Welcome back to my mini series documenting my journey undertaking the Couch to 5K training programme. I'm now 3 weeks away from finishing, I honestly cannot believe just how far I've come and that I'm still getting up and going running - even in the rain!
I've reached the point in the programme where Sarah Millican is calling me a 'proper runner', yeah I can't believe it either! I've had a bit of a set back recently, which is why this post is so late in being posted, but better never late than never ay!?
Couch to 5K Week Six
In Week six of the Couch to 5K training plan, there are three different workouts which build you up to running for 25 minutes non stop!
Run 1
Run 5 minutes
Walk 3 minutes
Run 8 minutes
Walk 3 minutes
Run 5 minutes
Run 2
Run 10 minutes
Walk 3 minutes
Run 10 minutes
Run 3
Run 25 minutes
This is a step up from week five where the longest run was for 20 minutes.
That definitely felt like one, from Week Four of the Couch to 5K training plan, but like everything with this plan, it is designed to enable you to run for 30 minutes without stopping.
So if you've been following the training plan from the beginning, you should easily be able to run for these extended times.
How I'm Feeling After Week Six of Couch to 5K
Like I said at the beginning of this post, I have been suffering with an injury which has put me back bit in terms of running every other day like I had been doing in the beginning. In my last post (Couch to 5K Week 5) I had injured my back/hip which put me back a bit a couple of weeks ago.
This time it was my calf that I'd managed to injure somehow! I believe I had pushed myself too quickly too soon and hadn't properly stretched afterwards. It felt very sore for a couple of days and I really worried I'd be out for ages. But thankfully, after lots of deep heat, rest and ice packs I was back at it again within a few days.
I now look after myself better by trying to remember to stretch before/after each run and leaving two days in between runs instead of one. It works for me at the moment and at the end of the day, it doesn't matter how long I take to finish the Couch to 5K training plan. It's about the journey, not the destination after all!
I'm still surprising myself by willingly going out in the rain. Yeah, I don't know what's wrong with me either! I'm definitely one of those people who'd much rather stand at my kitchen window and laugh at the runners who do this than actually be one myself! I guess a lot can change in 6 weeks.
I'm still nervous about what exactly I'm going to do once I complete Week 9 of the Couch to 5K training plan. I think in the beginning I'll probably use Run 3 of Week 9 of the Couch to 5K training plan as a guide, just so I have something to guide me through my first solo runs.
My Thoughts Going Into Week 7 of the Couch to 5K
Wow, Week 7 of the Couch to 5K ay? How the hell did I end up here?! I literally have no idea but I guess I'll go with it for now and see where I end up! Week 7 of the Couch to 5K training plan consists of three runs of 25 minutes each.
So similar to how much I've run in Run 3 of Week 6 of the Couch to 5K training plan. I'm assuming this is so that when it comes to running for 30 minutes, I'll already be fit enough as in Week 8 of the Couch to 5K training plan, it increases to 28 minutes over the three runs.
I'm positive now that I'll be able to do this after successfully completing 25 minutes of the Couch to 5K training plan. I may huff and puff my way around, but I'll get there!
I asked myself a few questions at the end of my last Couch to 5K training plan post, so I'll answer them here, in case they're of any use to anyone:
Will I still recover quickly after each run? Yes, I have found that I do recover quickly after my runs. I definitely still enjoy the 5 minute cool down walk though!
Will I feel like I’ll be able to push myself a bit further during each run? Well, I'm not sure if I was talking about distance or in terms of being able to run faster. During Run 3 of Week 6 of the Couch to 5K training plan, I did push myself to run faster for the last 60 seconds and I actually felt good that I was able to do this! Here's hoping I can continue to do this in the coming weeks!
Will I actually complete run three, week six of the Couch to 5K? Yes! As you can tell from this post, I actually DID complete Run 3, Week 6 of the Couch to 5K training plan!
Going into Week 7 of the Couch to 5K training plan, I am apprehensive. I know I can run for 25 minutes, but will I ever actually feel confident running faster? Who knows!
Thanks for reading this post, if you do have any questions please leave them in the comments below and I'll add them to the list!
Sarah
xoxo
