help!

[ju-ju-]

I have just done week 6, run 2 and it was so HARD...I am dreading run 3 but excited too....I find the first 3 minutes the hardest, any tips for longevity and pacing? I am a novice novice....never run in my life.ever.

[mason73 Graduate]

Hey your no novice as youve already ran 20 mins i have just done this run and it was the hardest to date! !! I slowed my pace slightly and changed my route slightly so i had more to think about and hey presto suddenly i was hearing laura say 5 minutes left and then i just couldnt stop! Good luck dig deep and its mind over matter and im sure your be fine

Good luck x x

[Hidden]

Hi Juicyju. Well done for getting this far. I've just completed W8 and I think once it got to the longer runs, it was as much about the mental challenge as the physical one.

I still find the first few minutes the hardest, but have found that starting off slowly helps. I think I also seem to struggle to control my breathing when I first start off - maybe because I'm too conscious that I'm supposed to control it and I try too hard to consciously regulate it. Once I relax I find I get my second wind and it becomes easier.

Haven't got any more useful tips I'm afraid as I haven't enough experience. It does seem to get easier though, so keep at it!

[caz1_ca Graduate]

Go as slow as you need too and don't think about it too much. Start off slow though you don't want to wear yourself out. Just dig deep and keep putting one foot infront of the other. Think about what you are going to do when you get home. Before you know it it will be over.

Good luck.

[ju-ju- Graduate]

All really helpful, thankyou so much . Good to know others feel the same, its just been me and Laura so far! She's great but its good to have some extra help!

[Landesman Graduate]

I found Week 6 hard too. After the high of the 20 minute run of week 5 run 3 I got overconfident I think, went too fast and blew out on the shorter runs of week 6. So I repeated them (being a glutton for punishment) and then run 3 was one of my comfortable runs of the programme. I started off more slowly than previously and then just got into a rhythm.

[ju-ju- Graduate in reply to Landesman]

Thats so good to hear, I have found it SO HARD so far and i managed the week 5 run 3 OK, but I think that was due to psyching myself up and swearing for the last 3 minutes!

[greenlegs Graduate in reply to ju-ju-]

Try slow for the first half, so you've got something left for the second half.

Poor old Laura - the swearing she has to listen to! I don't swear much, but I have sworn at Laura - "How are you feeling?" she asked - I can remember exactly where I was, and how I felt, and it wasn't pretty!

[ju-ju- Graduate in reply to greenlegs]

Thanks Greenlegs, great advice and I'll try and tame my language for laura tomorrow!!

[Hidden]

Ive made a rule that if i fail a run,i will start the whole week all over again,and as i really dont want to do that,i stick to it! remember the mental goes quicker than the legs! my shins normally hurt after 5 mns run for another 10 mns but then after its ok,plus remember the feeling you get when you finish,dunno about you but i always feel like punching the air! motivation and determination is the key,talk around you to your friends,family,even if you bore them to death ,chase the encouragements"!

Its a mental thing!

go for it!

[ju-ju- Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Thankyou YES I agree, I have ordered an orange sweatband ( 80's retro Fame thing, showing my age now) so I can punch the air and feel the part after completion!!!

[rockchick69 Graduate]

I'm now on W7R2 and the hardest for me so far was W7R1, but I think it was mentally rather than physically hard. I kept thinking this is the first of 3 long runs OMG!! Once I kicked that out of my head it went a bit easier. BUT I did start off too fast. Just remember everything you have learnt, don't be tempted to go too fast(like me!) and listen to your body. I always find the first 5 minutes difficult, but it does get easier. Enjoy the rest of the programme you're nearly at the green badge

[ju-ju- Graduate in reply to rockchick69]

Thanks rockchick69. I am going to take your advice tomorrow and start really slowly. I've worked out where i will get to so I am going to focus on getting there, and then say to myself I just have to run home to get my prize ( wine!!). Hope I have the energy as I now have 2 days off work with the kids....eeek!

[julieg21]

Everyone of previous posts is good advice. Week 6 has been the hardest for me so far, I failed on the 2nd half of run 2 so will be running that again on Sunday before I attempt run 3. All the best and keep that positivity running!

[Lynds Graduate]

I agree, week 6 was a bugger and since I've graduated no run has ever been as hard as that week. It is the give up gremlims that get me. Yes my legs ache and its hard to get breathing right but the mental 'chat' is/was the hardest to overcome and ignore. Keep going and be assured we all went through it - and most of us came out the other side smiling like little gizmos.

[Tessietwo Graduate]

I've got to week 6 twice and got stuck! A lot of this is mental attitude, really believing you can do it. Just getting out there and running is good - keep at it. I find the first five minutes the hardest and then it is really down to how mentally strong I am. Some days I give up, some days I keep on, but at least we aren't sitting on the couch.