apprehension about week 4

[Upearlybird]

Hi all, a bit of advice please. I’ve just completed week 3, have done it twice now as I’m apprehensive about week 4 and the jump from 3mins to 5. I do want to push myself but am worried about ‘failing’. Should I just crack on to week 4, or repeat week 3 till I’m more confident? TIA

[Annieapple Administrator Graduate]

🍏 Morning Upearlybird Well done for getting week 3 done twice in fact! You are definitely ready for week 4 even though you are not feeling confident. Go give it a try… you can always repeat it… There is no such thing as fail on Couch to 5 K We get up put our trainers on and follow the program.. if we don’t complete it it’s called a practice and we simply repeat that run next time! I am going to post you a link to read! Do let us know how you fare. 😊

healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

[Upearlybird in reply to Annieapple]

Thanks Annieapple, re-framing it as a practice run will be helpful - I run Monday, Wednesday and Friday so will let you know how it worked in practice 😊

[Annieapple Administrator Graduate in reply to Upearlybird]

That’s a fab routine to be in! 😊

[drl212 Graduate]

My advice would be to give it a try. The programme really does work. It prepares you for the increases.

Throw the word 'fail' out of the window. Just getting out the door and starting a run is a win for me.

If you find it difficult, you can always return to Week 3 to gain confidence.

Do keep us posted...

[Cmoi Graduate]

Personally I find the more I put off something that looks difficult the more it becomes a scary big deal. Just getting on with it works much better for me, and I say that as a born procrastinator.

Also, logically, if you want to complete the C25K programme and to be able to run for 30 minutes, you're going to have to start week 4 sometime. Ditto weeks 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9.

You've succeeded twice with week 3. As others have said, physically you're prepared for week 4. It's getting your head round it that's the issue. You might find this FAQ helpful: healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

[MissUnderstanding Administrator On a break Graduate]

I often struggle with being a bit intimidated by the runs on whatever plan I’m doing. It often isn’t logical I know I’m ready because I’ve done the previous runs. Sometimes I’ve even done the run before, or been further! Our brains are funny things. I find if I put it off and try waiting until I’m more confident, I just build it up to be a bigger deal than it needs to be and it’s even worse when I take it on. I’d just start it with a “what’s the worst that can happen?” mindset. You’ll most likely complete it and feel super proud of yourself. If you don’t, you’ll still have been for a run and you’ve got experience that will help you next time.

I find giving myself a “get out jail free “ option helps too. So I might start saying “try and complete half of this run and see if you want to carry on”. The fact I’ve given myself that choice helps me feel in control and I’m actually much less likely to stop early, and if I do it’s a positive choice rather than a failure.

The programme is just a guide and you can adapt it to suit you. Whatever you decide, I hope it goes well. Remember, it’s just another run and it’s what’s next. It’s not going to determine whether you’re cut out to be a runner or not, even if it feels like it You’ve already got a stack of runs in your legs and you’ve got plenty more to come. It’s half a hour and you’ll be fitter and stronger at the end of it.

Good luck!

[moopo]

I found it hard to get going and barely had the puff to complete each run early on. Slowing down, advice well sprinkled around here, is the step I had to master. I did not advance to the next week until I felt ready. If I didn't get 3 runs in a 7 day window I kept at it until I had. I think early on my fitness wasn't necessarily improving fast enough and I struggled getting out regularly.

I ran the week 2 runs 10 times spread over 2 months before moving to week 3. That was in Feb and 9 months later I'm still not finished the 9 week course. Still week 7 next week.

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

Hello... you have had some great advice... that fail, does not exist...Your runs, your way; you find what works for you...

Head out maybe, slow and steady and just see what happens...you may be pleasantly surprised...

Have confidence in yourself... we have it for you!

[Week7 Graduate]

Go for it!!! If you struggle slow down to a really gentle jog. My runs in C25k were probably slower than I walked -but they got done somehow. I just pootled along as gently as I could. Knowing that I could always managed "one more step" meant that I completed runs on difficult days literally one step at a time.

