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.

[pennygallops]

I've been for a lovely forest walk with a friend and our children today. She looks after guide dogs in training before they are given their placement. The dogs are gorgeous, so well-behaved and friendly. After we've been out for the day with them, I always fancy a dog.

How is everyone's running going? I've walked steadily for a good few miles today (mainly flat ground) and my knee has been fine. It's a little sore now, but I'm not in agony. I don't think I'll be sidelined for too long.

[ShotgunNotDoingThePans]

Sorry to butt in - this thread's so inspirational - I'm totally impressed by the achievements here!
Anyone willing to advise a creaky 50y/o? Can you start and finish this programme with arthritis?
just got an e-book programme which starts even more slowly than c25k - 30 secs runs only for the first week, longer if you need it.
I did C25k a few years ago, never having run before, but I think I pushed it too much too early and always found it really hard, although I felt great after each run. I got up to about 25 mins before getting a rotten chest infection the first winter, never got back into it after that.
So now I have the beginnings of arthritis, and can get inflamed from a really quite pathetically small and gentle amount of exercise.
Anyone been there and come through to fitness?

[BigStickBIWI]

Have just had my third treatment with the osteopath, and am cleared to start running again! But I have to go right back to the beginning and add an extra rest day in between each day.

On the good side, that's going to make Week 1 seem really easy peasy now

Shotgun - the only advice I would have for you is to make sure that you do really take it easy, and that you make sure you have proper, good running shoes, and also have your gait analysed. In your shoes (sorry, no pun intended!) I'd also be considering taking supplements that are good for joints/bones/arthritis, as well as - possibly - a low dose of an anti-inflammatory. But I would also say that you probably need advice from someone a bit more medically qualified than me!

[MakeItUpAsYouGoAlong]

Hi everyone!!! I'm starting the C25K tonight.
Any tips?
I need motivation

[ShotgunNotDoingThePans]

Thanks BIWI. Hope the osteo visits clear up what's ailing you .

I think my shoes are pretty good - got them from a dedicated runners' shop and I think the guy looked at my gait.

I take a glucosamine/MSM supplement and fish oil for the joints, but there seem to be so many things claiming to be anti-inflammatory I never know where to start - any recs?

Don't worry about the lack of medical quals on my account - I've given up expecting any advice other than a vague assertion that 'exercise is good.' Never found any doc willing to be much more specific than that.

[BigStickBIWI]

Shotgun - do you take any painkillers for your arthritis? Basic anti-inflammatories are aspirin or ibuprofen (not paracetamol). Are you in pain with it all the time or only after exercise?

[ShotgunNotDoingThePans]

Oh sorry you meant pain killers . It's now mainly a low-level nag in my hips, plus I have mild scoliosis which means there's always pain grumbling somewhere between my neck/shoulder/hips/back.

I practise Alexander Technique now which helps to loosen things up, but I'm wary of too-vigorous exercise as it can leave me with burning inflammation in the tissues. Need to be doing something though as sitting still due to pain is what caused the old Arfur to set in in the first place. Right pita.

[cinnamongreyhound]

I understand that you need to keep moving with arthritis but I have no idea how appropriate running is ShotgunNotDoingThePans. I'd say give it a go, slow and steady, make sure you have at least one rest day between runs and see how you feel after each run

Glad to hear things are looking good for your return BigStickBIWI! Enjoy the early weeks as much as you can.

Take it slow and steady MakeItUpAsYouGoAlong! Listen to Laura and enjoy :) have faith in yourself and the plan.

Especially for you pennygallops. Tonight's training was a timed lap about 500m I'd guess, we then repeated four times trying to knock 5 seconds off each time with a minute recovery. We then had a 3 min recovery and did it again in the opposite direction with first one of these being the time we had to beat by 5 sec each time rather than the last of previous directions last one. We then did a relay and a 1km ish warm down.

I did the first 5 but after the 3 min recovery the first of the next 5 was painful so I just jogged around continuously for the rest of the session. Total of 6.5k :)

[fasterthanthewind]

i think i am convinced that the Programme is the way to go. am fairly fit but this seems to be my downfall in a way - have hurt myself twice already by doing too much too soon.

