Feeling a bit disheartened.....

[sfb350]

I had to turn back on the running club run on Tuesday because I felt so light headed and exhausted - I hadn't felt well for a few days but by Tuesday evening I'd hoped I was feeling ok to run. I failed dismally and had to turn back after little more than a kilometre.

I'd felt a bit better today and decided to try the running club again - the first time I'd managed to get there on a Thursday. The website says "meet at 7.00pm sharp". As I turned into the car park at 6.58, everyone was halfway up the (uphill) road......I parked then set off quickly in a desperate attempt to catch up. I knew it wouldn't work. I wore myself out, had no idea where they were and had to walk for quite a while to get my breath back. I started to worry that I was completely out of my depth. I jogged back to my van and probably covered a mere 2.5km, partly because I only knew one route back. It was very hot but I'd like to think that if I hadn't rushed to start with, I would have managed a longer distance.

I want to attempt some races this year - I thought a 10k would be achievable and I would like to think I can build up to a half marathon in October. I'm having a confidence crisis - tonight I was wondering if I need to start from scratch. I know I don't need to be that drastic but I do feel as if I've gone backwards.

Please give me a much needed kick up the arse !

[CaroleC Graduate]

Hi sfb,

Do you have a contact in the running club that you could message another time to let them know you are on the way and/or planning to join them that evening?

Anyway, apart from that, you haven't been well, it's very warm, and you MAY have lost a little fitness. Why don't you go back a week or two on the programme, and try a warm up, twenty mins, and a cool down and see how that feels. Just take your time. If that goes ok, then step it up a little, but ONLY if it feels ok. It is not an admission of failure to have to step back a little. We all ease ourselves back in when we've been injured.

Are you honestly feeling totally recovered from your illness? Have you had yourself checked out at the Drs? Maybe you are slightly anaemic?

CaroleC

[sfb350 Graduate]

Thanks Carole. I don't think I've been ill as such but you may be right about being slightly anaemic. I've recently had the contraceptive injection in an attempt to sort out heavy periods that were making me border on anaemia and leaving me exhausted for a few days every month. It might take a few months to make a difference - in the meantime I seem to have permanent back ache as a side effect ! I've started dosing up on vitamins and iron supplements.

I think I'm going to try some gentle runs on my own over the next few days and build up a bit from there. It might help me get used to the heat as well. During most of the C25K program, I preferred running in the mornings. Running club means running in the evenings when it is quite a lot warmer and I've never been good with heat so perhaps I need to do some shorter runs to adapt to that.

I've just subscribed to Runners World to give myself a bit of a boost

Thank you !

[ChrisMcB Graduate]

Aw, it must have been really rubbish to see the others already started when you arrived. I bet you just exhausted yourself as you set off hard trying to catch up. I still occasionally have bad runs where I feel like I've gone back and can't manage 3k even! Please don't feel too disheartened, it was a bad run, put it past you. There are lots and lots of wonderful runs ahead, and a few more difficult ones too. Since you're a graduate, that shows you can do this! But even as graduates, we can still get wiped out by a big hill, or running too fast a pace, or just an off day. Hope you are feeling happy and healthy soon, enjoy Runner's World!

[mair99 Graduate]

Not to worry, we all gave a crisis of confidence occasionally! Get well then have another crack. 10k isn't that hard... You will get there for sure and look back on this incident as 'character building'. Don't forget that you have to have a crap run every so often to appreciate all the good ones!

[sfb350 Graduate]

To be honest, I've done the best part of 10k anyway, on a running club evening. Perhaps I just need to get back into a routine again.

I did wear myself out trying to catch up. I think if I'd set out on my own, from home, at my own pace I;d have done a lot more. I'd also have had a better idea of where I was so wouldn't have had to worry about not finding my way back once I'd had enough !

Thanks all