Who's with me for couch to 5k?!

[Badgoushk]

I'm going to start Couch to 5k when my new trainers arrive (today/tomorrow/weekend) and wondered if anyone wants to start too and we can have a little support group going?

I'm 39, 2 stone overweight, haven't done any running for over 10 years and even then I couldn't run 5k without walking. I have 2 young children and want to shape up. I currently swim twice a week and walk a lot (9,000 steps a day). But I'm still pretty unfit. I need to get my heart rate up!

So who is going to join me?! You need to be able to commit to 3 runs a week (30 minutes) for 9 weeks. Have a google of couch to 5k to see what it involves if you're not sure. I'll be using an app on my phone.

Who's in?!

Hello! I hope you don't mind if I join in but the thread came up in my active convos this morning and I really want to start posting about my C2FK 'journey' so I can keep at it.

This is my 3rd attempt and I'm up to W2R2. The last couple attempts fell at the wayside at the week 3/4 mark and I'm really determined to finish it this time. I started on Sunday and I know you are supposed to take a break in between but I've found the momentum to keep going most days.

I came back from holiday nearly 2 weeks ago and stepped on the scales and gave myself a bit of a fright as I was 1st5lb over what I think in my head I should be. Admittedly that was the weight I was pre-kids but it's been creeping up over the years (my oldest is 11!) and now that I'm 43 I know it would be a challenge to get back to that but I would be really happy if I lost 11 pounds.

I've been using my Fitbit in earnest as well and am recording food and keeping track of my calories burned. It all seems really intensive just now though but the one part that would be really important to me is finishing C25K.

That's sad news Edd. Hope you get your runs in. I do like the getting away from it all feeling when on my runs. I've been listening to podcasts of Desert Island Discs - they've been quite immersive and also inspirational hearing other people's stories.

I used to live in Edinburgh too MoreProseccoNow and cycled to work using those paths! I'd get off at Roseburn, through Haymarket and then go along Princes St. Happy days! Can't imagine doing it now with al the traffic/trams. The paths are perfect for running too Mirabelle.

Anyway, I hope I can keep this up and will be posted again shortly.

Apologies for the essay!

Anyone got a good tip about headphones? My usual ear buds kept falling out. There is no normal in-ear style that fits me and I wear glasses so most over head ones pinch..

Edd I was just about to post & ask exactly the same thing. I use the iPhone ones & they fall out - then I grapple with them in my sweaty hands. Nice.

welcome to the thread, Ulysees. I used to live in Murrayfield/Roseburn but more suburban now.

I got DH Bluetooth wireless earbud ones and they came with 3 sizes of the rubber bits that go inside your ear. They were about £20 from Amazon so not horrendously expensive but you do need to charge them every so often though.

I'm over in Fife now Moreprosecconow but heading over to Edinburgh this afternoon so DD6 can spend a fortune in Smiggle!

Welcome Ulysses and well done. I think you will start to need your rest days soon though as you progress through. I'm impressed you've done so much in a row. I could barely walk after the first couple of sessions !

I keep toying with the idea of wireless earbuds but only use one plus I have spent too much money on running recently. The ones I use have a little clip on them which attaches to my t shirt and I think stops tension on the wire up near my ears as much so fall out less.

Evening all. W8R1 done. Pulled something in my side so currently sitting with an ice pack. Did it at 8.5kph and it was no harder than 8 so obviously my problems are all in my head!!
Did my weigh in- 2lbs this week meaning that since I started this on 09/06 I've lost 10.5lbs. I actually can't believe that. I've still got 10 to go and that's just to be close to normal. Probably another 10 after that but one thing at a time.
Hi Edd! Have you looked at the earphones that go round the back of your head? I've got stennhauser ones like that and they stay in my sweaty lugs.
Good luck Ulysses! You can totally do it. This thread has been great motivation and a lovely wee community to keep me motivated. After I've "graduated" this C25k I'm going to keep going and try to improve my speed. And also try to enjoy it. I really CBA running and then feel amazing after so I must overcome the hating part

Hello all - may I join you?

I've done W7R2 and am relieved that the next run is still only 25mins. Like other posters, if you'd told me seven weeks ago that I would be running 25minutes without stopping I would have jeered at you.

Dreading the step-up to 30mins...

Wondering if anyone else has a Charge 2 Fitbit? I can't seem to work out how to separate out my C25K runs from the rest of my daily steps. So I have no idea how much ground I'm actually covering. I'm running for 25mins but maybe not getting anywhere near the right distance!!

Beepbeep - did you struggle from W7 to W8?

No frisky. I think that the 25 is the psychological marker. You know you can do 25. So after that it's just 2 lots of 90 seconds- that's how I looked at it. Or make the 3 minutes a motivational song on your playlist. I finished with Ashes by Embrace today

Well done Beepbeep . I approach my runs with determination rather than enjoy,ent most of the time it must be said ! A friend said she actually looked forward to a run the other day . It has taken wait for it, 3,years !!

