W2D4 completed.
I felt tired...
Tomorrow is rest day, I feel good to have it. >.>

W2D2 done. Felt great! Only 2.2 mi...

Week 7 day 3 is finished. Week 7 is done. On to the 28 minute run! woo!

W1D3 completed again (will be repeating the whole first week next week too to really get a good handle on it!!) felt awesome!

I'm so excited to be running again.

W2D3 done. A bit scared of moving on to week 3...

Did W3D2 on Friday.

W8D1 DONE! Woohoo. 28 minutes running and I could have done 30 easily. I just have to make sure I pace myself :-)

MidnightRaven: I was scared before every single week. Believe me you can do it! The program is really well designed, if they say you are ready, you are! I never thought I can do the next day or week but I did. Try it! If you absolutely can't finish, fine. You tried it at least! Just repeat the day.

Had some extra energy, so thought I'd go back today and do W3D1 (even though I did W2D3 this morning).

It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought! I think running is a whole lot more mental than I realized.

Instead of doing the 5min cooldown, which I thought was silly because this one ends with a 3min walk already, I decided to see how much of the 5min I could job. I was able to do the whole 5 min! I did a bit of extra walking to cooldown after that, but I felt GREAT knowing that I was able to do that!

W2D1 down, not too bad.

:D

W3D1 completed.
felt great. I thought it finished way sooner than the last 2 previous weeks.
I'll run another 90 sec at the end of the last 3 minutes walking session before moving to 5 minutes cool down walk.
Or else I had to walk 8 minutes like today and I totally didnt like it at all.
And I'll move up my speed a little on the next running day. I was worried I might not last 3 minutes so I ran quite slow today.

Other than that, it was a great workout. I just couldn't wait till the day after tmr to run :D

Finished week 8 day 1! Woo. Not too hard at all.

Fwiw, I completely agree with Josey about being scared to move on each week or day, but always being ready and able to complete the next workout. Early on I told myself I would repeat a day as soon as I couldn't complete the next workout, but that I would always try the next workout before repeating one. I never had to repeat, so I really think the program is super well designed.

I just did the C25K--it was amazing--thought I would drop--I did my first run--I crossed the finish line--met my goal--still running--up to 45 min. trying to get up to an hour--what a great feeling it was

I am right behind you, or maybe in front of you? Catch me ;-)

Yup, don't repeat if you made it. I would only repeat if you can't finish. Actually never didn't make it. I was always able to finish. But it was tough, like really, really tough. I am just a lazy bum who doesn't like to do extra work (i.e. repeating).

I'm at Week 8 day 3. I'm losing my momentum! Also, I'm running on a treadmill and i tried to run outside (in the heat and humidity with a stroller, mind you) and I nearly DIED! Help!

I am running on a treadmill too. I want to wait until fall with running outside because of heat and mosquitos. Mostly mosquitos.
Why are you losing your momentum?

WOO!!! GO Josey and AnonymouslyYours! Week 8!

Last Thursday I did 1.5 miles in 15 min and have previously completed D3. I woke up the next day sore as heck, and took 3 days off. The past 3 days I ate really poorly and probably slept too much.

Today I kicked myself and got back on track. I attempted a 20 min jog but soon decided to kick it back down to D2. I couldn't even finish the that.

I doubt I lost that much in 3 days. I'll chock it up to a low energy day and crazy humidity. It's frustrating though :tantrum:

Don't give up Scarlett!! Some days, even weeks are tough! It will get better.

Foz don't run outside when it's miserable! I'd lose my momentum too!!!

W1D3 completed...again. I feel ready to move to week 2 but since I'm doing it with a group of girlfriends we want to do it all together. I'm thinking of maybe doing week 2 anyway and just repeating that a couple times. I feel ready to run more though, which is exciting!

I ran today again. So W3d2 completed.
My legs are burning :D I'm so happy.
But I definitely need tomorrow as a day off. :)
It's a wonderful feeling that I just cannot wait to run again.

W3D2 again today. Ran for the whole 5min cooldown at 5.2, then did a couple min of walking cooldown after. Feeling great!

