Couch to 5 K Its not about Speed (5!)

[addictedtosugar]

So, we seem to have filled up the 4th thread. Anyone want to join me here?

Hi everyone

W8 R2 completed a bit later then planned, my weekend ended up a bit too busy to fit it in. I started off well but think I went too fast as halfway through got really puffed out and had to slow down, nearly made 4.5k though but I felt absolutely knackered afterwards.

For those of you planning to stick at 20 mins I think you have to find what suits you, it's 20 mins you weren't doing a few weeks ago which is a big achievement in itself. I sometimes find 3 runs hard to fit in so once I finish the programme if I can only manage twice per week then I'll accept that.

That is hot dismal are you abroad? I have to admit I cannot cope at all running in the heat- I only ran twice last week due to the heatwave. Will it be any cooler if you leave it as late as possible in the day?

Gosh, goldfish, that's impressive! I shall think of you when puffing along thinking I am not really a runner ????

McButton- great distance, nearly there!

Yes, I am in France. It's ten pm here now and I am sweating just sitting here: it's 29 degrees still

Think will get up and out for six and see what it's like. Though I am no more a morning person than I am a runner. But am so reluctant to waste all my work to get this far!!

Ha! Yes, I can hardly think of a less likely runner than me and yet here I am, running (albeit very s l o w l y ) ;)

If you can run 20 I really don't think you'll struggle with 30. I always find the first ten minutes the hardest! Managed to run 5k today, but had to keep going for 45 mins to get there. Very pleased though. It's so wet here, not sure when my next run will be!

Well done everyone, and that's awesome progress goldfish!

I finished wk 8 today. Am very excited at the thought of starting wk 9 on Friday! I really can't believe I've got this far. It did occur to me today that I'm really not going to get any faster until I lose more weight. Being a fat bastard is such a terrible pressure on my knees! I did lose a stone in the first four weeks or so, but have been doing bad eating ever since so haven't lost anything further. I must rediscover my reduced eating mojo so I can capitalise on running progress.

Morning everyone! Quite a bit cooler here today so lovely running conditions although I am a bit jealous of Dismal soaking up the sun in France!

W7R2 done this morning and i finally hit the 5km mark! My app doesn't separate out the distance i actually run so that includes the warm up and cool down but a milestone nonetheless! I have kept running a couple of minutes of the cool down as that takes me to an obvious marker to stop and i try and go a bit faster for that last little bit. I think i will skip the third run of week 7 and go onto week 8 on Friday as I know I can run 28 minutes now and I want to push myself. I may change my mind depending on the weather!

Next week I am going to a conference in the States so lots of flying and then stuck in a hotel for a few days so bit worried about getting out of my routine. There is a gym at the hotel so may well try out the treadmills. Has anyone done any of these sessions on a treadmill? I think it may be tricky finding the right pace but at least I don't have to worry about getting the intervals right. We will see!

Good to see you here Goldfish!

News from the sun:

Today, I, Dismal, saw the sunrise. On a run.

I cannot believe I am typing these words

W8r1 completed.

Well done on reaching the 5k mark! I have a long way to go yet.

Blooming heck, Dismal. I hope your not in the UK. 4 something sunrise here at the moment!

Great running all.
I MUST get back into it. Had to keep walking when I tried 6km the other day.

Hi Ladies

I just came here to say C25k is so brilliant - I started it as a New Year resolution, had a set back after week 3 when pulled a muscle but managed to keep going and finished it in May. Then I teamed up with some mates and this week I did Race for Life - 5k in 30 mins. I felt so proud of myself - it has made a huge difference to my life - I'm slimmer, fitter and much happier as a result.

Race for Life was great but the best running moment I had this year was running in the mum's race at DDs school. I've always felt too old/ unfit to do it before but this year I had no such worried and even though I came 2nd last it didn't matter - DD was so pleased with me!

I love Laura and hope she gets you through to the end. I really recommend entering something to give you a goal - maybe a Park Run or a Race for Life. So do keep on running!!!

Good morning everyone!

YES! I have graduated to 5k in 30 .58 minutes . I've been doing 30m this week, inching ever closer to the goal: 4.6, 4.8, 4.85 km . my plan was to stick with that but when I saw 4.93 today I decided to keep going. Then didn't hear the 5k beep so actually did a bit more, 5.05 in 31 .

Great running from everyone and I'm well impressed with Dismals dedication to the cause! I have seen the sunrise running, but not in July!

Thanks for the encouragement veteran yes R4L is a fun way to start, and make sure you get lots of sponsorship for your first race, if you keep running charity races you may well find that you encounter sponsorship fatigue . I've not yet been brave enough to join parkrun, bit scared of the competitive aspect.

Hi Veteran great motivational words there! Not sure if I will ever enter an event but perhas once I feel a bit more confident.

Fantastic stuff Glow! Hope to be there at some point in the not too distant future!

