Couch to 5K - Run 1 done...

[resipsa]

I did my first 'run' today. Think I'm going to need help to go all the way to week 9 but determined to do it before I hit the big 50. Anyone else started this week? Fancy a support thread? Couldn't see an active recent one.

Very inspiring @resipsa - I've just done W4R2 and loved it. Feel like I'm just getting into my stride at the end of the 5 min blocks so weirdly actually looking forward to running for longer next week! It was raining too but I actually found it quite refreshing!

Well done guys. It’s great to see those of you further ahead in the plan.

W1R3 done .
3.166km. I may have kept jogging on some of the walking bits, hence the distance.
Feeling good and looking forward to starting W2.

W1R2 complete. Not too bad today :)

How do you see what distance you have covered? Or do you need to use another app at the same time?

I use a treadmill, so that records it but some apps also record the distance. The Fitness22 app I use for c25k records distance for outdoor runs (it uses location services so it can’t do it for indoor runs).

If your app doesn’t record distance you can use apps like runkeeper or strava to record your distance.

Week 3 run 2 done, felt great again and I'm finding the longer running sections easier than the short bursts. Just have to keep going to the next lamppost.

Another 2.7km which was disappointing as I was trying to keep the walking pace up. I know my running pace is slow.

I’ll be finishing week 2 tomorrow hopefully!

I read this interesting article about c25k and I thought it might be useful to share.

Especially relevant to those worrying about the longer runs -

“By varying your pacing, your body is forced to adapt to different speeds, your heart and lungs have to adapt to various levels of strenuous activity (and get stronger/healthier as a consequence).

As a result, you actually burn more calories and get better prepared for a race then compared to just training at a constant speed.”

www.nerdfitness.com/blog/couch-to-5k-crucial-things-to-know-before-you-start-training/

Week 6 is done, woo hoo! I covered 3.5K in 25 mins so am hardly the speediest, but I'm really enjoying the longer runs.

Today is supposed to be a rest day, but if the DC keep whinging, it may drive me to start W7.

I use strava - it records time, distance, location and it's free. I have that, a podcast and C25K app running while I do.

Realised today how thick I am 🤦‍♀️. I completed week 5 today and DH asked me how far I'd run (he did the London marathon a couple of years back). I showed him the photo I took of the treadmill and said 2k. I'm so far off 5k. Then he tells me the treadmill is in miles not km!! So actually I've been running about 3.5k and I thought I'd only been running 2k. I am so much happier now!!

Forgot to mention my legs hurt so much more when I'm walking. I think it's my Achilles down the back of my lower legs that suddenly feel really tight. Should I be stretching them before hand or after? I've just been relying on the cool down and wArm up.

Just done week 3.5 again (MrsG style) & I’m shattered. Doing 3 mins/4mins is the right level for me right now & I WILL move up once I can run 4 minutes without losing the will to live. It’s really surprised me how much of running is mental. So many times I wanted to give up but I told myself “no, you can do this”. The perfect message for everything we are going through right now

I'm in awe of all of you further on in the program running for so long! I was pretty pleased with my 5 mins non-stop now I'm in week 4 :)

ChanklyBore thanks for sharing that article!

I have just finished week 4, and found it much easier than week 3 surprisingly. I also have begun to enjoy it , which is something I never thought I'd say about running.

Well done everyone else for your achievements this week.

I've finished week 3! I found the first 3 minute run harder than the second each time. I've have now hurt my ankle, it's 2 days since my last run so I think I'm going to have to leave it a few more days before starting week 4.

W1R2 done this morning. Took me longer than it should have done as I completely underestimated the hill half way round and had to walk for around 10 minutes in the middle. I can't say I liked it, but it was certainly better than last time.

I’ve spoken to DH about how hard I’m finding it (he’s a PT who has helped people train for RAF) & he has tweaked the programme for me so it looks like I’ll have to leave this thread ☹️

Have you tried slowing down, @happytobemrsg ? Apologies if I've missed that upthread. At this stage, your running might not be much faster than your walking.

Presuming no significant underlying health problems, running for 4 minutes, very slowly, should be manageable. How has he tweaked the programme?

@happytobemrsg
You don't have to leave!

Why’ve you got to leave, @happytobemrsg? Just because you’re doing a personalised version of the plan? We’re not all doing the same thing. I’m doing the fitness22 which is slightly different to the one by Public Health England (the popular NHS one with the celeb voices). They all aim to get you to 5k and give you 3 run a week based on walk/run intervals but the actual times vary slightly between plans, plus we’re all running in different areas (more hilly/flat/countryside/city/busy/quiet and so on), different speeds, different levels of health and fitness so our experiences vary massively. Don’t leave

Stay MrsG!! Don't go. I'm intrigued by your DH's tweaks - how has he adapted it?

Ah thanks everyone 😊

When I run slower I actually find it harder. I’m not sure why. So I can’t really do anything about my pace, but hoping this new programme will work better for me.

DH wants me to work in 6x 5 minute sections & he prefers wave training - essentially two steps forward, one steps back. Each session you decrease the walking portion by 10 seconds.

Session 1 looks like this:
6x 5 minute sections
Reduce gap by 2x 5 seconds each session
2 sessions forward, 1 session back

Session 1
Warmup: Walk- 2.5 minutes

1. Run- 3 minutes/Walk- 2 minutes
2. Run- 3 minutes/Walk- 2 minutes
3. Run- 3 minutes/Walk- 2 minutes
4. Run- 3 minutes/Walk- 2 minutes
5. Run- 3 minutes/Walk- 2 minutes
6. Run- 3 minutes/Walk- 2 minutes

Warmup: Walk- 2.5 minutes

In session 2, you’d Run 3 minutes 10 seconds/Walk 1 minute 50 seconds.

I hope that makes sense.

I’m trying this for the first time tomorrow so I’ll let you know how I get on & how far I manage to run/walk

I’m on week 5 run 3.
Can’t believe that it skips from two 8 minute runs with a 5 minute walk to a straight 20 minute run. I might repeat run 2 before tackling that.
For those who’ve done it, how was it?

If you can run for 8 mins you can run for 20. It's not a physical leap, it's a mental one IYSWIM.
At this stage your running shouldn't be much faster than walking anyway. It seems like a milestone but it really isn't. I think they put in the "jump" for that very reason - to demonstrate that mental strength is the key in running, not physical ability.

I do understand what you’re saying @runningonempty84 but I’ll be cross with myself if I fail. That second 8 minutes was a big challenge, especially as I’m only doing 2 rest days a week.
Do you think go for it and slow right down if it’s too much?