Taking liberties with the programme otherwise ... - Couch to 5K

Couch to 5K

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Taking liberties with the programme otherwise known as doing what suits you best!

mcc65 profile image
mcc65Graduate
4 Replies

I graduated just under two weeks ago and from reading other posts on here am probably amongst the slowest runners as I was only running at 3mph which by my calculations is just under half the speed I need to achieve to reach 5k in 30 minutes. But I don't care - it is still a minor miracle to me that I ever got as far as running for 30 minutes :-)

So my new goal became to work my way up to the magical 5k but have been wondering how to do it.

I took the advice of some of the lovely people on here and tried the stepping stones podcast - well I'm guessing that is probably aimed at much more proficient runners than me. Once I eventually managed to match the pace of the podcast I knew that it was going to be way too much. I managed to make it to about 2 minutes before I had to give up.

I stopped and started my way through the whole podcast and turned my brain to how I was going to make any progress - and then it struck me! I felt the same as I did early in the programme, I knew I could make it for a couple of minutes so why not turn the clock back to an earlier stage of the programme and start to build up again but this time at a faster pace?

So on tonights trip to the gym I dug out the W3 podcast again but this time ran it at 4mph instead - it is still a long way off where I need to be, but with a bit of panting and gasping I made it to the end of the podcast and felt the same sense of elation that I have every time I have achieved something new.

So what's the point of my rambling? Probably just to share my experiences, but also to say that if you are struggling with the programme in some way then maybe it is okay to find a way to make the programme work to your abilities :-)

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mcc65 profile image
mcc65
Graduate
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4 Replies
rolphie2 profile image
rolphie2Graduate

What an excellent idea. Well done I am sure you will be running 5k before you know it

Deryn61 profile image
Deryn61Graduate

That sounds like a brilliant plan and it seems to me you are doing just brilliantly, it really doesnt matter how fast or slow others go, you challenge yourself and you are achieving wonders!

smhall profile image
smhallGraduate

I think that you have found a simply brilliant way to improve your speed, mcc!!! You continue to push yourself and to improve!! The speed and distance will come with time as you continue on!! Well done!!

Keep Running!! :-)

mcc65 profile image
mcc65Graduate

Thanks guys, I wasn't sure if I was doing the right thing or not, this is such a great programme and you know what they say - if it ain't broke, don't fix it but this just feels like the right way for me. I've tried so many different exercise plans in the past that I've got bored of after a couple of weeks, but I've found my inner runner and don't want to get demoralised by trying to push too far too fast :-)

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