Insidia

Nevermind! I took a GPS tracking app (for running and such) and mapped out the span of the trail in front of my house from one road to the other, which is usually how far I walk when I take my dog for a walk. From one end to the other, and then back to the entrance is a mile exactly. So I took it for a run and made it in just under 13 minutes because I didn't push myself as hard as I could have between walking. I believe I'll be able to do the test just fine when it comes to running!

I should add that it's my lungs that "give out" before my legs. I'm currently breathing 4 in 4 out and then if I feel like I'm not getting enough air, I drop to 2 in 2 out

I started running because of college - I'm going to an equestrian school in March and I need to pass a fitness test where I run a mile in under 13 minutes. I started running back in August or September but I came up to my mom's in October to do the campus tour and ended up getting stranded there. I wasn't expecting to be gone long so I didn't bring my running pants, and I can't run comfortably in jeans so I ended up not running more than a few times for a month. When I got back home I started over completely, week 1 day 1 and made it to week 3 but I was struggling. The runs were getting harder to do and I didn't understand why because it's the same trail I had been running before and I hadn't changed anything about my way of training. Then the temps dropped and I couldnt get enough air into my lungs on my runs so I had to skip running on days colder than 38° which really slowed my progress. So here I am now on week 4 for the fourth time (I couldn't progress past it) and I'm realizing that I wasn't running fast enough on my trail at home so I'm running that speed now on the treadmill at mom's. And I'm struggling with 11 days until registration at my college. Is there a way I can train myself to run a mile in under 13 minutes with the time I have left? I normally dog pretty slowly, I think 4.5mph at most. I'm currently trying to run at 5mph on the treadmill but I've noticed I'm having to stop every minute to walk. I don't know if that's because running in place (on the treadmill) is dragging on the run and my brain is psyching me out or if it's because I actually can't keep that pace. I'm a mess and 11 days is probably not enough time, but if there's anything I can do, I'm all ears!

I run Monday, Wednesday, and Friday every week. I take it easy on my off days if I ran too hard the day before. I have the weekends off which I usually need after the Friday workout since - especially on the upper weeks - they can be pretty brutal. I currently don't do much more than walk around the house or lounge on my off days but I will soon start to do some strength exercises.

I was about to post roughly the same thing. I was going to ask more about breathing and physical awareness tips. We get snow here but not a lot (I think we got a foot last year and there are still caterpillars around this year so we're supposed to have a mild winter apparently?) and I've run through knee-high snow in the past wearing just a light coat or hoodie in a level 3 emergency so I'm not particularly worried about the snow or cold in general in the form of what I should wear (OP it really depends on your personal sensitivity to cold and how much snow you get. Sweatpants and a packable down jacket should be fine, from my personal experience, but I also usually don't wear more than a hoodie during the winter months and I come from Lake Erie so I'm not unused to the cold - of course someone else may be able to answer with specifics) I want to ask - to add to this thread - what I should be doing about my breathing, since after running in the cold my sinuses and throat feel raw and I end up coughing the rest of the day and usually the next day as well. Also, how should I be warming up so that my joints don't lock up or start hurting really bad during or after the run? I'm an equestrian and ever since I started riding western, my right hip will lock up and start aching and the winter months it's really bad and starts aching with so much pain, along with my right knee randomly. I went to the doctor about it and they couldn't find any reason so I think it's just from the position the western saddle put me in. I haven't ridden in three years, so I'm hoping this year won't be too bad, but I'm going to treat it with the assumption it will be like any other, especially since I'm training to go to an equestrian college in march and I have to amp up my workouts to fit their requirements. I hope you don't mind if I add this bit, OP. I plan not to run if it gets below 20°F here (the same rule we give about riding and working horses in the winter) so that could be some advice to you as well. I don't know how cold it normally gets where you are. If not running when it's under 20°F isn't an option, you could at least take it easy when you do run. When I was living on Lake Erie, it was almost always below 20° so when I did run it was short - 10-15 minutes at most. Hope I could help a little, and hopefully someone else comes along who can answer our questions.

