C25k get your encouragement here.

[StripyHorse]

As the last thread has been going so well, with graduates aplenty, here's a new thread for encouragement. Everyone is welcome!

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Well done conduitoffortune! Amazing! I am out of puff after 90 sec so 20 minutes is so impressive.

Cavagirl I’ve just done mine! You can do it!

Just got back!!! And the rain just started so feeling v glad I went for it, thanks @minipie
Still got W2R3 to do, hopefully Sunday.
Not looking forward to next week

Well done @conduitoffortune that's amazing!! I'll try next week - not sure tonight will be wise to do my 1st 20min given it's raining (any excuse really).

Funnily enough I prefer the cold and dark - I seem to run better when it's really cold and in the dark no one can see you struggle! Its the dog that doesn't like the cold and rain but he's a woos anyway.

Well done @minipie @Cavagirl for getting out there. That's half the battle isn't it, stepping out the door. I feel if I can get dressed, then I can get out - I should just work in my running kit and then I'll run everyday!

Well done Cavagirl!

You can do it jiberoo as long as you go slowly enough
Well done conduit, 20 mins is a real psychological milestone

I'm still managing to get out every other evening for 4-5k.
I noticed this evening when looking back through the runs that my heart rate is spending less time in what someone on here affectionately referred to as 'the heart attack zone'
Perhaps it's a sign that I need to up the snails pace a little.

@LakeFlyPie what is that zone ?
I do look at the stats on my Fitbit but don't really understand any of them.
I did a slow 5K this morning but in fairness I really didn't feel like it.

Can't remember who called it that!
When I first started out most of my run was with HR in peak zone (>85% max HR which it calculates as 220- your age).
Apparently this is achieved during sprinting and short burst max intensity ex or in my case during an extremely slow jog
Last couple of runs it's been more like half peak, half cardio zone (which is around 70-80% max HR)
Presume that's a sign of better cardio conditioning 🤞

Wk 1 R 3 done!

My runs are comedy...run 1 went bright red, run 2 wierd pelvic pain after, run 3 swallowed a fly which made me want to barf .

Switched to Jo Whiley as the narrator as she has a bit of pizzaz which is important . She could not have made me feel better about my running, lovely.

I find in the walking parts it's important to go at a good pace for you (listen to me giving tips) so it is not to hard to start up again.

Also, when you come to a walking part and are dying but are behind pedestrians and feel the need to speed up to overtake .

Well done @User258544 !!!

Well done to all - lots of great running achievements happening! Keep going newbies - I am living proof that the programme works for complete novices. This morning I pushed myself and ran further and longer - hit the magic (for me) 4km in 32 mins. I was nearly dying during the last 300m (uphill) and when I looked at my heart rate afterwards, I could see why! Definitely in the “heart attack zone” - but I survived and am pleased with myself. I still don’t actually like going running but I do like having been running . Now I’m going to keep increasing the distance gradually and aim for the even more magical 5km (which will take me 40mins at my current snail’s pace).

Well done everyone. I'm sitting on the couch in pain this evening so have given running a miss tonight (aunt flow has arrived and instead of usual back pain I now have leg and knee pain ). Hot bath with salts tonight. I've decided to cheat my way to 20mins. Yesterday I repeated w5r2 but ran past the 1st 8mins to and only stopped at 10.5 then walked 2.5 before running again for 10. I figure if I do that a couple more times shortening the walk in between I'll finally get to 20mins. I realise it probably is all mental but I'm not ready to tackle it - I know if i fail it will really knock my confidence. Think I'll need a new run route soon too as it's getting a bit boring.

Hello everyone. I have lurked on this thread for long enough so I guess I should out myself. I have been doing C25K since late summer, the first time I got up to week 4 and then went on holiday and that disrupted the habit. After a couple more weeks of prevaricating I decided to start again by doing one run from each of the weeks until I hit the right level, and that got me back up to week 4 again. But in the meantime I was thinking about building strength and stamina so I decided to take the next couple of weeks really slowly and repeat them until I felt I was plateauing and then move on. I also rethought my route to make it completely flat. I’m currently doing week 5 run 1 for the third week 😂 - but this week I have changed my route so that all the run sections are uphill. I did it for the first time yesterday and I can definitely feel the difference in difficulty! Once I’ve done that route a couple more times and hopefully felt the improvement, I’ll move on to w5r2, and do the same - two or three runs on the flat and then a week of hills.

