W5R3

[vespa]

I know this is an obvious question, but what is the knack in completing this run? I couldn't finish this run last week and I just can't seem to get the pacing right. I seem to find it hard running really slow.

[caz1_ca Graduate]

If you are running too fast you will tire before you finish. I know it's not easy running slow especially in the beginning when you are full of energy but you just have to find the right pace and believe you can do it. I had difficulty in slowing down at first, but just slow it down a little bit and don;t think about how far you have to go, instead think about how far your have already come.

Good luck.

[greenlegs Graduate]

Maybe try to work out what is stopping you - mostly it tends to be in the mind, believing that it isn't possible. Break it down into chunks - when you feel you've got to stop, try doing a deal with yourself to do 2 more minutes (or 30 seconds!) and then you'll stop - often you can then persuade yourself to do another little bit. How far did you get? Did you run for longer than you'd done before?

If you think of it as two ten minute runs, instead of one 20 minute run, it is usually easier to persuade yourself through it. I found the second half much easier mentally than the first half, as then it was counting down to the end.

Try looking at the older blogs with the week 5 run 3 tags - lots of suggestions there. Don't give up, you will get there in the end!

[sidneyc]

I agree with all the above advice, especially about deciding to wait just one more minute before deciding whether to stop running.

However, avoiding setting off too fast can be difficult if, like me, you have very little idea of how fast or slow you are going. I tried listening to my body, and that feels like the best approach if you can do it, but my body sometimes thought I could go faster than I should have. So I used an iphone app to help; I expect you could do similar things with other GPS smartphones, garmins or similar.

The app told me how fast I was going, and told me to go slower if I was going faster than a target speed, or faster if I was going too slow. I generally ignored suggestions to go faster if they happened when I was going uphill.

Each time I did a run I'd consider whether I'd found it easy or difficult, and use that to decide on the target pace for the next outing. It was a bit fiddly, as I had to build each workouts in the relevant pattern of warmup/running/walking/cooldown.

Obviously this doesn't help if you are using a less gadget based approach to Couch to 5k. But it worked for me.

[toegloves Graduate]

I just did w5r3 yesterday, and what I did to entertain and distract myself, after I'd chosen a nice slow pace, was to count my breaths. I purposely overestimated how many breaths I thought it would take me, and then I counted them. I re-estimated when Laura told me I was halfway, but I again purposefully overestimated, so I kept myself thinking I had much farther to go than I really did and should just stay settled in for the "middle" of my run. When Laura said 2 more minutes, I just tried to stay focused on my "big" number, so I could be pleasantly surprised when she said I was done.

I *need* distraction to keep myself going. I'm not sure I could do it constantly thinking about how much longer I had to go. I'm going to try that zombies run app for distraction after I graduate.

I hope you find something that works for you. You can do it!

[greenlegs Graduate in reply to toegloves]

It's strange isn't it, how we can sort of persuade ourselves to believe something that we know isn't really true! It doesn't sound as though it would work, but it really does help! I do exactly this sort of thing, and even though I know what I'm doing, it's just enough to keep me going a little bit longer - and then another little bit longer.

[vespa Graduate]

I did it and in the snow!!!!! It was hard work though. Thanks everyone for your comments and advice.