W5D1 began an epic struggle. . .
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sdionnemoore
Posts: 45 Member
I don't know what is wrong with me. I was going along quite nicely until I hit W5D1. I stayed on W5D2 for about a weeks worth of workouts before finally trying W5D3. I had to stop twice--about a minute each. I was so disappointed. I've moved on, but every day is a struggle now and I'm finding myself needing to stop during even the shorter intervals of running. Yesterday, W6D2, I did a new route, not realizing there was a very steep hill near the beginning. I power walked most of that interval and mentally told myself it was okay because of that hill. Tomorrow I do W6D3 and I'm dreading it. Am I just being way too hard on myself?
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First, don't get discouraged and above all else, do not give up! It sounds to me like you did really well on W5 D3, but I'm wondering if you should have repeated it until you could do it successfully. I did W5 D1 today and it went a lot better than I thought, I was able to complete it without stopping. However, I can't see me running a straight 20 minutes in the next 4 days. If I can't do it I'm going to keep trying until I do it. I have heard others say after W5 D3 it is hard to go back to intervals, so that may be part of your problem. I'm sure you will get some great advice from the others on here. I will be interested to see what they have to say since I'm about as far along as you.0
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W5D3 is a milestone run but one way of looking at it is you're already running 20mins, but having little tiny breathing breaks along the way.
The first time I tried it, while I managed to finish, it was hard - a real chore to get through - and I was disappointed that I didn't get the sense of elation others had mentioned. So I did it again rather than move on and that time I nailed it!
Even now, doing 25min runs, if I feel tired or that I need to walk, rather than walking, I slow it right down but keep the running movement until I feel I can pick up the pace again - anything just to keep moving until the end of the interval!
W6 was tricky after that, I didn't feel like I was getting into my stride properly when it went back to intervals but once it moved up to the longer intervals again, I was fine.
In case you think I'm some gym bunny, I'm 44, post menopausal woman who previously hadn't managed to run more than 200m in her whole life - even before piling on the weight!
It can be done but pace is everything - took me a while to work that out for myself despite loads of more experienced people telling me to slow down; turns out they were right!
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Thanks for the encouragement, I'm 44 too! I like that I *can* run, it's just frustrating that I can't conquer these long intervals. Sometimes I feel like if I slow down anymore, I'll be going backwards! :laugh:
I wanted to ask something else. . .do you do just the C25K workout and stop when it says, "workout complete?" My route is mapped out for 3.1 on RunKeeper, so I know that when C25K ends, I have not gone 3.1. What I've been doing is continuing to power walk/run intervals until the end of the route (3.1), generally around 40 minutes. Maybe I'm not thinking right and pushing too hard by doing this?0 -
I know some people on here continue on to complete the distance and do so successfully but I haven't been doing that. I'm in the UK so I've been using the NHS C25K podcasts and until recently not worrying too much about the distance covered.
I did just buy a Garmin Forerunner though so that when I complete C25K I can start working on the distance thing but for me, my first aim is to be able to run for the full 30mins consistently then my next target is to get the 3.1 done in that time frame.... hopefully! lol0 -
I'm 42 and have never run before either. When I am done I turn around and walk that distance back. If I am feeling really good I will run for a couple minutes here and there, but generally I just walk at a fast pace.0
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I am almost in the same boat as you. I finished W4D2 lastnight and looked ahead to week 5 and it is so different! The runs change daily, and a 20 minute run???!!! I am so exhausted at the end of my second 5 minute run it takes all the mental strength I have to not quit. How am I going to run for 20 minutes straight??? It just seems so odd to me to throw that out there in the middle of the training program. Seems like a milestone that should be week 7 or 8. Can't wait to see what happens next week!
But learning the mental tricks to keep myself going is helping and Iook forward to seeing what I can do. I look at this 20 minute run as a challenge to see what is possible as well as a way to gauge my growth at the end. I am sure at the end of the program I will look back and think wow, I was how slow... or wow, 20 minutes killed me just 1 month ago... Look at me now!
You can do it, just keep it up!0 -
Thanks to each of you for your responses. Maybe it's age, maybe it's just that mental training runners talk about. . .whatever the reason, I will continue. Today is W6D3. Dreading it or not, I'm going to try. At least the weather is going to be nice! Now if I can just get the neighbor down the road to keep their dogs from running out after me and scaring me half to death. . .but that's another story entirely. Still, the tension of whether or not those dogs will be "out" messes with my breathing and heart rate. Another excuse for my struggle? Maybe! :bigsmile:0
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I wouldn't be so hard on yourself - you're still running and still progressing and that's great!
I'll finish the programme, that I know but I've no idea (or schedule) as to how long it will take me to actually run 3.1miles in 30mins but I'll keep plugging away until I get there. Others seem to progress better knowing they have a 5k race coming up so if you work better with a deadline, maybe that will give you that extra bit of drive to move it forward.
Just remember, nearly all of us are running for the first time so every time we go out we're achieving something - maybe just not as fast as we think we should 0 -
How fast are you running? The best advice I ever got was to slow down....and then slow down even more. Don't worry about the distance you cover; just keep a goal in mind to complete your run time.
I am in my 50s, have never run before and graduated the program early this year. I have yet to run 5K in 30 minutes. This morning, my 5K time was 41:33 and that's quicker than I was when I graduated.
