Starting couch to 5K tomorrow morning - anyone want to join?

[BlueberryPancakes17]

After faffing about and putting it off for ages I’ve decided I’m starting couch to 5K tomorrow morning.

I find myself 2 years since my daughter was born, about 4 stone overweight and out of breath when I run up the stairs so desperately need to do something to increase my fitness.

Has anyone started the couch to 5K? How did you find it? Anyone fancy joining?

@minipie when it’s been arctic outside I’ve done a 5min warm up at home - there’s a simple one on the nhs c25k App and then only walked 1-2mins before running. That worked better for me or I got too cold.

@bailarbailar welcome, I hope your back to running goes ok. I restarted after an injury induced break but my body remembered what to do it just took 6wks to remember 😂

@balancingfigure i looked ahead on the app to get an idea of what the program did and just tweaked it depending on how I was feeling on the day as well.

I walked the dog 6k on Sunday, and just did a run/walk 3.5k trail with the dog on Monday and have been feeling v.hormonal tired and hungry the last few days so I didn’t run this morning but walked the dog for 40mins instead. I’ll plan to run tomorrow but could well have my 11yr with me as no school due to strike she was having go at C25K is currently run/walk 3k at the moment.

Winter that’s an idea thanks! I kind of need to get out of the house to make myself do the run 😆 but maybe I could walk round the block and drop off my jacket at home after the warm up. Hopefully warmer weather is on its way!

Did w4 run2 today - I ran yesterday so I didn’t take a day off as they recommend, and have to say I really felt it. Legs felt very tired through the 3rd and 4th runs, 4th was a struggle. Definitely a rest day tomorrow!

I’ve made that mistake before and now definitely make myself stick to a rest day. If I really feel the need to do something the day after I’ve ran then I either walk or cycle instead.

I’m going out again tomorrow for a second attempt at the 3.5km I did on Tuesday. Aiming to get a tiny bit quicker and maintain the pace. Then will do another 5km at the weekend.

That reminds me: In the past on cold days I would put my socks on a radiator before going out for a run. That was just about enough to keep me from getting too cold until I'd acclimatised a bit.

Another 3.5km today, felt like I was going quicker than Tuesday but my watch claims I was slower!

Going to attempt 5km again on Sunday with the aim of beating last weeks time.

I’m finally running the whole thing now with no walking so that’s a lot of progress for me!

W6R1 felt great today. Way better than the 20minutes of last week. 4s faster per Km and more distance covered plus a local legend award and a bronze medal on strava. I also felt like the breathing has fell into place at last.

I bought a thin additional layer to put over my base layer which helps with the cold and covers my wobbly bits. It's got thumb holes too which I love. However, I can't wear much more than that as I get so hot when I run.

Had to make myself run today wasn’t feeling it but it was a beautiful sunset. Got a steady 5k done with just a couple of 1min walks as my hip was stiff. Interestingly I found it hard and my heart rate was higher than average but my time was still good (for me). Next run I’ll try do parkrun as I like the community feeling of ours.

Well done for getting out!

What sort of time are you running 5k in?

I’m not sure whether to look for a 10k training plan next to keep me focussed?

Thanks, I’m so so stiff today definitely the fall out of eating absolutely shit loads carbs and sugar the last few days driven by menopausal hormones 😣but I have just made myself do 20mins of yoga with Adrienne to loosen up before work.

I’m running around 35mins at the moment and that’s taking effort I actually felt bit sick at the end of it yesterday… that did have 2x 1min walks so I’m hoping to get back to a comfortable 32-33mins soon. I’d be happy with that at my age, I’m currently under 50% on parkrun age gradings so I’d like to be above 50% 😂. I was beaten by 2x70yr old ladies last week they were fab.

Plus I’d like to go further. Previously I found long slow runs enjoyable & they helped me speed up on the short ones. It’s all relative to you though age, genetics, weight, leg length.

@Winter645Mermaid that’s really good! It took me 42 minutes to do 5k last weekend. I went really really slow as I just wanted to get the distance done and felt ok at the end so I’m going to have another go this weekend and push myself a bit more.

I treated myself to some new trainers which are helping a little with the foot pain.

Hope the new trainers help. You have a great base to build on your time. I started from a base of already walking our dog 2-3m daily so that definitely helped before I started running again. On the days I don’t run I’m walking the dog 3-4m. Hope you have good weekend run.

Whoohooo I hit my target today of a 33min parkrun and getting above 50% (just about 😂) age grading rating. It’s taken me 10wks since re-starting C25k I just want to keep it going now. Hope this can inspire others to keep going.

