mix of it all. Yes I’ve always hated road runs I struggle to run on the flat yet downhill it’s a breeze . lol. Yes it’s also the instructions as well . Soon as I’m told to run off I go then I’m becoming so obsessed with how much longer it is I end up struggling .
🍏 With that lovely smile after completing week2 we are not letting you off the hook too easily! It sounds as if you may be struggling with a bit more than running & needing something to change in your life. You are a runner at the crossroads of life! It’s decision time. Take into account all that MissUnderstanding and AlMorr have shared, your present feelings & circumstances. Know we will be here to help and support you in your running journey. Many of us on here faced the same issues you are grappling with. Sometimes in order to cope with change we need to accept the challenges life is throwing at us… the best place in all the world is out on a run at a gentle pace in a beautiful area. You can just be you with that rhythm of your own body enabling you to move forward… this is why you need to stop hating the discipline and discomfort you feel. Give yourself permission to put up with it for a means to an end. Give yourself permission to listen to walk now, run now because you want to be back running your way! Your beautiful photos inspire me to encourage you out of the doldrums and back into living! You can definitely do this!!! Your way!!! 🤗☀️🤩
Awww i absolutely love this you sound just like my dear mum god rest her beautiful soul as she would have said exactly the same as you . Ooo you make so much sense . Thank you
You've mentioned menopause a couple of times, also that you are feeling old which isn't obligatory at your age
Menopause affects all aspects of our physiology as women. Oestrogen is pretty much the thing that keeps us young. Have you considered seeing your doctor about what is available that might help you?
One of the things oestrogen does is protect your bone density. My mother had osteoporosis and I watched her shrink until she was tiny. I had it too but thanks to HRT and running have reversed it to a certain extent, it's now osteopenia. I'm going to stay on it as long as is safe, which is longer than a lot of people think (11 years and counting, I'm 66 now).
As women we don't have to suffer in silence if we're finding menopause tough. Some of my friends have breezed through it without symptoms. Others have had horrible symptoms and braved it out. I am a drama queen and as soon as my hot flushes made it impossible to decide what to wear in the office I got HRT patches and have never looked back.
My mum was on it from her late 30s until she was 75 (following hysterectomy), when she had a stroke. She was far less bothered about the aphasia that resulted than from the fact that the doctors had the temerity to stop her hormones! I know that they aren't suitable for everyone and that not every woman wants to take artificial hormones, but in the right circumstances they can really help.
Hi lovely and yes sorry I do tend to repeat myself . lol. It’s just such a ball ache being a woman isn’t it . Ha ha . I’m trying to get thru this menopause without having to take anything , well if I do I rather it be natural stuff , having said that , what is natural ?? … I guess I look at myself a few years back running and finding it easy and now boom suddenly aged , ( that being said the last 2 years have been awful I’ve suddenly and unexpectedly lost my beautiful mum and then a year later I lost my father in law ) so I guess that too has taken its toll on me . I guess I need to find a happy balance with myself my body and running if I want to continue . Thanks so much for your very informative advice I really do appreciate it . Kinda makes me feel like I’m not the only one . I’ve been fine not having night sweats , mines just aches and pains and not being able to shift the weight . X
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HELP - I still cannot get past Week 2 after 2 months?
Week 2 complete
Staring week 2 again
Planning week 2 
Repeated week 5 run 1
