Week 9, but still dreadful first five minutes...

[Uruguayan]

After a two-month break due to academic research fieldwork abroad I’m finally entering the ninth week of the programme. I’m felling great and full of energy. And this is the same 47-year old who wrote some time ago that didn’t think he’d be able to move forward because of his ‘old’ age!!!! Now I’m ready to move to a 10K training programme, but I’m still puzzled by something I find very weird. Despite gaining endurance and fitness, I still have to cope with the dreadful first five minutes of every run., when my body feels terrible heavy and tired!!! After minute six or seven I’m OK, but more than once in the last weeks I thought in those first five minutes that I wouldn’t complete the session. One is supposed to get tired at the end, not at the beginning of each run, right? Is it just me or somebody else has experienced those dreadful first five minutes????

[Poppyfizz]

I'm with you on this, I find the first half of the run much harder than the second, just done week 6 run 3. I didn't think I would finish, it's wet and cold but I pushed on and finished. I think it's a mental thing once you get a rhythm going it seems to get easier. You are not alone!

[pundecided]

Oh I'm so glad you posted this, I'm exactly the same! Just completed w6 r2 and I absolutely find the first five minutes the hardest. The back of my thighs really ache and the bit just at the top of my calf, and I really don't think I can go on, and then I get to about 7 minutes and it all starts to ease off. When I did two 10-minute runs yesterday, I ran way faster on the second one. I'm sure someone must know why this is and hopefully someone can give some words of wisdom.

I do sometimes wonder whether I should be pausing the programme after the 5-minute warm up to do some stretches, as I wonder if that would help those muscles which hurt in the first few minutes? What do folks reckon?

[benjohn]

Well, it's still the same for me and I run pretty regularly at the moment

Something I've found that helps is running a little in the warm up. Just 30 seconds. I do a silly run (have you seen the monty python silly walk sketch?) – just play about with my legs a bit to wake them up. It seems to help!

Happy running,
Benjohn

[pundecided]

Thanks for the tip, Benjohn, I tried the ministry of silly walks thingy today and it did make a difference. I was doing w6 r3 today and was dreading it - but it really wasn't so bad after all, and I'm sure my legs were a little less achey after the slight variation in warm up.

I also found the experience of doing some daft skippy bendy things on the way out of the village somewhat liberating...

[caffrin]

Haha Benjohn I will look out for those next time I'm out and about!!