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.

Hi apatchylass someone more experienced will be along in a minute, but I would just say that if you struggle with one podcast, just repeat that week until you can do it before going on to the next. Are you trying to do a run on the same day as your other training? Other than that, keep going and enjoy!

Well done BIWI and Sarah are there roads out of your village? (Sorry facetious remark but couldn't resist it!) I too live in a rural area, which is why I was asking which side of the road to run on, I do prefer running facing the oncoming traffic, with only one ear piece in.

ha ha BIWI, you are older than me (but only just!!) We can be old fogeys together... or alternatively we can both deny it

cinnamon, there are a couple of loops I can do, but I am getting bored with them... trouble is the village is a bit linear, with a river running alongside the main road and not that many bridges, so the options are a bit limited. When I started C25K the "there and back" run (there's a bit of a loop at the far end) was a real stumbling block in my mind... I am slightly surprised to discover that now it doesn't seem to be far enough! Though I am compelled to admit I am still knackered after 40 minutes, even if I have made it all the way round a route that previously scared me!

I shall definitely go with the denying option!

Hmm, I could try that UmBongo... the traffic scares me a bit though, as soon as you're out of the village it's doing 60. Come to think of it, I do that myself too as soon as I'm out of the 30 mph bit... I think I need to have a look at the map again. I did try a different route this evening, that took me down the back of the allotments and goodness knows where... but it would be impossible in wet weather and is rather rutted and uneven in the dry!

Welcome apatchylass I second repeating the runs if you found it hard. I did that after I missed a week due to illness.

Your pace is always very impressive. I averaged 6mins 30 secs today for my long run. I do go faster for 5k. Actually, pleased to report my legs don't ache tonight. But the 3rd and 4th toes of my left foot are a bit sore. Don't know what that is all about.

Whoops - cinnamon your pace is always impressive.

Sarah, are there any footpaths/bridleways on your map? I have a very useful one that runs up someones long drive and they mow the grass verges so they are really nice to run on and makes a change from the tarmac.

BIWI I use map my run too, but what is "pace" measured in? mph? metres? Whotsits per doodah?

My average pace for this last run was 6.01 - which is minutes taken to run 1K.

Welcome apatchylass! I started c25k jan 2012, took me until June to build up to 5k and another month or so for a sub 30min 5k. So not all racing through! For weight loss I can highly recommend mfp for a monitoring you're calorie in take and giving you a guide to how many you need to be eating. To do the classes you do you must have a reasonable fitness, I was only walking to school and back when I started perhaps you're going too fast on the runs? Try slowing down a bit and concentrate on completing the time. If you are struggling I'd say do as much as you can and try to do an extra 30s of each run next time out. There's no shame in repeating weeks at all :)

A nice run along the river would be good SarahWithAFringeOnTop! I think you get used to the bumps in the path if you run off road enough.

Thanks PennyGallops! Your 5k pace has to be 5m25 to do it in 27min. I'm pretty much the slowest at my club which is a bit gutting! I don't seem to change speed much though!

Good morning all , I have still got my cold but coming to the end of it thankfully , I was so tempted to repeat week two today because I still feel a bit rough but I knew I was making excuses really .
So I did it Wk 3 r1 done , and I enjoyed it , I am trying really hard to not keep upping the pace and just be happy to complete each stage and worry about speed when I finish the whole thing .

Well done biwi for finishing the programme , I am still struggling to imagine myself running for 30 mins without stopping or crying .

That's exactly what I thought when I was at your stage, travellingwilbury. But you will.

Can I join in please?

I am 47 and feel the middle age spread is spreading fast. I stood on the Wii Fit board yesterday and it told me it had been 816 days since I last used it. In that time I have put on a stone!
I was always nice and slim, 8.5 stone but I have never got back down to much under 10st since having the DC. (Now 13 & 11) I am now 11.5 stone and feel really groggy and flabby.
I dusted off the running machine in the garage and did a 20 min walk/jog over the weekend and this morning I did C-5K for the first time. It was great to have a program to follow rather than just do my own thing!

Really really BIWI ? I hope you are right .

Hi Dingle , I am a newbie on wk3 (just) and I agree about having the programme to follow makes things easier . I am really enjoying it so far . I never thought I would .

Thanks for the encouragement... I live in Sheffield so just have to plan a route without too many hills !

