Week 9 – Couch to 5K – My Experience

Sorry I have not posted in a while! I felt unwell a few weekends ago and had no photos to post! That’s part of the reason why this post has been brought forward. Also to prove I did complete the Couch to 5K challenge – honest! Week 9 felt like a long way away throughout the app and I felt strange when Week 9 of Couch to 5K rolled around. I’m not going to lie, it felt like Week 9 was a long way away all the way through, but it came around so quickly. Week 9 followed the same format as Week 7 and Week 8 and it’s only two minutes more of running compared to Week 8 so it seems more manageable in a way. Psychologically I found it more difficult though, I think of 28 minutes as being in the twenties, and thirty minutes is a more rounded figure and seems much longer, if that makes sense?

Week 9 of Couch to 5K – My thoughts

Week 9 is only two minutes more of running compared to Week 8. I said before that psychologically thirty minutes feels a lot longer than 28 minutes, but I decided to put my trust in the trainers who said I could do it. I took it really slow but I managed it. I ran for thirty minutes straight but I don’t think I was anywhere near the 5K mark. The alarm sounds at halfway to let you know there’s only 15 minutes remaining, but it does feel like an age. I think I need to focus more on taking my mind off the fact I’m running. How do people distract themselves? I felt like there was perhaps a period of ten seconds throughout the whole running session I actually found it enjoyable.

Week 9 is what the whole of the Couch to 5K app leads up to. Completing it really reflects the work I put in and it feels like such an achievement. At the end there was a little celebration animation which was really nice. But, now I’ve finished it I feel a bit lost in a way. I’ve put the effort in to get to where I am now, and I don’t want to regress. The encouragement of the trainers was invaluable, even if it was difficult at the time. I need something to work towards to motivate me and now the app has finished I need something to replace it. I’ve been thinking about going over the app again but to work on pace, running faster during the “run” parts and then jogging during the “walk” parts.

Would you ever try the Couch to 5K app?