Good luck.

[Jell6 Graduate]

Only repeat if you don't complete. Another of my snappy slogans that got me through!

[IRunning]

Congrats on your progress so far. My advice, as others have also said, is just give it a go. For me it wasn’t until about week 7 that I didn’t have a bit of trepidation every time the run time increased, If I remember rightly one of the runs of week 4 I got to about 4 mins and had to walk the rest. If that happened then just try again, there is no shame in having to repeat a run, for some of us it sometimes takes more than the 3 runs in the week at that speed to get there. It’s more important that you just keep getting back on the horse,

[GoogleMe Graduate]

Ah... you have come to one of the most important things to be gained from doing the programme... learning how to deal with the possibility (and perhaps reality) of 'failure'

Some questions:

1) What would it be about you that is different from the countless others, some of them very wonky in various ways, who have completed the programme?

2) What ghastly irredeemable consequence would there be if you found you couldn't sustain a running motion as long as the programme says on your first attempt? (Or other attempts for that matter)

Getting out there is a success, every time. It's not a total waste therefore if you do repeat sessions unnecessarily but you are looking for 'information' that doing the same thing more than the repetition built in to the programme just can't give you.

There's nothing wrong with your caution - it will help you set off at a slower pace you are more likely to sustain for the specified time. It's what you do with the caution that matters.

[Womaningold]

if you’re ready for it then go to the next week- it’s only a minute more, I expect you can do it!😀

[Cakerunner Graduate]

Hi there Upearlybird! I think you should have a go at week 4! I believe you will surprise yourself, and feel so good about it afterwards. If however, you don't quite manage it, don't forget you can have another go! There is no 'fail', there is only 'try' go get it!!💪

[Kirst13 Graduate]

We are all different and great advice about trying it and seeing it as a practice. But my method was to repeat and see it as doing more than I would have been if I didn't go out. I was much better at getting out the door (and still am) if I felt i wouldn't be under pressure. When I got to the stage of running a few extra yards at the end of the running sections, I knew it was time to.move on a week. But either way, you'll be building your fitness.

[Trailslogg Graduate]

Like most everybody else here, I too would advice just to give Week 4 a go. Slow down to virtually jogging in place on the longer intervals if needed (I have done so!), but do go for it. I speak partially from my experience as a language teacher: students rarely feel like they master the material well enough before we move on - but it is exactly because we keep moving on that the earlier material sticks and becomes easy. So for a long time they are never really comfortable, always pushing themselves, but meanwhile making enormous progress! (I like to ask them at the end of the quarter to go back to the last assignments of the previous quarter that they struggled with at the time, just to let them realize how easy they are now. Likewise, you may already feel that 1 minute intervals are easy by this time, and once you're in, say, week 6, the 5 minutes will feel easy). Hope this makes sense!

[Reorte Graduate]

Every step up looked a bit much to me but I got through them, and eventually I realised that each one was having the same effect - the pacing worked pefectly for me, no matter how it actually looked. So I'd recommend going for it. I think it's always best to try to move forward, just as long as you can avoid falling for thinking you've failed if it turns out to be too much. It's not a failure if that happens, it just means it's going to take a little longer. But you'll never know if you can do it until you try, and if you keep trying you will do it.

[PeggySusi Graduate]

I’m a bit late commenting, but I’m at almost the same stage as you having completed week 3 today. I repeated a couple of week 2 and 3 runs because of enforced gaps caused by jury service. I feel similarly anxious about week 4 (well, I feel anxious about every run tbh!). But I’ve just checked the calendar and realised that if I stick to the schedule from now on, I should/could get to complete week 9 by Christmas, or at least by the end of the year. For some reason that seems like an incentive for me to move on to week 4.. does that help for you?

Let us know how you get on tomorrow..😊