[RememberHowToSmile]

I just wanted to share that I started the C5K program today. I’ve been considering for a few weeks now and decided today that I’m just going to do it. I told my sister that I want to be able to jog 5K and she look at me like I was nuts but I have confidence that I will be able to do it.

I was wondering if anyone is has done or is doing this program and if they had any suggestions.

[MariaMaria]

A bunch of chicks have done the C25K, and several are doing it now.
Come join us in the C25K thread in the Exercise forum!

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=99496

[LittleElectron]

I sort of have started doing it. My goal is to be able to jog a 5k, but I don't quite know what week to start in the program. I'll def. have to check out that thread.

[LaBonita]

I tried it, but it didn't last for very long for me. 30 minutes wasn't a long enough workout for me. Right now I'm doing a 5k training program off the Fitness Magazine web site, and each run/walk lasts about an hour, and you have days where you just walk 1-2 miles. This one has been working better for me....as I want to lose weight, and just 30 minutes a day wasn't cutting it for me. But I think it all boils down to personal preference!

[MariaMaria]

Start at the beginning, LittleElectron. If that's too easy, skip a week or two.

Which 5K program are you following, LaBonita? Most beginner programs do not have you out there doing intervals for an hour at a time.

[Nikaia]

True, most *beginner* programs won't have you doing that. But maybe she's not doing a beginner program? C25K is the absolute most basic beginning program, after all.

[LaBonita]

Well, the first week I would walk for 1 mile....that usually took me a little under 20 minutes. Then, every half-mile, I would run 2 minutes. So once I hit 1 mile, I ran for two minutes. Then walked until I hit 1.5 and ran for another 2 minutes and so on (I did this until I hit 3.5 miles, then walked another half-mile). On my 3rd run for the week, that changed to 3 minutes instead of 2 every half-mile.

Now this week, my first run was walk briskly 1.5 miles. Run 5 minutes, walk 5 minutes. Do this 3 times. Walk 1-2 miles. This took me a little over an hour. So in the beginning I'm walking much more than I'm running. But in all I'm hitting around the 5 mile mark. It progresses as you go on.

I found the program on the Fitness Magazine web site under "Workouts" and "Running". It said something like "Beginner's 5K Training Program". If you'd like the link, let me know!

And yes I agree with Nikaia that the C25K program is the most basic. I think it's really for people who have a tough time making it through a long workout, or for the time-crunched. But like I said, the C25K wasn't EXTREMELY easy for me...it was just that I wasn't losing the weight, and I wanted to challenge myself a bit more. And like I said, it's all about personal preference.