My silly mistake
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coldize
Posts: 4 Member
So I used to be a great runner. I could do sub-20 min 5ks like it was nothing.
6 years later and after 4 or 5 short-lived attempts to get back in shape, I finally decided I need to stop thinking of myself as "experienced" and just go all the way back to being a beginner.
I had heard of c25k but didn't believe I met the "couch" criteria despite the fact that I was as sedentary as they come.
So I finally started it up and approached it the same way I did when I first started running: I didn't worry about calories burned or my pace, I just made sure I was sweating and huffing and puffing.
But this is where I made my mistake. I also thoroughly believed that I could do BETTER than when I started running before. I gave myself a challenge. When I began c25k I was on a treadmill walking at 3mph and running at 6. My challenge was to go up by .1 every new day (and after hitting 3.5 walking, I would up the incline by .5 instead)
When I was really fit I could run 9mph for 30mins with moderate effort. I did the math and found that I would be attempting to run at 8.7mph on the final day for 30 mins. I convinced myself I could do it.
The first 3 weeks actually went as planned and then I hit Week 4 day 1. I was not prepared for the jump from 3 to 5 minute runs and I was attempting it at 6.9mph. I got through the first 3 minute run, did my 90s walk, and began my 5. I pushed harder than I had ever pushed before but couldn't even finish the last minute. I stopped the treadmill, slid off the back, and shakily sat down, dizzy and in pain.
It's so easy for me to be overzealous because I'm anxious to reach the physical level I was once at. It takes some serious reflecting to remember that back in the days I started running, it probably took me 6 months of running at 5.5mph for 15 mins until I even thought to try 6.0. I was totally content with 5.5. I wasn't pressuring myself to go faster, I was just pressuring myself to go. I have to get back there. I still believe I can do better than .5mph in 6 months. But I'm going to take it slower.
I just finished week 4 today and managed the rest of my remaining runs at 6.5mph. Definitely hard, but it was doable, and I feel good.
If you liked my story, feel free to add me as a friend. I just joined this group because I talk about c25k all the time now.
6 years later and after 4 or 5 short-lived attempts to get back in shape, I finally decided I need to stop thinking of myself as "experienced" and just go all the way back to being a beginner.
I had heard of c25k but didn't believe I met the "couch" criteria despite the fact that I was as sedentary as they come.
So I finally started it up and approached it the same way I did when I first started running: I didn't worry about calories burned or my pace, I just made sure I was sweating and huffing and puffing.
But this is where I made my mistake. I also thoroughly believed that I could do BETTER than when I started running before. I gave myself a challenge. When I began c25k I was on a treadmill walking at 3mph and running at 6. My challenge was to go up by .1 every new day (and after hitting 3.5 walking, I would up the incline by .5 instead)
When I was really fit I could run 9mph for 30mins with moderate effort. I did the math and found that I would be attempting to run at 8.7mph on the final day for 30 mins. I convinced myself I could do it.
The first 3 weeks actually went as planned and then I hit Week 4 day 1. I was not prepared for the jump from 3 to 5 minute runs and I was attempting it at 6.9mph. I got through the first 3 minute run, did my 90s walk, and began my 5. I pushed harder than I had ever pushed before but couldn't even finish the last minute. I stopped the treadmill, slid off the back, and shakily sat down, dizzy and in pain.
It's so easy for me to be overzealous because I'm anxious to reach the physical level I was once at. It takes some serious reflecting to remember that back in the days I started running, it probably took me 6 months of running at 5.5mph for 15 mins until I even thought to try 6.0. I was totally content with 5.5. I wasn't pressuring myself to go faster, I was just pressuring myself to go. I have to get back there. I still believe I can do better than .5mph in 6 months. But I'm going to take it slower.
I just finished week 4 today and managed the rest of my remaining runs at 6.5mph. Definitely hard, but it was doable, and I feel good.
If you liked my story, feel free to add me as a friend. I just joined this group because I talk about c25k all the time now.
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Replies
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Stay at it, you'll get back to where you were before, and then some if you want. Sounds like you know this now, but it will take time. I'm only in week two now, so I'm no authority, but it seems like a pretty solid program. This group has some pretty solid advice in it - one piece that really sticks out is don't worry about speed. Complete the program based on how long you run, not how fast. Once you do that, work on speed if you want
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Dude, throw the ego and past achievements out the window and put some tape over the speed display. Run at COMFORTABLE not hard. You're heading for injury town, and it's not a fun place to stop.2
