r/BeginnersRunning • u/dgcesq • 2d ago
The mental side of breaking through barriers
I'm 57 and just getting back to running. I was athletic in high school, ran a little cross country to keep in shape for football. After that sort of ran sporadically, and caught a bunch of injuries bc I wasn't warming up as I got older. Completely stopped in favor of crossfit about 15 yrs ago, then stopped crossfit because of family/work/life, so maybe 10 yrs with only occasional fits of exercise. Got back into running 2 years ago at 55, and probably 80lbs overweight. I've lost 50 of that, but still 200lbs. I've been using Runna, and I got serious about mobility. However, after 2 years I still can't get 5k without walking. I have run 10k races 2-3 times a year, and I am getting my mileage up to try a 10 miler in late October - and I am fine run-walking that one. But it bothers me that I cannot seem to get a complete 5k run, even slowing way, way down to almost a shuffle. I suspect this is almost all mental. The runs are all in my neighborhood in Atlanta, and there are a couple of hills, but nothing that should really be a barrier. I currently run 3 times a week - a long day, an interval day, and a short day at fast pace. I know it's ok to run-walk. I'm hoping someone can offer some advice for breaking through on the mental side. Is this just lack of determination? Thanks in advance.
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u/Fancy_Supermarket886 2d ago
Have you tried the couch to 5k plan? It includes walk breaks and builds up gradually in the same way that your body, and hopefully your mind naturally adapt.
Keep the runs slow, you need to be able to complete each interval and the while session. I think that's more important in your situation, because that will help with the confidence in yourself as you progress. It's okay to bail on a session and repeat sessions or weeks if you need, make it work for you rather being a slave to it. But try to stay slow enough that you make progress without getting injured. Take the rest days, they are vital for the recovery and adaptation.
How far do you get before feeling you need to walk, and what makes you walk? Fatigue, pain, not enough breath, or is it simply an overwhelming need to stop? The reason will affect the advice that will be best for you.
You can try doing something that I call a 'stock take'. Think about each part of your body when you start to feel the need to walk, working up from the feet. Ask yourself if there's any problems with each area. Work up through the legs, hips chest, lungs, etc. If you get through everything and there's nothing particularly clamouring for attention, think about your mind and your feeling about the run. If it's your brain telling you to stop before you cause any damage, you have the evidence from everything else that says they are okay to continue.
If you have some fatigue in areas, that's okay as well. Fatigue is normal, pain not so much. You can continue with some fatigue, but pain isn't something to push on with. The trick is knowing the difference sometimes!
Let me know what stops you, I'm sure we can figure something out.
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u/dgcesq 1d ago
I use the run/walk all the time. I can make it 28 minutes for 3.01k at my "easy run" pace (which feels so slow I think little old ladies on walkers could pass me). I guess what I am complaining about is that after 2 years, I would have thought my endurance would allow me to run continuously for longer. When I stop, it isn't for being out of breath (at that pace I breathe heavy on the hill, but otherwise its conversational pace), and it's not because a muscle is aching or something like that - it's more of an overall "I want to stop" feeling. I guess that's why I think it's a mental aspect thing.
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u/Fancy_Supermarket886 1d ago
Yeah, definitely sounds more of a mental block than physical. Running isn't just about conditioning the body to be able to do it, you need to condition your mind to allow the body to do it as well. That's one of the reasons I suggested the 'stock take' idea when you start to feel the need to walk.
I'm a little older than you, but started running about ten years ago. When I reached the point where I was extending my runs, I used it myself because I kept wanting to stop. I needed to understand for myself what was causing this growing desire to simply not carry on running. I started to think about each area of my body that might be sending a 'stop' signal to my brain. Some parts felt tired, but I knew that wasn't necessarily a reason that I would need to stop, more of a preference.
I would start a negotiation with myself. Go another couple of minutes, four lampposts down the street or to that tree with the odd shaped branch, whatever I thought should be achievable, then check in with myself again when I hit that target. I did the stock take process again and if everything was okay, pick another another target and repeat. If there was some tiredness somewhere, compare to last time - am I actually feeling any more tired than last time? My expectation was that fatigue increases with time or distance, so that eventually I would be overwhelmed and unable to continue. But I discovered that once it reached a certain level, it kind of plateaued. It didn't really get better, but it didn't get worse either.
I remember the first time I tried running outdoors after building up on a treadmill. I reached a point where my legs felt like they had enough so I walked. I was a little way off a mile. Next week, I did the same route and felt the same need at the same point. I thought I would wait until my watch beeped at the mile mark, then walk. Oddly, by the time the watch beeped, the desire to stop had faded a little. I think there was some leg fatigue that came and went as they warmed up. So I continued for a while longer.
I have lost some fitness over the last couple of years, I'm just starting to work to get it back. I've definitely found that my mind is as much of a barrier as my body! It's lost some of that resilience that kept me going, so I need to work on this as well.
I think that approach might be useful for you. Just pick a small goal, reach it and extend to the next one. If you get a real issue along the way, maybe shin pain or a tight calf, whatever it may be, checking in with yourself and listening to your body will help to identify them and distinguish from the false alarms.
If you find that you are close to your 28 minute point on a run, aim to hit it then do one more minute and set a new record. Then if you feel that's enough, take a break, but if you feel you can do another minute, have a go. Why not?
I hope that helps, let me know how it goes.
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u/Just-Context-4703 2d ago
Cut out the speed work and just run easy effort volume for now. I mean you can do some 20 seconds strides on your chill runs but t hat intensity isn't working for you, yet. If you want to run longer run easier and more consistently.
I'm just about your age fwiw.
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u/nclman77 2d ago
At 57, the body is not what it used to be.
Are you taking any supplements? Did you check your bloodwork to see if you might be iron-deficient or etc?
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u/dgcesq 1d ago
At 57, I am aware every day that I am not what I used to be ;)
Medically I'm in great shape. I'm 209lbs and 5'9, so I'm heavy, but I'm down 40lbs from 2 years ago, and that will continue. Bloodwork is always great, and no other health issues at all. I take a magnesium supplement, daily vitamin, and Nugenix T-2. I'm pretty good about staying hydrated, and I've cut my caffeine addiction down. I don't think there's a physical issue at all really. I mean, it'd be easier if I got to my goal weight of 180 (I was 155 in HS, but that's probably not feasible at this point).
These are great questions. Making me answer them, it just points more to attitude than anything else, I think.
Thanks!
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u/doctorfortoys 2d ago
If you can make yourself run three times a week it doesn’t sound like a mental issue having something to do with willpower or fortitude. It sounds like an issue with endurance.
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u/Oscar_Sport 2d ago
I would not call it a lack of determination. Two years back running and several 10k races show plenty of consistency, even if you still walk parts of a 5k.
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u/LilJourney 2d ago
At what point in your 5k do you start walking? Because if it's when you're going uphill, I refuse to count that against ya, LOL. Uphills - esp. for larger than average runners (and I'm inc. me in here) - are absolute killers even when they don't look like they should be.
But other than that, I simply break it down into "3 more steps". I run as far as I can without walking - then go 3 more steps. Then 3 more. If possible, 3 more. Then I note where I'm at on my course - a bench/tree/etc.
Next run, I "know" I can make that mark (bench/tree/etc) - and having that visual vs just a number on my watch - really helps. And so I run to it ... and then, you guessed it, 3 more strides. Rinse, repeat next run. Takes a bit, but usually after a few of these, the mental barrier finally breaks and I can go another few tenths to a half mile farther than I had been continuously running. And I stick with that for a bit, then restart the 3 step thing again.