c25k week one day one!

[izzdino22]

Hi, first time poster long time reader here. Just got in from completing day one of couch to 5k! So tired but i think maybe worth it, just wondering if anyone else has started and how their experience has been so far / any tips

You aren’t a wazzock. Perhaps try the physio routine a couple of times a day (ideally but once as a minimum if you can’t fit it in more) for a few weeks, along with the ice and anti inflammatories and see how you get on. Then revisit the c25k once the foot has settled?

Good plan

Thanks everyone, I'm going to treat myself to some proper running clothes in a couple of weeks.
Did w1r2 this morning, in the snow, which wasn't particularly pleasant, but felt awesome when I got home at 6.45am having already done 4k. Alright, a lot of that was me wheezing my head off, but at least I did it.

So my knees arnt looking too bad, just grazed, but my elbow abd upper arm are a lovely shade of blue. I bought myself some nice new running tights and a vest to make up for it.

Planning on W4R3 tomorrow, if I can drag myself out of bed

I did wk4 r2 and found it easier than the first one, although I went a bit faster.

I'm worried I'm going too slow, I only did 3.1km in the whole session

@Fiddie I think I do a similar distance. I'm working on the basis that my stamina is improving if not my speed, but I can work on speed later maybe.

I had to put off w4r2 last night as it's so icy here and I had the fear I would fall. I'm at the gym tonight but maybe it'll feel safer tomorrow.

That's kind of what I was thinking but it seemed quite a way off 5k in 30 minutes.

Fiddie, I do a similar distance. You aren’t going too slow. Once you’ve built up to running/jogging for the full 30mins you’ll be covering much more distance. Even if it isn’t quite the full 5k. 5k in 30mins is a good time, it isn’t fast but it is quite brisk for a brand new runner.

Apparently only about 10% of C25K graduates are running 5K in 30 mins at the end of week 9, it is really all about getting to the magical point of running for 30 mins and working on pace after.

I'm on week 7 (25 min run) and get to about 3.5K with the warm up and cool down walk included. I'm happy to try and speed up further down the line.

Thank you, I will keep going at the same pace.

i completely buggered both my ankles the first time i tried, got to week three, and had to hobble home weeping and it took months to stop hurting. I rested and stretched, ibuprofen gelled and hot and colded them .... I never went to the gp as it was never as bad as it was on the day, but I almost went, several times but then I'd do more stretching etc and it would not be so bad
I felt such a ninny for being fat and fifty and ruining my ankles so much I had to dawdle everywhere.

Anyway got a cross trainer last year and did odd days, but have been at it solidly since New Year, and am on week 5 now
I did Wk1/2/3 daily, with no repeats, and just sundays off, but one of my ankles started twanging again, so dh suggested I do the day off in between (what with me not being the actual super fitness guru as I imagine) and that has helped with the twangs.

Also really pacing myself for the more difficult ones....brisk brisk warm up and then very steady for the longer Wk4 runs and this week I have done a very steady W5R1 and a faster one, and it's W5R2 (slow version) tomorrow and I'll repeat that faster on Sunday

I want to migrate from the cross trainer to the treadmill, so I need to know things....all advice welcome

Is it easier/gentler than road running? I am hoping to pick one up from the freebay/gumtree/small ads, any advice or recommendation gratefully received!

DH said gym running is kinder for the knees as the treadmills have a little bounce.

Not sure if it's true or not but I'm enjoying it in the gym.

I joined one that costs £7.99 a month so it's a bargain too.

It’s easier/gentler for a few reasons on the treadmill,

they have inbuilt shock absorption

the ‘track’ is moving, helping to propel you (unlike the road)

You haven’t got to contend with weather

You haven’t got to contend with changes in camber (dropped kerbs etc)

You haven’t got to negotiate traffic, pedestrians or dogs that can cause sudden stops or changes in direction or just break your rhythm

This Women’s Health article recommends having your treadmill incline at 1.5% to ‘make up for’ the extra work your body does when running on flat surfaces outside (wind resistance, surface changes etc).

In other news, I’ve just got in from W3R3. (4 blocks of running). The second block felt difficult but it’s 1 degree out there and that bit of the run started at the bottom of the steepest part of my route (typical), so not a huge surprise!

Woohoo, w5r3 done! Even though had terrified myself by going on the blogs and reading about it. Starting to feel a tiny bit like a runner now. Like others were saying, am not very fast, even with the 20 minute run I'm not close to 4k yet. Nevermind, feel super proud of myself! We've got this!

Just finished w4r3.
I’m halfway round the world and normally go out before work - not going to work today so went an hour later and it was sooooo much hotter. Won’t make that mistake again. I’ll just get up early instead but I still completed it.

I found this week hard - I completed all parts of it but it was definitely hard. Should I repeat the week until it’s easy or carry on and wait til I have a run that I can’t complete?

Wow @BiscuitTinClarabel well done! It hadn't occurred to me that they would start to get harder within the week - I'd just looked at the first run of each week to see how the increments works 🙈 20 minutes!?

@timetomoveon I think I will only repeat a week if I can't do it by week 3 - if I've managed I will move on.

Definitely a personal choice thing I suppose, though I think I'd have to reset my app to redo them through that and I'm not sure I can bear to!

@pigletpie2177 I hadn't realised until w5 that each run in the week wasn't the same which just shows how observant I am! But I certainly noticed when it jumped from runs of 8 mins to 20 mins!! Looked ahead and w6r1 actually looks easier.

@timetomoveon personally I'd keep going too if it was hard but you've done it. But on the other hand, for me this was supposed to take the fear out of running, so if repeating gives you confidence, do it. You don't want to be dreading the runs.

@DonDrapersOldFashioned well done you! - I am slightly cheating by doing mine in the lovely temperate conditions of the gym

thanks for the treadmill advice

I am just off to W5R2 on the cross trainer while dh walks the dog! I'll be back in a bit all sweaty and wheezy!

Don't let a bad one put you off. Good luck. You will be so proud of yourself.

Look further to the end of week six biscuittinclarabel :o

I survived today, and I'll repeat this on sunday, just to get a bit faster/further.

I have also set dh free on the internets to find a bargain treadmill!

I managed w1r3 this morning, it was really cold (-9!) and foggy so I was struggling quite a bit. Still a lot of ice on the pavements which didn't help.
I'm really quite proud of myself though, I've done 3 "runs" this week, and 2 days of decent walks with the kids - yesterday I took them for a 3 mile meander along the shore front, took us almost 2 hours but it was lovely. Whereas last week I spent all week holed up in the house doing nothing.

I did W4R2 today and felt so ill whilst running, I felt dizzy and sick and ended up with a cracking headache, the run parts were so slow I think I'll have to do it again int W4R3 is the same.