[C25K] Challenges to Overcome
At the beginning of week two I posted about how confused I was that the end of Week 1 could be crappy, but the beginning of Week 2 could be awesome. Melissa, my Twitter friend & running mentor, basically told me that running is kind of a game of chance… and the more runs that you do, the more crappy runs that you’ll have. In that same line of thinking, she also reminded me that the more runs you do the more good runs you’ll have too! Basically, the more you do it, the more you will experience the whole gamut of successes and failures.
I am officially stuck on Week 5. In the Couch to 5K program the whole program kind of changes in Week 5. In Weeks 1-4 the program repeats the run/walk schedule for three days. Beginning in Week 5 the program ramps up each day for Weeks 5 & 6. I happily completed Week 5, Day 1, doing my 5 min jog, 3 min walk, 5 min jog, 3 min walk, and 5 min jog. Then I hit a brick wall on Week 5, Day 2.
In Week 5, Day 2 the regimen is to jog 8 minutes, walk 5 minutes, then jog 8 minutes. I have not for the life of me been able to do this. I think that there are several contributing factors for my inability to move on.
Contributing Factor to Brick Wall #1
I have blisters. Maybe that sounds like an incredibly wussy reason to skip a running day, or to bail out early, but my blisters are pretty bad. And they’re on the bottoms of the pad of my big toes.
I’ve been wearing my Vibram Sprints for every C25K run that I’ve done (well, really every run that I’ve done) and I still stand by my previous assertion that these shoes are the most amazing shoes I’ve ever bought. However, I think my running form is less than ideal and I think it’s started catching up to me.
Ever since about Week 3/4 I’ve been getting these awful blisters (the one on my right foot is a blood blister) right on the pad of my big toes. I give it a rest for a few days and they heal over and I’m just sure that they’re going to build up a nice callus and then this won’t be a problem any more. But it’s close to excruciating to run on them when they’re there. I’ve googled it and I’ve posted about it on Facebook and Twitter. So far the suggestions I’ve gotten are:
- Look in to ChiRunning
- Use moleskin
I’ve taken off since last Thursday, and I’m headed to the gym tonight armed with moleskin on the bottoms of my toes. I’ve also purchased ChiRunning: A Revolutionary Approach to Effortless, Injury-Free Running on my Kindle, but I’m not terribly far into the book so it’s going to be a little while before it begins to help me. I’ll report back when I’ve finished the book!
Contributing Factor to Brick Wall #2
I’m going too fast. Or maybe I want to go too fast. I recently posted on the C25K Facebook page a request for suggestions since I felt so stuck on this one particular week/day. First of all, I highly recommend anyone doing C25K with a Facebook account to join this fan page… those people on there are awesome and are an incredible support network! I received near instantaneous feedback from others who had been there before me and they offered great suggestions.
- Slow down… still run… but if you have to run as slow as possible to get the job done. Slow running is still running. You should be able to talk while you’re jogging, if you can’t you’re pushing yourself too hard!
- Don’t wait till it’s a complete cake-walk. The program is meant to be challenging!
- Listen to your body and don’t feel bad about repeating, but don’t be afraid of moving on either.
- And some people told me that they thought the 20 minute run on W5D3 was easier than the two 8 min runs!!
I’m hitting the gym tonight after yoga, so I should be all limbered and warmed up to do my final take of Week 5, Day 2. I’m really hoping that on Thursday afternoon I’ll be heading on out to Week 5, Day 3… and that will officially be my “Do one thing a day that scares you” for Thursday (join the #LuluRevo and read Lululemon’s Manifesto). Talk with you after I’ve managed to run without walking!
You are doing great. I have never worn the Vibrams but I’ve always been told that you should never get blisters in running shoes – if you are getting them that either means it’s a bad fit or your shoes are worn out. If you don’t have a trusted running store, I suggest you find one you like. Even if you want to stick with the Vibrams (and I don’t blame you; I’m dying to try them!) the folks at the running store should be able to help you with any issues you’re having. Whether it’s that you need a better pair of socks, or a better form, or whatever … they should be able to assist. I have been amazed at the great advice I’ve gotten from my running store. I seriously could not have done the marathon without them! And often the advice didn’t cost anything – I tried to buy compression tights once for ankle pain, and they saved me $80 by telling me that I’d be better off soaking in epsom salts …
And I think a 20-minute run would be easier than 2 8-minute runs. Starting and stopping is very hard! Hang in there!!
Melissa´s last blog ..I was destined to be an Aries