I'm stuck

[Sweaty Swede]

Hello, I've been loving the runs so far and can't believe I am actually RUNNING!
However, I am now stuck..I moved house and my route is different and I had a week off with the move and I don't like running the in the dark, blah blah, so I went from running virtually every day, to now being miles off being able to finish a run! I finished comfortably at week 6 run 2, no problem, and was very proud at previously being able to run the 20 minutes in week 5..however now I was due to do week 6 run 3 and I didn't have a hope in completing it, 10 minutes was my limit. So the next day I tried to do week 6 run 2 again and didn't even make the 10 minutes...I'm so disappointed. I was feeling on fire but now I feel like I've gone backwards..what should I do? Is it the new route, the time off? My legs are heavy and there are a couple of hills so I've tried to avoid them by running on flat sand. Any advice would be much appreciated..I really want to be able to run for half an hour consistently and want this to be part of my life but I'm teetering on the edge of giving up!

[Biscottisblog]

Hey Sweaty Swede, (great name by the way!)

I feel your pain and was complaining about this on Twitter the other day! I have gone from running 5k fairly comfortably one day to then, barely managing 3k during the next run - I too was running 4 times a week but have missed a few sessions lately, am moving house and it feels like your training just disappears. DON'T GIVE UP!!!

We are now runners and a few months ago, we couldn't have said that - you have achieved so much to get to this point and although it will take a bit of catch up time, you will be even better than before. Train regularly but make sure you have rest days too, they are just as important in building yourself back up. Make sure you have plenty of carbs for energy and find a route you are comfortable with, I would imagine running on soft sand will take it out of you much more than a hard surface. If you can 'only' get to 10 mins then run 10 minutes and stop - you have achieved! Aim for 10 minutes the next time and soon you will start pushing yourself just that little bit more!

Keep running - you know you want too!
biscottisblog.co.uk xx

[benjohn]

Don't give up! Remember that you can do it. You think those >20 minute runs were crazy flukes and you can't do that any more? That's silly thinking!

However, maybe you've slipped back a little due to the time off, and you need to go easy on yourself.

My advice would be to hop back to week five. Get Running makes this pretty easy – just scroll back to the first run of week five and select it by pressing it. Now hit Run as normal, and you'll start a run in week 5.

Also, sand is definitely much harder to run on, so go easy on your self. Maybe see if there is another route. Those hills might not be too bad if you take them really gently.

Get your courage, belief and confidence back, and then continue and this time, rock those runs!

Also, read about in the forum a bit. Don't worry, you're not the only one with a set back, and I promise that like others, you'll get through this. You might find some tips and suggestions in other posts too.

I'm looking forward to hearing that you've got back up to 20 minutes, and you're well on your way to half an hour. Get out there!

[Sweaty Swede]

Thanks for the words of encouragement and advice! I feel much better after reading this. I haven't had any days off since attempting to 'get it back' and so I will make today a rest day and start week 5 tomorrow. I have a big milestone I'm working towards in 5 weeks time so I'm still on track for that.

Thanks again, I feel much happier after reading this. Will keep you updated and look forward to reading other posts..

Cheers,

Jessica, South Australia

[benjohn]

Fantastic Which beach are you running on? I'm in London, so not a lot of beach front running's on offer here!

[Sweaty Swede]

Thanks...I'm pleased to report I feel like a 'runner' again. I had a good session today, walked up the hill as warm up and then ran along the Esplanade. I'm in Moana, South Australia, pretty lucky really although incredibly windy at times! Will make the most of it as I'm moving to live in a motorhome in Europe soon so I will need this running as an outlet to keep me sane. Is something I can do for myself, I'm sure it will help my relationship when I can say, by honey, I'm going for a RUN!

Thanks, not only is the program itself excellent but this forum has really helped me a lot. I think I would have given up if it wasn't for this extra support....

Still a few more weeks to go though...

Cheers!