CherryPie, Aimee and Mydearthing,

It's so great to read that the longer runs are possible! I've just done W3D1 this evening, and after finding weeks 1&2 pretty easy, even a 3 min run was mega tough today. But, this is the week I really start pushing myself exercise wise, so I added an extra 3 min jog/walk rep onto the end of the programme, and although it nearly killed me, felt great not to stop!

I'm still positively terrified of the long runs at the moment, but also kinda can't wait to get there!

Anyone else in week three at the mo? Would be great to have a running 'partner'!

Congratulations for starting! That is the first step.
Great progress to everyone who has worked hard and started the C25k program!


I know how hard it is. I am running 30 minutes right now, and hitting the 4 km mark. I have upped my speed from 4mph to 4.2mph. I am running a 15min mile right now, and I am trying to get up to that 5km. I seem stuck at the 4km mark for the last few months..probably because I am increasing my speed instead of focusing on distance. I hope to break the 5km mark in the next few weeks. I am working up to running a 5km race in May. I run on the treadmill right now, and hope to get outside in the next month after all the snow is gone.


Keep going ladies!

That's a good idea to start slow and do the week over if you feel like you have to. I found when I was starting that I did too much too soon and I was sore and tired. I stuck with week 4 for an extra week. I was 220 when I started running and I could feel that extra weight, but I really have noticed the six pound weight loss in my running. Hoping that the more running the more weight I will lose. I burn around 200-250 calories per run thus far.

This week I am getting fitted for running shoes. I have issues with shin splints so I am hoping this will help! This post has inspired me to get out there. I work with a girl who will be in the Boston Marathon and when she talks about her runner's high, I want to experience that so badly!

Good luck to all you guys.....and GL to me!

Oh my god!

I ran the full 5k today! I was only supposed to run 25 minutes, but then after it almost killing me on Sunday, when I reached the 25 minute mark I had hardly broken sweat, so decided to run for another 5. Then when I got to 30 minutes realised I was nearly at 5km, so kept running! I completed it in 36 minutes, about a 12 minute mile. I'm so excited/happy!

WOW!!! Impressive! Congratulations on making all the way through the program to 5K! The 25 minutes have darn near about killed me all three runs!

wow, I haven't been here for about a week and I'm so impressed with everyone. I started week 4 last Thursday, didn't think I could do it but I powered through. After going out of town and not running for 4 days I just finished my second week 4 run. Surprisingly I felt great and ran quite a bit further than I did on the first one. I can't believe how scared I was before, its not that difficult. I can't wait for week 5.

;)^Keep it up! That's good that you felt strong. Sometimes our bodies need the rest.

Congrats!That is so awesome! :carrot:


ShanIam: Good luck getting going! You won't regret it, because jogging is addictive! :)

---

A few days ago I increased my time to running 2.5 miles. I was pleased with that. Even if it takes me 45 mins to complete the 5km the first time, it doesn't matter to me. I can work on speed afterward. ;)

Week 7 conquered! :)

Well done to everyone keeping on track!

I'm having a bit of a bad week, I completed week 3 day 1 on monday, and planned to do days 2 and 3 on weds n Fri, but on Tues I did a massive workout and yesterday was in too much pain to do any exercise, and today it's even worse! I can barely walk! Have just given my legs a lovely long massage and rubbed in some tiger balm, I HAVE to be able to run tomorrow and Sunday, or the week goes down the drain, noooo!

Can you believe you made it this far? I cannot believe I did. 25 minutes seemed darn near impossible. 28 minutes still seems impossible, and that is just a day away.

After my run yesterday, I officially registered for my first 5K race. A friend has offered to run it with me. My boyfriend offered to bring my kids up and cheer me on and watch the St. Patrick's Day parade afterward. My sister wants to come. A big part of me though wants to do this on my own. It is personal to me. I began it thinking that if I can do this one difficult thing that I doubt myself capable of doing, then I can do anything.

Anyway, I am excited and nervous, and I want my first 5K race to be my actually first 5K ran, so I will be holding at 28 minutes running until the race in 10 days.

Hey everyone,

I just started a couch-to-5k program this week. I've never been much of a runner and a knee injury has kept me from it for a number of years, but I'm hoping by easing myself into it with this program I can heal my knee a bit (along with some knee-focused strength training).

