Any Couch25K new starters?

[ASecretLemonadeDrinker]

I got abit fitter a while back (had a trainer), he moved away and I kept it up and jumped in at about week 4 or 5, but that was months ago now I really need to get fit for a job and lose at least 1 stone (ideally about 4!) Anyone want to start with me? Or are all the newbies jumping straight onto the massive thread? :)

well done and vanimal - almost there! I'm going to do week 9run3 tomorow - my that went quick... Need to think of a really good treat for achieving my goal - MASSIVE cake methinks!!

Hi - can I join in or am I too late? I am on week 5 - meant to be doing the first run this evening as long as dh gets home on time! A little apprehensive as I did find week 4 quite hard, ie at the end of the 5 mins I thought "cripes not sure I could do another 3 mins" but as my dh points out I seem to do this every week! VERY worried about the 20 mins on Sunday...
Can I ask a question? Do you run in ordinary trainers or do you have special running shoes? I see to be ok in trainers but do find my calves are painful whilel running and wondered whether better shoes would help? I have had the trainers for a LONG time....

Hello strandednomore, I am at the same level as you- I'll be doing wk6 again towards the end of this week. Please join in, it's a great motivator having this thread.

Week 5 was tough, but I have also found every week tough and thought I had reached my limit each time.

I have been running in some old trainers, but they have been fine. Having said that, my sore shins are making me re-think this at present. If you can afford to, I would go to a running shop and get your running gait analysed, and invest in some decent trainers to prevent injury. I intend to do this at some point

idealism - wooohooo! WELL DONE! Massive cake and perhaps some ?

I am wearing old but good quality trainers and they are fine. I found every week hard and thought I couldn't do it but every run I went out there and listened to the lovely Laura and did what she told me and felt awesome afterwards. I amazed myself and you will too!!

W6R1 - done :)

Ventured out this morning, and it was SO cold! Ran W6R1 again, to see if my shins liked it, and they did! Woohoo! Lots of stretching was the key, and it made my first run (5mins) seem so much easier.

I am loving running in the cold, and in the dark - it feels like I am running in secret cos no-one can really see me :)

strandednomore, I'll take back what I said about needing new trainers, as my legs are fine today in my old, good quality Nikes. I guess you could see how it goes, and if they become uncomfortable then you could go get some new ones?

febes, how is your triathalon training getting on you crazy woman?

Wolef, thanks again for the stretching tips, how are you finding week 8? 28 mins running is amazing, you are almost at the magic 30!

idealism good luck for W9r3 today, come and let us know how it feels to get there!

vanimal Glad you're enjoying the runs again and the stretching is still helping. IMO 'No Pain, No Gain' has limits

I've done W8R1 and found it quite enjoyable - I'm actually looking forward to W8R2 tomorrow, which even now seems kind of mad.

I looked at my route on MapMyRun and it looks as though I did about 4.5K in 28 minutes. So I'm still a bit off the magic sub-30 minutes 5K but not too far. My plan is to get through W9 and then spend a few weeks mixing steady runs with interval running at a faster pace, to get my aerobic wossname strong enough to run generally faster so as to make the magic sub-30min, then do the odd Parkrun and see how I do among a pack of scarily fit other runners.

idealism Did you do your W9R3 yet? How was it? Did you sprint the last 60 seconds in slow motion, in the style of Chariots of Fire?

DID IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Was smiling like a cheshire cat for whole run!! Totally determined to do it 3 times a week for next few weeks, then will see you guys on a graduates thread soon i hope! Did 5.03k in 30 mins, so not too bad!

My favourite running songs have been: Lisa Marie Exp - Keep on jumping, Jay z and Alicia - New York, Underworld - Scribble. My best moment - today. My worst moment - having to find a bush to do a wee behind in the forest! All time super proud moment - putting on my favourite skinny jeans and them feeling loose around my tum! GOOD LUCK GIRLS XXXXX

Well done you!!!!! Congratulations! And 5.03K is awesome - I'm a bit off that target yet, but hopefully in a few weeks I'll be there too...

WOOOOHOOOOO!!!!! Well done idealism, that is just fantastic! AND you mastered the 5k distance already, that is unheard of!

Don't leave the thread just yet, we'll have you as our motivation to finish too :)

Is it too early for ?

Yes - idealism - I demand that you stick around for a few weeks to give pep talks to those of us who are still puffing and panting along.