Hello,
I'm just getting back into running after around 3 years without. Getting married, getting a dog, having a baby (now 17mth) and changing country took it's toll on my freetime and added 6kg to my body that wasn't there before! Arghhh. I've been going to the gym but hate the cardio machines so mainly do the weights ones. Today I realised I could run to and from the gym in the light, so that was nearly (a very plodding) 5k. Hope I can maintain the motivation to do this again... Note to self: must not give up, must not give up....

Just done w6r1 so that is the furthest I have ever got with the plan on what is now my third attempt. I found this one quite tough, not sure why, but onwards and upwards. I think I maybe thought I can run now after the 20 minuter! My legs were a bit sore and wanted to stop, but I wasn't hugely out of breath so that was good.

Deutschmum plodding is good - it's as fast as I can go, but as long as it is still a run it still counts in my book.

Oooh, more new people - yeah!! Welcome!!

I haven't been out today - except my PE lesson... teaching sprinting technique today. Had a few little races to spur them on. It's quite embarrassing being beaten by 8 year olds.

I always find I run faster in the parkrun - think I'm pushed on by the crowd (and chasing my DS).

Welcome Dingle and Deutschmum!!

A lot of us on the original thread found w6r1 a tricky one too UmBongo! Glad you got through it though :)

Oh I'm pleased it was not just me! I was pleased to be not too out of puff, I suppose it is why it is like it is, to help you recover from the 20 minuter and still up your fitness. If it was easy they would just keep you doing 20 mins. I think part of my brain was expecting it to be easy after the long run.

Hi everyone, think i need to join you! I have completed c25k before when getting ready for race for life but didn't keep it up. That was a year ago! I have had a couple of false starts since then but soon fallen by the wayside. I started again this week and have been and spent money on new trainers and trousers so i have to keep doing it this time!

I only have from week 5 onwards on my ipod so i gave the first run a go and was fine. I did the second one last night in my new trainers. The 8 minutes was quite hard but i recovered quickly on the walking bit. My legs ache a bit this morning but i waked lots yesterday too.

There is a running group near me which describes itself as for absolute beginners but i am not sure i am brave enough.

I am also worried about impact on my joints. Does anyone have tips to avoid knackering knees and ankles?

Hi Fruit Well done for starting again. I worry about the impact on my joints as I'm still quite overweight I don't run fast, and combine running with swimming. I do lower impact stuff like the eliptical trainer if my foot is playing up. I only run 5k at the moment and my knees seem to be doing fine. proper trainers is v important for ankles.

Umbongo - I still find 20 minutes hard but find that after I get past that I get no more tired or out of breath, just seem to settle. So if you can do twenty you can do 30!

Managed to run 7.5k last night including an EVIL hill. First 2k were basically all uphill with 1.5-2k being the really evil really steep bit (which nearly made me turn back and come home). Didn't plan to go so far but felt good and had eaten a box bag of thorntons chocolate smothered toffee so needed to burn it off. Knee is a wee bit niggly today which is not ideal. Think I may need my gait analysed.

Signed up for parkrun and plan to do my first this Saturday - really want to do it in 30mins or less.

Am I mad to sign up for a 10k in two weekends time? Would only really get two long runs in between now and then.

Silentlurker - I'm struggling with longer runs myself atm cos the weather is warmer. But I am picking up pace, so its swings and roundabouts. But I do think a 10k is doable in a few weeks. I went from 5 to 6, to 7.5, to 10 over about three weeks. For some weird reason I do find that I get to 5k and my body seems to think, right 5k, time to rest, and goes all sluggish!! But if I push through that I settle again.

fruitpastille I was 60lbs overweight when I started and suffered a bit with knee pain, I think I tore a ligament going up and down dropped kerbs - landed awkwardly on one. I found going off road for longer runs helped, softer surface and I if onroad, I try to run on nice flat surfaces. The road early in the morning is nice before traffic pics up, or somewhere like a park or racecourse that has tarmac. I also had to be very careful going downhill. The weight will soon drop off if you stick with it, and the joints do seem to strengthen surprisingly quickly! It sounds like you are doing great :)

great to see more newbies too!

Morning all , Wk3 r2 done now :)

I think the further along I get I am going to have to think more about rest days in between . Today was tougher than yesterday and I wonder if that's why ?

I can see my shape changing which is fab !

My weight is not too bad, around ten stone although would like to be a bit less. I broke my ankle 6 years ago and have pins and plate holding it together so i always worry a bit about that! My Gp says it's ok to do what i feel i can manage.