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.

I think it's an achievement just to have kept on getting out there @HappyLemonSadLemon given what you have been through recently. Maybe just slow right down?

I hope you and your family are doing ok

Absolutely, @titsbumfannythelot. @HappyLemonSadLemon, you’re doing amazingly by just getting out and putting one foot in front of the other.

@HappyLemonSadLemon you are doing amazing. Use the time to reflect and just take it run by run. It’s strange but I felt psychologically afraid of week 5 but when it actually came to it the run came together. At this stage just build a habit and keep running. It will definitely be helping in many ways.

@CeibaTree it’s amazing to think how fast behaviours can become habits. I actually like my running time now.

@titsbumfannythelot well done. It’s so encouraging for everyone to see.

Keep on running people. Today I am trying to do a 7km run. My knee has been hurting so I’ve ordered some new shoes and a brace for it. I know it needs strengthening so I’m working on exercises with it. I did a 10km walk yesterday which was very hilly and I was frustrated to not be running some of it. Who would have thought?!

Everyone is doing so well! So many people saying they are struggling or scared of the next run but doing it anyway is so motivating, thank you!
Completed w8r1 28 mins today and upped my speed a bit and finally hit the 4k mark! Yay!

Congrats @choc27! I have only once sorted Strava + Spotify + C25K at the same time. Too much app juggling! So I don't know how far I am going.

@HappyLemonSadLemon It's trite, but just don't overthink the runs before you go. Just start, and try, and see how you go. The worst thing that will happen is you have to slow to a walk. So what? You can just try again. Most likely, you will finish once you start. I try to treat myself by finding some great music to run to.

Finished W9R1 today, and it felt okay. I was ready to stop at 30 minutes, but not exhausted.

Can I join in please? I’ve just done my second run on Garmin’s version of C25k (bought a Garmin to bully me into doing some exercise). I’m not a runner, and I hate running - I feel ok before the run, really hate doing it, feel great after. But 5 mins of running feels horrible, and in under a week I will have progressed to 7 mins at a go which feels impossible!

I have a couple of questions:
I look like a tomato/beetroot at the end of my run. I don’t feel as though I’m dying, but I look it. Is this a thing?
I have an old Achilles injury that I don’t want to re-inflame. Any ideas on whether there are specific supplements I should take for tendons?

HappyLemonSadLemon. - hope your are holding up ok. I do think this programme is some kind of magic. And I think you’d get a psychological boost from moving onto week five. Are you drinking enough water? It is very warm. Perhaps change the time of day you run?

Flamingo Lingo -

I look like a beetroot whenever I do any exertion, and the beetroot look persists well past the exercise period (I’ll still be red 90 mins post run) . I am white skinned and have a kind of translucency that I think lends itself to this. My skin is also very easy to mark/scar and even small bruises or surface scratches take a long time to heal. It has put me off exercise for years. Exerting myself in PE at school meant a whole afternoon of teasing.

I must look like a boiled ham puffing along the road. I am sure at lesst half of the people moving out of my way are doing it out of alarm

W1R3 done.

I have a high resting heart rate (90 to 110). When I measured my heart rate just after the final 1 min run, so when I was walking, it was 169. Is that too high?

Worried I might have a heart attack....

Well done! How did you feel when running and your heart rate was that high?

Glad it’s not just me then. I looked at the mirror quite a while after getting home and was really alarmed!

@middleoftheroad my HR is quite high when I’m running, around 180 (but my resting is about 55-60, my normal sitting up is about 75, wandering round is about 80-100). I feel ok so I assume it’s ok, but I don’t know.

@resipsa I wonder if you live near me. We are close to one of the largest parkrun events in the U.K. and it gives me the rage. Every Saturday the road is full of cars while 1000+ people run around the local park. Nobody else can use the park in this time because if you do you get harassed by the parkrun volunteers. But this is quite an active area and most people round here do parkrun so you can’t criticise it!

Another beetroot here - just finished w4r3 and am seriously glowing! I put it down to being very pale and so you notice more. It's one of the reasons I avoided energetic sport as a teenager but I couldn't care less now. C25k has been quite liberating in a weird way.