Oh - and meant to say earlier, welcome strandednomore ! We're all at different stages and cheering each other on

Hi - thanks for the welcome! I did week5R1 yesterday and although I found the middle run quite hard, I was fine with the third and could have gone on - which is good news as I think I have to do 8 mins tomorrow. I will stick with my old trainers for now, although see how serious I get! How many of you are going to keep going after the end of the nine weeks? I am nervous that I will give up!
More questions I'm afraid! Are you all losing weight? I haven't dared weigh myself as I don't want to be disappointed if my weight is the same or even....gulp! gone up. I am worried that I am not watching what I eat as I keep thinking it doesn't matter as I am doing more exercise that usual.
Also, now that it's getting colder have you thought about how to keep warm at the start of the run, especially hands? I can't imagine going out without gloves in the winter but once you get going it's going to be too hot to keep them on. Pockets I guess?
Finally any tips on measuring distance, apart from doing it on an online map?
Well done to all those who have completed good runs this week, idealism you must be really chuffed!

I'm not sure if I'm losing weight stranded but I'm definitely toning up. DP commented the other day that I definitely have more waist than I did when I started, and I have a couple of pairs of trousers that definitely feel less snug than they did. Probably doesn't need to be said but when you start exercising you gain muscle weight, and as muscle is heavier than fat you can seem to be gaining weight even if you're losing fat. So that's my excuse for preferring the jeans test to the weighing scales...

I've definitely noticed that since I started I crave protein more than I did. I'm eating more meat and less starch, which may well mean I end up losing weight by accident unless I just scoff cheese all the time

As for gloves, I haven't thought about that yet. Perhaps we could take the kindergarten approach and sew elastic to them, then thread them through our sleeves?

I have lost a stone since starting c25k but I'm a low carb diet as well and I've lost 5st 5 altogether but running has definately toned my thighs, bum and legs. I'm 13st 13 now so still overweight but really happy with my progress. I feel less wobbles when I run now compared to when I started. I am definately planning on keeping up the running when I finish this week. At least 2 or 3 runs a week mixed in with cycling and Jillian Michaels DVDs depending on work and kid commitments.
My triathlon has turned into a duathlon for the first 2 events as the pool is closed for maintenance this term. The first event is in 2 weeks on sunday It should be fine but I'm hoping for no wind!!! Its 1k run 10k cycle and 3k run

Urgh, w8r2 today. Was really hard. I slept badly, overslept my alarm but decided to go out anyway as I realised I'd feel even crappier if I missed out on that lovely post-run buzz. It was FREEZING when I started and I felt quite wheezy - then no sooner had I warmed up than my period started so I ran the last 15 minutes with horrible cramps.

But I did it!

Febes, am really impressed at your weight loss. Amazing! I'm aiming to drop a dress size over the next 6 months or so as I'm getting married next year and want to look my best. But it just doesn't work for me if I set a weight or appearance goal. I can only do lose weight by setting a fitness goal and shedding the spare tyre as a side effect. Odd, how the mind works

strandednomore are you me in disguise? I have not weighed myself since I started C25K in August, as I didn't want to be disappointed with any lack of weight loss. I still haven't dared to.

But I have gone down one belt size, and have had two people tell me I've lost weight. My jeans still fit the same, but I don't have the occasional too-tight days I used to have previously. The biggest benefit for me has been noticing the change in my fitness levels, and not feeling fat anymore, even though I am more or less the same size. My bum is definitely less wobbly tooh.

I was also eating more, thinking I can because I am exercising, but I have cut back down again and am trying to eat sensibly - same food, but slightly smaller portions, and cutting out snacks in the day when I can.

In terms of keeping warm - I have no idea! I was freezing when I began my run on Monday, and I am now dreading tomorrow's run - I run at 6.45am, and there was ice on my car windscreen at that time this morning! I am thinking of getting a running jacket, Aldi have an offer on running stuff at the moment, which ends today.

Mapping runs - I use mapmyrun.com, but they have an android app if you don't want to do it online.

Febes you are amazing, 5stone 5 is a fantastic loss, you must be feeling great. And good luck with the dualathon, I feel faint just thinking of all that exercise!

Wolef well done on period-running, it sucks. And congrats on your upcoming wedding, how exciting!

vanimal - thanks for those links, will have a look. I have previously lost weight on weightwatchers and it has really worked so I know if I did that and running it would be even better, but I am so sick of dieting! I think I must just try and be sensible and eat no cakes, no biscuits and smaller portions. I don't eat a massive amount but my weaknesses include picking at the dd's food while I am preparing it (have just had rather too much cheese that way) and eating their left-overs, as well as eating too many carbs.
Wolef - congrats on your run, and Febes brilliant congrats on your weight loss! Must feel like a real sense of achievement.
I did week5R2 today - two lots of 8 mins, which was fine but I honestly have no idea how I am going to do 20 mins straight next. It's a mental barrier, right? Tell me I can do it!

