January couch to 5k - who's with me?

[Santageekmum]

I am massively overweight and have never run before but am planning on starting the nhs couch to 5k plan in January (first Thursday in fact).

Who would like to don their trainers and join me?

Also if anyone has a good sports bra to recommend, I'm bf and a 40dd at the moment and need a new one for running.

AbbyLou - I'm scared senseless that people will laugh until they fall over and that I'll chicken out. Joining this thread and buying shoes have been my way of making sure that I do not give up - however daft I may look, however clumsily I may run and however out of breath I get cursing at my lack of fitness and the huge amount of weight I'm carrying. There's loads of us feel like you do and I'm about as far off a natural runner as you can imagine - think short and round and you'd be right.

I'm scared that I actually won't be able to do it. When I was at school I was a very good sprinter, would come first or second in races but much to the annoyance of my teachers I just couldn't do cross country or run for longer than about 1 minute. I was in the park last summer with my very fit friend who can run miles and I challenged her to a race just to see if my legs still work and I actually beat her! If I can sprint why can't I jog? Is it down to being unfit? I must have always been unfit.

Urgh I need to get on and start this really. I'll probably doing it while pushing a pushchair, anyone else? I'm thinking of doing it to take DS to or from nursery once or twice a week. Nursery is about 20 minutes' walk away and I need to drop DS off for 8am and get home and at my desk asap, so I usually drive. But running would be good.

Mrs De Vere I live near you so we could always do it together if you can't motivate yourself...

Hi everyone! I was hoping to find a thread like this, I definitely need some motivation to do some exercise. I've gradually gone up about a dress size since the summer and am getting out of breath embarrassingly easily so I'm hoping C25K will reverse that trend.

I'm going to do my first run on the 3rd because I'm away over new year. Must dust off that sports bra lurking at the back of the drawer...

Welcome uphill I have crept up two dress sizes since this time last year (excluding the pregnancy monster sizes) so you're in company!

Abbeylou as you can see from the posts, for a lot of us this is our first time running and we're not stick thin super fit people! I too am scared: of people judging me as I wheeze past them; of not being able to jog because I'm so unfit; of my DH making jokes (which he won't, I'm just paranoid); and of starting yet another get-fit scheme that's doomed to fail and I'll just give up.

So I started this thread to keep me on the true path. It's weird but I don't want to let people down now - even though you're all people I've never met! As I was in the running shop today I felt the pang of nervousness, but as I'd said on here that I was going to buy shoes, I couldn't back out! Brilliant! As a result of this thread I am now looking forward to my first run and may even do it sooner than anticipated

So take courage and join us if you want to get fit. We won't laugh or judge, just support and encourage. Best wishes with your fitness regime/ weightloss whatever you decide.

And after being in the running shop I asked DH whether I wobbled noticeably when I was on the treadmill. His response: "I didn't notice, I was too busy looking at your feet, I've never seen you move that fast before!"

Right - I have read more than enough posts about being too fat/unfit/embarassed/wobbly/everyone will laugh at me, etc. Whilst I sympathize and secretly agree with you all, stop it! You are already awesome to be seriously considering this.

As soon as you step outside the door/on the treadmill you have already beaten everyone on the sofa and for me personally just getting out the door is a personal best. Please stop putting yourselves down before you start!

Hi Ladies. I posted previoulsy saying good luck to everyone.

I am currently on wk7 and some times can run 25mins other times I split in to two sections and have a 1 minute walk in the middle.

For those with Ipods and Iphones and other smart phones you may be interested in the map my run app. I use this and love it. It tells me distance travelled, pace that I done and calories burned.

I love it as I can see my progress that I made. My first couple of weeks I was walking/running approx 1mile sometimes just under and sometimes just over. The app records each run and now I look through and can see my progress in 7 weeks am currently covering 2.7 miles in 30mins, oh and love the calories burned section .

Map my run really has helped me as it did encourage me as you can see results each run and if I had a bad run it would spur me on next time

Even though I am on week 7 have been for about 2/3 weeks you guys are giving me a boost to get back out there following my little break for christmas

Done it. Didn't Nike+ it, but used the NHS podcast (as recommended above) - week 3 because I'm not as unfit as I thought. I used the treadmill as I didn't fancy going out in the dark this morning and I feel so much better. Head's clearer and I'm feeling good. Off for some breakfast now. I'm wondering whether I can build in a morning run before I take DD to school because if I leave it until the evening I can find lots of excuses for not running. And that is the reason I stopped running.