Thanks all. I felt OK running (bit of a shock, but that's expected!) Sounds like I'm not the only one.
Hopefully if I can lose some weight and get fitter my HR and BP will normalise a bit (though think I naturally have a high heart rate - my one son has a fairly high HR too yet he's skinny).

I’m not sure about the heart rate. I don’t know what mine is resting or not.

Not meaning to drag the tone down but I had an awful run today. Week 6 run 1. Back to intervals after the longer stretches last week and it was awful. You’d think going from 25 mins running back to 8 would be easy but it wasn’t. I chose the wrong route, huge bloody hills that went on forever. It was really hot. And for some reason filled with either gangs of teenagers taking the piss out of me or proper runners springing along like gazelles in proper running gear with swishy hair and not a beetroot face in sight. I’m on day two of my period, the last few days have been crap, I ended up aborting the final run three minutes before the end. I made it up once I was back on reasonable ground but it’s the first time I’ve stopped a run before I’ve been told to and it did not feel good.

@ChanklyBore I had that on Wednesday ( albeit several weeks behind you) take a few rest days and you'll be fine.

If it's the same run/walk again walk it so you know the flatter bits to aim for. You can absolutely do this, you have before.

@middleoftheroad my hr is very high, easily 100 bpm at rest, it hit 200 in the gym and the machine told me to top. Went to go and they said they were not concerned if there was no accompanying chest pain. I am anaemic which explains it a bit but I think it's mainly genetic. They always tell me I have white coat syndrome but I think it's just me.

I'm also a very pale beetroot and the redness lasts hours. Not o bothered now in my 30s but I was mortified in my 20s. Happens on holiday too.

@ChanklyBore you've had a bad run, at least you ran. Look up the 6 week wall, it's a thing. It feels like it should be easier after the 20 minutes and a lot of people go to fast or are not quite mentally prepared. Many think it's the hardest week so dont be too hard on yourself and try again.

Thank you! I will not underestimate the interval runs again. I’m wondering whether to repeat the day....tomorrow? Or not, because I did make it up.

I also plotted my route into my geeky map website and there was 671ft of elevation gain over a distance of just under 4 miles, so I have decided I will never run that way again ....!

@ChanklyBore I found W6R1 much harder than the 20 minute run (I also managed to end up doing it on a hilly route which really doesn't help!), and RonBurgundyspanpipe is quite right that this seems to be a very common thing. The other runs of that week were fine though. I wouldn't repeat it just carry on with the programme as you have originally planned and I'm sure you'll be fine too.

W4R2 today.

Went in the evening. It was too hot. I swallowed a fly on my first long run and had to stop. Grim. The joys of rural life.

Second 5 minutes I kept going, did 8 minutes.

There's hope for week 5 yet!!! Back out in the mornings for me though....fewer flies 🤢

Hi, I’ve not posted for a long time now. I don’t really know where to start. I literally have no motivation at all! All I seem to do is moan about putting weight on (I’m so self conscious about my weight, I can’t find nice clothes etc, don’t get me wrong I’m a size 12 but I have piled weight on, especially my stomach and boobs (sorry tmi)... no matter how much I know myself I’m unfit I just don’t do anything about it! No motivation nothing.. is this just me that has steadily watched myself put weight on? I feel really unhappy at the moment I feel quite alone, although I’m not alone I have a hubby and kids... not sure if I’m just feeling sorry for myself (sorry for the rant)

Thanks Ron
I go red too and suspect I might be anaemic, so interesting.

My oxygen readings on the oximeter are not great.
Hoping exercise will help.

@ChanklyBore
Keep at it. Bad days are inevitable. You can do it.

I am doing wk 4 run 3 later today. I’ve found wk 4 hard. My motivation is good because I can’t believe I’m actually running! I’m not losing any weight though and feel just as flabby which is disappointing... I had hoped it would have a visible difference. But I am so proud that I’ve started running at all! Keep it up everyone! I feel this is one positive to come out of lockdown!

I'm sitting here in my running gear trying to find the energy to go out for my W4R3 run. I have found this week hard too @Thankssomuch and if it goes horribly today then I think I will repeat it.
Just need to keep in mind that just getting out there is better than nothing but not feeling motivated today
Hope everyone due out today has a great one