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?

Sorry for stupid typos, one handed typing :(

Hello all!! I'm one week into couch to 5k and would love to chat to everyone. How's everyone getting on? I must admit I'm not finding it that bad so far.

I've done W3R1 so far and have going the extra time running a bit challenging. W4 will start Thurs am which really is 2.5 wks after I started it. How I'll manage on holiday next week in France I haven't quite worked out yet!

Hello! I'm back!

Decided just to give it a go again after my foot injury stopped my lumbering progress just before the final run...

And today, I just did it!! I have graduated. It was very very slow indeed, but am quite pleased, after over three weeks off. Feel better for it and just hope the deformed foot holds out

Glow wine - hope your ankle is doing ok....?

And as for running in France, what I did was get up and do it and six (I know!) It enabled me to send smug sunrise pictures to friends, but my smugness was ended by the foot problem, doc thinks caused by previous minor injuries, not running, despite my great age and weight ????

Congrats dismal!

Back from sunny holiday! Did a W5R1 very early one morning, but then the weather turned even hotter and the next day I felt dizzy and slipped and fell so I decided to take a lazy break (and just float peacefully in the sea!) for the rest of the week. Now I’m home I plan to work my way up to W9 again. Did W5R1this morning.

Congratulations dismal on graduating.

Officially de-lurking for a bit of support and motivation from you lovely c25k types, so joining in please!

I've actually been running on and off for nearly 2 years now, but with one thing and another over the last year (including a potential knee injury, which fortunately seems to have been finally staved off), I've been stuck at around 20 minutes 3x a week, in various run-walk intervals (10/2, 5/1 mostly). On the basis that sitting at 20 minutes for a year isn't really good enough, or what I had intended when I started all this, I've finally pulled together the motivation to get the app and start at week 5 with the hope of actually getting to 5k (it'll only have taken 2 years!)

Managed w5r1 fine this morning, although it was hard, as I've been off for a week and a half with a ridiculous blister issue, but suddenly noticed that at the end of w5, 20 minutes with no walking looms - is that seriously achievable?! It seems like an enormous jump! Did most people have to repeat w5r2 a few times to get there, or did you all just launch into it?

I didn't repeat any of it, and I was massively unfit. It is psychological, really, you just do it a minute at a time. Yesterday I ran for 45 mins without stopping - albeit slowly! - you can do it.

Dismal I think going put early (though not 6am!) will be the only way to manage keeping up with it on hols. I've now finished W3 and am starting W4R1 on Thurs am.

It was 21 degrees even at 6, and I live in Scotland,so quite a difference????

I'm with iggi, this time of trying I just stuck with the programme, doesn't repeat anything, just kept on going....decided I would just do what The Lady told me. I am very very slow though.

Welcome back dismal ! I could not agree more about the 6am runs. It just gets you going for the rest of the day.
Thanks for asking about the foot, its still a bit swollen and sore so I have missed a week now. Walking is okay but not perfect, and I have to focus not to slip back into limping. It even hurt when swimming today, but it's just a dull ache not acute pain so I'm definitely on the mend.
But I might try a gentle jog tomorrow, I really can't afford to let things slip too much, especially with upcoming holidays messing with my schedule anyway. I NEED to be fit to 'race' in September...

Deianira its all in the mind. If you got this far and followed the programme then you CAN do it! Try not to put it off, it's such a boost when you prove to yourself that you can run that far/long! I'll freely admit that I probably repeated W5r2 twice or so before I felt brave enough to tackle it.

Thanks for the encouragement all - I'll just have to try it at the end of the week and see how it goes, I suppose! I am a little worried since I effectively free-styled the earlier weeks, so haven't technically done the program in its entirety, but hopefully the fact that I was fine for w5r1 should mean that I've still got the base fitness to manage built up through my random assortment of earlier runs.

ZylaB it looks like you're about to hit the w5r3 just before me - you'll have to let me know how it goes! Good luck with it, I'm sure you'll do great.

6am running is something I never imagined I'd be doing... but in June I did exactly that to fit some running around an odd set work schedule while abroad, and it was surprisingly enjoyable! It does make you feel like you can do anything, if you can achieve that while the sun's still coming up!

