Week 6 Run 2 complete! (Oh, my goodness -- we really done with walking now?)

[IronMatt]

As the title says, I finished Week 6 Run 2 today. Started off feeling challenged during the first run, but the second run felt great! I probably ran too slowly -- going to have to spend some time working on speed after I graduate (hello 5K+ podcasts) -- but I kicked it up a notch near the end, when I knew that there were less than five minutes left. Now that there is only running left -- no more walks -- I plan to map an upcoming run and work out what my actual speed is.

Speaking of "no more walks".... wow! That's it? Really?? All running from here on in? Seems hard to believe; just one month ago today, I did Week 1 Run 2, and going for one minute at a time was a challenge. That's quite a bit of progress in the span of a single month -- I am rather impressed with this programme.

I am a little nervous about stepping things up a notch on Friday, with the twenty-five minute continuous run of Week 6 Run 3. Still, I just remind myself that I made it through Week 5 Run 3, so I can do this, too.

[subhyst]

OOOHHHH get you and no more walks type of graduate-ish - seriously well done.

[IronMatt Graduate in reply to subhyst]

I agree -- it really does feel like a sort of "mini-graduation"!

Now only ten more runs left until the real graduation!

I think I am beginning to understand the purpose of Run 5.3 now. From here on in, I have constant runs ahead of me -- no walking breaks -- starting from 25 minutes and up. Without Run 5.3, the jump from Run 6.2 (two 10 minute walks) to Run 6.3 (one 25 minute walk) would seem immense! That's adding fifteen minutes to the continuous run time!

Having done something close to it last week, though, it doesn't seem nearly as bad as it would have done otherwise. In the build-up to Run 5.3, that definitely felt like a daunting challenge. However, it was not _as_ daunting as the 6.2 to 6.3 leap... and, having already run for 20 minutes straight, I can have faith that 25 will also be possible.

Does that make sense?

[gdeann Graduate]

Of course no more walks...you are a runner!!!!! The 25 minute run will be a piece of cake after doing the 20 minute run! It is amazing to actually stop and look at our progress and how quickly it has happened. I am now running 28 minutes when 8 weeks ago I could not run a full 1 minute on a few of my runs! Week 6 can be a rough one for some people but it sounds like it is going well for you. GREAT JOB!

[IronMatt Graduate in reply to gdeann]

*grin* Almost! It's the next podcast, Week 6 Run 3, where Laura will pronounce me to be "officially" a runner, isn't it? That's coming up on Friday -- I can't wait!

Week 6 has not been too rough for me... but only because I have been reading the experiences of others on this site. I wouldn't have expected eight and five minute runs to be difficult after going for twenty minutes, so I would have probably pushed too hard, gone too fast, and tired myself out quickly. Thanks to the advice I've been given here, I was forewarned and paced myself accordingly. So all you folks who did this before me really deserve the credit for a relatively "easy" Week 6 so far.

I'm hoping that you are right about the 25 minute walk on Friday. And you're quite right about the amazing progress that we are making! When I started, one minute runs left me thinking "Please let this minute be over before I die!" Now I'm ready for twenty-five minutes... and beyond!

Thanks a lot... and GREAT JOB to you, too! I hope that Week 8 and 9 go smoothly for you, and I will look forward to seeing that "GRADUATE" banner above your name soon!

[gdeann Graduate]

From the moment we start this program, I consider all of us runners!! Matt, I still say: let the time be up before I die! I pray before, during and after!!! Hopefully as we build stamina running will become more of an enjoyment. I believe week 6 is a bit of a reality check for some of us. How could we ever go from running 20 full minutes to the easy peasy of the first two runs of week 6? Yeah, right! They were tough ones for me, but because of great advice here, I slowed my pace. Thank you for the well wishes! I honestly can not comprehend I am in week 8! I still have a long ways to go but I am so happy I started this program and stayed with it.