Couch to 5k - it's not about speed (thread number 4)

[CruCru]

Would you all like to join me here?

Hi, I did the first day of couch to 5k today and it was surprisingly ok. I had a ds just over 5 weeks ago and have a stone to shift so I'm hoping this will help plus I want to be fit.

I was surprised how 'buzzy' I felt afterwards but I was really pleased that is done it as I'm very unfit.

My friend wants me to do a 10k run at the beginning of May, does this sound reasonable? I'm planning on running every other day and alternating it with 30 day shred.

I

Thought I'd pop back and say that I completed c25k a couple of weeks ago. Have only managed to get out twice a week over the build up to Christmas though but good half hour runs.

Have entered a 10k race for April!

I'm Brian.

I think the couch to 10k app takes 14 weeks with 3 runs a week. So it might be pushing it. You also need to have rest days in between runs so I personally wouldn't do the shred in between especially being newly postnatal.

I tried to start running about 2 months after giving birth but my body hadn't recovered enough (spd). Then we hit sleep regression and I was too tired to walk most days, let alone run.

Well done Mayvis! I haven't run since completing it. My heel has been really painful and I'm a bit worried that it isn't plantar fasciitis as I previously thought.

ImBrian, welcome. Please make sure that your body has sufficiently recovered from your birth. 5 weeks sounds very soon to be running unless you were a runner before. Maybe you could ask at your 6 week post natal check - do you still have that?

Brian
I think by May, you should be able to cover 10km, but you might need to walk chunks of it.
Personally, I'd take it slowly to start with - just C25K OR shred, and then add the other one in after a few weeks, because you have such a new baby.
I think many of us have discovered that just C25k on its own is not great for loosing weight, but it does trim you up.
Whatever you decide, keep popping back in, there are loads of people at different stages, and are all very nice.

Hi Brian, How was your fitness before the baby? I too would start with c25k or the shred and not both. I dont know whether this is your first pregnancy but all are different of course, and some people find the relaxin still means they can pick up injuries (this is a dim and distant memory for me - but do you know what I'm on about). Anyway, see how you get on I suppose but be a bit careful.

Just got back from buying new running shoes. I went to sweatshop for a gait analysis. It was really illuminating because they film your feet as you run. I could defo see how the shoes they recommended corrected my feet. And I had been totally wrong about how I run. When I couldn't decide he suggested I run with one of each shoe and that sealed it. I was glad to find I couldn't find the ones I chose for less online when I got home.

This is baby number 5, I used to be fairly fit. I climbed 5 x a week and did various classes. But since my 4th child I've done nothing.

I'm going to leave the shred for now and stick with c25k, I think everyone's right and it'll be to much for now. I did day 2 today and it was fine, I had slight aching legs after the first run but that's gone.

number 5! I shall bow to your better judgement! I like the shred too but I stick to a couple of times a week max. It does feel good to get stuck into exercise again after a break. I'm back on it again tomorrow - with my neighbour so not sure how far we'll go.

Hi everyone, can I join in too? I've just completed week 3 run1 and can't believe I've stuck at it! Week four sounds scary though, is it a big jump?

Popping back because I'm so proud I finished w4r3 today.... iits taken me a few weeks to get there! However I didn't cheat once today and even added extra sprints towards the end :). Looking forward to wk5 and maybe a park run in 4 was or so.

Welcome Daveand monkey. Keep dropping in. The ladies (do we have any gents?) are lovely.

Brian how do you find time to breathe let alone run with 5little people??? I'm in awe of you.

We've got thick ice on the ground. Anyone been running in similar? DS2 slipped walking to the car this morning, but I seemed OK. Not sure when at (ahem) speed?

addicted I'm just about managing, I've always wanted to be able to run I've just always been to lazy. Now I think if I'd done it all the times I said I would I'd be pretty fit by now!

My dp says he is coming out with me tomorrow, he's very over weight and feels rubbish about it but getting him to do anything about it is fairly impossible. If I cook healthy food he'll say he's not hungry then order a pizza and kebab when I go to bed. It would be great if he did come but I know he's going to find an excuse.

