I wondering if anyone can share some plans/ideas for running without doing C25k. I got up to week 5 of c25k before dropping out, and when I tried starting over again last week, it just didn't feel fun. I was doing the Ullrey podcasts and they just weren't motivating me.

My ultimate goal is to run a marathon, but that is waaaaaaaaaaaay off still.

Any tips/ideas??

Just vary your workouts... Not sure if you're running on a treadmill or as I like to call it a ''dreadmill'' because I find it soooo boring... when boredom hits I do intervals of high speed (HIIT) one minute all out one minute recovery ... or do intervals of inclines... When I'm outside I do the same, go from post to post, do a hill a few times... put different music on my i-pod...

When I started C25K, I listened to a lot of different podcasts for it. One of the most popular is Ullrey, but it is, imo, just about the worst. I use Chubby Jones; the music isn't always exactly what I'd pick myself and sometimes I just want to slap her and say, "Quit talking to me!" but overall I like it. If you have an iPhone (I think...might be some other i gadget) you can download an ap so that you can play your own music but a tone or something tells you when to change intervals. Google "Couch to 5K podcast" and explore what's out there!

AFTER C25K, there's lots of training programs such as Hal Higdon;s 8K or 10K or Half Marathon. (Someone I know who did the Boston Marathon this year suggested his programs for marathon training.)

I never did C25K and I am actually not a big fan of it except that it gets people started.

I picked a route that took me about 40 minutes to walk. And I would walk it and then I would pick a landmark like a lamppost and jog until I didnt feel like jogging anymore and then I would walk until I felt like jogging again etc. Most runs I would try to pick the same starting landmarks and go farther each time, but somedays I didnt and was totally random or did some other route.

When I got to the point that I was under 30 minutes I made the route longer.

As an aside - I am a big proponent of adding more walking to the C25K program. I think 20 minutes is a mighty short workout even for beginners and also that you will progress more quickly and with less injury if you extend your total time. (So if you were following C25K and their 20 minutes then I would add 15-20 minutes of just walking to the end).

I never did C25K either. I went to a track and ran (slowly!) the straights and walked the curves and kept adding a few meters to the run part and subtracting a few meters from the walk part.

I'm really impressed with people who can go out there and just run. I needed the structure of C25K. I would have just strolled around with a few half-hearted attempts at jogging and gotten bored in a week, or I would have gone to the other extreme and tried to do a mile on the first day and given up. C25K lets me know what to try and gives me goals to aim toward. Guess it depends on personality and knowledge of exercise/anatomy/physiology.

Thanks everyone! I'm outside on the road right now but will have to move inside to my dreadmill once it gets cold. When I started running to loose weight in my 20's, it was on a track and soooo easy.

When I do C25k, it usually ends up being 40 minutes becuase I do the program and then walk home, so walking is a bit less than 20 minutes.

I was really thinking about just doing what ennay suggested and jogging from point A to point B and then extending it as get better. That's similar to what I did on the track and eventually I was able to work up to running 2 miles.

I did week 2 of C25k today, just to do SOMETHING and I actually found it easier than week 1 becuase I could run a bit longer. Go figure. Later on this evening I'm going back out and I think I'll skip C25k and just run/walk as I please.

I've never done C25K--never even heard of it until after I was able to easily run a 5K.

When I first started running, I did the same sort of thing that ennay did. I mapped out a route through my neighborhood; the first time I ran it, I ran until I thought I was going to die, then I walked for a bit, then ran again until I thought I would die, then walked a bit, and just kept doing that until I got to the end. I remembered the landmarks where I had stopped and started running, so the next time I ran it, I tried to stop and start running in the same places. As I got better, I would try to run for longer and walk for less and eventually I made the route a little longer.

Now I don't run outside so much--problems with cramping in the summer when it is warm and knee problems--so I do most of my running indoors on the TM where I do HIIT. If I'm feeling good, I try to increase either my sprint pace or the incline, sometimes both. If I'm not feeling so good, I just concentrate on finishing . But when I'm feeling good, HIIT is one of the one of the most fun exercises I do.

When I do run outdoors, I generally run the same route and I try to beat my most recent time.

Really, with the right clothing there is very little cold that necessitates running indoors. Ice, yes. Snow....sometimes. Cold. rarely.

Cold, not so much but the dark and the ice is another thing for me. I have a hard time seeing at night and although people are supposed to shovel their sidewalks, many don't so there really isn't a good surface to run on. It definitely got me out of the habit of running and I'm having a little trouble getting back into it this year. I'm just now trying; of course I had to wail til the 100 degree weather hit! Arrrrggghhh!

I never did the C25K. I can't quite yet run for a full 5k. I can do about 2 miles, b/f I have to slow down, recover and then finish the 5k. I was looking over the C25K program and it looks good, but it seems to jump pretty quickly. It took me a lot longer to get to were I am (though, I am not always good about running 3 times a week like I would like to be).

I just did like PP said and jog to the next telephone pole... or jog to the next driveway. Then walk, then jog. And I just keep trying to push myself to go a little fast for a little longer.

I did 5 mins on the treadmill at 6mph on Friday! Whoo hoo!! That was a MAJOR accomplishment for me to be able to go that fast for that long.

I totally run outside in the cold. I can handle it until it gets down into single digits... then it is a bit rough. It is this 100 degree weather lately that I can't handle.

I didn't do the C25K program either. I run most of the time at a public park and I did what several others have said - starting mostly walking with a little running, gradually increased the running and decreased the walking, added distance over time. I did increase distance faster than was probably really wise...

I started with walking on my treadmill, then added lots of serious incline walks, then started with jogging/walking intervals.

After I could jog a complete mile, I started working on time vs. distance as I didn't feel super motivated by the number of miles.

A few weeks ago I got up the courage to go jogging outside with the expectation that I'd be walking by the time I hit the end of my block. I was sooooo wrong! I made it 1.5 miles outside in the beautiful morning air, and now I'm hooked on outdoor running.

I pick different routes & still focus on time vs. distance. I set up my IPod to play for 28 minutes (picked songs that are approx 4 minutes each) and just try to go for 6 of them (2 days ago, I made it through all 7 songs and 2.5 miles!). Then I come home & use mapmyrun.com to see how far I went, which is really cool.

I admit that it is still hard to make myself go out there. I'm embarassed by my form & how slow I am. I do not consider myself a runner (I live by marathoners & triatheletes). I've never been atheletic in my life & think I have a mental block about having even an ounce of atheletic ability.

BUT, the feeling I have when I am done is incredible. I am in such a great mood, tired, sweaty, and just feel alive! Of course I always wish I'd have done just a little more (faster, longer, etc.)...and that's what is making me go back out there again (well, and truthfully, because I want to be able to eat more).

I tried C25K a few years ago. A good program, but I don't think the podcasts existed, so tough to monitor. I like focusing on time - chart it & see how you can improve week to week.

Hope some of this helps.
Cheryl