Week 5 Run 3a - 16 mins plus 4mins with a short stroll (I mean brisk walk) in between.

Well ok, I didn't quite manage the whole twenty minutes in one go but I did run for 20 minutes in total and I feel great about that.

It was going really well, even with the hill that I had at the start of my new route. I had a mental battle to keep going at the 10 minute mark but I conquered that one because I'd just reached a gentle downhill slope.

No, it was just unlucky really that I looked at my watch at exactly the 16 minute mark. I was feeling tired and my legs just stopped running. I think my mind was saying, "16 minutes! You've never run longer than that. You will self-destruct if you carry on!"

I walked for a while and got my puff back but I was determined to complete the extra four minutes and so I did. How short does 4 mins feel when you have just run 16 minutes? I couldn't believe how quickly it was over.

I'm happy I've made progress and the 20 min run feels very do-able now as do the week 6 runs. Bring em on!

[bizzyb Graduate]

Well done you for carrying on until the end! I never look at my watch, I just rely on the podcasts, the watch can set you back if you think "How Long????" when you see how many minutes you have left!! If I'm finding it a bit hard going I'd rather not know how much longer there is