Couch to 5k, am going backwards?!

[Ilovewheelychairs]

I started Couch to 5k last week after being inspired by the threads on here! I managed the first week okay, I'm very large (23 stone) but was so chuffed because I managed all the runs last week without stopping! I decided because I am so large that I'd repeat week 1 and take things slowly as I didn't want to put my body under too much stress. I wear ankle and knee supports too to try and alleviate any problems that might occur due to my weight.

So I've done week 1 again this week and I swear I'm getting worse!! I've just done run 2 and OMG the backs of my calves were agony! I'm still begging for the 60 seconds to be up every single time. In fact, I swear I'm worse than I was last week!

And to top it all off I followed SW to the letter last week as that plus the Couch to 5k were the start of my turnaround to a healthy lifestyle, and I put weight ON at the end of the week!! Is it possible to actually get worse at this exercise malarkey?! Feeling really despondent now!!

I've been doing couch to 5k for 4 weeks now. I almost had to give up because of pain in my knees. I knew I should be stretching before and after but I just didn't know what to do. My friend recommended "Yoga with Adrienne" on You Tube. She has a pre run and a post run yoga session that are only 7 mins long each. I now do them either side of my run. They have made a massive difference to me.

@Ilovewheelychairs can I ask how much you walk, usually, and how briskly you think you walk?

Can you walk 5km OP? Can you walk it really fast?

I was very large when I started C25K. As part of my journey to be healthy I pledged to do 45 minutes (at least) of exercise every single day, 7 days a week. So when I did start C25K, i did one run 3very day. But I had a big lead-in to that:

Month 1: Walk (My dog) every day for at least 45 mins
Month 2: Find a measured 5km route and walk that every day. Time myself and aim to get a "personal best" each day. This made me was faster, at first for small sections of the walk but eventually a fast walk all the way around the circuit
Month 3: Couch 2 5k

So, when I was walking a measured 5km, at first this route took me around 90 minutes. By the end of Month 2 my fastest time for the walk was 47 minutes - I managed to double my walking pace.

For context, into Month 4 when I started being able to run 5km non stop, my first three 5km times were: 42 minutes, 40 minutes, 39 minutes.

So when fast walking, I had managed to get my fast walking pace up to almost the same as my slow jogging pace.

My recommendation therefore, speaking as a big and unfit woman who went from couch to Half Marathon (and sub 30 5km) in 6 months is....

Work on being able to fast walk 5km before starting C25K. It'll improve your fitness and confidence when you start C25K no end.

That’s fantastic advice from Fate - I’d follow that. If you do to much to soon you’ll just give up. Well done 👍🏼

Hi, yes I can walk 5km without a problem. At a reasonable pace I would say although I have never timed myself! Fairly regularly walk further than that, up to 10km. Cycle 6-10km on the exercise bike every other day (on days I'm not running. Did this previous to starting C25K).

Have done less walking recently due to lockdown and wanting to keep out of the way of other people so have been walking late into the evening. Am also much more sedentary at the moment as am teaching from home over a screen as opposed to jumping about and on my feet all day! As I say, I managed week 1 just fine last week. Obviously am jogging very slowly, barely faster than walking, but I was under the impression that that was okay? I was even able to extend the last run on the last day last week to 2.5 mins. Just today that I found the absolute worst!

I agree with the above, if you can't comfortably walk a brisk 5km there's no point starting c25k. Given that you're doing slimming world I would wait a while until you've lost some weight to reduce the risk of injury and make it feel easier. I'm only carrying about an extra stone at the moment and I can feel it affects my running.

Have just asked my husband, the route we walk regularly is 5km (well, 3 miles) and I walk that there and back including walking to and from the car park in about an hour? So not super fast but not really slow?

You say the scales went up a bit but dont worry, that sometimes happens if you are doing something new and your muscles are sore. You should see a drop soon if you have a calorie deficit, so dont lose heart!

Some runs are harder than others, for no apparent reason. Make sure you stretch afterwards, but otherwise just chalk it up to experience and keep going.

Weight can fluctuate - mine can go up the week before my period, I've monitored mine regularly enough now to know this, and to look for monthly losses rather than weekly. Plus muscle is leaner than fat, so whilst the scales may not move, the tape measure will.

I second the idea of doing yoga as a proper warm up and cool down. Another thing that might help is to alternate your run days with strengthening days so that you're building up your leg muscles, especially if you're having trouble with your knees. There are loads of free workouts online.

Thanks so much for all the suggestions. At the moment I don't have any pain in my ankles or knees even when running which I'm pleased about. It's literally just the muscles in my calves when I'm jogging!

Will definitely look at the yoga warm up and cool downs and maybe walk a 5km in the days in between the runs?

I think it is important to follow the C25K plan exactly as given , especially in the early weeks. It's very tempting to try to go a bit further, but the plan is designed to move you forward just enough each week, and with the rest days (which can include different sorts of exercise) giving your body time to recover, so you will safely get to 30 minutes running by the end. Of course that may not be strictly 9 weeks if you repeat weeks which lots of people do.
Also you will (speaking from my experience) sometimes have runs which feel completely rubbish and difficult and demoralising. It's just one of those things - the next one will be completely fine. Happy running

Yep some days are harder for no obvious reason. The key thing is to not let it put you off and to stick with the plan. And you are probably pushing yourself harder on your second week so that it feels the same as the first time!

A huge thank you to @FranklyADick for your yoga suggestion! I gave it a go before my run tonight and it felt SO much better! Done week 1 twice now, so time to tackle week 2!

Thanks so much to all for your advice!

Great to know it worked for you too. Good luck with the rest of the programme

I've found a huge difference if running first thing in the morning. It's amazing how much better I can do!