Did W8R1 this morning and all good. Even saw a hare which was rather lovely. Next week in the gym won't be quite the same.........

Wk9 r1! 30 mins! Oh yeah! (Does a sweaty, tired, lumbering shimmy around thread.)

Don't think I'll ever enter an event, because it was thinking all fitness was a race or a competition that put me off at school and condemned me to a much unfitter life than I should have given myself. Realising it can just be something I do just for me has been fab. I'm sure you can enter events without being all competitive, but it brings back too many memories!

*weasel" yay well done!!

I agree about the 'not a competition' sentiment. Sorry if I have been going on about my distances it just meant so much to me getting back to 5k. I definitely subscribe to the 'not about speed' sentiment, and I'll not particularly be trying hard to get better now. But if you can keep going for 30mins now you could enter a charity event like race for life, it really is not about speed that one. There may be a few fanatics jostling at the start but the rest of you are in a big big pack further back and you'll definitely have people slowe than you as well as faster. But it's a great way to 'show off' to your friends and family and celebrate your achievement. Just running in a group or even with a friend is also fun (but rare in my case), as long you all agree on a comfortable speed for all.

Oh glow, you haven't been going on at all! It's fabulous to hear your progress! And I think people can be as competitive as they like, if they want to be.

It's just for me, it was really helpful to realise that just because I don't want to run in events that I can still enjoy running. I don't think I've ever run for 30 mins straight in my entire life! At my village primary school, they used to send us out on cross countries in the afternoon and time them so that if we didn't run enough we'd miss the school bus home. (I don't know if they'd actually have left me stranded 5 miles from home with no bus, but they told me they would and I believed them.) I'd be struggling along, the red-faced little fat kid, terrible stitch and crying at the thought of being last and left behind. And I don't think I managed to run for 30 mins straight even then.

So for me, the real triumph is that I did it just for me. No one was watching or forcing me, and I still did it. Hah!

Amazing to hear about everyone on weeks 8 & 9. n Not sure I'll ever get there. Firmly stuck in week 5 here. Have done W5R1 about 4 times and feeling scared about moving on. Used the hot weather and then having a horrid cold as an excuse but really need to crack on now!!

Ha ha - me too bathgirl! I've done W5R1 a couple of times now, and am trying to psyche myself up for W5R2 either tomorrow or Sunday morning.... That said, I LIKE W5R1 and still get a real sense of achievement out of running for 3 lots of 5 solid minutes.

I'm still working my way back up to 20 minutes. W5R1 yesterday went OK, not too tiring. My ankle felt a bit stiff afterwards but it's fine today so I'm going to try W5R2 tomorrow.

What worked for me the first time I did W5R2 and W5R3, was the same as the first time I did any run - to go extra slowly, and only speed up right at the very end if I had spare energy.

I feel frustrated at having got all the way to 30 minutes (and once to 5k though that took longer!) and then having to stop and go back. And I would like to run the parkrun, not so much for the competition, but just to run among other people in a nice location. But with my dodgy joints I'm happy to be out there running at all.

So Bramshott will we both have a go at R2 this weekend?

I did it! W5R2, both lots of 8 minutes without stopping. Feeling very chuffed with myself [smile

bathgirl

Sorry could not be on mn for nearly two weeks now. Both my mother in law and my daughter have been unwell and it has been relentless at home.
I could not run last week at all and have run 25 minutes and 30 minutes this week. Have stopped following c25k as there was so much break over the last few weeks.
Managed 4.19 metres in 30 minutes yesterday. It is the first time I have ever run for 30mintues so really chuffed..
Need to improve the distance covered in 30minutes but not sure how to do it now.But am really happy

Another run, another sunrise

W8r2 done- only one more to go on my app!!

Still super slow, but it is hot here.

Well done all, and fir those worrying about moving on, I just decided I would do what the Lady told me, and not repeat, just keep going. I am slow, middle aged, and chubby, but have managed so far.

I did w5r1 last Sunday and w5r2 on Wednesday and the step up was fine. Someone said earlier in this thread that the previous runs prepare you and now I believe it. Although i went out with my OH who is 6'3 and has a massive stride so ended up doing about an extra 0.8km! I was red for about an hour after!! Too hot today here so will do w5r3 tomorrow!

W5R2 done. My right ankle wasn’t very happy about the second eight minutes, not very painful but I could feel it May have to take things easy for a while.

W5R2 done - and I actually quite enjoyed it! Mapmyrun tells me I did 4.23 km (inc the walks) at an average of 8.07 min per km which I feel very pleased about.

Well done too to bathgirl and Don't!

Still scared of W5R3 though - that's quite a step up. I think I'll repeat R2 first on Tues as a birthday treat!

And Emberrose - sorry, didn't spot that you'd done W5R2 as well. That's loads of us! Let us know how you get on with Wk3!