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.

I've been googling the whole heel/ball of foot thing, and it would seem that there is much dispute as to which is the best way.

However, as both my osteopath and my trainer have been very clear about not striking with the heel, that's the way I'm trying to run!

Just done final run of week 7 and it was really hard! Since week 3 or 4 I have been running on a treadmill and today was my first outdoor run. There was a reasonable sea breeze on the return leg but apart from that conditions were glorious. Only managed 20 continuous minutes before I needed a recovery walk although I then ran for a further 8 minutes. All in all I covered 3.99 miles (including warm up warm down walks) so happy with the distance but deflated I couldn't manage the full 25 mins :o(

Cheerup - don't be deflated. Think what you couldn't do just a few weeks ago. I'd LOVE to be able to run for 20 mins without stopping (day one of Wk 2 so running 90 seconds at a go right now.) You've come a long way!

That's a good distance cheerup, could it be that being back on the road you weren't able to pace yourself as well and actually went further? I tended to do a km in total for warm up and down so that would give you easily 5k+ on you run even with a stop. Everyone I know says its harder to run on the road rather than a treadmill so don't be too tough on yourself!

Had fun with timekeeping, we only had 28 today which was a bit disappointing considering what a glorious day it was! I'm not volunteering next week as ds1's party starts at 11 and the following week I'm going to run, the week after I'm going to shadow someone being marshal coordinator . Did 27 mins running slowly today and its much better than after weds run so I'm hoping I'm heading in the right direction. Averaged 6m20 per km as apposed to my 5m40 before I injured it but its better than I have been doing the last two weeks!

Hope everyone else has had a lovely running Saturday :)

Well done cheerup I think you are doing really well. Sounds like you're well on the way back to fitness cinnamon and it won't be long racingheart until you're continuously for 20mins and more.
DS and I cycled to our parkrun and marshalled. He loved watching all the runners (all 150ish of them), especially the fast ones. We'll be running again next week. I've decided cycling makes my knee hurt more than running - don't know what's going on there!

So, who's watching the marathon today?

And where are Chopstheduck and NurseEzzzaChapel?

DS and I are watching some of it.

11 seconds slower than pb yesterday and a pretty good run. Friend ran marathon today and got quite excited tracking her!
cheerup you are doing well - treadmill and outside are different things so still a great run. Hope I can do a run tomorrow, its our 3rd birthday parkrun next week and I'd like to do a good run :)

I had to go back to w3r1 as (would've been w4) but DD been poorly with sickness bug and I couldn't get out. I really am struggling to see myself managing to run for more than 3 mins continuously I'm so unfit! Trying to lose weight too, has anyone lost much weight doing this? Xx

Trust the plan Babybeesmama and yourself and you will run more than 3 minutes!! I lost weight but not just by running I used mfp to calorie count and lost 5 1/2st in 8 months.

I've just come in from my run - I managed 10.7k in 1 hour 10 mins, burning 674 calories. Not a great time, but respectable and I took in two massive hills. Tonight I have decided to enter a local 10k 'race' in September, my DS can do the 3k fun run. I actually feel fit!

I say all this, because a little over 6 months ago I started the C25k program and I can now run continuously for over an hour! Well done Babybeesmama on getting on there today. My advice to you is to concentrate on running for those section, but run a steady pace, don't worry about going quickly. Relax your shoulders and try to breathe steadily. You will be making progress.

Right, so how does this all work then?

Hi Just come over from reading the inspired to run a marathon thread.

Didn't think it was possible for a 4 stone overweight 36G breastfeeder to run but apparently it is, so - how does it work?

Well I have just finished the first week! Please tell me that the ache in the cankles while running eases up after a while Don't know what it's going to be like when zombies are chasing me, the people around me are going to think I'm a right loon running for my life lol!

Cinnamon, if you don't mind me asking, losing all that weight in 8 months, were you sticking to your daily calorie allowance and running x3 a week? That is an amazing achievement!

I was 15st and 36G (unfortunately now 32DD!) when I started StarlightMcKenzie, bfing but ds2 was 15 months then so not loads!

Download the NHS C25k podcast, get a good bra and pair of running shoes (my first ones were £9.99 from sport direct until I knew I'd stick to it, then £40 from amazon after a bit of research but now I'm running further spent £65 and went to have my gait analysed in a proper running shop) and get out of your front door and do it. Take it at a steady pace and come here for advice and support before or after each run.

There are recent graduates, long time graduates and others at various points through the program.

Yes I was squistle, I averaged 2lb a week. Started in November just cutting down portion sizes and cutting out junk, started c25k in Jan and found mfp in feb- loved how easy it was to know what I should be having and how many calories were in what I was eating. I finished c25k in March and from then was running 30 mins 3x a week. I finished losing weight in July at 9 1/2st and have kept it off since. Started increasing my running in November and until I injured myself 3 weeks ago was running 15-18miles a week rather than the 9-12 miles I was previously. The ache in your ankles could be from wearing heels in the week and running in flats?

