It's been raining really hard here and I've been really busy and I've used that as an excuse to not run for 4 days. Today I'm finally going for W6D3.

Scarlett, you're making great progress and you're actually catching up to me. 2 miles in 22 minutes? Wow! You're way faster than I am! Thank you for your shoe advice. I don't think I'll be buying any shoes right now, I can't really afford any at the moment. Maybe I'll get some for myself for Christmas instead, maybe I've finished C25K by then.

Beachy160, thanks for your advice on the shoes as well! Congratulations on buying some new ones for yourself, how do they feel? Are they helping your shins and calves any? I agree with Scarlett, the first 4 weeks are the worst!

The app I use (c25k free by Zenlabs) sometimes plays tricks on me. If someone calls it stops the timer and even if I hang up without answering it won't start it again. I was wondering when my run was going to end once and ended up running a few minutes longer than I should have, before realizing what had happened. It has done other things too. Like, about half the time it just won't remember I completed a run when I start it up again. That's frustrating but at least you can skip through an exercise using the little arrow thingies to complete it again.

I hope you can find a level area somewhere that isn't a busy road. It would be awful if you got hit by a drunk driver or someone who's still half-asleep going to work!

You're right about me being in my 20s, I'm 28.

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You're both doing so great! I need to get back on the wagon and quit slacking and making excuses!

Edit: Yay! I managed to do W6D3 despite not running for 4 days. I was a bit worried I wouldn't make it, but it went pretty well!

You're doing great Beachy160! You almost have week 3 wrapped up already! I'm still slacking but I'm going to keep posting here to keep myself accountable. We got some snow already (just a tiny bit) and I've been using the cold weather as an excuse to not go run this time.

I'm happy to hear your new shoes help you! Yay! I'm glad you found a new trail that hopefully is a bit more level. You're walking crazy distances in addition to running, wow! It is I who bow to you!

I run 3 apps on my Android phone too. Map My Run, Spotify and c25k free. They tend to work pretty well together, but I'm kind of not using Map My Run anymore because I noticed it is actually a bit off when it comes to measuring distance. I ran a trail that has been measured to be 3.5 km (2.2 mi) but Map My Run claimed I only ran 3.16 km (2 mi), so that's almost 10% off, which is quite a bit. I decided to test it on some road segments and checked in Google Maps and it was even more off compared to Google's measurements. I think maybe Map My Run doesn't take elevation changes into account, because where I'm running it's all ups and downs and it's the only explanation I could come up with.

Good luck with W3D3 on the new trail today! You can do it! You've motivated me to go out into the freezing weather and 40 mph winds to try W7D1 today. If I don't return it's because I froze to death! Cold and I have a love/hate relationship; I love the snow, but hate the cold.

Edit: I made it! Running for 25 minutes felt easier than I expected, especially considering the weather! I was mostly lost in my mind enjoying the music and thinking about things and suddenly my c25k lady told me to stop running. I also thought about you and Scarlett and realized our stats are incredibly similar (5'8 to 5'10, 210 - 230 lbs), which I thought is pretty awesome. We're the three fat chicks of the c25k thread! I think running made me a bit silly today.

Beachy160, thanks! You're amazing! Just C25k alone feels like a lot for me to handle, but you're out there walking crazy distances at a fast pace and moving and everything at the same time! I'm glad you didn't have issues with your legs this time, that's awesome! I can hear W4D1 shaking in its boots all the way over here.

The deer thing was funny! We have some deer here as well, but they're very shy and I can't imagine getting anywhere near that close to them. I've seen a few hares during my runs but nothing bigger than that, and quite frankly the only bigger thing I'd want to see is deer. The other big things that live here are moose (which can be dangerous) and the occasional wolf, bear or lynx. I'm pretty sure my speed would improve significantly if I saw one of those.

I agree about the snow, it can be a pain in the butt when jogging and especially so when it melts then freezes again. I'm not sure what I'm going to do when that starts happening, I can't afford a gym membership and I hate treadmills too, they're so boring! I live in a small town and we only have one indoor track which is a mere 200 foot long and I'd feel really stupid running around that for 30 minutes! Oh well, the long term forecast said we'd have a snow free winter again this year, so I'm counting on that. I still want snow for Christmas, though!

I think you may be right about the GPS thing, since I keep the phone in my pocket all the time it might not have a good enough signal. That could be why it doesn't show the correct distance in my case as well. Hope it works better for you when you try out the other trails.