Well done that’s great!

I’m aiming to do 5k tomorrow morning, my target is to run the whole thing without any walking. I would like to drop below 40 minutes, but we will see!

I’m still here but haven’t run this week or start W9 yet due to busyness and then today I have a sore back. I’ve been in two minds whether to still run but think probably it’s best to wait.

Finished W1! Felt I could've carried on but that's where I came unstuck last year - pushing too hard too soon. So I am sticking to the programme this time.
I'd like to carry onto W2 on Tuesday but need to wait til Wednesday due to logistics. Much nicer on the route this morning with absolutely no one there - usually I'm dodging commuters!

Did my 5k this morning in 37 minutes so am pretty pleased. It was hard going in places but I ran the whole thing without stopping which was my aim when I started the programme. The ability to keep going seems to have come from no-where, I think it was more a mental barrier to get past.

Im going to stick with my routine now of 2 x 3k during the week and then a 5k at the weekend for a few weeks until I’ve improved my speed a little. Then i’m tempted to start a 10k plan!

Well done everyone especially those running 5k! Goals!

I’ve just done w5 r1. Not bad. Definitely quite out of breath by the end of the 5 min runs though so no idea how 20 min is going to happen in 2 runs’ time 😬

I’m also looking for some new shoes, currently running in my mum’s cast offs! DH recommending Asics Novablast but they look so pro I feel I’d look ridiculous doing my 5 min runs in them 😆

I’ve just gone for the Novablasts and I like them. I run on the outsides of my feet as I have a very high instep (used to do a lot of ballet) and they have been good at correcting my positioning slightly.

I couldn’t do the 20 minute straight run. I did 10
, walk 1 and then run 10 if I remember correctly. Read back through my posts on this thread… I really struggled. And yet something clicked about 2 weeks ago and I started being able to keep going for longer. Now I’m running 40 minutes without stopping. The best advice I’ve found is slow right down. If you can’t talk you are going too fast. Keep it really really slow while you build your run time up, then look to increase speed later.

Well done @Passportpondery on the 5k it’s great as if you look back a few weeks on here you were adamant it wasn’t possible 😁I hope you had a whoop feeling inside after and enjoy keeping it going.

defientely get some good trainers @minipie your be glad of them as you build up your running. I got some new ones after Xmas and they still look all bright but they make me smile when I put them on.

@bailarbailar hope you can keep going with the program I had to make myself stick to it’s as I’ve tried before to skip bits and then got injured.

Passport ooh interesting. I think I run slightly on the outsides too. Did you get the latest version (novablast 3) or an earlier one as I’ve just been reading the latest is less bouncy. But still good. God there’s a lot of running obsessed websites out there 😂

Mine are the 3, they were £67 on Amazon. I haven’t tried any others so can’t compare, I was just running in some old adidas trainers before.

Thank you. I love this thread as it’s great to read back and see how much I was struggling a few weeks ago. I found going to 5 minute runs really difficult, and now I’m running for 40 minutes at a time!

Hello! Can I join? I used to run but can't even remember how long ago I fell out of it.

I was never a good runner, particularly. Think I always felt frustrated that I thought I was too slow as well. I'm hoping being here I can be reassured that doing 5k in 30 minutes isn't realistic for a beginner. When I was last running regularly I did a few park runs and I think my time was generally between 40 and 45 minutes - it was quite a hilly course. I am older, but I think I weigh less now than I did then. Also I've been doing daily yoga this year so have a stronger core and am more flexible - I'm hoping those things will help. I am keen to get back to parkrun some time in the spring/early summer.

I did day 1 today and I loved it. Especially having a nice Mancunian woman supporting me through it! I haven't used the app previously.

@ScottishBeth good luck with your journey the program does work but yes I do think it’s unrealistic for many to do 5k in 30 mins. My time has dropped 5 mins in the last 3weeks but I doubt it will go much lower without me losing some serious weight as I’m ‘obese’ on my BMI and 30lbs heavier thanks to perimenopause than I was 2years ago when I ran a 30min 5k. But I’m just so so pleased to have got running back in my life again even if all my joints still hurt.

Nice to see everyone is keeping up! I did wk4 r2 Sunday afternoon after a 4 day break. I think the break did me good. My route was marginally flatter than my Tuesday route, but it felt easier today.

The only thing I noticed was that my right shoulder started to feel sore. I had that before too, on the longer runs. I struggle to properly relax it for some reason, but I don't know how to improve on that. Suggestions welcome!