Couch to 5k- Cage your inner chimp and get started!

Have ordered the book Running Like a Girl as it has lots of good reviews on Amazon. Has anyone read it?

Was supposed to run today but weather is beyond awful. Wind and rain. Tomorrow is supposed to be better and I ran on Monday so this will be my two day break.

Cookbook?!!?! SO bad.

Stupid auto correct.

Wow, I'm on week 7 and haven't lost any weight. Didn't expect to really though with Christmas and all.

Really really want to go running tonight but the weather is cookbook bad. ;-(

Well done UsedTo. I love the feeling virtuous, but no way was I getting up this morning! It has been foul here today too, so glad to be indoors but I will be up early tomorrow morning to run before everyone else gets up. Week 5 run 2 for me tomorrow, feeling nervous but excited! After all the wine I drank last night, I will need a good run

Cinnamon I am well impressed with your weight loss, and even more with your keeping it off! That is where I have the most trouble. I am probably at least 15kg overweight, but would happily lose 10kg. I am having trouble though, even the running doesn't seem to be shifting anything atm . I think I'm just eating/drinking too much and lack the self-control to do anything properly. Maybe next week...

Happy new year fellow C25/10k ers

I was the first up in my house this morning and was on the treadmill bashing out a hard won 5k at 10am, despite a 2am bedtime [bleary]. Feel fantastic now though. Got home at around 12:15 and DH had only just got up , DD had been up for about 30mins and DS2 & his gf are still asleep. So I'm feeling quite smug virtuous.

Will the rest of you be running today? Have you already been out? The weather is foul here, I almost drowned going from the car to the gym doors so I wouldn't fancy a road run today!

35kg Cinnamon that is amazing! I think we need before and after pic

Thanks cinnamon and runrun for your inspiration Happy new year. I will be off the couch as soon as I have drunk up my champagne.

calendula you definitely can do it. I mentioned earlier in the thread but I finished chemo in July and I was so anaemic I couldn't walk round the block without getting breathless and feeling faint. I started out walking as much as I could. I got a pedometer and tried to increase my steps by 500 every few days - once I'd comfortably reached my previous target. Then I started taking 30 minute walks on the mornings I was planning to run, building up my speed to a power walk type speed. Then I started C25K, and it's taken me a little longer than eight weeks as I've had to miss a few runs due to illness, but I've now got one run left :) it's such a positive step, by the end of the programme you will have so much more confidence in your body and abilities, it feels fantastic!

No real tips to offer, apart from making sure you stretch afterwards. It might seem a bit silly when you're only running for a total of 8 minutes or so at first, but it's a good habit to get into and will help with flexibility and reducing achiness. For support, stick around on the thread, everyone is at different stages and I'm sure with New Year there will be lots of new people joining so you'll have some virtual running buddies

Thanks usedto

Calendula, yes! take your time. Repeat weeks if you need to. Go at your own pace, even if that pace means being overtaken by grannies (as an earlier poster said). You'll soon be jogging/running nonstop with the best of them.

Best of luck

I am size 22 and 40 kg overweight. I am pretty active but I don't run. 2014 is going to be a turning point for me. Does anyone have experience, tips or support to offer. Is C25K possible for someone like me?

Shiney, well done! With so many things to contend with, I'm impressed you're getting back out there. I run early in the morning too, but I'm guessing if you're on your own with the kids that might be hard?

RunRunRuby, wow, week 8. And well done on toning up! I haven't noticed any changes yet but I have been eating like a pig since I started so that probably doesn't help. New Year soon though and I promised myself I would get back on the low carb, which really worked for me early in the year.

Day off for me today and tomorrow, week 5 run 2 on Thursday. Bit concerned about 8 mins running but ' I CAN do it!'

What allfurcoat said. I used to be embarrassed that I would be seen running. Now I think - at least I am doing something even though I look like a sweaty mess.

Seems like you have a lot of issues to get over. But you have done it before and therefore can do it again. When I have done it before I found the earlier runs tougher with the stopping and starting compared to when you can run for longer periods of time. That is why when I restart I start on week 5 as you are nearer the longer runs. If that makes sense.

