Ragnar in April, Disney 1/2 in September...

Bukawww

I weigh 224lbs, 5'5". I am on Week 3, Day 3 of C25K - as mentioned in previous threads, I did not think I could run for 3 min straight, twice, but I did. In fact, I added an extra minute of running to the back end of the 2nd 3 min run. Looking ahead to 20m+ straight runs seems impossible, but with every 'impossible' that I conquer, I start to believe that 'maybe' I can.

My Ragnar legs are 4.3m, 4.1m, and 2.9m. I will end my C25K program the day of my first 2 legs lol. I really want to run all 11ish miles.

I WANT to be a runner in the full sense of the word...I want to go on one hour runs, 2 hour runs, etc. Does it ever become 'comfortable' to run that much? There is still a certain bit of misery in only 3 min runs for me...I am very happy when the lady tells me its time to walk lol. What do you guys 'think about' or pay attention to, etc to keep your mind off of the burning legs and lungs? Or don't they burn anymore?

MeanderingMammal

I find that it takes me about 10 to 15 minutes to settle into my run, and if I'm doing a tempo or sprint interval session I'll spend that length of time warming up anyway. After that I just run comfortably for the session. That might be a recovery pace run for an hour or so, or a long run for 2 to 3 hours.

Tempo and interval sessions are a bit different. A tempo is hard work, but sustainable. It's uncomfortable. Sprint intervals are painful.

As far as focus, it depends. Sometimes I run without any audio, particularly if I''m on trails as there is plenty to see. Sometimes it's music, sometimes ebooks or podcasts. I just let my mind clear.

For me, runnng is therapeutic. If it's been a long day at work, difficult negotiations or complex technical stuff it gives me space to be on my own, recharge the batteries or process things without thinking about them.

I focus on the breathing, the beat of my legs, my form.

Bukawww

Thank you for sharing. I do have moments where I completely understand the therapeutic parts...and then I have the moments where I don't get it at all lol. I WANT to, though...and I will keep running until I get there or have given enough time to convince me that running might just not be for me.

Also, can someone point me to a link, etc or share what they eat the week before a half marathon/Ragnar type run? And how much do you run that week also?