Strandednomore - you are me!

I have also lost weight on WW before, but really could not face doing it again. I felt like I needed a real change instead of just denying myself nice food for a few weeks, and then putting the weight back on afterwards.

I do eat quite big portions, but have changed what I eat (a bit!). I always have salad on my plate, and lots of it where possible. I then add a portion of food to my plate, but slightly smaller than I used to have. It works for me, I am usually really full after a meal because of the huge salad. I try to snack on fruit, or home-made rice crispie cakes where possible, and drink lots during the day - water, squash or tea.

I also pick off my DD's plates - in fact just yesterday I enjoyed half a baked potato with cheese this way. This is a tough one for me to break as I'm always starting to get hungry at around their dinner time.

But I do feel great finally doing some exercise and getting fitter week by week.

The 20 min run is definitely a psychological shift, and that is all. You can definitely do it. Just don't over think it, and go really slowly as Laura will tell you too :)

btw, the Aldi offer doesn't end today - they seem to keep it on the shelves till it all runs out. I went today - I had to visit 3 stores but got everything I wanted (running jacket, long-sleeved running top, a running vest-y thing and gloves).

stranded You probably haven't noticed, but as you've been getting fitter it takes less and less time to recover after a patch of running. So actually the change to not taking a break will be trivial for your body, even if it feels like a big deal in your mind.

Also it takes the first mile (10mins) to really warm up, so the first ten minutes always feels horrible. According to my marathoner brother this never changes, even when you're very fit. So you'll also find that even if the first ten minutes was grim, the second ten minutes amazingly isn't - and that feeling of needing to stop was in your mind, because your body was just getting going.

It was such a buzz the first time I did the 20 min run - don't be scared, just relax into it and enjoy the feeling of running comfortably having survived the first painful mile

vanimal - oh yes, all sounds so familiar! I love my food but I know I have to cut back or I won't lose the weight. Have been doing lots of home cooking recently and experimenting with new recipes, last night made a chicken curry using full fat coconut milk. It was delicious but it isn't going to help! I need to cut back the portions and keep the full fat meals for treats/weekends!
werewolef thanks for the encouragment. I will keep telling myself - it's all in my head, it's all in my head! Will do the run on Sunday so will try and post afterwards to let you know.

I just did run 1 week 9 so my first 30 min run. It went really well and I felt good but according to mapmyrun I only ran just over 4k! It was raining but I felt good the whole run and felt like I was keeping good pace but I'm not too worried about distance at this stage I'll keep plugging away and trying to reach the 5 k milestone.

Well done febes! I think stamina and endurance to actually get through the run are more important than how far you go at this stage. I am hoping to be able to run for 30 mins regularly, and will then start looking at improving times/distances after this. Good on you for doing it in the rain.

I did W6r2 this morning, and it was tough. It was 2 x 10 min runs, and really did not enjoy the first run, I was struggling from around 2 mins, but I did manage it. The second 10 min run was easier, I think maybe the cold has an effect, and I am properly warmed through by the second run.

I don't know what the next run is like, but I am guessing its a 25 min one, and I am really not sure I will manage it. But I am a stuck record, cos I say the same after every run!

Still feeling post-run smugness though :)

You will definately manage it Vanimal!! No more walk rests for you then!!!

W6r3 done! I just hobbled ran for 25 mins non-stop!

I did lots of stretching beforehand, so the first 5 min was do-able. I did struggle at the end.

When Laura suggested upping the pace for the last 60 secs, I was barely able to keep going at my super-slow pace and had very jelly legs by then.

But she did say I am officially a runner now!

Awesome vanimal!!! It doesn't matter how you get there as long as you get there!!
I did run 2 week 9 with DH yesterday morning and covered 4.79km according to mapmyrun for the running part. So I have now worked out a 5k route which I am going to run tomorrow as my final run of the programme- if I don't get to 5k in the 30mins I'll keep going. I reckon it will take me 32mins or so. Not bad for a complete (previous) non runner!! Then my aim for the next few weeks is to keep running the 5k to my own music and in a few weeks time myself to see if I'm getting quicker. I still find it really hard and have to talk myself out of stopping for a walk every run but I love the feeling of achievement afterwards.