Tomorrow is Week 5 Day 3 - forgot to mention that

"Brute force" seems to be the way that works for me. I imagine the app as a personal trainer with the support and encouragement of a drill sergeant. Whenever I want to stop even though I know pushing harder isn't going to hurt me, I just imagine what my drill-sergeant-trainer would say to me for wanting to stop. My brain automatically yells at me and it motivates me to keep going because it's usually right. I haven't had to stop for a legitimate health reason yet and each time I push myself a little harder, I usually come out of it feeling great, and suddenly the next day doesn't seem so bad. I'm apprehensive about tomorrow and since I'm changing my scenery, I don't know how well I will do. But I'm going to try!

Week 5 day 3 for me and I'm apprehensive. I handled Day 2 fairly well yesterday (tired and wanted to stop but I never stop unless I feel something is terribly wrong or will go terribly wrong if I don't,) but yesterday I had that 5 minute break to recover both my breath and strength before my next 8 minute run. Tomorrow I have to run 20 minutes straight, and I'm not sure if I can do it.

It is definitely all mental. As long as you have a rhythmic breathing and steady pace, you can go as long as your brain will let you. I struggled yesterday (Week 5 day 1) and there were at least 3 times during that where I had the thought of "I'm not going to be able to finish this one without a break. I'm going to have to stop and rest. This is the one that ruins me." And even though it was absolute agony that last stretch, I kept saying "only a minute and a half left... only a minute left... only 30 seconds left..." and while most people will start to feel more tired while thinking "oh gosh there's an entire minute left!" I find it helps push me on. Because as I'm running, I remember that I CAN run 5 minutes. I CAN run more than that if I want to, and usually those thoughts of "I have to stop" are during the last 5 minute run. So I just look back at not even 5 minutes earlier; I have run 5 minutes without stopping TWICE now; I can do it a third time. If I can run 5 minutes twice and I made it this far in the last stretch, this last minute and a half isn't going to be the end of me. After that run and I dropped down to a walk and caught my breath, I left the run feeling the same as I always do after a run - refreshed and awfully tired. That's how I know it's not too much - I didn't collapse, I wasn't limping, or curled up in a fetal position cradling a torn muscle, and I wasn't super dizzy. I did it. Tomorrow is another story, but is the same idea. I'll get to the 5 minute mark and see that there are three minutes left and I'll groan in agony because that's THREE MINUTES. My legs will be tired and burning, I'll be breathing hard, but I know I can do it. I'm going to at least try anyway. I can't remember their name but one of the other posters before me that suggested going "okay 30 more seconds" after each "minute milestone" is absolutely right. It's up to you whether you want to give in to your fatigue or not, and sometimes it's just the thought of "I can't do this" that stops a lot of us FROM doing it. For me, unless I feel like there's something SERIOUSLY wrong (torn muscle, on the verge of passing out, etc) there's no reason for me to stop. My condition is the same it's always been, I just have to push through it and complete it. I'm breathing hard but steady, I can slow my pace if I need to, but one way or another I will run the entire duration. As for Friday, well, we'll see when we get there >_>

A lot of that "weight" could also be muscle. Instead of just weighing yourself, try measuring your waist every month. If you drop an inch or two you'll know you're losing fat and building muscle. I have this system I'm doing with this app where every 3 weeks I log my waist measurement and current weight. This way I can monitor if my weight loss is fat loss, or if I don't lose weight, muscle gain. I'm new to the running world and am also learning things myself but if your left leg hurts, could it be possible that you're landing/leaning too hard on it? I realized a few years ago that I lean on my right leg more which has contributed to that hip aching. I ride and train horses and realized how much I lean on my right leg after a stirrup I had been using which was dry trotted broke while I was riding. Both stirrups were the same condition, but because I was so heavy on my right leg, that stirrup gave out. Since I've started trying to balance out my weight onto both feet, my hip hasn't been hurting, and when I walk or run, both legs ache equally the next day. It could be worth looking into at least?