Week one, day 3 tomorrow and I'm looking forward to it. Hopefully it won't be too icy.
The tracks here that I've been running on are really icy so I ran on the grass instead. Much more difficult because of the uneven ground. I've ordered some got text trail shoes in he sales reduced from £115 to £35! Hopefully they'll help on icy/wet/off track days.

monkey how was running 3 minutes? Even next weeks 90 seconds feels like a lot at the minute!

Well I finished week one, it felt much easier at the start today but then I realised I was running down a slight bank! How slow was everyone else in week one? In 20 minutes I did 1 1/2 miles. I feel like I'm going at a snails pace.

On the plus side tonight I ran past people and didn't feel like a total tool just a slight one

I did roughly 2.2 miles in the 30 mins (ie including the 10 mins of walking).
Going on current walking pace, thats 1.5 miles in the 20 mins, and .7 miles for the warm up/cool down. But thats a loop back to home, so I may well have had to walk a little further to get back to my front door! I currently run around 6min30-7 mins/km. So not as fast as the NHS say I should be able to, but looking at the folk who do run sub 6min/km are super fit, so I'm too slow. I'd say its reasonable.

The sun came out here, so I went out this afternoon. It was a bit hairy coming home, as the temperature was dropping, and the ice was reforming.

I am terrified of slipping over - but it looks a bit warmer tomorrow so I'm going to try the stamina podcast to test out my new shoes. I ran yesterday but to get my neighbour started so only a minute at a time - but it was fun.

Brian, I would not worry about speed - honestly. You are doing really well.

I'm going to do a park run walk at the weekend with my friend. I'm looking forward to it and it'll be interesting to see how far I can get before I have to walk.

stilllearnin I fell over yesterday before I even started running! I had my parents dog with me for company and he decided to go flying off. Pulled me off balance before I pirouetted around and landed flat on my side!. Last time the dogs coming.

Finished week 7 yesterday and tried out my new trainers. DH got me some for Christmas that were too big so I took them back and got my gait measured. Apparently I land on the centre and my leg rolls inwards slightly which I sort of knew, so I need more of a structured trainer?

Anyway, they felt funny at first and felt like my right foot was being stretched but I got into it and had my fastest, easiest run yet. No idea if it was the trainers or not. I had been running in my Nike Air Max 1s - not suitable for running so people keep saying. Although I thought they were fine.

Blimey Brian - are you unscathed? Chuck did they film you with the current and wrong shoe? I had that done and it was really illuminating. I could really see how the shoes affected my gait. Christened my new shoes - did 6k (it was not easy - but I had to get back out there after a break).

I could feel the dodgy heel playing up but its a lot better post run than with my old (sports direct) pair.

Yeah they filmed me on a treadmill just with a few different typed trainers from the shop to see which I ran in best.

stilllearnin my shoulders sore from where I landed but apart from that I'm good.

Hello, I was on a thread before but a run of ill-health stopped me running for two months - really fed up as it was such a big deal to me to have completed the c25k. Hoping I can get back into it in January with a bit more ease than first time round! Happy new year to you all.

Iggi I think I completed the c25k twice or maybe 3 times, stopping for I'll health too) I enjoyed it the same starting again. I really like the progression and I was surprised that this was enough for me and I didn't keep feeling frustrated that I had done it all before. I had been up to 10k and when I restarted I tried to jump in at w4 or 6. That didn't work as although i could manage the runs, the progression was too steep. Are you thinking of starting at w1? That worked best for me and I put maybe w1 and 2 together. So glad you're back on it Iggi

Thanks Stillearnin, and happy new year to you too. I was all excited about having a fortnight off over Christmas, so I could do daytime runs, then cold #4 turned into an antibiotic job and dh ended up in hospital - so, buggered it up again!
The one difference now I guess is that I know a 30 min run is not impossible for me this time!
I've really noticed the difference to my stress/happiness from stopping too Thank you for the advice, will be back for arse-booting as required!

Iggi / Brandy

I'd suggest starting at the beginning, but maybe only doing 2 runs of each week - so w1r1, w1r2, w2r1, w2r2, w3r1, w3r2, til it starts getting hard, and do full weeks from there. Depending on how long you've been out of the run, you could even just do 1 go at each week til you find a place where you want to repeated it.

Well done getting your trainers out again.