My weight loss has completely stalled since I started C25k, I think I need to take a look at my calorie intake. I don't follow any specific diet, just eat until I'm content (rather than super full) when I'm hungry, without too many unnecessary snacks in-between meals. I've probably switched to too unhealthy foods.

I just completed W7D2 and it was a pain, and now I think I know why some days seem much harder than others. Today we had 99% to 100% relative humidity like the last time I had a really hard time, plus the temperature increased a whole 15ºF over night (from ~35ºF to 50ºF) making it (relatively speaking) hot and humid now that my body was getting used to 70% humidity and cooler air. I live in a really humid place so 70% is actually relatively low, it rarely goes under 60% here. I think the high humidity makes it hard to breathe and sweat doesn't evaporate at all either, making me feel really hot even in this relatively cold weather.

Next time I'll know to check the weather report so I can be better prepared.

Beachy, thank you! I don't think Finland's a humid place in general, but I live on a peninsula which is kind of the Florida of Finland, minus the palm trees. We get crazy weather, especially this time of year! Plus hot and humid summers (85ºF - 90ºF, 70% - 100% humidity, rarely goes below 70% at all in the summer) so I hear you on being miserable all summer. I can imagine it gets even hotter where you live, unless you live in some state way up North.

It's a good idea to give your body some rest, I know how exhausting traveling can be. Good luck with week 4 tomorrow!

I completed W6D2 today after not running for 5 days. This crazy week included 3 straight days of rain, a full day family trip, TOM, horrendous eating, too much boozing and some general sluggishness. It took all sorts of energy to drag myself out today but I got threw the workout. I felt a bit uneasy jogging but I took it slow and steady. I surprised myself by finishing the intervals. I need to prepare for my race next Saturday. This is pretty much exactly what RunningWild was going through a few days ago . I think you’re like my twin. We have similar stats (like you said). I’m also 28 and my weight loss also stalled once I started C25K a month ago. I lost 10 pounds during the 2-3 weeks before I started and really haven’t managed to move the scale since. I think my metabolism slowed as I got older. I used to be able to sort of watch what I eat and lose a pound or 2 per week. I think I’m going to have to be much stricter in order to get my weight down. I also need to get more serious about working on my career. I’m spending this Sunday trying to get organized so that I can have a productive week.

Beachy: You got the workout in, the details don't matter. Good Job!!

I re-did W6D2 today. I barely finished the second 10 min interval. I'm still recovering from those 5 days off. If I feel up to it, I will attempt W6D3 tomorrow (ie 2.25 miles). If I feel sluggish tomorrow I may do W6D2 one more time.

W7D3 is in the bag! Looks like Thursday's going to be W8D1 with 28 minutes of running, I'm getting close to finishing this thing! I never thought I'd ever get this far and I'm not sure I could have done it without this thread and especially you two; Beachy and Scarlett. Thanks for being awesome!

Scarlett, way to go getting back to running after the break, twin! About your last run: your posts were only 28 hours apart (which doesn't necessarily mean anything), did you give yourself enough rest between the runs? I try to give myself a full 48 hours of rest between runs, I don't think I could do this with any less rest than that! Don't burn yourself out before your run on Saturday! I'd really recommend getting two days of rest before the run, just to really be in the best possible form. It helped me get started with new weeks before I messed up my rhythm with that little 4-day break.

I wonder what's up with the weight loss stall after starting C25k since we all seem to be experiencing it. Maybe we're building muscle at the same pace we're burning fat? I'm going to go with that and expect a huge whoosh in a month or so.

Beachy, I think I only let you borrow the humid weather for a day, it came right back today (of course it did, today was a run day)! This time I remembered to check the weather before going outside so I was prepared. I only wore a t-shirt under a windbreaker and was still sweating like crazy and sounding like a rhino too.

I never thought about it but you're right, the "you are half way" prompts always occurred when you were supposed to run for the first three weeks. It happens a lot in the middle of walking periods from now on, and later when you run 20 minutes or more in one go it happens in the middle of runs too! I'd definitely call W4D1 complete, especially considering the fact that you ran two 5 minute intervals which I think is the most important thing.

Thanks RunningWild

I sort of completed W6D3 tonight (2.25 miles). I mapped out a 2.3 mile course on google maps but pooped out 2 blocks short of the finish. I did jog for 22 min though, so time wise I finished the run. I live in a nice area by the water and I jogged tonight right as the sun started to set. It was a very calming enjoyable run. I’ve been feeling very stressed lately and the running provides a nice antidote.