I have a question for those of you who run on treadmills: How do you choose your speeds, both for walking and jogging? I kind of threw a dart at it the first day and walked at 3.7 mph and ran at 6.0 mph but I edged it up a little bit for workout 2 to 3.8 mph and 6.2 mph. I think I could even go a little faster than that next time, but I'm concerned for the longer intervals when I won't get such frequent rest. Did you need to decrease your running speed as the intervals got longer? Or did your body improve over time so you kept your speed consistent even for the longer distances?

Thanks for any input!

mydearthing -- Great job on your 5k -- congratulations!!!

So good to read how well people are getting on in the later weeks, I still can't quite believe that will ever be me!

I'm doing week three day two this evening, just trying to find my motivation! I'm behind this week due to hurting my foot and KILLING my leg muscles with a hardcore workout on Tuesday, both of these things stopped me working out on Weds n Thurs, so I need to get back into it today. I hate the lazy Friday feeling!

Well, on Monday day one of week three near on killed me! Today, day two of week three was, dare I say it, EASY! I ended up adding an extra 6minute run onto the end of it, I'm soooooo happy, when I think back to a month ago when even running for a minute was a complete challenge, I'm already seeing the results of the programme, just with along way to go!

I'm going to risk moving onto week 4 tomorrow or Sunday, and see how that goes, eeekkkkk!

Is anyone else out there around week 3 or 4??

Week 8, Day 1. Fail. It is the first run I have not completed. I ran about a mile and a half and just didn't have what it took this morning to finish. I feel like it is all in the mind. Nothing hurts, ya I am tired, I am out of breath, but I look at that clock and see 12 more minutes of running and think I just can't do this. Gotta break the mental barriers. So, I will repeat this day on Sunday.

So, it is still on my mind that I did not finish my run this morning. I feel like I have been hungry every moment of this week, insatiable, dissatisfied. I am wondering if this has anything to do with my lack of energy to complete the run this morning. I did have a KIND bar about two hours before the run, so I wasn't going on an empty stomach. I have eaten at the same range as I have been the past 8 weeks, perhaps 100 calories more per day because I was eating under my target. I have not lost more than a pound total in the past three weeks. I just don't know why I am so dang hungry and unenergetic this week.

I finished week 6 today. I can't believe I ran for 25 minutes!

Well done Ali G! I can't wait until I'm ready to take on the longer runs, scared but excited!

Aimee, sorry to hear you had your first 'fail' it was bound to happen at some point. Great to read you're not going to dwell on it though and keep going on. I hate those weeks of non-motivation, I actually find giving myself a treat day normally gets me right back on track!

Well, I woke up this morning (Sat) with barely an ache from yesterdays workout, so I'm going to push on after work and try out week 4 day one, will let you all know how it goes!

Good job Ali G!!

I'm moving to week 2 tomorrow -- can't wait!

Ouch, I just found out the hard way some of the c25k don'ts!

Today I've taught for six hours, n even though it's Saturday (my normal treat day) I ate within my 'rules' which meant a yogurt and special K at about 7.15am, then 4 hours running around teaching and a Thai noodle and veg dish for lunch at 1pm then teach for two more hours, before getting home at about 4, cleaning the bathroom, walking too and from the supermarket (20mins) shopping away, exhausted. I didn't want to leave my workout until later because I knew once I'd sat down I'd not be getting up again, and with tomorrow being way in day, I needed exercise. So, I did week4 day1, it was hard from the start, but blooming heck, by the last five minute run, I thought I was doing to die, wih two mins to go, I just had to blank my brain and try to keep going, at 1.20 I checked the time again and hoped for 10 secs left not over a minute, at that point, all I could do was keep telling myself it's mind over matter, I didn't need to stop, one minute out of my life, keep going. And I made it, just!

Now, a bottle of water and banana later, sitting under the fan, I'm feeling OK again.

Glad I learnt the lesson about running on empty at this stage rather than when the longer runs commence.

More than teaching me how to run, I'm going to be far more grateful with this program for teaching me how to keep going when pre c25k I'd have given up. It's given me belief, and it's proving I'm a can doer, rahter than an excuse maker.

Good luck to all running this weekend!

Sorry about your run! Please don't be disheartened, you've done amazingly to get this far, and everyone has bad days and weeks!

As for the feeling hungry, I'm probably the least qualified person on this forum to offer advice.. maybe more protein and wholewheat carbs early in the day to keep you fuelled? :?:

Just finished W5D3 -- the first 20 minutes run! It was HARD. I've been getting kind of cocky because the runs were getting easy for me, but this one kind of kicked my butt. The last 8 minutes or so were very tough and I really wanted to stop running.

