C25K the dreaded W5R3

[MyGhastIsFlabbered]

OMFG I just did it...I ran for 20 minutes without (a) stopping or (b) dying!!
If you'd told me 5 weeks ago I could run for 20 minutes I'd have laughed in your face. But somehow I managed it.

Brilliant stuff, well done, no stopping you now! Have you ever gone on the C25K Forum? It's really supportive and definitely helped me when I was doing C25K. Lots of great advice from the mods too - including why nobody should dread Week 5Run 3! link here

I just ran that run yesterday too! I've done c25k before but cut my food majorly before the last week so didn't carry on...started again at the start of Jan as you must of done too and determined to finish and make running a regular part of my life.

I agree, both times it's a shock when they say run for 20 straight mins! From 8 to 20! Lol. No 15?!
I found at the 15 min mark I had a burst of energy lol amazing.

My first run of week 6 is tomorrow and it's back to 8 mins then 5 then 8 I think!

I remember that feeling. By that stage, every C25k run pushed me further than I had ever run before in my life.

I've kept it up, do several half marathons a year now and hereby testify that that first 20 mins of each run is usually the hardest. C25k actually gets easier from this point as by 20 mins you're warmed up and in the flow and that's the toughest part to get to in a run.

That is great news to hear, shiny! I hope I can keep it up. I certainly feel better on the longer runs. Just doing a 5k will be amazing but can see it happening now.

Can anyone tell me why they go from 8 minutes to 20? Is it scientifically proven that completely freaking you out makes you go for longer???

Did you try it out? We have been building up to 20 mins in total. I am on week 7 now and what I have found is I feel fully warmed up at about 15 mins and can on much longer. I was as shocked as anybody but I did it! It then goes back to shorter times.

@Chamomileteaplease I think it's to prove that the 'i can't' idea is all in your head, your body CAN do it; it's to get you over the mental block of running. Does that make sense? I did W7R1 today and it was tough so my brain is a bit tired now.

@MyGhastIsFlabbered, thank you for explaining. And I do see the rationale.

But 8 - 20?? It just seems such a jump. I did W5R1 today so am still gearing up for R3 on Sunday .

I think the point is that it's not a jump - it just seems like one in your head. If you can run for 8 minutes, you can run for 20 - especially after weeks of building up fitness on c25k. You just don't think you can.

All the stuff you do in an eight minute run to keep going - slowing down, keeping it calm and relaxed, keeping your breathing under control - is exactly the same as in a 20 min run. Both are still very short runs in the grand scheme of things; they just don't feel like it at the time!

(I did c25k 10ish years ago, being so overweight and unfit I couldn't run for a minute. Now I run marathons)

I was looking for a thread for just this as I have also run wk5r3.

I still can't believe I did it. So bloody chuffed with myself.

Well done OP!!

As a pp said, I did get a second wind at 15 minutes because I thought to myself, oh my god, I'm gonna bloody do this!!

I fully believe after achieving that run tonight, that in 3 weeks time, I WILL be able to run the 5k!!!