Hi all... have enjoyed hearing all about your experiences! I'm 20 and since November I've lost about 35 lbs (started at 330, now 295), I did it through mostly diet change. I just started exercising a good 2 hrs/day 6 days a week (bike and running) and I am on week 3 of Couch 2 5k. If this 295 lb person can do it... ANYONE... yes ANYONE... can do it. I just ran for 3 minutes with minimal discomfort. Holy balls the progress! Can't wait until next Sunday when I get to run for 5 minutes? Aye aye aye.

Glad to hear you're enjoying running. Congratulations on choosing a healthy lifestyle. Welcome to the running community.

There are clubs you can't belong to, neighborhoods you can't live in, schools you can't get into, but the roads are always open

Hi everyone!

Just wanted to share that I completed the 5K last night. "Technically" I've been done with C25K for a while now, time wise. But because I am a SLOOOWW runner I wasn't anywhere close to actually traveling 5K. For a while now I've been stuck at running 2.5 miles and feeling unable to go any farther.

Last night I pushed myself and ran 3 miles in about 43 minutes. I'm not sure why this was such an important number to get to, but it feels like a huge accomplishment!

Hi,
I'm pretty slow too but I started doing some fairly intense HIIT (high intensity interval training) a few months back with the hope that it would improve fat burning. An unintended benefit is that my speed has improved. On the treadmill, I warm up with a moderate 5-10 minute jog, then I vary fast and slow running. I run as fast as I can for 60 seconds, then down to a very slow jog for 60 seconds. I do 5 or 6 cycles of this and then another 5-10 minutes of jogging/cooldown for a total run of about 25-30 minutes. I do the fast running at 7.1 -7.3 mph or at least thats what I'm doing now, I keep getting faster. The other day on a traditional run on the treadmill I ran 5.1 mph for 10 minutes straight in the middle of a longer run which is a speed that a year ago I never thought I would have been able to do. I'm still slow as molasses in winter but at least its a milder winter.

How exciting that you're going to be in a race. I've never had the guts to enter one but now maybe I'll think about it. Keep running.

There are clubs you can't belong to, neighborhoods you can't live in, schools you can't get into, but the roads are always open.

Hi all! I see you are all doing well on the program. I had a death in the family and took a week off. I finished week 3 on the weekend and I'm afraid to start week 4, I looked at the preview and it scares the heck out of me to run for 5 minutes.

Can I get your opinions, should I repeat week 3 to better prepare myself, or just push myself and my boundaries and jump right in to week 4?

Sorry for your loss, Angie.

Just finished day 2 wk 1....good. I also am concerned about not running the whole 3 miles because I'm tracking time and not distance. But I am going to do the c25k twice (once indoors and once outside) before my first 5k and on the second one I will run for distance to ensure that I can complete it.

Well, I tried week 4, but I didn't make it. I just adjusted and ran for max 3 minutes...I couldn't even do 3 minutes twice in a row. I'm not sure why, but I did get a case of i can'ts and once that happened I just couldn't get past my aching calves. I did extra time, but just at a fast walk.

I'll re-evaluate tomorrow and see how I'm feeling. I am so daunted by this week that right now I'm wondering if I should just make doing 5k in shorter and shorter periods of time as my goal, or if I should redo week 3 and keep at this. Ugh, I think its a decision best made once I let a day or two go by.

I just did week 4 this morning. I wasn't running very fast, but I finished it... although in the first 5 minute run somehow I hit "pause" about 15 seconds in and didn't realize it for a bit.... which horrified me after I looked down to see how much was left. I seem to be just barely moving when I run, I do try to go, but my ankles hurt and I feel like all my jiggle (the god given and the earned) is going to jiggle right off (I wish). I feel like if I push any harder I'm not gonna make it through the run!! I also hate running when there are people out, I get really self conscious, but know I won't be the gasping chubby girl for long...

Angie - I think if you are struggling with the 3 minute runs you should repeat week 3 at least for a few days. Considering it is the "easy run" (ha) on week 4, it's good to keep on with week 3 until you feel really comfortable with them. Or you can push through and get rid of those "I CAN'T"S... I know on week 2 I thought it was the hardest thing ever, and now those 90 second runs are a joke, right?

I have my first 20-minute run today and I am daunted! I think I'll take it at 6.0 mph, about 0.2-0.7 mph slower than what I've been doing for the shorter intervals. I hope I can make it through!

Good luck! I am terrified of the 20 minute run, going to be next week already for me. Keep strong.

You will be amazed at what your body can do. When I started training for the marathon, the most I had ever run was 6 miles.

I was terrified of the 10 mile - I managed it.

I was terrified of the 12 mile - I managed it.

I was terrified of the 14, the 16, the 18 and the 21 mile runs - guess what - I managed all of them!!

I am also terrified of running 26.2 miles. But I sure as **** AM going to do it.

You CAN do this!

Just take your time and don't push yourself to go too fast. Take it at a nice gentle little trot, listen to some good music and you will be congratulating yourself before you know it.

It is amazing what the body can do... it's just a matter of taking it slow and being brave!

Hi,

I am on week one of the C25K, it stinks or rather I stink at running. Looking foward building my endurance because its a necessary evil.

I found they have a FB page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/C25Kplan

Hi all, long time no post! I wanted to give a quick update since I had some good news... I finished my first 5K on the treadmill yesterday!

When I started this program at the beginning of February, the week 1 runs were tough for me. I'm not sure I honestly believed I'd get to the point where I could run for 36 minutes (that's how long my 5K took... I'm not super fast!), but I did it!

Now that it's warmer out, I've tried to move my runs outside and have found it's more difficult for me. Less boring than running on a treadmill, for sure, but a lot harder on my body! I'm up to about 1.75 miles outside, so I'm going to spend the next few weeks until my first official 5K race on the 30th trying to work up to the 5K distance outside.

Thanks for all the support along the way!