Today I did wk3 r1 couch to 5k and I need to complete it this time !

[Howlongtillbedtime]

For one pointless -excuse- reason after another I get so far and then stop .

This time I have signed myself up for a 5k in May so I have to do it now . I do enjoy it once I get into it and I really want to finish something for once .

If anyone has any hints tips or kicks up the arse spare I would appreciate it .

Thank you for the wishes and welcome new people and NaughtySoph.

It's getting more difficult now it's darker and colder.

Week 5, Run 1 done. Not too bad, but I was gasping for breath at the end of the third run. It took me the whole 5 minute warm-down walk to recover. I don’t know how they expect me to run for 20 minutes by the end of this week!

Well done, MQ! That 20 minute seems like such a huge milestone. You'll get there soon enough.

Yay Moth! I felt exactly the same about the 20 minute run, it was terrifying! Just keep going, slow and steady...
I just finally completed week 6 after another run/walk/drag 6 years old/stop to stroke donkeys etc hour long mess... It was lovely to get up early and run in peace although I am incredibly slow still... Feel a bit achey now though.
Found some bargainous trainers on mandmdirect down to 30e from 140! I hope they will protect my tired joints a bit better than my Primark holey ones... Can't wait to bin them!

Well done on getting through another week, Sagely. You deserve your new trainers! I also deserve new trainers. I have looked on M&M and seen some nice ones for us overpronators for about £40. I’ve got so conscious of my running gait now, I feel like I’m running like a total pillock, with my knees banging together and my feet sticking out to the sides. I’m sure it’s not actually as noticeable as it feels to me, but maybe I’m kidding myself. Either way, I need something that gives me a bit more support.

I did w5 r2 today, which was OK. I found breathing hard, right from the beginning. No idea why it was worse today than other days. But I pushed through to the end and gasped like a fish out of water for most of the warm-down walk. It’s amazing when I think back to week 1, only a month ago, when 1 minute was a challenge. 20 minutes next!!! I’ll try to do w5r3 on Sunday.

Moth you are doing great! My trainers arrived today-Adidas pureboost somethings intended for overpronators-they're men's ones in olive green and I love them! So very bouncy! Did a test run and the fit seems great, so I'm very happy! From next Thursday I will be running with a friend who has recently completed an 8k race-I hope she doesn't find me too slow... I'm worried about it already! Week 7 starts on Sunday...

Good luck Moth and Sagely. I'm sure you'll be great and prove to those of us a bit earlier on in the program that it can be done

Week 5, Run 1 done. Not too bad, but I was gasping for breath at the end of the third run. It took me the whole 5 minute warm-down walk to recover. I don’t know how they expect me to run for 20 minutes by the end of this week!

Way to go Moth! I had the same issue but then bizarrely breezed through 20 minutes and tacked another 5 onto the end of it.

Just finished Week 7, so only 3 runs to go now. 35-40 minutes still seems insane but then I thought that about 20 minutes.

Have promised myself new trainers to celebrate. And have downloaded the 10K app.

Well, I definitely didn’t breeze through 20 minutes, Jassy but I did it!! 5 weeks down, 4 weeks to go. That feels great! I want to move on to Bridge to 10k if when I finish C25K.

I went as slowly as I could because I was finding it hard to breathe, right from the start. But, somewhere after 10 minutes, I realised I’d stopped thinking about my breathing and could breathe without any trouble at all. It’s all in the mind!

I made it to 20 minutes but the steps I take up from the tow path were still a little way ahead, so I kept going till I got to the bottom of them. I did just over 22 minutes in all. I was dead on my feet at the end, but it’s absolutely amazing that I have got this far! When I came to this thread, I’d just completed week 2 and was dreading the 3 minute runs in week 3. It’s amazing how much I’ve progressed in 3 weeks. What a brilliant program this is!

I am going to get myself some new shoes. That was my promise to myself if I managed the 20 minute run.

Well, I definitely didn’t breeze through 20 minutes, Jassy but I did it!!

Yay!! That’s awesome. Definitely get those new shoes.

Well done for getting so far, everyone!

Having been so happy to have finished the C25K a couple of days ago, today I thought I'd work on speed/distance in those 30 minutes. I only managed 10 then gave up. I think I tried too fast and I just couldn't do it. But it hasn't put me off. I might need some sort of plan to work towards and achieve as I can't do it on my own.

I’m glad you’re not put off, Lady. I don’t know I’d get very far without the app chatting to me. There are some podcasts for C25K graduates here. And there are plenty of others out there, including Bridge to 10k. I think I’ll need something like that to keep me motivated.

