Just finished week 3 run 2 but am wondering if I am the world's slowest runner! Doing the same route that I did in week 1 and 2 but the lovely Laura tells me I have finished with about an extra 5 minute walk to go. Did anyone else find they they travelled less far in week 3?
Week 3 - Snail's Pace!: Just finished week 3 run... - Couch to 5K
Week 3 - Snail's Pace!
I am in Week 5 now, and I have to say I initially felt disappointed in myself as each week I went slower and slower... I run on a treadmill so I know how fast I am going.. I significantly slowed up until week 4. This is the only time that I have kept the same pace. I just have learned to accept it and as Laura would keep saying it's a light jog... I realize it must be normal At this point it is about increasing the length of the runs and once you complete Week 9, I believe it's about improving your time and endurance.
For the first few weeks you don't cover any more distance because there's quite a lot of walking, but you will begin to do more as the weeks go by. Try to make sure you are keeping up a good walking pace because that's a great help with running. It's easier to judge if you're using a treadmill and it's also a good idea to keep up a good walking pace when you're walking around on the other days- fetching the kids, doing the shopping, exercising the dogs etc. Aim for shorter, faster steps and impove your stamina on "rest" days too!
Have you ever tried snail racing? (One of the National Trust's 50 Things to Do Before You Are 11 and Three Quarters... I did it before I was 50) Some of those snails go really fast!
No, you aren't the slowest runner around (I may unofficially have that dubious honor). I found that I hardly went any farther on the runs until middle weeks, when the time spent running became substantially longer. Don't worry about it though, it's totally normal. Because I am a big nerd, I actually figured out how long I was running in each podcast and it is 8 or 9 minutes until week 4 or 5. So don't expect your total pace to speed up much then. Slowing down is even common, because you have to sustain your running pace for longer periods. Later in the program, you will see your mileage increase a lot more.
I too must also be a nerd. Spent week 3 run 3 working out that if I can count to 210 running for 3 mins then I will need to count to 350 to manage 5 mins! Passed the time!!
good question, I did W3R1 this morning and noticed the same thing..and thought it was just me...good to know I'm not alone, I'm having difficulty imagining being able to run for more than a few mins at a time at the mo..but I'm trying not to think about it and place my trust in the lovely Laura
Don't worry about it. We've all been there. Trust in Laura. At this stage its about keeping going and not speed. Once you can regularly run for longer periods you can start thinking about speeding up. Also as someone who pushed myself early on and got injuries at week 7 I recommend snail pace which is what I kept to after injury and graduated injury free last week.