Couch to 5k - any advice

[Nicpem1982]

Hi,

Im terribly unfit and overweight and am now mentally in a place where i feel able to combat this

In order to help my motivation ive signed up to the couch to 5k 12 week programme run by the local authority.

Has anyone got any advice on what i can do pre cpurse?

The programme starts in 2 weeks im quite excited and hope to come out of it with a better level of fitness.

Just finished week 1! Started with a running group but have to do run 3 each week by myself which I completed this afternoon.

I have run before (stopped about 10 years ago) so know I can do it but I am four dress sizes bigger now, so its going to be a real challenge!

I did wk2 r3 today and found it quite tough. I've swapped to Michael Johnson and rather liked him though.

Not sure how I'll cope with three minutes next week.

If you are doing it yourself, you could repeat a week. Im doing it with a club and thats my only concern as i cant do that if I stay with them.

I'm just about to start week 3. Surprising how much easier week 2 was to week 1. 3 minute runs coming up this week so a little apprehensive.

You can go at your own pace good luck!

If you are finding it hard run slower 🙂 it really helps. You can work on speed later

Just found this thread - I did w3r2 tonight after failing abysmally yesterday and I managed it woohoo! Three minutes feels like a long time now but I'm hoping I will look back on that and laugh in a few weeks time!

I'm over 60 and had tried C25K several times, always getting knee trouble in Week 3 which stopped me running long enough to have to start from the beginning again a few months later.

After probably four failed starts, I downloaded two more apps (GetRunning and Runtastic, I think), and when I started again, I did Week 1 from all three apps, one week at a time, then all the Week 2 workouts. By this time I'd been building up slowly over 6 weeks and was able to move into all the Week 3 runs without pain. Continued to complete all three programmes, went on to train to 10k runs, and lost three stone between February and August that year - also using My Fitness Pal, eating lots of home grown salad and banning biscuits, and working out at home to the 30 Day Shred DVD, but spreading it over several days for each routine rather than moving on too quickly.

Unfortunately I didn't bother to run through the winter and went back to stuffing myself with poor food choices, over the last few years all the weight has gone back on and I'm even older and more creaky now, but I'm planning to try again this spring and summer as I've just discovered my BMI is 2lbs off going from overweight to obese.

It's a great programme. Good luck.

i'm 55 and overweight and just done W4R2. it's not easy but way more than I could do when I started it. Am VERY apprehensive about week 5 though

We've had a week of snow here so been unable to go out as planned. Unsure if I should re do week 2 or go to week three given I've had a week of doing nothing. Any idea what may be best?

I'd recommend repeating week 2 - it's a big step up to week 3 and probably not a great idea to go into it after a week off. Go steady!