C25K +30min running advice

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Bobble11
Bobble11 Posts: 49 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hello all. I've completed C25K for the second time and this time I'm battling the bad weather to keep at it.

I'm using a running for weight loss app so I'm actually running for 36 minutes. It's been about 3 or 4 weeks since I achieved a continuous run for that time. It tells me to "sprint at 80% of your maximum intensity" for 30 seconds every 4 minutes but I'm not doing that. Just plodding along to get to the end. I'm running twice a week as I find I'm quite achey and I want to give my muscles a chance to recover a bit. Even so, they're never 100% rested. I usually succeed in walking 10,000 steps a day so I'm not sedentary the rest of the time.

Throughout C25K I found that week on week as my fitness improved I was able to see/feel that I had improved and that running for longer times did get easier. Now that I've got to the point where I am running for a long time I don't feel like it's getting easier. It's really hard and I find myself saying "you've got halfway, you're halfway done. You've got this far, you're not going to give up now. Just do the next 4 minutes and then see how you feel. Now you're 2/3rds through, you can't stop now..." etc

- I changed my route one day last week and it was horiffic. My normal route is uphill, downhill then flat which gets the hard work out of the way early.
- I try to keep a steady pace. I don't set off at breakneck speed in the beginning. I start plodding and I finish plodding.
- I have not yet attained the "runners high". I am pleased with my fitness but I bloody hate running. It's all for weight loss. It is boring!
- I am using podcasts, music and downloading BBC radio shows to listen to but very few are absorbing enough to take my mind off the plodding. (I do recommend Reluctant Persuaders on BBC radio iPlayer. The run I did listening to two of these shows was the least painful)

I suppose I'm looking for advice and encouragement. I've searched and read all the C25K posts I can find so I know all the advice about starting out but what do you do when you get to the long run and it's still really hard work that never seems to get easier and you still really dislike it?

Replies

  • JustSomeEm
    JustSomeEm Posts: 20,197 MFP Moderator
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    Sometimes you'll find exercises that you really enjoy. Other times, you'll find exercises you hate. It sounds like you don't enjoy running so I'd recommend finding an exercise you DO enjoy and doing that instead. When I'm in a running-funk I will usually bike instead. Alternately, you could do the follow-on 10K program zenlabs put out. OR... have you signed up for a 5K race? I find that races are enjoyable, and you get to meet other runners.
  • eleanorhawkins
    eleanorhawkins Posts: 1,655 Member
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    Personally I found the Zombies Run app was a great help, it combines my music playlist with a storyline that interested me enough to keep me going. Having said that I still do exactly the same thing, constant mental arithmetics (ok I'm almost a fifth of the way now, only have to do what I've done 4 more times.... a quarter of it done..... half way there!) as well as bribing myself with jelly babies on long runs.
    Having said that, if you really hate running as much as it sounds like you do would it not be a good idea to look for an alternative you actually enjoy? Forcing yourself to do something you truly dislike just for weight loss isn't going to make you happy or make you continue with it long term. There are all sorts of options: walking, cycling, swimming, rowing, roller skating, aerobics classes, weightlifting, dancing, hiking......... Maybe think about trying a few different things and seeing if you happen to find something you love and would be enthusiastic about?
  • Bobble11
    Bobble11 Posts: 49 Member
    edited November 2018
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    Thanks for the responses. I have toyed with the idea of signing up for a 5K. I'm spectacularly self conscious of my running. I don't know why. The prospect of running with others and either having to keep up or slow down to run with people you run with. I know you don't have to do that but I feel it's rude to abandon others.

    I know, I'm a headcase.

    The reason I keep going back to running is that it is a 30-40 minute activity door-to-door. The exercise I love is swimming but a 30 minute swim is actually at least an hour by the time you factor in travel and changing. The swim times at my two nearest pools are spectacularly inconvenient (it's when I'm doing dinner/homework/bedtime for my son)

    I might treat myself to some new trainers. Mine have seen me through a lot of miles. Maybe the new cushioning will help with the aching and plodding.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    if its still really hard, slow down.

    it is only rude to abandon others if you specifically say that you are running together the whole race, and then kitten off towards the end! i have a race buddy, and we say at the start of the race if we are staying together or if we are starting together...
  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
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    slow down, get new trainers, and maybe try a different route.

    personally I run trails - they make my runs more fun, and are better for my body - less likely to get injured. I get bored on flat even surfaces.

    Have you tried an audiobook rather than a set timed podcast? You could be strict with yourself and only listen to the book whilst running, that way you WANT to go out to listen to the next part of the story. I don't often listen to stuff running, but can get totally absorbed when i do that I get disappointed when the run is over.

    oh - and the runner's high? not everyone gets that.
  • Bobble11
    Bobble11 Posts: 49 Member
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    Thank you all so much for your suggestions. I really appreciate it

    I'm definitely going to get new trainers. I'm going to look up some 5k runs and change my route a bit. Audiobooks might be a good shout. Podcasts can vary in entertainment value. I'm much more likely to know what to expect from an audiobook.
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
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    I really find the Parkrun to be a good day for running with people. My wife and I go, go at our own pace and there are 40-100 others running the route (weather dependent).

    See if there is a Parkrun nearby. Once a week, usually Sat morning. Sign up online, get your barcode and race against yourself.

    https://www.parkrun.com/

  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,675 Member
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    Twice a week is not likely to get you much improvement. Add a 3rd day if you can fit it in your schedule. Also, are you doing other types of training? Getting more fit in general will help with the running, at least physically. It sounds like the mental is the hardest for you. You might try adding the short sprints or doing some fartleking on your own. It makes the time pass more quickly. I enjoy runs that are on new routes to be a lot more interesting than doing the same ones all the time. Trails can be good, if they aren't too technical. We have a railtrail and canal towpath about 45 minutes from my town that give me a flat, shaded, scenic place to run. I do a lot of running to or from a destination like the grocery, library, café, brunch, etc. more interesting and it makes sure that I do the distance. Usually I'll either meet my husband there or we go together, do the shopping, then I run home. Sometimes I'll have my husband drop me off someplace when he's running errands and I just run home from there. Mixing up paces and places is my usual way to keep it interesting. Running with a group can be fun, if the timing is right. I'll sometimes run with the local Beer Runners. Alternately I like to run where there are other people out and about, like the rail trail, so even though I'm running alone, I'm not.
  • capaul42
    capaul42 Posts: 1,390 Member
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    Some great advice. I'll second Zombies Run recommendation. It's a wonderful app and I simply hate running without it. I will run further and faster for my Abel township than I will for anything else.
    You also may want to incorporate some strength training in. It will help build muscle to aid your running.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    To get good at running you need to train 3x week, to get good at a 5k you need to Train For a 10k. That's why i chose to back off running, I had other activities I preferred over running. It is not rude to do a 5k at your own pace regardless of whether you're faster or slower than your friends. Just tell them when you sign up that youre working on your running and you will run your own pace. It's only 30 min or so.
  • Bentforkx
    Bentforkx Posts: 69 Member
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    any opportunity to get a gait consultation with a running coach?? Perhaps you are working harder at it than you need to. Correct form will take away some of the "hard work" and help you to remain injury free....
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
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    I'm concerned that you never feel rested. If you're running twice a week plus walking a few miles on the other days, then it sounds like you're not taking time to let your body recover. That's going to affect your performance. Try taking a rest day once a week or so.

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