Hello, Those of you who have read my blogs before will know that just recently i have been struggling with this programme and my motivation. I think the wonderful glow of wonder and amazement that i felt in the first few weeks wore off at week 4 when for me things started getting really tough, but i persevered and repeated a couple of week 4 runs, i actually had a massive paddy on my step son and daughter who wanted to run with me on one of the week 4 runs but spent the whole run about 10 steps ahead of me, i felt totally disheartened and told them im not running with them again, they couldnt see the problem ' we didnt leave you' was their response!
So, onto week 5...
To be honest week 5 run 1 was ok, no worse that week 4 anyhow, but run 2 was just a nightmare, however, there are some mitigating factors, or as i like to call them lessons learned.....
my lesson number one is to actually download the podcast preoperly on my phone ( i thought i had but i lost signal after about 4 minutes of running and it just stopped) this meant i stopped running to take my phone out of its arm strap and sort out, by the time i did this it started again, but now i had to run carrying phone and arm strap in my hands (in case i lost signal again so i could time my run/ walk)
lesson number 2, dont try a new run on a route i havent checked out previously, parts of the route were really over grown and there were massive really deep pudlles so i was stop/ starting all the time trying to negotiate lost of obstacles. Also the run was shorter than i thought which meant that i passed my house which should have been the end point whilst still running, i carried on, but then after a couple of minutes laura told me i had 4 minutes left. At this point i gave up, turned around and walked home...
I figured i wasnt enjoying it, i had already decided to repeat the run on one of my tried and tested routes so decided to cut my losses and go home and have a nice relaxing bath....
I'll be back either tonorrow or Friday, properly prepared and raring to go..... although at this stage having serious doubts about whether i can do this (and i feel like a judas saying this but also whether i want to, i mean, do i really need to run for 30 minutes without stopping? whats wrong with running/ walking?)
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nicolaclaire
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I can really identify with so much of your blog. At several points in the middle of the programme I kept thinking, why do I need to bother to run 30 mins, just what I'm doing is 1000% better than what I was doing before and I'm quite proud of what I've achieved with the run/walk scenario. But I can only say that having put one foot in front of the other enough times to now be able to easily (sort of easily!) run 30 mins - IT HAS BEEN WORTH EVERY SECOND!
One thing you aren't right to doubt though: you can do this. If you want to - I hope you do for your sake cos it feels so great to have completed it and I am pretty sure that you would also feel it had been worth it... good luck, and if it helps, when I was feeling up against it on a run I would think of Oldgirl and Legion and doggymum etc etc all doing the same thing and cheering me on, that really helped me.
really hope i can get there.... thanks for the reply, I always come on here for inspiration! I know that i will feel brilliant if (when?) I graduate it just seems a bit impossible at the moment but it helps to know everyone has felt the same and that there are people out there graduating who were as unfit as i was when they started this journey x
You are doing brilliantly - think about why you started in the 1st place... was it because you felt you had to or because you wanted to do something for you? I'm guessing it was the latter.. Don't worry, your mojo will return!! Turn it round, you ran for 8 minutes right, twice? Thats eight times longer than your 1st ever run... twice!! How awesome is that?
I went through this and kept Greg_M's mantra in my head 'I am a Kenyan on the inside' it made me smile and think that I really wanted to keep going as I am so far removed from being a Kenyan it's untrue Think very pasty overweight nearly 40 year old woman.... yeah, thats me!!
Hopefully you will find a mantra that you can motivate you to just do step after step, no matter how small or slow you think they might be. Mo Farrah and Paula Radcliffe had to start somewhere, I figure I'm a late starter! But hey, we started, thats the 1st hurdle smashed, just keeping it up is the next one to aim for.
Keep on keeping on nicolaclaire, you will get there, honest.
Hi nicolaclaire. I've been wondering how you're getting on. Sounds like W5,R2 was a real challenge, but every run comes with lessons learned and a bit more fitness gained. Try to remember the positive points and think about how far you have already come. Wouldn't it be a wonderful, personal achievement to be able to run for 30 minutes? Until I completed W5,R3 I still didn't think it would be possible for someone like me. I know you can do it too. Get W5,R2 out of the way (and take advantage of some personal time just for you ) and when you are ready, go for W5,R3. You will surprise yourself (your body will be ready, you just have to persuade your brain!) and it is such an amazing achievement to run for TWENTY TIMES longer than on your first run.
Dont be too hard on yourself, any running is better than no running! My big sis always says that you learn more from "bad" runs than good, and any run is better than sitting on the sofa stuffing Pringles!
But you know in your heart of hearts that you can do this - let's face it, if a shortar$e "mature" obese confirmed non runner like me can do it, then so can you lol!
The main thing is to enjoy it - and, ok, it is a perverse sort of enjoyment at times, but the pride and sense of achievement you get when you progress through to week 9 and beyond is priceless!
On the the other hand, this is just one of many many programmes to improve fitness. There is a bloke called Jeff Galloway (google him) who swears that run/walk is the way to go to improve fitness whilst minimising injury.
I reckon that whether we stick to this plan or not, if you do make time to go out and run/walk 3 times a week building up pace/distance, then you will obviously be getting healthier so good luck whatever you do
You've almost cracked it, you know. You're so close to the biggest boost you'll ever get by completing W5R3. Once you've done that one your mindset will change. You'll no longer doubt yourself or the programme because you'll have run for 20 minutes when you absolutely believed you could never do that a few weeks ago. And once you've done 20, there's nothing to be scared of any more. You'll feel great and your mojo will return. Just give it another little go and you'll feel so much better in yourself.
Oh and the why? I ran out of milk the other day and instead of jumping in the car, I put my trainers on and jogged up the shop. I didn't give it a thought. Just did it. Giggled all the way home. Felt great!
I love this idea - jogging to the shop! It's downhill on the way there and uphill coming back, about 15 mins each way, so I tend to only walk there if I really must go and get something that I can't get from the nearer, over-priced corner store. Maybe next time I'll try running there, then the uphill walk home will seem a doddle.
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Think very pasty overweight nearly 40 year old woman.... yeah, thats me!!
) and when you are ready, go for W5,R3. You will surprise yourself (your body will be ready, you just have to persuade your brain!) and it is such an amazing achievement to run for TWENTY TIMES longer than on your first run. 
Week 5 Run 2 - followup
Whoopadeedoo! Week 5 Run 2! 
Getting Serious - Week 5 Run 2
Week 5 run 2! Ouch that hurt!
Week 5 run 3 done and dusted I feel awesome!
