does it get any easier.. :~

[Tetra1]

i am on w3r3 which i am doing in the morning, my legs are still feeling really heavy (like cement in my shoes) ..i am considering staying on this week as i cant face trying week 4 yet. plus i cant download any more podcast.

[Hidden]

Hi Tetra,

I can't speak for everyone but I have finished the 9 week plan, can run for over 5k, and STILL feel like I have cement in my shoes when I run in the mornings! When I run at night however, I feel great! Have you experimented with different times of day, what you eat and drink beforehand etc?

If you've completed week 3 (even if you have found it tough going) you are ready for week 4, I promise! But repeat week 3 if you really feel you need to. Good luck with c25k, it is great

[arablue]

Repeating a week is no bad thing. We all progress at different speeds, and we all have other things happening in our lives too which affect how we get on with a run on any particular day. For example, I always find it tougher when I'm pre-menstrual (sorry if thats tmi lol).

I started this on 12th August, and I'm only just on week 8. It took me a while to get the hang of week 7, but I got there in the end and so will you. Sometimes Laura is right and we are more ready than we think, but other times it is better to repeat a week and gain that extra fitness and confidence.

Stick with it. It really does get easier. Already you can run for more than just that 1 minute you started with!

[pinkus Graduate]

Hi Tetra....Please dont give up...believe it or not it does get easier...I have just completed Week 5 this morning where I ran for 20minutes...I was very apprehensive about the lead up to this but I just paced myself and kept focused and I did it....my breathing has settled down nicely too where previously I was all over the place, couldnt get enough breath....so hang in there please....you can do this xxx

[vixiej Graduate]

Like you, I found the earlier weeks very difficult. For me, weeks 2 and 3 were probably the toughest - getting started in the morning, running for a few minutes at a time, I found it really hard. Breathing was difficult, legs felt like they wouldn't move. BUT, it can and does get better. There is no magic wand, it does take effort and willpower from you. But Laura is there during your run to help you and we are here to help you around your runs. You can do it

[Beads Graduate]

Week 3 you're still on 3 minute runs, on week 4 you'll be up to 5 minute runs. I find the first 3 or 4 minutes to be the hardest, it's where I'm still settling into the pace. Despite now being able to run for 30+ minutes that first 3 or 4 minutes is still hell and if I hadn't identified this I'd be giving up at that point because it's so hard. So, yes, if you really really feel that you have to repeat W3 then do so, but maybe try W4R1 first and then go back to W3 if you can't make it, you may be pleasantly surprised.

[Farmelle Graduate]

I concur with Beads. I graduated in August and now I'm trying to push towards 10k now (did an 8.8k last weekend), but the first 5 minutes are still the hardest, even now. At about 3 mins I'm there thinking "How on earth am I going to manage to do this for another 27 (37, 47 or 57) minutes" but you do. The breathing soon becomes easier and the pains go away. By the time you get to 10-15 mins in, everything is going fine, the runner's high has started and all is right with the world.

The moral of this story is "Keep at it!" Try week 4 and see how you do. You may well supprise yourself!

[Farmelle Graduate]

Hmm, now it would seem that I hate a penchant for the word now!