Week 9 Day 1 done. 3 miles in 35:14. Two more to go! It was hard and yes, I walked some (because my kids were fighting, ugh) but I did it with a decent time, I think.

Finished week 8 day 2. Thought it was tougher than week 8 day 1, but I've been lifting a lot this week and am much more sore today than I was on Monday. Oh well, I completed it, which is all that matters.

Finished W3D3.

Today was tough... I was exhausted going into it, and it showed. I'll probably repeat this day a couple times, though I'm going to take a day or two off.

yesterday , I thought I would rest, but then I just couldn't wait to run so therefore I ran again :D w3d3 completed then.
I'm planning to run again today, but my legs seem to need to rest (especially knees). I'm experience little pain there.

W2D1 completed!! And not only that but I went jog/walking before the gym too, taking my pup out on a 25 minute "walk!" woohoo!!

W3D4 completed.
In the evening, my legs felt better so I tried to run, and i'm so glad i finished it without hurting my legs.
Tomorrow i'm going on a 3 days trip with my friends (to the beach), so probably no running for me there. Hopefully I will be able to swim alot. Argh but I don't have any swimsuit so borrowed one from my mom and not sure if i'll be able to rock that :)) they look just... :( and there's not enough time to go buy one >"<

Week 9 Day 2 done - only 1 more to go!

And your time is GREAT. That's a respectable time for people who've been jogging for a while, not just for finishing c25k. Good for you!

I'm still looking at about 43 minutes for a full 3.12 miles (~5k). I have to admit that when I see your speeds and times I get a little discouraged because I'm still so slooooooooooow. (Not to put that on you personally at all, I don't mean it like that.) But then I have to remember that I am still sitting at about 215 pounds and moving that much mass is a lot of work!

It really is incredible to think back to not that long ago when jogging 3 minutes straight seemed a near impossible task. So amazing.

Thank you so much!

It's been a l-o-n-g journey. I didn't start C25K, I just started running 1/4 mile, 1/2 mile, 3/4 mile, etc until now. I didn't record when I started this self-made program, but I would say sometime in March. And YES I remember when I felt accomplished that I could run for 3 minutes straight!! But I also remember being s-l-o-w. On 5/23 I posted on a thread I started that I FINALLY ran 2 miles at the breakneck pace of 32 minutes, lol. So, in the almost 8 weeks since then I can "almost" run 3 miles in that time after a total of 4 months of training.

Give yourself a break - you are doing great! Go at your own pace and eventually, like me, you will get there :)

Hello ladies! I'm on C25k and just destroyed W5D3 after a second attempt. :) I've got a couple of questions for you guys...

1. What gadgets are you using to measure your pace?

2. For those of you doing your workouts outside, have you sprinkled any treadmill workouts in there? There's a terrible and LONG heatwave due to arrive here, and I'm thinking it might be worth it to pay the $5 to run on a treadmill at the gym for the day. However, the last time I did C25k exclusively on a treadmill (even with a 1.0-1.5 incline) and tried to switch to outside, it was ridiculously harder. I've tried to stay away from treadmills ever since. Any thoughts?

Why are you even thinking about measuring your pace? Build distance/time OR pace, not both at the same time.

This is, to be clear, Running 101.

Did I say I was trying to build my pace? I didn't think I did.... This is, to be clear, Reading 101.

I'm not trying to build pace, I'd just like to know what it is. Honestly, I couldn't care less whether my pace is "fast" or "slow", but it would be nice to know.

Plus, if I know the pace at which I'm able to complete 20, 25, 28 or 30 minute runs, I will be able to set a realistic, attainable time goal for my upcoming 5k. The last 5k I did, I completed in 29:07. I'd like to be able to determine my current pace to see whether 29 minutes is a realistic goal for the race at the end of August. If it is, great; if it's not, then I'll adjust my goal.

I hope that answers your question sufficiently. Thank you for taking the time to help. :)

I run on an indoor track and measure for distance. I carry my phone in my hand and use the stopwatch feature to mark laps. When I am done it shows the time marked for each lap and the total time.

