Couch to 5K- join us if you dare, running is highly addictive!!

[cinnamongreyhound]

Another thread for us long termers and a new one for those just starting. Whatever stage you're at come and join us for lots of advice and moral support.

Old thread here

Well, I redid w5 r2 last night - but failed miserably :( it was so hot that I thought I might faint half way through the second 5 minutes. Will give it another go tonight..

Conbgrats Hairtwiddler When shall you be dishing out the G&T and biscuits for your cermoney? I'll be there!

Baking - its amazing the progress, isn't it. I'm only a few runs ahead of you. week 6 follows a very similar pattern to week 5. I've done a 5walk, 5 run 3 walk, 8 run, 3 walk, 5 run, 5 walk. Think I've got 5/10/3/10/5 tonight, and then a 22 min run. Are you sure you want to repeat? Or would you like to continue on, and then hopefully yourself, watching and me can all graduate in August? Were all at the same stage?
PS you lost any weight yet? I'm gaining

Congrats to hairtwiddler & baking novice
And to anyone managing to go out in this sunshine! Loving it though..definitely not complaining
Found another forum through nhs website t'other night that implied you can apply for a graduation badge

Easily pleased, me

Who is in the south of England and fancies this in September?!

Not sure if this link will work as I'm on phone

watchingout Where? I want my graduation badge!! Link please if you can!
I haven't lost an ounce. I was doing mfp too but I'm either feast or famine when trying to diet - it's not healthy. I have changed shape though. Clothes are fitting better, and people have remarked my skin looks great.

Etracey - don't give up. Try again and take as long as you want to on weeks. I think week 5 is a really tough week.

Next - no haven't lost a sodding ounce. Have gained 1lb in the last 5 weeks and I'm not gonna lie its really frustrating. I was fasting 4:3 but haven't done so this week as a bit demoralised with the whole weight loss thing.

Re week 6 - I thought I'd repeat week 5 as I don't have the confidence to progress. Even doing week 5 feels like a total one off fluke. Does anyone else ever feel like this? Like a bit of a fraud pretending to run. I might try week 6 after your post though, I'm my own worst enemy sometimes!

Thanks - am determined to get off w5 this week, hopefully will go onto 6 by Sunday..

Bakingnovice - it's not a fluke, honest, trust the programme! Really, you can do it... I felt like that, but once I realised my subconscious was doing its best to sabotage me I got on much better, so give yourself a stern talking to and you will be able to do it. You're not a fraud, you followed the programme and now you can do it. Go on...

Possibly not in this terribly hot weather though (we're never happy, are we? ) Eetracey, I should think the weather is mostly to blame. I don't know where you are but it's certainly far too hot here to run except early in the morning. I went out at 6.45 this morning when it was still reasonably pleasant, but I'm not a natural early-morning runner and it nearly finished me off! (Possibly doing 5:2 and fasting yesterday didn't help either ) But at the moment it's early mornings or nothing - I thought the cold in winter was a problem (well, the icy paths really were), but it seems it's a lot easier to run in than the heat!

well done hairtwiddler and baking both.

My weight goes up and down 4 pounds anyway, at the mo its at the low end, because I've been more careful. I'm still 7 pounds heavier than last year.

I read a good book, Racing Weight by Matt Fitzgerald. Funny in a way as it's really for good level endurance athletes but a lot of it made sense diet and exercise - wise even for beginners. His diet approach is a lot easier than calories, points etc though there is some counting.

The heat really is a killer, I went Sunday at 8am but wished I'd gone earlier. Going with my friend in half an hour, hoping its cooler than when I walked the dog at 5.30!

Well done to everyone at every stage and no you are not a fraud! You are a runner!!!!

just done w1r3 and it was harder than the 1st and 2nd runs. is that normal? should i repeat week 1? or trust it and move to week 2? i honestly don't think i could run longer than 60s!

im not even getting aches in my legs it's just being out of breath.

re breathing - dh, who was a runner, said it's ALL about the breathing; which I found totally unhelpful! I didn't know what he meant.

Until this week, w6r1, and suddenly, the breathing went right, and I understood. My rhythm, I think, was in 3 steps, out 2 steps. All via the mouth. Everything suddenly seemed synchronised. I don't know if it was a one-off or whether I've discovered what it is all about. I'll find out next time, on Thursday.

watchingout That looks amazing! So much fun. I think London is a bit far for me to get there and back tho :(

Oh yes!! I've just completed my best run since my knee began to hurt. 5.7km in about 34 mins. That's around 6 mins per km. Getting my fitness back.
I've started my 10km training - for a 'race' in September.

Amiga, I find it hard to control my breathing. About half way through my breathing starts to get really shaky. I do breathe all through my mouth but find i get loads of saliva, sorry that's gross, and i need to keep swallowing which then upsets my breathing rhythm.

Just done W5R2 and I can honestly say I am on quite a high! It's funny that halfway through my second 8min run I realised that I wasn't aware of my breathing. Not sure I have got it right, but I didn't faint!

Loving it! Managed 2.6miles, walked at 4.5, plodded at 5mph and burnt 313 calories.

Haven't lost any more weight, but on Monday a colleague said how well I looked, she said I was glowing! (and no,it wasn't sunburn or sweat!)

Not sure how I feel about this 20 minute run...but I cannot fault the program YET!

Just keep running, just keep running! Thank you ladies.XXX

Coconuts - trust the programme and go for week 2 - you'll surprise yourself. You CAN go for 60 secs plus and within a matter of WEEKS you will be up to 20 minutes. Seems unbelievable, I know, but it WORKS - Yay! and you will also turn into a cheer leading loon

Hairtwiddler - here's the link to the badge and I think I've also found a tshirt website too

Perhaps I should settle for a sticker chart for me at the mo...

Just done w5 r1 again - and managed it ! It was so much cooler at 8.30. I am so lucky - we live next to an enormous park with bits of woods and grass and paths, so I can do all terrain. I love bombing through the woods though! A bit apprehensive about run 2, but will do it on Thurs...

interesting re the rethinking. he NHS pod cast suggested weeks ago to try in for 4, out for 4. No way i could do that, so I just don't think about it now, unless really gasping. Think I'm in 2, out 3?

Dingle Give it a go. There are a few of us who have managed it in the past week. It really was mental strength, the previous weeks had got my body ready for it. PS are you really light? I did 3 miles tonight, and apparently burnt just over 500 cal on map my run? How are you calculating?

Coconuts - I'd got for week 2, but if your really unsure, what about one more run (not the whole week) from week 1 before moving on? I've never felt ready to move up a week, but it seems to just work!

rethinking. he breathing thing. The

i think i will do one more day from week one. struggling to fit it in with dh's shifts and the childcare so need to formulate a plan. he runs on his days off too (not c25k tho).

tonight i did 2.2miles and burnt 315 calories. im happy with that

i was also going to ask you all, did you all begin this asap healthy weight anyway or overweight?

my bmi is the higher end of normal, about 24 i think. Im 5'9" and 11st 10. I've lost 3lbs this week.

if anything the running is making me want to be healthier. im drinking so much more - the heat has helped also - and im snacking less. but not actually dieting as such.

I read somewhere that an odd number breathing is better than an even number. Because with an even number you match your breathing muscles to the same foot strike each time. And this eventually leads to muscular imbalance. Odd number means you alternate sides.

I don't know if it's true, and I do tend to read all sorts of stuff.

I mean I pick up random facts which may not all be accurate