Welcome Frisky I got a Charge 2 a couple of weeks ago. If you look at the app then go into the bit next to sleep where it says how many days exercise you've done it should be in there. However unless you connect to the GPS it will have estimated on stride length and probably be off.

What I think you're supposed to do is connect to GPS and log a run. When the screen is blank press the button 3 times. On mine 'Run' appears. Press again and hold and it will start timing. A phone symbol should appear at the top to show you're connected to your phone GPS. If there is a line through the phone it hasn't connected or if there is a dash it isn't a stable connection. I keep getting dashes and it won't work. Once you have done a few GPS runs it wil, show your cpVO2 max score under cardiac fitness on the heart rate section.

An alternative way is to link the account to Strava then track the run on Strava. This synchs with the Fitbit and you get your run data from there.

I don't separate my C25k from my steps frisky but then I run on a treadmill. Can you check your km covered just when you start and when you finish? I didn't realise this til about 3 weeks ago and you probably know this- but if you tap the face it takes you from steps to heart rate to distance to stairs etc so even if you've not got your phone on you when you go out to run you could quickly see distance covered. Must be a more scientific way though!

Here's my activity section.it auto tracked the run and walks and the swim tracked on a Flex 2.

Screen shot of Strava info. As you can see I am not very fast !

Wow thanks so much! Had no idea about the GPS thingy on the charge 2. It's now all set up.

I'm due to run tomorrow - it's the third of the 25min ones. Can't wait to try it out. Mind you it's another button to remember to press as well as faffing about with the C25k app and my headphones and my playlist and my sunglasses blah blah blah.

Will report back!!

Update: just returned from W7R3. And I now know that I ran 4.84km in 26mins (don't know why 26mins instead of 25mins - perhaps michael Johnson, my personal trainer, is secretly fiddling the times..?).

So I feel quite heartened by that. And quite irritated. Because if I had run an extra piddly 150m I'd have done 5k!!!! Mind you I was ready to drop

Quite heartened?! That is flipping awesome

No no no frisky you'll have to leave the thread now. We can't have this kind of instant 5k success round here
Seriously though, that's bloody brilliant!!! Well done indeed. Any tips on how to pick up the pace greatfully received.

Grateful. Moron that I am. Can't spell and can't run....

Managed to drag myself out in the rain, DH walked the dog and ran a bit if he got too far behind. Which wasn't muc. Legs like treacle again but it wasn't as slow as it felt. Not fast either but did 3.6km in half an hour. Strava tells me I have done 8.6k this week.

Well done frisky. According to my Fitbit I took 23 mins to do 3km! I'm onto week 3 next ready to go from 90 second to 3 minute runs. Seems to minor compared to you guys who are further along but it's been really inspiring reading about the build up you have gone through.

Well now I'm just wholly confused. When I went into the exercise bit of my Fitbit app earlier it said I'd done 1.9km, 1.9km and 1.09 km. Or something. Anyway it added up to 4.85km. Yay, I thought.

But now my Fitbit app says I only ran 3.56km and there is a little map of my route.

So I'm Really Really Slow and a long way adrift of 5k.

W1R2 done! Including the walk home at the end I did 4.2k of which 8 mins "running" (slow jog) and the rest walking. The thought of ever being able to run the whole way is absurd. But we'll see I guess. Anyway, feeing fine so far! Even doing that paltry amount of exercise makes me hungry though. How do you all stop yourselves eating off all the benefit?

I don't know why it had the 3 seperate ones Ulysses but the one with the map is where it connected to your phones GPS so the correct one. You're not really really slow, I took 30 mins to run 3.6km yesterday. I read a survey that says 90% can'tbrun 5k in 30mins on graduation. The app says 'run 5k or for 30mins' so at this point your goal is 30 mins, 5k comes later and you will be able to do it.

Well done Edd DH and I were talking about a W3 run we did in the heat where the only place we could find that morning was a little cut through by a school where DS had a club. It was the same day as race for life, June 18 I think. It seemed ridiculous to think I could do a 5k then but I can. Slowly but I can.

As for the food that has been a bit of a problem recently. protein after can help I think. I've significantly upped my calories last week and was pleased to see I lost a pound. That might be some of the previous week's though. I'm eating at maintenance this week so will have to wait a couple of weeks to see if I can still lose eating more to fuel the exercise.

I ran 12.3k and swam 50 lengths last week so am very pleased with that and have now got my head round the fact that the running, a swim plus dog walking 60-30 mins a day does mean I'm pretty active , hence needing more calories. Just looked at a Nutracheck and I averaged 1974 cals a day and via Fitbit link it says I burned 3684 cals from exercise which does equate to the pound loss I saw.

Hi everyone! Sorry for being quiet. I did my W6R3 last Tuesday and then seemed to fall apart diet and exercise wise on Wednesday evening. I think it was post holiday blues! I'm back on it now. I went swimming today and will start week 7 either tomorrow night or Tuesday night. Well done to everyone else!

Well done to you as well Badgoushk , it's hard getting back to it and the point where some people don't so the weight starts creeping back.