Need Motivation ( aka kick up the proverbial!)

[gypsydepp]

So its week 15 for me.

Last week only managed 2 runs, it was so bloomin' hot!

Joined local cheapo gym, so can use their treadmill in lovely, lovely air conditioning!

Ran 5k in the gym on Tuesday and loved it...except had set myself a speed and incline goal which I only kept to for 2.5k and than had to reduce everything. Walked for a couple of minutes and very nearly gave up but then selected a more realistic incline and speed and finished the 5k.

Why did that feel like a "failure"?

Ran 5k in a reasonable time (33 Mins 40 )...but just don't seem to be improving as fast as at the beginning.

At risk of being repetitive am doing:

Run 1: 5k

Run 2: 5k using week 1/2 podcasts but jogging when laura says walk and running faster when she says run...and then jogging to end of 5k

Run 3: Increasing by 0.5k a week (last one was 8k)

Missed run 3 last week......

Planned to do "long" run today but woke up with sore groin....

Moan!

Do you think I'm doing a good enough training plan?

Am I expecting too much too soon?

Really thought would be doing 5k in 30 minutes by now

Help me.......!!!!!

[Grammadog1947 Graduate]

From my own experience (i.e. NOT a professional), the only way to increase speed is to run FASTER than your "target" speed for short intervals. In other words, you will have to do sprints. These are not done over long distance, in fact exactly the opposite...100 yards at the farthest...and done on the same training principal as C25K (sprint....walk/recover.....sprint....walk/recover).

That said, my personal feeling is that at 15 weeks it is a little early to be overly concerned about how fast you are running. Remember why you started running in the first place, and examine where speed falls into that original (good) plan.

You can message me thru this site if you like if you'd like.

[gypsydepp Graduate in reply to Grammadog1947]

Thanks gramadog.Just missing that sense of purpose you get doing the original program

[Anonymous36 Graduate]

I do the sprint/walk thing what gramma said when I do speed sessions at running club. It's 100 metres roughly and I have to go full pelt and then turn around and either walk or jog back, we do several reps of this and then do other stuff like hills!

[gypsydepp Graduate in reply to Anonymous36]

Thanks. Have been thinking of joining running club, but wondered if good enough yet.....

[Anonymous36 Graduate]

Get yourself along to your local club!

They are great at my club and Ali will tell you the same about the one she goes to. There are people of all ages and abilities at each session so you needn't worry about being able to keep up. There's always a back pacer to keep an eye on us slower ones (there's about 6 of us right at the back). Many clubs seem to be about having someone to run with and keeping it fun, it's not about creating elite runners so even the fast ones are willing to turn back and help the slower ones push through the wanting to give up. I smile the entire time I'm there

[gypsydepp Graduate in reply to Anonymous36]

Oh alright then!

Does sound great the way you describe it.

Thanks x