C25K - did it work for you? - 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

vkhRN07 · 03-07-2012, 07:07 AM

So right now I can't seem to run 30 seconds without being certain I am gonna keel over and die. I started the C25K program yesterday. I did 2 miles in 30 minutes which I guess isn't all that bad. Have any of you done this program? Did it work for you? I also have Nike air max shoes, and there's a little chip you can buy to put in them that connects with your iPhone, and it tells you how far you have gone, how fast your running, calories burned, and tracks your progress! It's pretty neat. Hope this works!

seagirl · 03-07-2012, 07:14 AM

it worked for me!
I could never ever run before. The first day I did it (since all my friends were running and I felt left out) I finished the program and posted to Facebook "is running supposed to feel like someone is slicing your shins with a bone saw and shoving brillo pads into your lungs?" (apparently not, and with new shoes and an inhaler for my exercise induced asthma it doesn't feel like that anymore.)

The next time I ran it felt slightly less painful. Then the pain moved up into my quads and stayed there for a while.

I'm 6 weeks into it and did my practice 5K route this weekend (the race is on the 17th.) We walked and ran and sprinted and finished. It was great! We ran at a slow pace, but our goal was the distance, not the time.

By week 2 or 3 I really liked it. I still have days when my legs don't cooperate, but I just keep going.

KatTheAmazon · 03-07-2012, 08:28 AM

I am just starting it to improve my cardio. I do cardio at the gym, but I still can't breathe and run at the same time lol!

Tonight's go will be my second run.

lilypad91 · 03-07-2012, 10:44 AM

Brilliant programme! I would highly recommend it x

WildThings · 03-07-2012, 11:38 AM

I've done the C25K in the past, and am in week 6 of it again now after a two year running hiatus. I love the program, if I just try to build up my running on my own it never works. I use an app through my iPhone that works with my iPod which is great.

Two tips if you are struggling. One, don't hesitate to slow your running down. You can build up your speed once you are more conditioned to running. Second, don't hesitate to repeat days or even weeks. These two things took a lot of the pressure off me so I look forward to going running instead of dreading it. The way I look at it, even if I had to repeat week one for a month, I was still exercising more than I was before I started.

krampus · 03-07-2012, 11:49 AM

It worked for me. I "outgrew" it about 3-4 weeks in and wanted to push harder. I still can't run consistently well but my progress was exponential, fast and very rewarding to see. One time I ran for 75 minutes without walking.

RebaRamBam · 03-07-2012, 12:25 PM

It has worked for me! I have moved on a few weeks early because I just finished a 5k race and I would like to start training for 10k. I still need to take walking breaks but I can easily run 15-20 minutes without stopping and when I started c25k I couldn't even finish the first day! I liked it because I need structure so following a specific plan was great for me. I couldn't have done it on my own.

leighish · 03-07-2012, 01:45 PM

It worked well for me in the past, but I found myself struggling once I hit week 5. In hindsight I wish I would have stuck it out, instead of giving up. I'm seriously thinking of restarting it again. I'll have to see if I can find my podcast again.

Princess of the KING · 03-07-2012, 03:25 PM

I'm in week two and love it so far!

vkhRN07 · 03-07-2012, 04:35 PM

Well, today was my second day of it. I am not really following the plan as its written, but I am trying. Today I got up to the first 10 minutes of running one minute and walking a minute and 30 seconds. Then I heard my left hip crack really loud and started hurting! So I turned around and walked the mile back to my car. My hip is feeling better now but man those first 10 munger were HARD! I wonder if my body is even meant to be a runner :-(. I am so so so sore today. I'm gonna take a break from it tomorrow and start up again Friday. I won't give up yet, but I sure am discouraged so far! But the comment about repeating weeks made me feel better. I won't give up this easy.

RebaRamBam · 03-07-2012, 05:18 PM

Don't feel discouraged! Originally I tried to start in June or July. Well I gave up because I was so out of shape but I started walking every day in August and finally in October I was actually able to finish the week one routine! I was so happy! It took me weeks and weeks to move on to the next weeks. My body needed a lot of time to adjust to running. So here I am 5 months later and I just ran my first race over the weekend. I was on week 7 I believe. Don't worry about taking your time at first! Once I got past the first few weeks I progressed a lot faster. Good luck and don't give up!

seagirl · 03-07-2012, 05:27 PM

If it's hard, don't give up!! Run slower, walk more, repeat days, repeat weeks but never ever ever give up.

LEESE · 03-07-2012, 06:40 PM

I did day 1 of wk 1 today !

I tried it a few yrs ago and stopped about day 6 cause of back issues.

lobon · 03-07-2012, 07:15 PM

its great, just stick with it. I went literally from the couch to now running as much as 6 miles straight. I kept logs of all my workouts during c25k and its awesome to go back and read about how hard I thought those workouts were and see how far i've come. If you struggle with a week, just go back and do the week before again or modify something in between for a week.

vkhRN07 · 03-07-2012, 11:30 PM

You guys are inspiring! Thanks so much! I have ALWAYS wanted to be a runner but am just now getting into it. I won't give up!