Joining in at Week 5

[ewoollard]

So this is my first blog post. I've really enjoyed reading everyones blogs but didnt think id end up sharing but i've got to the point in the programme where i need a little encourgament/ community spirit. A little bit about me: I am 25, female, living in Brighton and i am on a bit of a self improvement mission. This is not just exercise/weigth related but for everything. When i started working after university that became my life and it made for a rather good little rutt. I wanted to get back to being enthusiastic and bouncy by getting involved in different things and feeling like there was more to my life than being an office monkey and so i have. I joined a diving club, i sorted some volunteering and i started eating better so logically getting some exercise was the next step. The problem is I HATE RUNNING. I hate running/ sweating/ people seeing me run or sweat...but a friend recommended Laura and i was feeling daring so here i am.

So far it has all been going well. The programme really is great and i cant believe how far ive already come. At the beginning of the week i think "really, am i going to be able to do this?" and of course Laura knows best because i can and i do.

Yesterday was a little trickier though. Week 5, run 2 and it is the first run i didn't finish. I did the first 8 minutes and was actually amazed when she said it was time to walk already but the second run i only made it to 6 and a half minutes and walked home feeling rather down in the dumps. Has anyone else struggled on this run? "My toe hurt", is so far the only excuse i can come up with and for that i blame my akwadly shaped feet but i think it is more to do with my fitness level.

So tomorrow i will re do the run and hope i make it to the finish mark this time. Has anyone else found this point hard? Id love to hear from you.

Good luck to everyone

[notbad Graduate]

From reading these blogs I think lots of us struggle around this point, I certainly feared Wk5 R3. In my case I feel a lot of it's psychological because I always seem to manage the longer runs better than the interval ones, like I know I've got to run a long time so I go into a mind set & adjust, whereas with the interval ones I'm always waiting for Laura to tell me to stop.

So far the thing that works for me when I've had a tough run is to take the next one slow & steady. Only other advice I can think of is if your toe is hurting to make sure your trainers fit okay & that you are wearing decent thick sports socks.

Best of luck.

[Soozz Graduate]

Hello, well done on getting through to week 5! I have just done week 5 and couldn't have done it without the online community - I worry about failure every run but honestly, people here are so supportive and encouraging and generally if you have a worry or difficulty someone has experienced the same thing and can help. And we all cheer each other on!

I treated myself to some running shoes a week ago and they were a really good investment, so if your trainers aren't comfortable maybe you could bribe yourself on with a new pair.

Good luck with the programme and keep in touch.

[pingle Graduate]

One bad run does not a failure make! We all have good days and bad days and very few people get through the whole programme without repeating a run (or even a whole week!). Lots of things happen that can lead to a bad run - you've been out the night before, it's hotter than usual, maybe you start off too quickly and run out of steam or you're coming down with something. You've done fantastically well to get to week 5 so give yourself a pat on the back and get out there and do R2W5 again and don't forget to let us know how you get on !

[ewoollard]

Thanks guys, this is all really encouraging and i really appreciate the support. I think you are right, tomorrow's run i'll take it slow and see how tomorrow goes. I think it is daunting that the run after this is the 20 minute one so it makes a little blip feel massive. Roll on next run!