Of course, to do something like Bridge to 10k, I’ve got to get to 5k first! I think my 20 minute run yesterday was about 3km. Which I can’t really believe!

Well done Moth. Hope you enjoy your new trainers. I've now embarked on week 4 and honestly did not think I'd manage 5 minutes - especially as the first 3 minute run was hard going. Did it though, and feel like I could have kept going. I think I might finally have figured out how to breathe. Amazing to think that on week 1 I thought I might die running just 1 minute. This program is awesome and although 20 mins still seems unachievable I'm confident (and inspired by all of you who have been there done that) that it's do-able (even if moving afterwards might not be). Am beginning to understand how people get the running bug - and how amazing it is when your body manages things you thought were completely beyond you!

Checking in - I did it! First run of week 8, supposed to be 28 minutes but I felt ok (sore legs for much of the run but just able to push through) so I ran the cool down. 5.2k to my front door! Can’t quite believe it but really chuffed.

Amazing, Jassy! Do you mean you did 5.2k in 33 minutes? If so, you’re nearly doing a 30 min 5k already, with 5 runs still to go! That really is an achievement.

Well done, Serendipity. I’m less than 2 weeks ahead of you (W6R1 tomorrow) but W4R1 seems like months ago. I really cannot believe how quickly this works! If only I’d started in my 20s, I could have been an Olympic medalist by now!!

I got my new trainers. I didn’t want to buy some off the internet that I hadn’t tried on and I’m pretty broke, so I just got some black Karrimor running shoes from SportsDirect for £40. They may not be especially beautiful I’m a little worried they may not be right for my gait (despite discussing it at length with the poor clueless assistant) but they are a massive improvement on the shoes I had before.

Spot the difference.

Enjoy your new shoes, MQ. Well deserved.

Thank you for the link to the 5K+ podcasts. I tried one of it (Speed) but didn't manage to finish the run. The spell is broken and I just can't do it anymore. But I'll keep going and trying again.

Oh Lady I’m sorry to hear that you’re finding running after C25K hard. I wonder what the answer is. Have you got a Parkrun near you that you can try?

I didn’t do W6R1 today because it was raining all day. The forecast for tomorrow is good - cold but sunny and dry - so I’ll definitely go out tomorrow. It’ll still be muddy, of course, and I feel a bit sad about covering my brand new shoes in mud, but they aren’t for show!

Hi all! I'm struggling to get out running this week :( Went today with 2 fitter friends at their insistence and it was horrendous for me! They both work out and surf and stuff... We set off at a hell of a pace and I did the 5k in 41 minutes with a lot of walking as I kept wheezing which is strange for me... It didn't feel good (again). Will keep plugging (alone in future)

Oh, well done, Sagely. 5K in 41 minutes is fantastic. 1) you did 5km 2) you did it in excellent time.

Moth, I know, I seem to be going faster all of a sudden - probably explains the burn I’m getting in my legs! I managed similar (slightly slower but still over 5K in under 35 minutes) today, I can’t believe it. Total shock.

Sagely, I totally hate the idea of running with other people and not being able to set my own pace. Kudos to you for doing it!

i first posted here on 11 September about my very slow progress on C25K and have been lurking since but wanted to say that today i ran for 30 mins for the first time . it was only 3.5km though so a way to go still to get to 5km but i think i could have run for a bit longer. I am still very chuffed though as i am not your average runner - i am 54 and a hefty size 18/20!! hoping to lose some of the blub by running and slimming world. feeling good about this now and i can hardly believe it but i am enjoying it ,

Hurray, Pipsqueak! Well done. I'm a similar speed to you and only a fraction younger so I can totally relate to the feeling of achievement. Keep going!!

Well done everyone. I love hearing about people’s achievements.

Pipsqueak - 20 minutes running seemed like ages but 30 minutes is a really long time to keep running. And to be running as a size 18/20 is really impressive - I’m a size 12, so that’s something like me running while carrying one of my kids on my back. No way could I do that for more than a few seconds, and I’m ten years younger than you.

My new shoes are so bouncy, I’m going faster without any noticeable increase in effort. Hooray for that! I did W6R1 easily enough but then had problems with W6R2: I ran for 2 minutes and came round the corner to find the towpath was being repaired; when I restarted I encountered a crowd of families and dogs that I couldn’t easily pass, so I headed home, down a very muddy path, crying because my routine had been messed up. I’m not normally so pathetic! I had a few days off and restarted week 6 today. It was fine but very very cold.