I typically run 4-5 times per week. I also listen to my body and if I feel overly sore, I take an extra day. So far, I have felt pretty good at this pace. I think the recent issues are more related to taking 5 days off and eating/drinking a little too much this past week. I’m taking tomorrow off then I will try the 2.25 miles again on Thursday. Then I plan to take Friday off and do my race on Saturday. I’m actually very excited about the race. I ran a bunch of these fun little local 5ks before I stopped running. It feels good to be getting back into them.

You guys are doing great! Sorry, I haven't been checking in, I finished tonight week 8 day 3! I'm here to tell you, you can do it!! I did it by the time, I'd like to work on my speed, but I really think I'll need to work up to 45 minutes to run a 5k.

It's funny, Beachy you mentioned how tough 5 minutes is, I remember thinking there's nothing like having to run 10 minutes to make 5 minutes seem easy...I also have to run uphill as I live on a hill, so either way I go is down for a bit and then up to get home...I figure it's building strength. I just read your post again and saw another similarity, I feel like I can walk faster than I can jog, but I have to say I've been walking a lot longer than I've been jogging, so I need to give myself some slack I guess.

I mostly breathe through my mouth, but try to take some breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth to get some oxygen into the muscles, I started out really bad shallow breathing, my DH always tells me make sure you breathe so your muscles get that oxygen they need, whether running, hiking, whatever.

I wish you guys all the best, it's a great thing to do, I did it last year, and hope to stick with it through the winter, I'll have to go on the treadmill now that the time is going to change, it was dark coming home tonight, but if I don't keep up with it, I'll just do it again next year, in the spring instead of the fall this time though.

I'm curious, I did the zen labs c25k, I think there's another one, or is that the only one??

Anyway, I thought I'd throw in that I'm going to be 52 in a few days, so don't think you're too old to do it, again, you're doing great!!

I completed W8D1 today! I took a different route because my previous route was too short for 28 minutes of running, but I ended up regretting that decision because the new route has a lot more ups and downs!

Scarlett, way to go on running W6D3, you're soo much faster than me! Running provides good stress relief for me too, and your place to run sounds magical. I run mostly on sidewalks and about a mile on a path through the forest where I have to dodge people walking their dogs in the morning. You run a lot! Wow! I'm feeling real lazy here with you running that much and Beachy walking long distances every day.

Good luck with the 5K on Saturday, I can't wait to hear about it!

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Beachy, Thanks! WTG finishing W4D2! A couple more weeks and you'll be out of those terrible weeks where you're forced to stop and start all the time, I'm enjoying it a lot more now that I don't have to worry about how much longer I have to go for. I'm just getting lost in thought, putting one foot in front of the other until I'm told to stop. I reach a point where I'm in maximum agony about half of a mile in (about 7 minutes), then it slowly actually gets easier and easier until I'm about 20 minutes in at which point I slowly start feeling more and more exhausted. It's nothing I can't handle and I could actually run for 30 minutes already if I wanted to, but I like progressing through the program.

I'll definitely keep posting when I've finished the program. I'll also join the C25k graduates thread someone started a while ago if it's at all active anymore. I'm going to stick with 30 minutes at least until my speed is good enough that I can actually run a 5K in 30 minutes, and that's probably going to take some time! If I work real hard maybe I'll get there by Christmas 2015! Sounds like I'm jogging at about the same speed as you are, in relation to my walking speed. I haven't actually measured how much faster I go when jogging than when walking, but a third sounds about right.

Apropos weight loss, I finally lost some friggin' weight! Woo hoo! I'm down a whole pound in 8 weeks. I'll happily take that though, and hope the trend continues. I'd love to finally get to that ever elusive Onederland I've been hearing so much about! Way to go getting too small for your jeans*! I haven't been actually measuring, but I think I've lost some fat during my stall because my pants have become loser and I bought a new parka just yesterday that was a size smaller than my previous one. Sometimes the sizes vary dramatically though, so I don't really know if that means anything.

Today the weather was a bit nicer at 45ºF and 85% humidity, with sunshine and 20 mph winds. I was still sweating like crazy but at least I could breathe. I hope your weather cools down and your humidity drops too! I always run in the morning, I can't run too late I'm too excited to fall asleep at night. Just look at these silly posts I write when I get home from a run! I breathe through my mouth while running, because my nose always gets really stuffy! I don't know if it's the humidity or the cold or what, but breathing through my nose would be impossible. I make sure my breaths aren't too shallow and that I don't start to hyperventilate, but mostly I don't really focus on it when I get into the rhythm of things about half a mile in.