BTW - wow under 30 minutes for a 5K is fantastic. I hope to do it in under 40 in September (and I already am doing 3 miles in 35 minutes)

I HATE running on the treadmill because I don't always run at a constant pace, some laps I go faster/slower than others so I would be adjusting the treadmill all the time. I do have one at home to use in a pinch if I have to, but I don't like it. It is too hot to do outdoor runs (triple digits for weeks on end now) so it'll be interesting when I do get out there.

Thanks, NTexas! I got that time last July and over the winter, I slacked off on running. I did cross-country skiing instead because the roads were always packed with snow and I was too scared I'd fall - even with yaktrax! When the weather started to get better in March, I just never got back into it. Although now I wish I would have because building distance would be so much easier in late March/April weather than in this 115 heat index stuff!

I have a wrist watch with a stopwatch and whatnot, but I would kind of like one where I could glance down and it would give me a read out for my pace. (ex: 9:23/mi)

I'm with you on the treadmill - I never feel like it replicates actual running enough to use that exclusively for training for a road race. But if my choices for avoiding running in the heat are a treadmill or getting up at 5:00 am, I'll take the treadmill!

Finished week 8 today! Bring on week 9 and its 30 minute runs! :)

I love reading all your updates! I am so ready to try this, but I have to build up the gym properly first. So Ill probably start august 1st! Goodluck you all!

I did W4D1 today but couldn't finish it.
I couldn't run the 5 minutes ones - only able to manage 3 minutes running and then walk.
I'll redo it tomorrow.

Excessive Heat Warning here for the next entire WEEK! Temps in high 90's and Heat Index at 120's. UGH! I've been dragging myself out of bed at 8 AM for my runs and it's *still* freaking hot and sticky. The interval runs aren't too bad, but I've got my W6D3 run coming up on Thursday (25 mins) and hate having to battle the heat for the long runs. I usually can't finish on the first try (as with the 20 min run on W5D3) and it's a little frustrating. Hopefully I surprise myself this time though. I just keep telling myself that it will pay off when the weather gets cooler and the runs will be so much easier.

Hi - I'm new to this thread, and hoping for some advice.

I did W4D1 last night and was not able to complete it. This was the 1st day of the program I wasn't able to complete. I am exclusively using a treadmill. I currently walk at 3 mph and run at 5 mph, and have not had any issues up until this day of the program. I made it through the 1st 3 runs, but the last 5 minute run I ended up power walking at 4 mph.

When you don't make it through a day, do you just repeat until you can complete that day? Since week 4 is still the same routine for all 3 days, when I finally make it through the full run, should I do it 2 more times before I move on to the next day, or if I repeat it over 3 times before I can complete it, should I move on to the next week?

Also, any tips on eating for running days? We had a later dinner last night, and it was more protein heavy, and I was feeling almost sick to my stomach by the end of the last 3 minute run.

I eat South Beach, primairly Phase 3 maintenance, so I usually have 2-3 servings of a whole grain starch per day, combined with leaner protein and lots of vegetables, with a smaller amount of fruit. This has seemed to be enough carbs to give me the energy I have needed up until this point. When is the best time of day to eat my starches? I normally go to the gym at 7 pm, and dinner is usually around 5:30 pm. I'm more likely to skip a starch at dinner, and with it being summer grilling season, our meals have been leaning heavier on the protein side. Should I be eating a lighter dinner on running nights and getting my starches in closer to my run? Also, how much time do you give yourself between eating and running?

I need to get this figured out and find some good balance before getting into the longer runs, so thanks for any help you can provide!

When I can't get through an interval workout, I just repeat it. (However, when I couldn't get through the 20 minute run, I went back and repeated the interval workout prior to that and then took another crack at the sustained run.) I always make sure that I have each workout completed properly before I move on. So yeah...If I crashed and burned on my first crack at a week four run, I wouldn't count that as completing a day of the workout.

As far as eating goes, everyone is different. I watch my fiber intake before runs. If I eat high fiber foods even two before a run, I get terrible side stitches.