Sorry to hear that there are some minor injuries on the thread too - can I ask whether anyone does anything like pilates or yoga to try and strengthen muscles etc? I haven't so far, but as I mentioned this spring I picked up some sort of knee thing which I am worried about recurring, and given that I don't do anything other than running and a bit of cycling exercise-wise, did wonder about adding something on to try and help that aspect!

Ok, W5R3 done! I actually feel like I might be able to finish this now . It was really tough though, I always struggle for the first few minutes, then it was better until about 10mins into the run and I thought I'd have to stop but managed not to. After 11 minutes I felt like I was on the downhill and cruising, but only until 15 mins then I nearly died, but knowing how close I was to doing the full 20 kept me going and I'm so glad I did!

Good luck to everyone :)

Zyla well done on completing the tough one, so pleased you posted that, I did w5r2 this morning and did ok but have been dreading the next one, didn't think I'd even manage this far after a dismal week last week and nearly redid all of week 4 this week but pushed through anyway and am pleased I have. You've given me some encouragement to get through it, I have to work really hard to talk myself out of being negative.

Fantastic, zyla!

Thank you, I'm still grinning about it! onwards and upwards (slowly!)

Zyla brilliant, you'll have another week of intervals before you switch to sustained longer runs. There's no turning back now

Deianira if you were referring to my injury, it was completely unrelated, I fell down the stairs. Foot still sore/feeling bruised but I got out there today at 6 and managed 4k / 25mins with one minute break in the middle. I do do yoga (iyengar), did from before i started running, and it does help to thoroughly stretch out.

Congratulations ZylaB! That does sound cautiously encouraging. Sadly like wherearetheteaspoons I did my w5r2 this morning and it was entirely manageable, so I am not sure that I have any excuse to put off my own attempt. R3 at the weekend, it is! Best of luck with yours, whereare - hopefully this time next week we'll both have done it!

Ouch, sorry GlowWine, that sounds unpleasant! Good job on your 4k though, and thanks for the yoga information - something like that is what I'm looking for I think, as my commitment to stretching properly before/after runs is patchy at best, so some sort of scheduled session might be a good thing to be doing regularly.

Hi all
Zyla I am on week 4 now and it is surprising what you can do after a couple of weeks stamina wise.
I am terrified of week 5 though, week4 is quite challenging and I am scared to look at week 5
Did anyone repeat week 4 because of fear?

rowingboat I was ill part way through week 4 and didn't run for 2 weeks, after that I dropped right back and restarted from week 3, I think some of the reason I went so far back was fear of week 5 ;)

rowingboat I so nearly repeated week 4 this week after having a bad week with it and the thought of w5 scared me a bit but I have managed the first two reasonably well, I'll be back in the morning to say how the dreaded r3 goes.

Deianira that's exactly it, I keep trying to find excuses not to move on to the next run in attempt to put off the inevitable but I think I've run out now. Good luck with r3, we'll compare notes!

Hi all,
Zyla that is good to know. Do you think redoing the week helped you build up to week 5?
How did you find the step up?
I am still considering to redoing week 4, to build up confidence in my body. Just In case my stuffing comes out or my springs break, which happened to some of my toys when I was small, you can't be too careful!

Good luck teaspoons!

I did W4R1 this morning and am feeling a but scared about W5! I surprised myself and managed ok this morning, I just kept going concentrating on counting my breaths to achieve the times involved.

Well I made it, just about. W5r3 done! It wasn't too bad actually but did need a bit of a change in my thinking as usually I'm just counting down to the next break, which I think this week have just been a safety net. I just went for it, albeit slowly, this morning and when she popped up to say 5 mins, 10 mins etc I just thought "yep, that's good" and carried on.

I had my usual first tough point at 3 mins and again at about 12, changed the end of my route slightly because I thought my finish line was coming up a bit too soon and then lost all my reference points as to how long was left so when she kicked in again I thought she was going to say that was it so slowed right down to walk and she tells me I've got another 2 mins left so that last part was hard just because I had to start up again.

Anyone who is scared of it or putting it off, please don't, you really can do it, I was so surprised at how (almost) enjoyable it was this morning.