So, you see, the distance isn't important as you train; keep to the timed intervals and your stamina will improve, you'll continue to get stronger and your confidence will soar as you realize that you ARE running.
Keep at it. Slow down (really, this is the best trick to make it through the program); speed will come all by itself over time.
You're doing great, don't be discouraged.0 -
Last Saturday, I did w5d1 for the first time, pushing my 3 year old in the jogging stroller. I came very close to doing it all, but had some struggles in the 2nd and 3rd 5 minutes. Monday, I did w5d1 again but alone and it was better. On Wednesday, I did it AGAIN and it was worse again, but my peroneal tendon has been giving me trouble and was sore that day.
This past week was what strengthened my resolve to quit smoking. I've been shocked at how I've been able to improve with this program -- the first session, I couldn't even run all of the 1.5 minute intervals! Even so, smoking is an obvious detriment to being able to run well and it was time to give it up, so I had my last cigarette on Wednesday evening. Friday would have been my usual run day, but we played a round of golf instead and that tendon in my ankle is swollen so I decided to try to run tomorrow instead of today. I hope that not smoking for several days will help me conquer w5d1 so I can move on.
A lot of times, I'll plot a route that's much more than what I expect to do during the C25K session and then walk/run the rest of it as I feel like. If I want to keep track of how far/where I've gone, I turn on the free run part.0 -
rps67--WAHOOO!! I am so excited to hear you say you made the decision to quit smoking. That is HUGE! :flowerforyou:
And you guys. . .I did it! I finished the 22 minute run without stopping! I went at 8:30 PM EST, so it was dark by the time I finished. The breeze was perfect, the temperature is in the 70s and I just kept going and tried not to think about how much time I had to go(though I did, I admit). What really inspired me was my husband. He walks with me on my off days, but has never jogged. Well tonight, when I turned around to head back, he was jogging down the hill! I had told him what W1D1 consisted of before we started and he decided to try, using me as his pacer. I was thrilled and it was just the shot in the arm I needed!
I'm sure next week will be tough as well, but thanks for prodding me along when I needed it most. I did try to keep a slower pace. Sometimes I slow down and just end up stopping but I so did not want to do that. Wow! I just can't believe I did it. . . I feel so awesome! :glasses:0 -
A huge congratulations!!! You did it!! I'm so happy for you. It's a great feeling, isn't it? Nothing can stop you now.
Kudos to your husband. It's going to be fun to run together.0 -
And you guys. . .I did it! I finished the 22 minute run without stopping!
Congratulations!!!! Great job not letting yourself get psyched out. I was absolutely shocked and thrilled when I passed that mark -- I think that was the first time that it felt fully real to me that I was going to complete C25K. You've got this!0 -
rps67--WAHOOO!! I am so excited to hear you say you made the decision to quit smoking. That is HUGE! :flowerforyou:
And you guys. . .I did it! I finished the 22 minute run without stopping! I went at 8:30 PM EST, so it was dark by the time I finished. The breeze was perfect, the temperature is in the 70s and I just kept going and tried not to think about how much time I had to go(though I did, I admit). What really inspired me was my husband. He walks with me on my off days, but has never jogged. Well tonight, when I turned around to head back, he was jogging down the hill! I had told him what W1D1 consisted of before we started and he decided to try, using me as his pacer. I was thrilled and it was just the shot in the arm I needed!
I'm sure next week will be tough as well, but thanks for prodding me along when I needed it most. I did try to keep a slower pace. Sometimes I slow down and just end up stopping but I so did not want to do that. Wow! I just can't believe I did it. . . I feel so awesome! :glasses:
Congratulations! You'll fly it from here.
It would be great if your husband took it up with you - I often wish I'd a running partner; maybe that's why I like the podcasts better than the apps as 'Laura' keeps chatting away to me lol0 -
Ha! I think the joke is on me! I just looked ahead to week 7 and--surprise, surprise--no more intervals, it's ALL running/jogging. I was expecting to return to intervals. . . :huh: :sad:0
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I did W5D1 today and am dreading a bit D3, but first I'll focus on D2. D3 is almost like D2 without the tiny walk in the middle - is what I'm trying to say to myself. I've enjoyed reading all the comments!0
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I'm 33 and have NEVER run recreationally before June of this year. I only ran if I was being chased by someone who wished to harm me. :-)
I finished C25K and am now running 3 mile stretches at around 33 minutes. Soooo many times during these runs I want to quit, but I've found that if I keep pushing myself I make it through and feel great (and tired!) when I'm finished. I feel like half of the challenge with running is mental. My body can do it, but I have to remind myself of that over and over while I'm running. You have to really want to get through it!
I was terrified of W5D3. I gave myself a pep talk and talked to others who had done it. When the time came, it was a million degrees outside and very humid, and the ac in my gym was broken so I had to run outside. I put on some good tunes and reminded myself to keep putting one foot in front of the other. I finished the 20 minutes, I was exhausted, and I felt really, really proud of myself! You can do it!!!!0 -
I think the trick is to KNOW that you are capable of the run. It's up to you to figure out what it is you need to push through it. Because you ARE capable by this point. Whether it's slowing down, water, more calories or inspirational music, figure out what you need to make it happen.0
