Couch to 5k- We do run run run, we do run run!

[cinnamongreyhound]

A thread for anyone thinking of starting, doing or completed the c25k plan!

The last thread had so many new people starting and working through the plan it was lovely. As well as those who had finished and working towards faster times or greater distances. Everyone welcome no matter age, fitness or ability.

Join us for lots of support, advice and gentle butt kicking of required

Old Thread

Hello everyone, can I ask some advice? How long a break do you think you can have without dropping back a bit on the plan? I did week 6 run 2 on Monday morning and won't have a chance to go out again until Saturday. Not that big a gap really, but having found the last two runs quite tough I'm nervous of jumping back into 25 mins non-stop. I'm annoyed as I had got into a good routine of one or two rest days only and was making really good progress, but DH being away, plus dds' sleep going wrong and I'm suddenly shattered and feeling lethargic and crap again.

Thank you all!

Give it another go EeTraceyluv, all sorts of things leads to a bad run.

I think you'll be fine wem :)

Hi wem I think you'd be ok just to carry on, or if you don't feel up to it repeat the run you did on Saturday before moving on. You've only missed one run really if you normally have one or two rest days in between.

scarecrow I managed w5r2 but was struggling at the end of the last 8 mins. Worried about w5r3!

Anyone any tips for the 20 min run? It seems like such a massive jump up - 4 mins longer than w5r2 and without a rest in the middle... Should I repeat run 2 until I can do it easily? It was a struggle today.

Thanks, I'll give it a go :). I think I've just lost faith that I can actually run! Hopefully it'll come back once I get going...

Bakingtins - my tip would be to start off slow, like ridiculously slow, like it feels like you'd be quicker walking . You'll speed up naturally but at least you won't set off too quick and tire yourself out. I found 10-15 mins the worst but got that chimp back in its box and it eased off in the last five minutes :)

Those of you losing weight. I haven't lost any! Am doing w8r3 tomorrow, so have nearly finished the programme. Admittedly, I am very slow, but it still feels like a huge effort.

I'm eating a bit less, but not actively dieting. I hadn't started this to lose weight, just wanted to be fitter, but now would like to be losing some.

Baking Tins - just wanted to add my vote to running really slowly when you tackle the 20 min run.

It was a complete change of feel for me that run but that "feel" has stayed. Longer slower steady runs instead of mega effort, walk, mega effort walk. I kept myself going slowly to half way and then staying slow and steady was on the home straight. Let my mind wander, sang in my head to the music etc and then a voice said "you have now been running for quarter of an hour, only 5 mins to go" and that's it almost there! The feeling at the end is incredible - could almost not stop to walk and felt high all day.

Are there any other asthmatic runners here? I have always assumed I could never do running for fitness as as a child it always used to make me wheezy. I got through the 30 day shred without needing my inhaler once to thought I would give C25K a go.

Just done w3r1 and although I am not wheezy at all I could feel the beginnings of my chest starting to tighten towards the end of the 3 minute runs. This does not bode well for the longer runs as the weeks progress

Shall I just take more reliever before I start? (am already taking 2 puffs)
Do I need to think more about my breathing? Tried Laura's in for 4 steps, out for 4 steps but that made me hyperinflation my lungs. 3 in 3 out?

slubber, hats off for trying. don't have asthma but hope somebody who can help comes along soon.

back from w5r1. felt good. cross that when I come back from runs house is chaos, baby over tired and I spend double the time u wad out unpacking chaos, settling baby etc. And I'm supposed to be grateful. ffs
Grumble over! Run wad good

slubber i have asthma and after doing couch to 5k and then building up to a 10k run in may i run 7-8km three times a week. I take my inhaler about twenty mins before a run and take it with me. The running has actually helped my asthma, at fitst i got really oit of breath but now i can run for an hour. Am not fast i do 5km in 31-32mins and ten k in just over an hour. I had never run before in my life, started at end of jan and by may had built up to ten k :)

Slubber, I'm asthmatic and have found it's got better as my fitness has improved. I think I felt similar chest tightenings around week 3/4, but longer runs haven't made it progress to wheeziness. I tried breathing in for 4/out for 4 and could not do it at all. I found as soon as I tried to concentrate that much on breathing, it all got a bit hard! I just tried to focus on breathing as deeply as I could and keeping it fairly regular.

I can't do laura's 4/4 breathing either, and I'm not asthmatic. More like 2 in, 3 out here.
Is there a point where you could run for a little while concentrating on, say counting dandilions, and then when yuo breething settles, count what your doing, and stick to that?

Oh I just try NOT to think about my breathing I don't time it or count breaths etc, if I think about my breathing I just get out of breath!

I didn't do the NHS cto5k I did the zenlabs one, its the same set up but no mention of breathing and you can play your own music, it just says start running, now walk, you are halfway, now cool down etc. Very basic.

I agree to take it slowly bakingtins!

Sorry no asthma advice, my dh is asthmatic but he wouldn't run unless he was being chased by something big!!! I found Laura's 4/4 breathing impossible to start with but now that what I do without thinking about it. I try not to think about my breathing as that's naturally what we do all the time anyway and that's worked well for me.

I have been signed up as a volunteer at park run tomorrow last minute so I'm going to an hour run with my friend who's run director before set up and then helping her set up, so a 6.45 start for me.

