May Starters for C25K
 

I was gonna start the C25K back in March but wasn't following the plan. Then I was gonna start in April and again was doing my own thing. I haven't progressed as much as I would like to doing it on my own so I guess it is time to buckle down and use the program like I should. Third time should be the charm. Who wants to join me?

I'll be with you.

I was going to start back in March, but my thyroid went all crazy again. It took until about a week ago to get me to a dose where I actually feel like a human being.

I actually tried starting on Tuesday. I only managed every other running interval, but I think if I move to the indoor track this afternoon it'll be a little better. They're in the middle of renovating the park so it switches from blacktop to gravel to packed dirt.

So I'm with you!

I'm hoping to come back down to the lower 48 from Alaska in September as a running/biking fiend.

I'm a moron. :dizzy: :crazy:I started this post this morning but a few short hours later I had forgotten it already. I planned on starting today but didn't remember until I was 45 minutes into my SS on the treadmill. I did run two short intervals and am hoping the kids cooperate enough that maybe I can get back on later.:crossed:

I'll be officially starting on Monday. This week is walking week to get ready for the big stuff.:D

:carrot:

Good luck to everyone! I'm starting Week 6 tomorrow. I can't believe I made it to Week 6!:carrot:

Hello! I'm so glad to see some of you just starting C25K! It's a great program.
Tonight I am going to finish Week 8! I have NEVER been a runner, and never run this far in my life. But I am doing it! And you can do it too. Just don't give up!

Good luck and happy trails to the starters! :carrot:

Finished W8D2 tonight - wow, had to break through a few mental blocks there to get myself going, but it was so worth it. By lap two I wasn't cold anymore, after another two my knees weren't aching, and even my day-long headache gave up nagging me towards the end. Running, the miracle cure? :p

Yay starters!!! Woohoo! Man is blue team well represented or what?

Hope y'all don't mind if we old timers shlep in here to continue our training. :D I did W7D1 today. It wasn't my favorite run ever :( but it didn't suck. The podcast BPM was a lot faster this week, so as a result I rounded my half-way mark a good 2-3 minutes before the halfway cue came. Too fast for me right now, but I did it! Woot!

Happy training everyone!

Hey all can I join you? I just started week 2 Day 1 this morning, but I have to tell you I am doing this on my elliptical, since my Doctors have banned me from real impact running. Since I am doing it differently, I will understand if you want me to bow out.

THANKS!
Kelly

I'm starting week 5 this week. Ima skeered of the 20 minute run, but I know I can do it!

I just started the other day, so today is Week 1, Day 2 for me.

I will be repeating week 1 next week. I can almost get through the whole thing, but I skipped 2 of the running intervals. So hopefully after this week I will be able to move on to week 2. I gotta push if I'm going to run a 5k this fall!!

Is it too late to join you? i've been needing some cardio motivation! Can't start until monday, as I'm working all weekend.

Welcome, new C25Kers! I hope you find it as addicting as I have. You'll be amazing yourselves in no time (yeah, so shoot me if I sound like an infomercial ;)

W8D2 today. I decided to run for the distance of 2.75 miles which ended up being just over 30 minutes for me, since I'm running more of a 11-ish minute mile pace. I can't believe that I ran for 30 minutes OR 2.75 miles, even if it is a "slow" pace. Eight weeks ago I could barely run the one minute intervals.

Happy :running:!

i started week 1 two weeks ago, but only went once the first week and twice last week. i've been using weather as an excuse, but secretly was glad it was raining lol. but i'm determined, so this week i'm gonna make myself run 3 times then move on to week 2.

does everyone move up to the next step each week? is it ok to do it in 2 week intervals? i have the worst lung capacity, since i was a teen. i get really short of breath if i push too hard too fast. that's what's always kept me from running. so i want to take it slow. i've done ok so far.

I've been doing C25k for a while too; I really really recommend it to all you guys who are thinking about doing it!

I did W6D3 today - 25 straight minutes of running! It was pretty tough, but probably because I was pushing the speed a bit. I did the first 20 minutes on 5.8 mph, and the last 5 minutes on 5.5 mph. It took lots of self-talk to get through it, but I made it! Its weird, I really look forward to running now, even though its hard.