I hate quitting though, so I kept going and I feel pretty fantastic now.

I can't imagine running 25 minutes in a week -- seriously in awe of aimeebell and ali g for killing week 6! Congrats ladies!

Hi everyone! Figured I would join the thread. I made it to week 8 of C25K in the fall of 2009 before life got in the way, but have picked it up again for another go. I finished week 5 day 2 yesterday, which means a 20 minute run tomorrow! I use Suz's podcasts & Nike+iPod (on my old iPod nano) together to keep track.

Which iPhone Apps do you ladies you? Can you use the apps along with Nike+ iPod?

Good luck everyone!

Week 8 day 1 today. I finished it, but it was a struggle. I felt really de-energised and my legs felt quite weak. I don't know why.. :( I had a bowl of porridge a few hours before I went out, so energy wise I should have been fine. Went for a fast (non-c25k) jog yesterday for 15 minutes, so it might have been the aftershock from that. Oh well, some days aren't as great as others I suppose.

shelflife: I use mapmyrun (it's free!) for my outdoor runs, as it tracks how far you go, time and pace quite accurately. Also have the c25k app, but I don't use it. :) Have no idea about Nike+? I'd imagine you could use it alongside other apps if it multitasks?

Today was a re-do of Week 8 Day 1 for me. I had a couple stops along the way but decided to keep going for a full 3 miles. I stopped to walk for 30 to 60 seconds three times during the run, then I was doing the five minute cool-down walk and decided a few minutes into that just to stretch it out to 3 miles and stepped it back up to running. Finished in 37 minutes and 25 seconds, slow, but I was aiming for less than 38 minutes, so I was satisfied.

Hi All,

Jennyjumpup, congrats on the first long run! As it creeps closer for me, next week! I'm getting less n less certain it'll be possible, but, gotta keep faith in the programme, and see what happens! Hope I can find a similar conviction to you, and just not stop running however hard it is!

Shelflife, good luck for the 20mins! Let us know how it goes!

Mydearthing, well done for week 8! Even better if you managed to complete even though your energy was low, awesome!

Aimee, wow to a full three miles, that's amazing! Now you can work on slowly increasing your time/taking out the walking intervals, but wow :)

On the talk of podcasts, I currently do the runs in front of the TV and watch whatever is on as I jog. However, as I get onto the longer runs, I think I need to make the transition to music so I can 'zone out' and just get teh longer runs done.

I found a podcast on the NHS website that I downloaded, and will be trying that out on Weds with week 4 day 3, if I don't like it, will defo be researching some of the one's you guys use.

I've just completed week 4 day2, and yet again the last 5 min run was really tough. But, I don't think it's genuinely tough on my lungs, heart or legs. Yeah my legs hurt a bit, yeah I'm sweating and reasonably out of breath, but nothing I can't handle. Just a mental barrier I need to cross, in my mind I don't and can't run for any distance, I've gotta break down that negativity and I'm sure it'll all get a lot easier!

Today's difficulty certainly wasn't helped by being quite dehydrated thanks too a few 'accidental' beers last night with the football and then a really really hot one today. So, I'm just happy I finished it, should be easier on Weds, I hope!

That jump to 20 minutes was very difficult. If I had more time before my race, I probably would have modified the program a bit.

I feel the same way, like it is hard, nearly impossible, but then I check myself, and yes I am sweaty, and yes I am out of breath, but nothing really hurts. The whole time I run I watch the clock, I shift between thinking I want to quit, can't take another minute, and giving myself pep talks, telling myself I can do anything for just 7 minutes, if in 5 more minutes, I want to quit, I can, then just 3 more minutes, one more minute. I feel like it is all a mental block for me. If I could just stop thinking, it would really help.

28 minutes of full, uninterrupted running today!!! 2.5 miles, my longest straight run yet. Week 8, Day 2, success!

Congrats to everyone making progress! The program is really awesome.

I just wanted to share that I hit the 5km mark today. I've been doing the C25K program which seems like forever, but I had to build up and sometimes I'd stop or not workout as consistent as I would have liked. Today I finished it in 44 minutes which is quite slow, but at least I finished. I'll work on my speed which I have found has come far from where i started.