Well hopefully I've started on the right path then. I am determined to get into shape! I haven't got ankle ache, what I meant was cankles....not quite calves, not quite ankles lol! Seriously, the ache seems to be in the inner sides of my calves, I just put it down to being a newly used muscle? I never wear heels, just walking shoes or flats.

Evening :)

I did my first parkrun on saturday, did the 5k in 31 mins, happy with that for my first run in a crowd, it was really busy!

Am almost finished week9 of couchto10k and am running 7-8km three times a week. Given i had never run until i started c25k in feb i am feeling pleased with myself and looking forward to the london bupa 10k in may :)

biwi hope you manage to find something to help your shins xx

Welcome to the newbies!

Hi Starlight I may be the fattest on this thread 18.5 stone (but losing again logging on mfp ) I started on the first of these threads at the end of 2011 a bit heavier and a lot less fit. finished c25k March 2012 and did a parkrun to celebrate :) This weekend I did my 39th 5k parkrun and have met loads of people. There were 9 people slower than me this week which is a record! My advice to the overweight runner is to wear a good bra (or two) tight but not so tight you can't breathe, and a good pair of running shoes - not necesarily expensive but not fashion ones and gait analysed if possible. And don't run too fast - you will lose weight and you can speed up then...

wow 5madthings well impressed with your parkrun time. 48 minutes at my usual parkrun which is a 3 lapper with a hill and 46 minutes at flatter courses. I am going to speed up this year :)

I was aiming for 35mins so i was pkeased. I didnt listen to music like i normally do so it was harder to pace myself but i had mapmyrun on and it tells me my pace and time etc every km so that was good and my pace was pretty consistent at 6mins 10 secs to a km varying by ten seconds or so. I am never going to be fast and i couldnt keep up that pace for a long distance but on longer runs i can do a km inb7mins.

At the oarkrun some people took almost an hour to do the run and others do it in 15mins!! Everyone gets clapped as they go round, its also a three lap course, fairly flat tho which is good!

Our first finishers are usually about 17 - 18 minutes that teeny tiny hill has a lot to answer for :)

this thread is getting so busy! Great to see everyone out running, and glad you are on the mend cinnamon.

I've been really busy, cos working on cycling and running, alternate days. I ran 11k last monday, and knocked 4 minutes off my 10k time. Cycling up to 12-14 miles now. Off for a run this morning before it gets too warm.

It's surprising how much difference hills do make. I can't run fast downhill, I find myself slowing down to keep balance, and it's virtually impossible to find a decent flat circuit anywhere around here. The last 10k I did had a total elevation gain of 110m! I did try running on the treadmill at the gym last week, but I didn't like it very much. Though, at least I didn't fall off, and I know I can do it if I needed to.

I was over 60lbs overweight when I started (back in Jan), I've lost over half that now and 8" off my waist. I had various aches and pains when starting off. I can remember googling actually because I was wondering if running ever stopped hurting! It DOES get easier though, I don't seem to ache from running now.

Where you are describing pain, squistle, is where I have noticed the most muscle developing, so I think it is somewhere that gets used more from running. Whereas cycling or walking builds up the back of the calves and mid thighs, I've noticed running builds up the inside of my calves and higher up my thighs.

Aaargh. So started my running schedule last week. I was supposed to go out on Saturday but Dh got called into work. He finally made it home last night. Not a problem, I decided I'd go today but now dd has been up all night with ear ache so she's home today. I'm hoping DH is going to be back at a reasonable time but he thinks he's going to be late again. Now I remember why I failed at C25K last time I tried - life just gets in the way! I'm hoping to do Race for Life in July so I really need to get started on training.

Hello! I would like to join, please? I've never joined a thread before . . . I've started the C25K plan 3 times and get to about week 3 and something comes up/gets in the way. I've completed the first run x3 in the last 3 weeks but I don't ever feel comfortable to move to the next run. I'm a bit scared of it! I think I'm leaving too long in between my runs though . . .

Anyway I am determined this time, had a bit of a tricky time of late and it's time to do something for me. I've also signed up to MFP, lots to lose but determined for it to happen this year!

Can I join please? I did w1r1 last night, or I should say, I managed 3 cycles of run/walk before having to give up. I had cancer treatment last year and it's just knocked me flat, but I need to get fit and lose weight. I don't care how long it takes me, I WILL finish this program. My aim for the next run is to be able to do 4 cycles of run/walk before having to stop and eventually I'll be able to do the whole of week 1 properly.