Struggling

[nannyp]

Hi guys help needed I missed a week a while ago just after doing 25 minutes and now can't seem to run for more than about 10 minutes I am still running week 8 and hopeing I can manage it, but not happening so should I go back to say week 5 run 2 and see if I can pick it up from there, is it in my head or as I am 65 do I lose my stamina quicker? Your advice would be appricated.

[katrunkles Graduate]

I keep going back - have missed a few weeks because of the weather, and went back to W5R2 - this morning I did the dreaded W5R3 (20mins) - and amazed myself! So I don't think there's any harm in going back - better that, than getting demoralised. And well done for getting so far!

[nannyp]

Thanks for that, will go back for next run, watch this space I so want to graduate. xx

[LMS2110 Graduate]

Oh dear nannyp. sorry to hear about your current 'flat spot'. I'm only a little bit younger than you and experienced something similar much earlier in the program. My 'nemesis' was around week 4, which I did time and time again but just couldn't get legs and lungs going properly. Eventually I managed to scrape through (a skin of my teeth job) as I think I did a fall flat on my face as I got through the front door...and from then on, decided to move onwards - no matter what! For me, spending too many times going over and over a weak stage seems to have been completely demoralising, far more than moving onwards and facing a new and different challenge. (on the basis of... a change is as good as a rest ... philosophy) So much of this is a mental attitude too!

It's perfectly possible that for these longer runs in weeks 7, 8 and 9 your body really does need longer than a day to heal from the pounding you are giving it. And, that's not because you are over 60 at all ... its just a plain fact of life and has clearly happened to many far younger than us.

We all arrive at this challenge with different bodies, states of health, states of fatness/thinness, and histories... what links us all together is a determination to do something about our fitness!

You have come so far, you should be inwardly jumping for joy. Take a longer break if necessary and when you next go out, decide in your mind that you will get through this temporary hiccup... put the last few outings behind you. Set off as slowly as you can (my running speed is slower than my walking speed at times) and set yourself little targets on the route you choose eg... make it to the postbox (and run round it), accelerate at the next corner for 100 yards, get to the large tree before those birds take off... stupid little things to spur yourself on - in essence, forget about the target time and enjoy yourself within a run by involving yourself with what's around you. You will surely find that before you know it, you have conquered the time required, know way more about the route you took and your spirit is happy to move onwards and upwards again. Lots and lots of luck. You CAN do this!! See you at graduation very soon!

Linda x

[sfb350 Graduate]

Going back a week or two won't do any harm and there's certainly no shame in feeling you need to do so. You may well find you only need to do one or two of the earlier runs to get back into the swing of it.

On the other hand, you may find that you simply need to start off more slowly. 25 minutes of running is a lot more than you could do only a few weeks ago and I remember that I had to slow down to be able to keep going on the longer runs. I know I found week 6 really hard work, after the excitement of completing W5R3. If you find that you've started more slowly than you really need to, you can always use the spare energy for a sprint finish later on

Best of luck

[greenlegs Graduate]

Lots of very sound advice - lots of it is in the mind, and distraction can really help, but it's also well worth checking that you're going slow enough for your legs to keep going, as it's harder to keep up a slightly higher pace for the longer runs (and when I say higher pace, I don't mean fast, even a tiny bit less slow can be enough to build up the strain in the legs).

You will get there.

[nannyp]

Many thanks for all your advice out again monday morning also looking at what iam eating to make sure that I am eating energy foods, so watch this space. Thanks again. xxx