Princess0113 - I'm sure repeating each week will be fine! Just take it as slow as you need to :)

Hi Everyone,
I just started too.
I had been doing HIIT but it was just too turbulent for me.
I just did the second session of the first week of the C25k program.
I'm using a speed of 5.5 for the jogging and 4.0 for the walking. Right now it's working out to be around 23 minutes for me because I have to allow for time for my treadmill to increase/decrease speed.
And I also do a full hour on the TM including the C25k program.
I'm sure I"ll have to cut back on the length of time as I do more jogging.
Today was fine though and I did 4 ab exercises as well and 20 4th step push ups. I'm also doing Wlifting on alternate days.
I used to be a runner and LOVED it; until I broke my leg ( not running, slipped on black ice in my driveway) a number of years ago.
So it would be wonderful if I could get back to 30 minutes of running.

I decided to do W8D3 this morning without a rest day in between. Not really sure why, I just felt like it. It took me 30:26 to get to the 2.75 mile mark. Here's to W9 and a whole new beginning of running by the end of next week!

I'm starting too. I did a test run of it last Monday and although I felt okay with jogging my heart rate was not alright so I just walked faster and I'm afraid its going to take me a few weeks to be able to jog those intervals so I'll keep repeating week 1 until I can jog or I can run through the program until I'm speed walking 3 miles and then start jogging. Which do you think is better way to go about it? I know I can do this I did a walk/jog program before and its such an amazing thing the body becomes capable of. :)

I've had a rough exercise week and after a great start I feel guilty and horrible for not getting my exercise that my body needs. I love the gym but can't afford to take my daughter with at $3 a day when I'm broke now as it is. When I get tax rebate I'll get caught up on bills and pay for her to go this month whenever its $10 for a whole month or $3 each time. Hopefully in the next couple weeks I'll get back working. I just finished school for medical assisting and had to stop my job to complete internship to finish that. While I'd love to use my degree(I did pay $5000 for it after grants) but I may have to take anything or check out my prior employment which did pay quite well and I loved listening to music all day there. :) hehe

Well enough rambling. I'm Melissa and looking to run or walk/jog a 1/2 marathon in at Disney but registration is closed and not sure I'm up for fund raising. :( So might wait and do a full the next year and look for shorter races along the way. Ultimately I'd love to run a marathon at Disney in the future. Along the way I need and want to lose around 130 lbs.

My goal is to stay on schedule this coming up week. It's the last week of finals (I had three last week and four coming up) and I can practically build a fort with the textbooks that are stacked around me.

So, study break = running around campus with the iPod. That's my mantra this week.

Hi all...
I started C25K on April 27, but will be repeating Week 1's sessions again this coming week. I am not a jogger / runner, so I'll be starting slow. My walk / jogs this week have all been in the 1.75 mile range, but that includes an additional 5 minutes of cool down walking. My shins hate me!

There is nothing wrong with repeating weeks. Everyone is at a different fitness/weight level, and that means longer training times for some. It's following the *idea* of C25K, where you gradually increase the time/distance you jog until you reach the desired level.

I do just the timed runs now, and then will work on getting the distance part down.
Today is W5D2 - so 8 minute jogs. I know I can do it. My 8 minute jog is about 1/2 a mile, not the 3/4 suggested in the workout - but that's okay.

I did w7d1 today - 25 minutes of straight running. I started out at 5.8 mph, bumped it up to 6.0 in the last 5 minutes, and 7.0 for the last minute.

This run was a lot better than my last; it went by much faster. I think its because I had better music to listen to.

Good luck everyone! You can do it!

W8D3 is done! I pushed myself for the first 25 min. and then barely had the power to finish the last three, but I made it through and I managed to improve my speed quite a bit - from 8 laps to 10, i.e. 2.5 miles. Not too bad! I did "intervals" of quarter laps - increasing the tempo on the straight parts of the track and switching to a slower pace in the bends.

Today I even managed to outrun a few people! Haaa! :)

I had started doing some intervals back in February before I knew what HIIT was. Then I was going to start the C25K in March and put it off. I still did intervals but never managed to make it more than 90 seconds or so. In April, I was able to get outside a few days and managed to get through some 2-2.5 minutes jogs. I haven't been able to break that barrier. I've done 60 minutes every day this last week walking and decided today was the day to get into this 5K training. I looked up the weeks and decided to jump right into week 3.

