Back to 5k but scared....

[Wagper08]

Okay so done this before then tried to increase to 10k. Didn't work out 😔. Then had runners tummy and haven't been out since 😕. Which was over 6mths ago. Need to try again but fear is getting in the way.... need help x

[Annieapple Administrator Graduate]

🍏 You said it all on your bio page “one day at a time” Nothing to fear.. take it slowly one run at a time.. Make the commitment to 3 days.. put out your gear the night before, do a little warm up and out you go.. follow the program and let us know how 1:1 goes it’s not a race .. if one run doesn’t quite work out you call a practice run and redo it .. you can repeat the runs or a week as many times as you want to.. Wagper you have got this! You have done it before, you can definitely do it again!

Here is a guide to remind you..

healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

[Wavy-chick28 Graduate]

Start from the beginning that’s all you can do take it’s easy on yourself x

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

Welcome back... do please. as Annieapple , suggests, re check the pinned post... just to refresh your mind..

healthunlocked.com/couchto5...

You have had some super advice so, slow and steady and take it as gently as you care to.

Post here too for terrific support!

[GoogleMe Graduate]

It may be worth looking into the NHS funded IAPTS (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies) scheme which often operates by self-referral and can offer in person, telephone or video sessions. The type of therapy offered can be excellent for these kind of setbacks.

It's not the running going well that makes us runners it's the bouncing back, crawling back, sidling sneakily back... And as others have said, keep posting here... and keep reading here too.

[JeremiahObadiah Graduate]

Hello. I too have had restarts and set backs. Mine was physical set backs, shin splints just after completing C25K and then sciatica derailed me.

I rewrote the programme to suit me. I made the whole thing far more gentle and gradual so my first runs were fewer and shorter , then I added fractions of minutes and gradually rebuilt stamina almost by stealth, the bits that were over stressed on my body seem to have adjusted better to the approach. .

Don’t feel that there is only one way to get to 30mins continuous running and don’t feel that if you are not following the programme religiously then you are not part of this forum. You know how the original formula works, use that for you. Take the essential elements-the warm up, the cool down, the rest days and the incremental pace but change it to suit.

Please don’t be fearful, it is just movement and if you treat your body gently your mind might appreciate the difference.

Please let us know how you get on. Conquering these feelings and doubts are a huge element of the C25K experience-if we were all natural born athletes then this would be a different forum!!

[Yesletsgo Administrator]

If the Runner's Tummy is the issue I totally understand the psychological barrier to running again. The loss of control, the terror that someone will realise what's happened to you, the fear it'll happen next time. I had the same experience, felt terrible and like you I nearly didn't run again.I realised it was essential to get back'in the saddle' as soon as I could. I told myself I'd run hundreds of times without mishap, this was a one off. Practically, I made sure the meal I ate the night before I ran was bland, not a curry like before the bad tum. I decided on a shorter run too, to minimise the time I'd be away from facilities. Luckily my running trousers are black,

The other thing you can do is remind yourself that Runner's Tummy happens to a lot of us, that's why it has a name. You'd be surprised how many of us it has happened to. You're not alone and your friends here understand.

It's so worthwhile to make the effort to get back to running, especially when you did so well before. Don't let this hiccup spoil your fun. Good luck 😁

[Baggieboy61 Graduate]

Hi. You got what it takes because you have already done it. Don’t worry about getting to 10K. Live in the 5k world for a while. I’m in the same position. I’m at the 5k distance. I don’t need the pressure of trying to get to 10. That will come.

[Mummycav Administrator Graduate]

hey  Wagper08 …do you know what? You have done the hardest bit by coming on here and telling everyone that you’re starting again….now the next step is getting those trainers on and heading out of the door…focus on the job in hand & I’m sure that anxiousness will be replaced with an eagerness for your next run…

We’re all here to spur you on & hopefully inspire you to keep on getting out there..keep us all updated on your progress, we’ll be waving our Pom poms for you

[nowster Graduate]

Runners' Tummy is why I'm consistently late to parkruns. My gut definitely doesn't wake up at the same time I do, and I often get the "urgency" just as I'm reaching for the handle of the front door ready to leave the house.

And then there are the times I've had to nip behind hedges or (on one long run on holiday in North Norfolk) step into tall weeds beside the coastal path and hope that nobody walked past.

Adjust the programme according to your needs. If you need an extra day without doing a run, take that extra day. If you have a "nope" run, it's OK to turn around and walk back. But what you shouldn't do is give up totally.

Maybe occasionally do a run from the first week of Couch to 5K to remind you of how far you've come. I tend to do that on the anniversary of my first attempt at trying C25K.