Week 3 of Week 5 in C25k! Gah!

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dragonfarie
dragonfarie Posts: 84 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Ok. So I am doing the Couch to 5k program on coolrunning.com . So far I have done each week successfully. Up until week 5.

Next week will be my 3rd week doing the 5th week in the program. I can do day one (5 min jogging / 3 min walking intervals) and day two (8 min jog/ 5min walk intervals) with no problems. I actually feel at the end I could do more. Its the last day. The dreaded 20 min jog with no walking that is killing me. I get to about 14 or 15 minuets and die. My energy is sapped. I try walking for a minuet to catch my breath and then can only jog for about a minuet or so before I have to stop again. So I end up walking all the way back home.

I don't want to move on in the program until I can do the last day. I know week 6 is going to be tougher. But I just feel defeated.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to jog longer? Today I tried jogging slower and I still had the same results.

Replies

  • sarahp80
    sarahp80 Posts: 2
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    I've suggested this one for someone else so hopefully it will work for you too. The only way that I'm able to get in a 20-30 min jog is if I do a few days of interval running. Meaning. I do a 5 min walking warm up. Then I do 2-3 mins of fast running (about 7.5 on the treadmill). Then I walk till I catch my breath and do it again. I do that circuit for 20-30 mins. I always find that after a few days of running intervals that 20-30 min job seems like nothing. give it a try and see if it works for you.
  • hroush
    hroush Posts: 2,073 Member
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    As I see it, you have several options You can either keep at it and you will extend your jogging time a little bit or you can slow down a little bit and you'll be able to go farther now, but the second one is kind of cheating. Or you can do a hybrid of both.

    What I found helps me is I start out walking for 5 minutes, slow jog the first couple blocks (.2 mile ish), then start to speed up. I found that if I start out at what I feel is my "normal" pace, I burn out by the 1 mile mark. That little slow jog in the beginning really helps me get warmed up and then I can to go more than 2 miles (last did 2.3).
  • Aid_B
    Aid_B Posts: 427
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    It's a 9 week program, that doesn't mean you have to complete it in 9 weeks. I had probelms on week 4 and i'm now half way through Week 8.

    Slowing down helps, also you have to be mentally prepared for it, if you think you will fail chances are you will. Being in the right frame of mind helps.

    A few jelly beans before you run also give a little boost but overall keep at it, you'll get there

    One more thing try changing your running times, halfway through i find i run bettter in the morning on aan empty stomache rather than the evening, just a thought

    good luck
  • jtapp9
    jtapp9 Posts: 59 Member
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    I know A LOT of people that have done this program and have had to do week 5 MANY times. Two years ago I let week 5 defeat me and I have never completed the C25K. I don't consider myself a failure. I just choose to do my running a bit differently :). I always do interval runs now and that works for me. If I never run for 20 minutes straight then I am ok with that because I am still running and getting from point A to point B!

    My suggestion as far as accomplishing the 20 minute run is to maybe try to run it a little bit slower. Even set yourself a plan and build up to it a bit more. I dont' remember the weekly plans specifically but modify it a little. Do 9 minutes runs instead of 8 minute. Then do 10 minute runs. I do know that I can go a lot farther though, if I slow down a bit :) . That would honestly be the first thing I tried...slow down a bit when going for 20 minutes.

    Just don't give up on running altogether if you don't ever feel like you can run 20 minutes straight! It does not make you less of a runner! Just find another plan that works for YOU!!!

    Happy running :)
  • dragonfarie
    dragonfarie Posts: 84 Member
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    Thanks for the suggestions. :) I will try some of these techniques for sure.
  • 00trayn
    00trayn Posts: 1,849 Member
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    For me, it's just taken time and persistence. I've realized that the biggest contributor to being able to run longer is my heart rate and breathing. If I really can focus on my breathing and keep my heart rate down for the beginning of the run (like the first 5-10 minutes) before it shoot up above 170, I can go longer before I have to stop. My current record is running 1.75 miles in about 22 miles (4.7 mph on the treadmill) and for the first 10 minutes my heart rate was pretty low. Once I didn't focus on my breathing, it shot up to near 180. It is much harder to sustain running when my heart rate gets up that high.

    So my suggestion is to really focus on breathing. Get in a rhythm of 3 steps breathe in, 3 steps breathe out. Try to keep your heartrate down and you should be able to go further.

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