I did it!!!!:cp::dance::dancer::yes::cheer3:I ran for 3 minutes. I am in shock.

Hello I would love to join. I'm in W2D1 and need to be on an accountability thread. I've chosen a 5k to do in mid July. I'm fine with my food so my goal is to run off those last pesky pounds and get into that 2 piece this summer. Happy running.

yeah my shins hurt too! :( i've found it's not so bad if i stretch really well. problem is i tend to rush and don't stretch like i should.

is it better to stretch before or after? or both? i run in the morning before work so i don't have lots of time... well i would if i could get out of bed a little earlier but i don't see that happening. lol

Wow Bernerdoc! Good to see the program actually works! I'm not following the program religiously because some days my knees feel better than others, but even without following it exactly my progress is amazing! I'm up to W4 doing five minute jogging intervals, and I never thought I could run for that long! Keep going everybody! We can do it.

I'm not a professional but I do believe it is best to stretch after running when your muscles are still warm. Good shoes also do wonders.

Leah / Zinke:
Today, I stretched before and after and although my shins still hurt, they didn't hurt as much as the first few times. I don't know if that's due to the stretching or just because this is day 4 and I'm adapting. There's a short wall that separates the elliptical machines from the treadmills and I stood on it and stretched my calves (toes on the wall, heels down) and shins (heels on the wall, toes down). On Tuesday, I'll stretch farther and for a longer time and see if that helps more.
Leah, :lol:, I can't get out of bed any earlier either. I'm a night owl. I usually go to the gym between 10pm and 12am.

Hello c25k friends!

I am now in Week 9! I ran my first 30 minute run yesterday out in the sunshine! I am so stoked that I can run this long now. Unfortunately, I'm not running as FAR as the program suggests in that amount of time. But after I finish this week, I'm going to run a 5K which should take me about 40 minutes (at my 4.5 mph pace). Then I'm going to work on getting a little faster and improving my 5K time.
I NEVER thought I could do this! But I won't give up.

I've got a question. I've been doing c25k for a while now - I'm in week 7. I know the program says to only do 3 days a week of running, but do you think it'd be ok if I did about 5 days of running per week, even though I'm not done? I would run about the same 25-30 minute per day, just more often. Or is this a problem because my joints and muscles aren't ready for 5 days of running per week? I'm really starting to like running, and I find the elliptical quite boring now compared to running.

Shades, it's okay to run every day, if your legs can take it - but you really do need rest days. I would gradually add on. Start with 4 days for a while, then 5. You are still training, and it takes a long time for your body to get used to the running.

There are some people who run every single day. I wouldn't be going all out every day, but certainly you could vary how hard you push yourself.

W9D1 today. I discovered it's a BAD idea for me to eat in the few hours before I run so it was quite painful. Live and learn, I guess. I won't be doing that again anytime soon! I'll do D2 either tomorrow or Wednesday and likely not get to my last *official* day of C25K until Sunday since I've got a 1600+ mile drive Wednesday - Saturday.

I did W4D1 again today and almost made it through the set. I was supposed to jog 1/2 mile at the end, but came up about 1/8 short. Today was the first time I tried c25k outside because the weather has just started to get nice here in Michigan. Such a difference running outside. I had to push myself more and I think I ran slower than my 5.4 mile an hour pace at the gym, but it was easier to push myself to the end of an interval because I could visualize a place on the track to run toward.

I did w7d2 this morning (25 minutes of running again). It was kinda rough because I think I was a bit dehydrated or maybe I'm getting sick, so I turned the speed down to 5.5 mph (I was going to try 5.9 but it was too fast for today). I'm really glad I was able to finish it though.

Well, I started W6 yesterday. Surprisingly, it was a little tough. I thought it would be a piece of cake following the runs last week. Not so much. Anyway, W6D2 tomorrow.

As for stretching, I do it before and after.

Did W5D3 today. The 20 minute jog!! I actually got through it fine. Went about 1 3/8 miles, so that is around a 16-17 minute mile. Not too shabby. I could have gone further, so that is good to know with Week 6 on the horizon!! :eek:

I was supposed to do my W3D2 today but instead I spent 90 minutes raking the front yard and took the kids on a 50 minute walk. Try it tomorrow.