To those of you who are still considering it - go on, give it a go! After a couple of weeks you won't care what others think because you'll feel fantastic!

woodlands ooooooh that sounds interesting

well done Ishtar.

I am actually not as achey this morning (the day after my second run)
In fact - I am also disappointed today is a rest day.

Ah well, I am sure I will get enough exercise fighting my way round the shops.

I'm currently losing weight and have been tracking my progress on www.Fitnesspal.com. I continued tracking my foods over the last week and averaged 2100 per day as I was eating more or less what I felt like. Just had my weekly weighin and I have put on 6lb!

I'm determined to lose it within a maximum of 2 weeks and get back on track.

Ok I have set a date to start or I will be procrastinating till next year! Ok so I have to go away next week on Thursday for the weekend. So best I start on January 10th ! I don't want to start and then not be able to do the three runs ( walks) per week. Does anyone have any tips for what to do if you do miss a session , should you just roll over till the following week and keep on the same week. Sorry for the inane questions !

I'm back from my first run! Yeay!!!

My asthmatic lungs didn't let me down at all, but my poor, poor legs. Are they made of lead do you think???

DH and DD came with me, he ran ahead and met us back at the car, but during our first sixty second run an old man stopped me and DD to tell us he'd seen a big fish make a big splash! So we ran up and down the same path trying to catch glimpses of a porpoise, but it was too far. All the same, I'll take it as a good omen

Pandabois me too! First run done. I say 'run' I am so unfit I only managed about 30 seconds of each run - my asthma hates cold air. Nevertheless as someone who has done no exercise for abt 10 years and is 5 stone overweight Im just proud I finished it! Good luck to everyone else whose planning to start!

Oh and a question - week 1 is 8 mins of running and she says to do it 3 times. I take it I should carry on with week 1 until I can run it all?!

I'm sure it says on the NHS website that you can repeat any week. I don't think I'll be ready to move on either!

Yes, my cousin did Couch to 5K last year and it took her quite a lot longer than 9 weeks to get to the end. She's fairly flying now, though - running 10K without any problems.

I woke up this morning with even my hands aching, I can't cough for fear of throwing up. Not sounding like a top day to get back out with Laura.

Those who are nervous about starting - we all are- my advice is just get stuck in and try-as an ace procrastinator myself the only way to do it is start - I did my first run on Tuesday and nearly died and whilst running was puffing so much that I never thought I'd catch my breath again ----but the feeling afterwards was worth it all and whilst i ached (particularly in the groin/thigh area) next day the second day of running was better . and no one laughed (key tip dont wear your specs and then even if they did I couldnt see)

bexy booboo please stay and be our big sister who's done it all before

well done to all who cracked their cherries this morning

I am going to join, but will start with 30 min walks for the first couple of weeks - I am THAT unfit ;)

tribpot get better soon! What a foul start to your new resolution!

Ask DH if I could go out today - answer was no as he wanted to finish decorating the kitchen. So plan stays as before!

My running tracks:

Holding Out For A Hero - Bonnie Tyler
Highway To Hell - AC/DC
Don't Stop Me Now - Queen
Highway Star - Deep Purple
Born To Run - Bruce Springsteen
Uprising - Muse
More Than A Feeling - Boston
My Sharona - The Knack

Mind if I join in? I've have the C25K week 1 podcast forages but I can't actually manage the running bits . And I'm a bit embarrassed in case anyone I know sees me.

Will try and overcome though, start next Monday probably.

Aphra - I would think that doing the C25K at a brisk walk (the bits in between the runs are brisk walks anyway) would be an excellent way to get started.

The Map My Run advice is good - I use Runkeeper (which as I say means I have Madame Runkeeper and Laura talking to me) and used it over the summer where literally my achievement was the half mile walk to school. Various people on Facebook who didn't know about my health problems did point out my 'training' regime might be a bit limited to work towards a 5K or similar .

However, it is very motivating to be able to automatically post on FB and/or Twitter your route and distance and so on (plus other really useful info like the elevation), or just have a record of your progress so you can keep motivated about how you're doing.

Btw my unofficial trainer is a friend who is planning to do 3, yes 3, 100K races in 2012. Let's not work towards that!

Welcome happyAvocado and Aphra

100k you say? Agreed. Let's stick to 5k for now!

He did the Marathon des Sables last year so actually 3*100K over the whole year is really slacking off for him! I would imagine his wife may have expressed some concern over whether doing sporting events where you might die in the desert is really a useful way of spending leisure time.