Problem is i don't have ANYthing I can listen to it on.

is there any way of doing it without having to get a fancy phone/ipod?

[NamelessMcNally]

Well, I've decided to have a few personal trainer sessions. Met her tonight and told her I have tight Achilles' tendons and a niggly knee. She has told me to buy a foam roller and kind of roll it under my ankles, calfs, thighs, etc with my body weight through it. She introduced me to the weapon of torture tonight. Omg I'm tight. It was sore but good sore. Ordered and can't wait to get it.

[ShotgunNotDoingThePans]

Faster, there's a table showing the basic outline of the programme here, scroll to the bottom of the page.
I'm sure it's available on lots of websites. I actually had no means of listening when I did it three or four hears ago, but DH had a book on beginners' marathon running which started off in the same way, so I just read that.
I find the earplugs fall out when I run anyway .

[ShotgunNotDoingThePans]

I think I will give it another go, Cinnamon. Will take it gently in the extreme and not push it too soon.

[cinnamongreyhound]

Were you at the Albert parkrun pennygallops? Just reading about it in the news letter :) Got an email today that ours doesn't have enough volunteers yet, I felt a bit bad but I've volunteered more than run and I really wanted to run this week. My friend who is sometimes run director has to take her eldest to football and a couple of the other core people are away this weekend but I will be strong!

[Chopstheduck]

good luck shotgun!

My leg hurts today and I am limping :( My legs felt stiff last night, and I thought it would pass, one did, the other carried on and I think i was running with a limp. I probably should have stopped but apart from the pain in my knee I was enjoying it and did 5.4 miles. Today it is really hurting! Seems to be knee, calf, ankle and hip, pretty much whole leg. I haven't a clue why. Not had any pain before this run in ages. Guess will have to rest it and see how it goes. Really hope it clears up quickly!

[pennygallops]

Morning fellow runners.

Your training sounds hard cinnamon but interesting. I'd love to join a club. And yes I was at Albert parkrun last week. It was the start of our parkrun tourism (there are 5 runs within 30mins drive of us and a further 3 well within an hour's drive - my DS and I fancy trying a different one once a month). Last Saturday was a lovely community event.

Sorry to hear you're in pain chopstheduck. It's frustrating isn't it? I haven't run since Sunday and I am wondering about giving Saturday a miss. I want to be able to do this 2k run on Sunday that the DC and I have entered. My DD needs me to be there, as under 9s need adult supervision.

namelessmcnally it sounds as if you are getting things sorted out. Hope it works.

Good luck with the program shotgun and fasterthanthewind (liking your name) - we are hear to support and encourage.

And how did your first run go makeitup?

[jchocchip]

Faster there are some very basic phones that can get a podcast on them ask around, someone may have an old phone in a draw that does music. My phone has no earphones at the moment so I borrow dhs basic mp3 player which cost less than £20 - sure there are some of those in draws too.

[MakeItUpAsYouGoAlong]

I'm really sad to say it was so so hard and I couldn't finish

[pennygallops]

That's ok makeitup. Have a day's rest and try the same run again. You could have been doing the run part too fast, I just started with a sort of slow jog.

[BigStickBIWI]

Makeitup - don't worry! You have started, and that's the main thing. And you will find that when you next run, you will be able to run further.

The exact same thing happened to me the first time I did C25K - could only manage 4 of the 1 minute runs, which was mortifying. But the next time I ran, two days later, I managed all 8! (Sadly I pulled a muscle, which meant I never got any further with C25K that time around, but that's another story!!!)

[MakeItUpAsYouGoAlong]

Thank you! Yesterday was a bad day in all aspects. Think ill give it another go tonight!

[DietingAgain]

Just done w4r1 and no way did I think I would be able to do this a few weeks ago. In the first weeks runs I swear I was going faster on the walk bit. The runs to come still look a bit daunting but am trusting that it has worked so far and it will get me there.

[BigStickBIWI]

Makeitup - I wouldn't run today. You really do need the rest day in between.

[MakeItUpAsYouGoAlong]

Really? If you insist

[BigStickBIWI]

[NamelessMcNally]

If BIWI insists you must obey (or risk the stick).