My thinking is this: from reading this thread and talking to friends and family who are further ahead on C25K than I am, it is pretty clear that weeks 5 and 6 in particular squash a LOT of development into a small space of time. It is also clear that a lot of the progress needed here is psychological. I am not in any hurry to complete the programme - I’ve noted how many people on this thread have felt a bit aimless after completing - and I’d rather do it thoroughly and properly improve my fitness than just chase the medal at the end for the sake of it. The psychology of it is my downfall; if I spend longer on each week, proving to myself I can do it, that’s more sustainable to me than a quick improvement which I then also lose quickly if I stop getting out there and doing it. Too quick a build up can leave me feeling daunted if I take a break and then try to go back to it.

So I thought I would do the middle weeks REALLY thoroughly and aim to build myself up to take on more challenging terrain, rather than just rushing it and doing it all on the flat.

Go on, tell me I’m mad or making excuses

Seems sensible to me - increasing speed, time and distance are all parts of ongoing training plans.

I'm in a different position as I know I can run for 30 + minutes if I go slow enough so I'm trying to increase my speed endurance (go faster for the same amount of time) and just how long I can keep going for (get to nicer places as more much valued alone time!)

My thinking is this: from reading this thread and talking to friends and family who are further ahead on C25K than I am, it is pretty clear that weeks 5 and 6 in particular squash a LOT of development into a small space of time.

Yes I’ve been looking ahead (I’m on w3) and there is clearly a huge and somewhat terrifying ramp up coming. I guess they think it’s better to make the early weeks easier so people don’t give up, and then ramp it up later once we are in the habit?

It IS doable @minipie, honest. But I do think that each run on weeks 5 and 6 should be a week’s runs instead. There is just no way I can do 3 x 5 mins once and then go on to 20 mins nonstop as the next-but-one run!

Anyway, my hope is that I can make 3 x 5mins into my ‘baseline’ run - one that I know I can do on any terrain, in any weather conditions - and that will give me a solid foundation fitness-wise to build on by moving into the later weeks.

minipie it is completely do-able. It does look daunting but the programme is designed so that if you've completed all 3 runs of the previous week you will be ready for future progress. IMHO the best and most frequently repeated tip is if you are struggling with the longer stretches, slow down (even if you are jogging at walking pace). So much of the progress is psychological and if you start to tweak the programme you might be sowing seeds of doubt about whether you can achieve your goal. Suppose this only matters if your goal is to complete C25K

Thank you both, that’s reassuring! Go slower... haha not sure if that’s possible... but guess I might be a bit faster by then!

Yes I don’t want to start tweaking the programme as I have zero self discipline (which is why I need a programme to follow) - if I tweak I will soon be persuading myself it’s ok to skip a run or go back to w2 or similar!!

Quite often I run up hill slower than I would walk. Top fell runners walk up some hills probably what sane people would call "cliffs", as do people who win ultras!

I choose whether to run or walk a hill depending on my mood and my aim. Yesterday it was about getting out and doing something as I was having "fun" with recalcitrant children so I walked the steep hill. If I start in a better mood I might actually try to "run" the hill even if it is slower than a snail.

I think the remark about tweaking the programme was directed at me
Never mind. It suits me and that’s what matters.

Hadn't read your previous post when I mentioned the tweaking misandry but having read it I'd say hats off to you for a thorough approach built on framework of C25K to build stamina. Thankfully I live in a very flat area but on the occasional tiny slope hill I come up against really notice the challenge so appreciate that training in a hilly area must be hard.

Whatever any one of us is doing it's more than the people sat on their couch thinking about it!
For those who set out to complete the 9 week C25K programme they should have confidence that it does work for most people. Loads of people on this thread (and other C25K threads) feel very about W5-6 until they do it and then feel . I really believe the programme is designed to build your fitness but you have to conquer the psychological challenge in your own head. I was sceptical reading this before I started but completely agree now I've done it

Week 6 run 2 completed this morning, the thought of no more walking breaks is daunting. I'm also struggling with hills and am getting to the point where they're unavoidable. At the start I could time the runs and walks so the hills where walked, now its solid running i'm going to have to face them. I live is a very very hilly area and have a choice between either a short but very steep hill or a gradual but 1km long one.

My Fitbit played up this morning and calculated my usual 5K route as 4.66K.

I'm not stupid if it's been 5K for the last month it's still 5K.

But it's still annoying me

Gosh sounds tricky grappling with hills! Although the hills will give you buns of steel 😁

Ah thanks @LakeFlyPie - I am fortunate in that I have a choice of hills or flat where I live. So I can do a run on the flat first and then push myself on the hills. My local Parkrun is very hilly though which is offputting