W7r3 done. Have struggled this week. Before this run I told myself I would run for 10 walk for 1 min run for 10 walk for 1 run for 5. In fact I managed the full 25 in one go. I just can't get over the mental hurdles. Loved the run today. Just hope one day I will be able to run without constant self sabotage thoughts. It doesn't help that my garage is a sauna these days.

Not sure if I'm going to move on to w8. Really want to repeat w7.

slubber, me too (is there anyone here who isn't asthmatic?) Mine is very much affected by the time of year, i.e. is there a lot of pollen about/am I hatching a cold, so if so I will use my inhaler before I start. I personally find it's much better to use it in advance than end up wheezing, which apart from everything else is bad for your confidence... When I was young I used to suffer badly from exercise-induced asthma (also, in those days, no one else ever had asthma, I was the only child in my entire primary school with it, which made me very self-conscious and put me off exercise for decades... how everything has changed ) But I found my breathing did improve along with my general fitness as I worked through the programme, as long as there wasn't anything else to set it off like high pollen levels. I think you might need to experiment and see what works for you, but please don't assume that it will get more difficult as you run for longer - it really won't!

DID IT! On the treadmill at the gym - w5 r3, 20 minutes. Oh yes I was running at 8.4 kph, and covered 3.40 km so am fairly pleased wit myself - so different to running around the park - definitely prefer park but this will do for a few days

Well done EeTraceyluv! Feels good, doesn't it?

Gosh, you are way faster than me on the TM. I could probably walk as fast as I jog .

Baking, go for it! onto week 8! If you could run the whole 25 mins, why not try the 28?
I've just done w8r3, and if your with Laura, she will tell you at 5mins to go, so you could run all the way to the 23 min mark, and decide then if your fit to make 28 mins, or want to stop there, which isn't far off the week 7 time?

I've just done 4km in the 28 mins. How am I going to do an extra km in 2 more mins??????

How have people increased their distance? Is it a case of sticking with the 30 min runs, and pushing harder as you get fitter, or do I need to go back to the early podcasts, and try jog/fast jog at short intervals, and build up from there? Any other suggestions??

nextphase, my distance is terrible. I've just finished week 8 and am only doing 4.5km, including the 5 minutes walking at each end. Can't see how I'll ever get to 5km in any half decent time!

I'm sort of planning on just carrying on running for 30 mins, once I've finished week 9, and trying to get a greater distance. Or maybe plan a 5km route and just keep doing it until I get the speed up.

Well done bakingnovice and EeTraceyluv!

That's what I did nextphase, pushed my self when I felt it was going ok and ended up with my first 5k in 34mins. Cut about 30s off each week sometimes more and mostly do 27-28min 5k's now :)

Hi Nextphase
I have also done 4k in 28 mins today (w8r1). I am thinking about the best way to bolt on an extra couple of weeks to actually get me to 5k when I finish week 9 as clearly an extra 2 mins isn't go to get me to 5k either!

I was thinking that when I finish wk 9 making a week 10 for myself to run 33 mins then 36 mins then 39 mins by which time hopefully I will be at or near 5k. Does that sound plausible?

I am struggling in the heat of my garage and on W7 I felt I pushed myself too hard and lost the enjoyment of it all.

Today I did W8R1 and decided to take it down a bit; walked at 4.5mph then plodded at 5mph. Despite the red glowing face and sweat pouring off of me, I managed to keep going and much to my amazement I covered 3.2 miles (5.14km) and burnt 384 cals!

I was trying to work out what to aim for and to be honest I will be happy just continuing with what I am doing now, perhaps eventually try to improve my speed/distance but certainly not while it's so hot.

Another goal for me is to work out a good playlist to help keep my boredom at bay......as I am running, I think of all the other things that need doing in the house!

So there is Nextphase, Judy, Tina and amigababy all finishing w8. Oh and ME !!

So, assuming we all have a GREAT week9, what are we doing to celebrate our graduation?!

I'm determined to get to 5k by the end of next week, even if it takes me 40 mins as I am going on holiday on the Saturday so I have a deadline....

Virtual party here, next Friday in amidst the packing

Well done Tracey!

Well done to all those nearing graduation.

Can someone pls explain TM speeds to me? I run at 6.5 and walk at 5.9 these days. Is this mph or kmp do you think? Desperate to know and can't find any info on the TM. If I know then I can work out my speed. At the end of w7 I am covering 3.2. Is this miles or kmp? Can anyone fathom a guess? It can't be kmp can it as it would mean in nearly 40 mins I am doing 2 miles. Hubby thinks its mph.

Well done Tracey, I felt ecstatic after the 20 minute jog. You sound as if you did it at a good pace too. I know I am only doing it at a tiny, tiny faster pace than a walk.

Well done to all those nearing the end of this. How have you managed it.

I did w6 r1 tonight. I managed it and try to sound positive because my friend does. Deep down I think it is exhausting. At the end of tonight I though my legs were actually jelly. I have heard the saying but didn't realise what it meant until tonight. Whereas my friend found it easy.

I am so pleased I have got this far and am happy I have someone to do it with but always find it hard. I do have asthma and have found my chest tightening up a few times (not that many ) so am trying to be easy on myself.

Does anyone do the walks/jogs on a hill? Mine aren't really hills but they are not straight either. I am trying to kid myself on that I would find it easier if I started doing them on the straight somewhere.