* Writing that made that song from the 90s; Right Said Fred - I'm Too Sexy pop into my head out of nowhere! I guess we're getting too sexy for our old clothes! I think running may prove detrimental to my mental health.

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kelijpa, thank you and welcome back! I'm happy to hear that you've been running even if you haven't been posting, and you're almost done with the program! You go girl! I'll also be working on my speed when I finish, I think I'm at about 45 minutes for a 5k at the moment and would really like to work up to 30 minutes if at all possible. Good luck on the treadmill, I hear it's easier but I can't imagine running in place for 30 minutes or more! I guess that means I should do it, for the discipline.

I think Zen Labs just made the C25k app I use on my phone, but there are other apps and lots of podcasts (audio recordings) from different people. I just picked the first free app and ran with it (see what I did there?), and I'm quite happy with it so far except for some minor hiccups like timer freezing when people call, like I'm going to stop and talk on the phone!

in advance!

Edit: I just realized the Zen Labs app only has 8 weeks! I've always looked at a website that has 9 weeks to check what to expect! Congratulations on finishing the program again kelijpa! You rock!

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Well this post ended up humongous and I should probably be sent to jail for extensive smiley abuse. I hear orange is the new black though, so at least I'll be fashionable right?

I completed W6D3 this afternoon. I jogged 2.3 miles in 24 minutes. I find the beginning of these longer runs to be the most difficult. I start jogging and feel like “I am never going to be able to keep this up for 20+ min”. Afterwards, I sort of settle into the run. Then the workout is suddenly almost over. After C25K I want to work up to about 5 miles. In my area there is a nice mix of 5k and 5 mile races. I want to get to a place where I could do a 5 mile race at any time.

Beachy, You must have one long driveway. I would need about 20 trips around my driveway to run for 5 min. I know week 4 was where RunningWild and I both tended to struggle. You’re going to turn the corner soon. I wouldn’t worry about the details too much. Any day that you manage to drag yourself out running is a good day. You’re doing great!!! Also I breathe through my mouth too (not sure if this is good or bad though). I feel like I have more control over my breathing this way.

Kelijpa: Congrats on being almost done!!!

RunningWild: I specifically try to plan my routes though less busy areas of town for this reason. It’s not always easy though. Congrats on losing a pound and making it to week 8!! Maybe once this Halloween candy is gone, I can start losing again too . Hopefully we’ll all move on to a new thread soon.

Great job everyone, I'm going to try and get out again Sunday, the weather's supposed to be pretty nasty Saturday, tomorrow I'm going to visit my parents, plus I just about killed myself on the exercise bike tonight, cross training program...harder than I remembered

So there was a little article in my Health magazine that said running just 5 minutes a day decreases your risk of dying from heart disease, so there's another reason to keep at it. Don't know the science behind it, but that's what it said.

Beachy I hear you on the sweating/heating up fast, I went for a walk at lunch, it was about 45 degrees so I picked up the pace to get done faster and couldn't stop sweating once I came in for quite awhile I was also wondering how long your driveway is

RunningWild loved your long post, glad the post police didn't nab you!

Scarlett sounds like you have a nice pace going, I'm so slow, I think I might be doing that in 30 minutes.

Beachy, Thanks!! That's why I hated the early weeks and especially week 4. It pushes you to that point of agony and makes you stop and do it again!

Have you talked to your doctor about the hot flashes? They should prescribe you some estrogen replacement to combat the symptoms of menopause. I get hot & cold flashes when I get a cold and I can't imagine having that every night!

Scarlett, thank you! Congrats on completing W6D3 by distance this time! I agree with kelijpa, you have a real nice pace going! We don't celebrate Halloween here, which is a good thing or I'd have another excuse to stockpile candy.

kelijpa, thanks! What's your plan for Sunday? Are you going to increase the time you run or are you going to keep doing 30 minutes for a while?


Happy Halloween everybody!


I've been dying to use that smiley! It's so cute!

W8D2 is in the bag! I can't believe I'm about to finish this thing, when I started I thought I'd maybe stay motivated for a week or two. I tend to be extremely motivated when I start something new and then get bored with it after a while, something I'm trying to work on.

Beachy, you have quite the driveway, that's great! I wish I had a private place like that to run, too. I hope your hot flashes/night sweats won't get so bad you have to resort to yams! I think getting a prescription as a last resort is a good idea, and personally I prefer not to take any pills unless absolutely necessary.

I hope your back gets better! It's great that you're listening to your body and taking the weekend off!

Have a great weekend everyone!