Thanks, I think til I finish c25k I'll aim to have a rest day between so my body has time to adjust and then see about adding in some more! Will probs either go for a walk or do a DVD in-between. Oddly though, if I go walking, I want to break into a run now!

shiney don't feel pathetic! You've got so much going on by the sounds of it! And even though you didn't do as much as you wanted today, you've done more than you would have done sitting on your bum! I've built up a bit of confidence about running now, but still tend to run either during the day when most people are at work or at dusk when I'm less likely to be seen! I did used to worry a lot that people would see me and laugh at the unfit woman huffing and puffing, but I've got to a stage where I just think fuck it, the majority of people that'll see me are either in their living rooms or in the car, I'm at a slight advantage to them ;)

Shiney it sounds like you have several things to contend with - anxiety, temperature and also the running, so it's understandable that you struggled a bit. But you've got this far and you are doing really well! And as you said you've done this once so you can do it again. Would it help to repeat one of the earlier runs that felt more manageable? If you repeat that a couple of times then that might boost your confidence and help you tackle the harder runs. You're absolutely not pathetic though :) if jogging in public bothers you, could you go out early in the morning when there are fewer people around? I go out soon after 7 and I only see the odd dog walker.

Wk 3 r3 done but only just and I feel totally pathetic. So many of you are running for ages and I can barely manage 5 sets of 3 minutes. In fact today, I didn't quite. I did 2 sets of 3 mins then 2 mins into my third set, got freaked by a horse that had been spooked by some traffic...totally threw me and I ended up walking for a minute, jogging for 2 mins, then walk for a minute before doing 2 further 3 min sets. I am on the 5k 101 programme.

I did graduate from the NHS one but stopped for 4 months and have really struggled to get back into exercise. I am single and after so many years with just me and the kids have a social phobia so anything beyond work and being with some. Good friends is tough for me...even going out jogging in public isn't easy as I am just so unfit.

It was my first in the rain run and I got over heated in my waterproof: I have Raynaulds so struggle to regulate my temperature anyway. I aim to keep going as I managed to do this once before but it is so damn tough :0(

allfurcoat everything I've read has said rest days are important between runs so I'd stick to three times a week, certainly to start with. It's good you're so enthusiastic but if you run too often you might get fed up or get an injury. You could do something a little gentler on other days, like walking, swimming or cycling. I'm planning to start walking on days I don't run as I find going out first thing really helps me wake up. Or you could do some strength training or yoga/Pilates as they would help with your running. Find what works for you :)

I did week 8 run 2 today, meant to be 29 mins running but only managed 19 mins before starting to get pains from my surgery, it happens sometimes but hasn't been a problem during running since first few weeks. I tried to restart running a few times but pain kept coming back so I just walked the rest instead. Feel a bit bummed out as I'm so excited about finishing the programme, but will go for week 8 run 3 next time anyway as I put my running tights on today I noticed that my thighs are definitely firmer! I hadn't expected to see improvements so quickly but it's extra motivation to go out in the dark and cold!

rugby I found the first week or two very tiring, it has definitely got easier. During the 1 min runs I thought I'd never cope with longer but each step up has been manageable. Do you stretch afterwards? That can help with achiness.

Cam I join in? I've somehow ended up entered for a 10k in the new year damn wine when I started out I struggled to run for a minute, then got a horrible virus and only just got back into it 2 weeks ago! I decided yesterday to give c25k a go and jumped in at week 5 and really surprised myself! Once I'd got my breathing sorted I felt like I could go on forever! I think it's definitely just as much mental as physical, when I got over the "I'll never manage this" stage and started thinking I can do it, it all seemed to click into place!

A quick question though, I've read conflicting things about whether it's best to just do 3 days a week or to do 5? My head's saying take it easy and slowly build up, but the part of me that's already managed to catch the bug is desperate to go out this afternoon! Would I be best to do something else today? I think part of it is me being worried I may be a little fragile tomorrow!

Well done rugby!! You've almost completed the first week, which is awesome. You will see progress, absolutely, and it feels so rewarding

solve, totally agree about the nhs music. I keep waiting for a good one, but no I do like Laura though.

Week 5 run 1 done today. Was better than I thought. I kept saying to my self 'I CAN do this' and it helped! 8 minutes of running next time. Yikes!

Can anyone explain the point of having 20m continuous running at the end of week 5 then going backwards in week 6 to intervals again? I find that odd