Couch To 5K: You’ve Done It Before, So You Can Do It Again , Week 6

After a successful week 5 with Couch to 5K I found myself relaxing a little, and the mental benefits of running started to become more apparent…

I’m not going to lie, I was pretty damn chuffed with myself for running 20 minutes at the end of week 5. I’d near-on convinced myself that I wasn’t going to do it, but to my surprise I didn’t find it as hard as I was expecting to. I felt like I’d turned a corner (literally); now 5K didn’t seem like such a stretch of the imagination. I had a quick look through week 6 on the app and noticed that I was going to back to shorter runs with the intermittent walks. I found this a tad frustrating as I was impatient to finish another 20 minutes.

Week 6 consisted of the following routines:

Run 1
Warm-up – 5 minute walk
Run – 5 minutes
Walk – 3 minutes
Run – 8 minutes
Walk 3 minutes
Run – 5 minutes
Cool down – 5 minute walk

Run 2
Warm-up – 5 minute walk
Run – 10 minutes
Walk – 3 minutes
Run – 10 minutes
Cool down – 5 minute walk

Run 3
Warm-up – 5 minute walk
Run – 25 minutes
Cool down – 5 minute walk

Run 1

So, I was back to the shorter runs with the walks in between. A bit disappointing but my faith in Couch to 5K didn’t falter – it’d got me this far. The first 5 minute run was enjoyable; I ran at a nice steady pace and wasn’t too out of breath. It was the 8 minute run that got me. I found it so hard! I wanted to cry with frustration. I ran 20 minutes two days ago, why was I finding 8 minutes so difficult? I think it was all down to my mental attitude again – I’d started the run feeling agitated and it clearly affected my physical performance. I managed to keep going and complete all of the runs but I was taken aback by the change in myself.

Run 2

I decided to give myself 2 full days in between run 1 and run 2 as I was feeling a bit anxious. I needed the extra day to recuperate and get my head in order. Luckily run 2 had a more consistent routine and I was happy to know that I would be running for 20 minutes again (albeit with a 3 minute walk in between). But the break in between threw me off balance; I felt comfortable after the first 10 minutes so to slow right down to a walk ruined my rhythm. I completed it but was a bit downhearted.

Run 3

Oh God. 25 minutes of running? After beating myself up about run 1 and 2 I was forced to pull myself together, as I now had the longest run of my life ahead of me. I started off feeling a bit unsteady and out of puff, but I powered through and by halfway had found a comfortable pace and breathing technique. I made myself focus on anything but the fact I was running; the cars passing me by, what I was going to have for lunch the next day, what series on Netflix to binge next. The last 5 minutes were fairly grueling as I decided to up my speed to finish. By the time Jo told me to slow down to a walk I felt more than ready to stop.

Week 6 outcome

I’ve definitely gotten into a bad habit of thinking negatively before run 1 and 2 of each week and I really need to try and break the cycle, as it has such a knock on effect on my performance. Despite the shaky start I did in fact manage to run for 25 minutes, which is the longest I have ever run – ever. I was drenched from the rain but felt so hot and sweaty, so the cool down walk wasn’t too enjoyable. But after a warm shower and a cup of tea I gave myself a few minutes to congratulate and praise myself on my achievement. It was the first time I felt like I deserved to call myself a runner.

For more information about the Couch to 5k challenge visit the dedicated BBC page here.

————

Want the latest posts, offers and exclusive tickets straight to your inbox? Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss out again. payday loan займ в орлезайм для неработающихзайм на карту на 3 месяца