Thanks! A friend of mine is wanting to do what would be my first 5K 'run' at the end of the month. There's no doubt that I would not be able to run the whole thing (there would definitely be some walking involved!) but I just wonder how much of a shock to the system it would be. My running style is really more of a 'bounce-in-place' so I think it would take me much, much longer to complete a 5K for real rather than on a treadmill.

Hey everyone!

I am by no means experienced, but I can tell you my limited experience with c25k.

I started walking in May, started c25k mid-June. It took me til mid-September to finish the "8 week" course. I repeated at least 1 workout each week because I was concerned about my feet (plantar fasciitis) and knees (ACL surgery and chondromalacia). I run SLOW. My fastest time was yesterday - 40 minutes, 49 seconds to run 5k.

I was told to run as slow as possible at the beginning. If you can run slower, then you're running too fast. Seems to work for me - I've never had anything more than a little muscle soreness along the way.

I don't eat much before I run in the morning. I either have a hard boiled egg and a cheese stick, or a plain greek yogurt with 2 teaspoons of jam stirred in. Seems to be just enough to keep me going, but without feeling too full. In the summer, I took water on my run and took little sips if I got thirsty, but now that it's chilly out, I don't need it.

I've only run on the treadmill once - I was bored silly. I run outside - at least until it gets too cold out.

Hope this all helps! I'm still kind of surprised that I am able to run a 5k. I never really thought it was possible.

Go run, chicks!

I finished day two of 5k210k I'm enjoying the training so far, my shin is killing me but they were bothering me before I started 5k 2 10k .... Plus I went to a Halloween party on Friday and may took a spill on my knee doing the cabbage patch eeep hopefully I didnt damage myself too much

Starting intervals again after losing 60 pounds. My goal is to run a mile non stop within a 5 K. The last time I attempted I spent several months working up to about a half a mile non stop and reinjured my lower back. I am hoping NOT to do that again. I always go slow but still seem to reinjure my self.hoping to post here for inspiration.

I've started C25K for the 3rd time, I haven't made it past week 4. Not because I've quit per se but in both cases I moved halfway around the world and just never picked it up once I got settled in. The two previous times I've started the program I ran on a treadmill but I don't have one here and gym memberships in my town are really expensive so I've been doing it outside. Hopefully the cold won't stop me in the coming weeks. I really want to finish this time but I'm just going to take it one week at a time.

Good luck everyone and let's do this!!

Riddy--I had not heard that about running as slow as possible. I will definitely keep that in mind. So far I have set the treadmill on the fastest possible time I can walk (3.5--any faster than that and I have to jog it) and have pushed the jogging part as hard as I could. I started having shin split-type pain last week and have taken a few days off because of it. (Plus I was totally rocking the mummy-look with my Ace bandages for a couple days. lol) I think that if I backed off on the intensity of the jog I will do better long term.

Thedollylala--Congrats on starting the 5K210K. I love the idea of training for a 10K so that program is on my radar. Are you planning to go beyond a 10K at some point? Or are you just taking it as you go?

2Dy2MrwAlwys--Congrats on getting into week 2! I have the opposite problem sometimes where my breathing/heart rate is fine but my legs just can't go anymore. I'm starting this at a pretty high weight, though. I don't do a very good job of getting my water in when we're out either. I know I could drink out of the tap but I just don't. I actually need to go exchange our jugs soon. Thanks for the reminder. lol

Changergirl--This is my second go-round with C25K. I hurt myself in a fitness class last time and stopped right after doing the first run in the 4th week. I'm in week three now and have my fingers crossed that I make it through. lol We moved from Germany to California in 2010 and then from Cali back to Germany in 2011--I hear you on the adjustment period. It's rough! By the way, I spent a little bit of time around Taegu, South Korea several years ago. I didn't get to see as much as I would have liked but it's a beautiful country.

I hope everyone is having a great week!

Think layers and wicking material. There's some really great warm-weather gear out there.

I ran yesterday in 35 degrees and breezy. A wee bit chilly in my current clothes - wicking undies and long leggings, sports bra, wicking tee and wicking compression jacket. Next time it's that cold I'll try my wicking long sleeve shirt under the jacket. I did pretty good, though - ran the 5k in 41 minutes, kept running for 45 minutes, 3.41 miles total.

I'm thinking of trying the 10k app once I get tired of just running for 45 minutes at a time.

I'm going to attempt a run tomorrow, but I am SO skipping it if it's snowing out.

Hi ladies. Lots of silence on my end because it's been so nice outside that I've been riding my bike more and more, and not running as much. I tend to save running for the cold and crappy days (I actually like running in the cold but it's just miserable on the bike), and with our weather being awesome lately I haven't had much incentive to run. I am exercising though so all is not lost. It's supposed to be pretty bad the next few days so I'll be doing the week 2 runs soon.

Keep up the running! You guys are doing great.

I cannot handle the treadmill, which is probably why I "enjoy" running in the cold/crappy weather. It's the lesser of two evils and seems so much more preferable to the dreadmill. I get bored easily, practically fall off because I can't keep a consistent pace, and hate the thud sound I make with every step.

Anywhos, after a while you'll learn to love the cold. With enough layers, it's really fun.

I'm doing C210k so I'm also a bit different than everyone else. We're here to support each other going through a running plan so you are very welcome to join us!

What distance will you be running at when you finish your program? The options are to go longer or get faster. So either do a program that works to a longer distance or do yours again with hills and intervals mixed in (jog during the walking parts and sprint/run faster during the running parts).

As much as I mention liking running in crappy weather, I'm not a fan of rain so I have no good advice for you. You'll feel better once you're done? That's all I got.

A very very belated CONGRATS!!! I hope I can get to the hooked on running part you mention. A lot of people mention that it comes to them after several weeks of running so hopefully I'm on my way there.

Massive commiseration from my end. When I did this program last year, I couldn't get through one of the weeks and would just stop mid run and pout. Most of the time, I would literally have a debate with myself about how much I didn't want to run but how I needed to suck it up and do it. I'm sure people around me thought I was crazy.

It seems to be a normal thing to feel that way. Maybe you're just having an off week. The great thing is that you finished both of those runs, even if you had to stop during them. That's a point of pride and remind yourself of how far you've come. It's awesome that you're able to run so far for so long, and one or two stops shouldn't take away from that.

Perhaps have a little bit of food as you're getting dressed, like half of a banana, or the whole thing if you can handle it. I used to do that for swimming in the mornings, which I know isn't as jostling as running, but the little amount of nutrition helped me get through the hard workouts without the nausea I'd feel if I ate too much.