I found that sometimes I had to stop with shin splints or pulled muscles, so I would rest for a bit. I also found that if I overdid it, I felt too tired to go the same distance my next run. It is a really fine line for running that can take time to work up to the 5km. So don't worry if You can't finish it in nine or ten weeks. Take the time you may need to repeat weeks if you are not comfortable. Keep going, ladies! The feeling of finishing a 5km is unbeatable. :)

AimeeBell, whoo hoo to your 2.5 miles, that's awesome, sooooo close to the big 5km mark now :D

Jojo - congrats on your 5km! And thanks also for your advise. I often feel like doing it more than every other day, or doing much longer than the programme says (more intervals), but then decide no, I should trust in the programme n follow the steps.

Well, I completed week 4 day 3 this evening, and am happy to report, as for the last two weeks, it was FAR easier than either day one or two, this pattern alone is giving me so much faith in the programme.

When I got to the end of the final 5 min interval tonight I still felt reasonable OK, so decided to keep going to 8 mins, and I could do it :) So, that's given me lots of belief that I'll manage week 5 too (well, the first two days at least!) A week today until that first 20 minutes non stop, already feeling excited/nervous, never thought running would have this impact on me!

A question, what exercise, if any, does everyone else here do to supplement the programme? I'm trying to exercise everyday at the moment, focusing mainly on cardio, but with some strength training too. I am quite conscious of what I do on my non-c25k days though, as I don't want it to leave me too tired/achy on running days. Any input on what you guys do will be great to read :)

In the beginning, I did not do any other exercise because I didn't want to wear myself out or hurt myself and mess up the C25K program. Now that I am feeling stronger, for the past two weeks, I have been doing running/walking intervals on the treadmill on my "off days." I started when the intervals phased out of the program. I change it up, some days I will add just a couple 2 or 3 minute runs at a higher speed than my normal speed, some I will run a 1/4 mile/walk a 1/4 mile. Whatever I feel like. When my 5K race is over on Sunday, I am considering doing the Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred in addition to the running. I hear it makes you pretty sore, so I didn't want to add it during my training.

@takingcontrol: I do the couch-to-5k program 3 days per week and weight training 3 days per week. On the seventh day I either don't work out or have a fun extra workout like Zumba or a sport.

Thanks takingcontrol and aimeebell for the encouragement after my first long run! It's gotten a little bit easier this week and tomorrow is my first 25 minute run -- I'm nervous, but also so excited. I can't believe I've made it this far.

I spend about 60 minutes on the elliptical on off-run days, and 30 minutes on the elliptical in advance of my run on run days. I will say that doing that kind of intense warm up has been a huge help for running. I've tried C25K in the past and always stopped far earlier than this because I've had terrible shin splints and sore quads. I haven't had any of that this time, and I credit it to the fact that I'm doing such a long warm up each time I run.

I'm also doing about two days of strength training (arms and core) each week, but not really intensely. I'd like to learn more and step that up a bit!

Finished the third day of week 8 today! :carrot: Starting week 9 on Sunday! I can't believe it's the last week. I've definately come so far from hardly being able to run 90 second intervals. :o

Congratulations mydearthing!
You're a couple of steps ahead of me, but it's so inspiring to hear other people are making it all the way through! Keep up the good work!

Mydearthing You're so nearly done, congratulations :) You'll have to keep coming back and cheering the rest of us on! What are your plans for when you're finished?

Thanks for the info on other exercise :) I do C25K Mon, Wed, Fri (maybe also do some strength training on these days too), and then on Tues, Thu, Sat try to do a mainly cardio workout, with some resistance training on two of the days, and a mainly strength training programme on the other day. Sunday is my rest day, when I normally head to the local pool and do a bit of swimming. I can't quite believe just how much my lifestyle has changed in the last couple of months, I couldn't imagine a life without exercise now! I can't wait to get lighter and fitter and be able to do more and more with myself :)

Week 5 day 1 just finished, was OK, I've gotta be brave and make the move from my living room out onto the track on Monday, no way I can do 20 mins straight running round my lounge, and I want a day practising outside before the big run, so Monday has to be the day!

Starting on Monday...Hope to get it done in eleven weeks (will be on vacay for a week or so)

Okay! I did the C25K Week 3, Day 1 workout this afternoon. I was scared as anything when I saw I had to run for 3 minutes straight, twice, but when I was doing it I just kept thinking to myself, 'okay, just two minutes left...is there any pain or discomfort that you can't stand for two more minutes?' then at 1 minute I'd look at the number and smile thinking, I'm 2/3's done, can't stop now'...that strategy helped. In the second 3 minute run I kept picturing myself running behind the running star from my elementary school, and keeping up with her. Couldn't do it when I was 10 or 11, but I can imagine it now!