Couch to 5K- the first day of the rest of your life :)

[cinnamongreyhound]

Come and join us if you're thinking about starting, have started or have finished and are loving running! Lots of support, advice and general cheering on for everyone. Find the old thread here.

W9R2 done! I pushed myself a little harder again carrying on with my version of speed training. I tried running as fast as I could for 40 right foot strikes per song instead of 20 today and shaved a whole minute off my time today so very happy as I?m now running an average of 8kph (which according to MFP is the slowest running speed ).

cinnamon, I hope the leg lets you run again soon.

Well done Shewhojuggles! I agree. The plan is much more sensible than anything I?ve tried to devise for myself. I always pushed myself too hard too soon but couldn?t do it and gave up. This plan worked for me really well.

JH1967, I?ve got a minor obsession with making sure my iPod is charged up before I go out for fear of it cutting out on me.

Hello rusmum!

Ezzza, you're nearly there! What are you going to do next?

I totally agree about charging your iPod/whatever - I just can't run without something to listen to ad preferably someone encouraging me! How pathetic is that?

Well, I definitely shouldn't have run tonight I was in pain while running but ok until I stopped. Can now barely walk!! :( hoping some ibuprofen, heat, stretching and a good nights sleep will at least let me walk ok!

Sounds like you definitely need to rest that, cinnamon

I can't run without listening to music. I had something on my iPhone the other day that had a very long gap between tracks, and I realised all I could hear was my heavy breathing

I did my second run of week 8, a 28 minute run. MapMyRun has given me some dodgy statistics about it though, giving me a much faster pace than I ran on Monday. I don't think ran much faster today, so I'm taking that with a large pinch of salt.

Ouch cinnamon, I hope you're feeling better this morning. If it's a pulled muscle I'm not sure there's much more you can do beyond ibuprofen and rest and maybe some very gentle exercise (walking?) later.

QueenBIWI, I've found the same with RunKeeper telling me some days I'm much faster than others, but I wonder whether I'm just rubbish at knowing how fast I've been? There seems no logic behind what's a "good" and "bad" run, but as often I do the same route and I know the time is right, I can't see how the maths is wrong!

SarahWithAFringeOnTop, I plan to work on speed now as I'd like to be able to run 5k in under 30 minutes (initially). My park run PB is 39m03s at the moment.

So would I Ezzza! Not sure what my time is atm as I haven't done a measured 5K, but it's probably about 36 min only I don't seem to be getting any faster!

Sarah, I wasn't really either (well, I was a bit, but that had more to do with my injured ankle healing than anything else), so I decided, as I run around my 5k loop, to try running as fast as I can for a while at the beginning of each song that comes on my iPod and then slow down to a sustainable speed. At the moment I'm trying to increase the length of time I run faster. I've only done this twice so far but both times I shaved quite a bit of time off. I'm also quite pleased that the second time I did it I recovered more quickly after the fast runs and the dead slow shuffle I had to do to recover turned into a more normal jogging speed a bit sooner. I'm still experimenting with this a little bit. Not quite sure how far I'm going to be able to take it as ideally I'd like to be able to run 5k in under 30 minutes at a consistent pace rather than in spurts, but maybe this will help with increasing my 'sustainable' pace.

Don't you worry Ezzza mp3 will stay charged from now on. Legs recovered much better after second run, I'm hoping that it's not coz I misread the runs - will find out tomorrow :)

JH1967

That's good JH1967, I'm sure you didn't miss time them my first run was the only one I ached after.

Don't know if I already said but my first full 5K was in 34 mins, I slowly tried to beat myself and just tried to run faster when I felt ok and keep that pace as long as I could. After I joined the club I guess I was training for speed more with interval training and now I just really want to work on distance. Well actually RIGHT now I just want to be able to walk without a limp :(

My first 5k was also about 33 or 34 mins. I've slowly speeded up to about 28mins, on a good day 27 and a half mins. But I still have days where it takes me over 30. I am trying different things with my 'training'/runs now, then using the parkrun as a sort of time trial - me against the clock.

Ooh you're all so quick! Anyone a slow poke like me? My first 5k was 44mins (pre ankle injury but involved quite a lot of walking too). First 5k running all the way was 42m32s (post injury). Fastest time so far is 37m18s (running all the way).

How are you feeling now, cinnamon?

Completed week 1 ! Really want to stick with it! Which week did people start to find it easier? X

Interestingly, Babybeesmama, as the runs got longer I found it easier. Partly I think it's the programme. It really does help make you stronger. Plus, the realisation that it's as much about your head as it is about your ability to run!

I agree with that BIWI. And I am finding it easier to run for longer and longer, not faster. I just run for 45mins again tonight, about 7km. Running comfortably at 6mins30secs per km. I think I need to really push myself out of this comfort zone to improve my pace.

Congrats Babybeesmama.

Hiya I've got to week 6 of c25k before finding this thread but recently beginning to struggle instead of finding it easier . I'm running slower not faster (down to 6kmph instead of 7kmph). It's the final long run of the week that petrifies me, not sure how I managed last week's 20 mins! Yes I do; I went slower and slower!
Anybody got any tips or ideas what I might be doing wrong? Shall I just repeat this week?

hmmm yes repeat a week if you are struggling.

I am on wk 8 but actually run for longer as i run through the cool down and do 6.5km in about 38mins. I am doing couchto10k but the first 8 wks are the same as couchto5km.

Running three/four times a week and enjoying it which i never thought i would say about running!

Hello lovely ladies! I am back on this thread after a snow-induced pause. W1D3 yesterday morning and just loved being out in the fresh air. W2D1 tomorrow!

I am also trying to break a sugar addition (can't find the thread about this) - day 3 of no choc / cake / biscuits and the cravings are starting to subside. Yay.

I would say that slowing down isn't a big deal if your running for longer Hhhmmmmm think that's what w5r3 teaches you. You can run for 20 mins and regardless of speed you are running, I think w6 is about building on speed slightly but the whole plan is to get you running and I don't think you should worry about speed personally. You have to do what you feel is best for you. I started c25k jan and finished march, didn't do my first full 5k until June and really wouldn't say I actually enjoyed the run itself until July. I enjoyed some bits and the way I felt afterwards and the feeling that I could run but not most of the actual run itself. Now I love it and can't imagine my life without running.

Leg is better than this morning thanks BIWI but considerably more painful than before I ran yesterday :(

Well done fromheretomaternity, especially on the sugar

Thanks 5eggstremelychocaletymadeggs and cinnamongreyhound that's made me feel better. I will keep going and decide whether to repeat week six after I do the third run on sat and whether I collapse or not

fromheretomaternity I only just worked out the sugar thing recently (I think it was Easter that did it! So on my third day without all that stuff too and starting to feel better (also cutting out alcohol and caffeine and reducing carbs). Maybe we should start our own thread

There is a thread somewhere Hhmmmm!