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?!

Ooft it is HOT!! Just managed W3R1 on the treadmill. I did find it tricky and I'm pretty sure my face is a rather attractive beetroot right now.
Well done to everyone who's managing it in this heat!
More I feel your pain. C25k plus all the steps and stairs malarkey. Weighted myself this morning and had lost 0.6kg. Anything fractional for me I'm never very impressed with... feels like the equivalent of a big poo . At least it was a loss. I thought that meant I had 14.5lbs to go. But I had miscalculated on last week's weight loss and I still have 15.5. Grrrrr.....

Wawawaa well done ! That 20 min run seems pretty impossible right now but apparently I should be able to do it end of next week . I'm a lot heavier than you and my knees can be didgy but at the moment so far so good with joints.

Prosecco yours is slightly different to mine which had a 2.5 min walk after the first the first 5 min walk .

Getting up early is the only way I can do it in this heat. If I can wake up early to tomorrow am going to do W4R2.

Re the food I have a Fitbit and record food on something similar to MFP. I decide what I want to lose that week and eat the appropriate deficit over the week which gives flexibility. I've lost about 63lb since November doing this though seem to be on a plateau at the moment which I have read can happen when you start this plus also I think the heat is causing water retention. I also find exercise reduces my appetite.

That is an amazing weight loss!! You hero Mirabelle

Well done everyone!

I find MFP really good for tracking intake and exercise but I think it calculates calorie goals as way too low. It seems to tell everyone to have 1200 kcal a day. I would always have more as I'm more likely to stick to it. I lost 5 stone last year but gained back 2 stone when I reintroduced sugar. It seems I'm a sugar addict and I can't just have one bar of chocolate! I have given up again and feel a million times better for it!

Thank you beepbeep. I'm aiming to lose 100lb so still a fair bit to go.

Badgoushk agree with you about 1200 cal. The one I use does 1400 minimum I think. I vary across the days sometimes eating 2200 and sometimes 1400 . I'm having a couple of days a week at maintenance calories at the moment as figure I know how to lose, it's maintenance I can't do and it's good practice.

W4R2 done. There is a lady in the woods I saw jogging on Monday who is obviously doing it too, about the same age and size as me. Today we were walking towards each other then our apps must have beeped at pretty much the same second so we both started jogging at the same time. Amused me but she is avoiding all eye contact.

Still incredibly slow and did try to speed up a little at one point but then thought that I can maintain a slow jog (or wobble walk as I thought this morning) and can get through at that speed so why risk pushing myself and not being able to.

3 stones is fantastic Badgoushk!!
I just did W3R2 as I get no time on a Thursday and baby was sleeping. I think that actually having done it once and knowing I could do it made it disproportionately easier than yesterday doing the same run. Have fun today runners!!

Mirabelle that's a shame from the other lady. You might have made a running buddy!

Reading with interest.
I did the couch to 5k with a running club last year who had a beginners group.
Managed ok but went on holiday for a couple of weeks after reached the 5k then was unwell and basically didn't carry !
Gutted with myself really as I was so pleased to manage the 5k without stopping!
Had been thinking about having another go on my own.
Think I might start again on Friday night.

Was meant to read carry on!!

How do you log c25k in mfp? I mean how many calories, not how to actually do it. Wish the apps would speak to each other!

Was planning to run tonight but it's torrential rain here, literally bouncing off the pavements. It'll have to wait till tomorrow night. I've managed 8.5K steps despite it being a fairly sedentary work day.

Pumperthepumper I just enter the running parts as exercise. So week 1 was 8 mins of running. It was only about 136 kcal and I know in reality I burned a lot more as my heart rate was high during the walks. But I'm happy with that for now.

I'm meant to run tonight but I have a sore throat and swollen glands. And I feel a bit dizzy too.

What part of the country/world are you in MoreProseccoNow? I need rain in my part of London!

Edinburgh, it's a massive thunderstorm.

Sounds perfect!

I am so glad I didn't go out! Had been contemplating going out between showers but there's been little respite from the torrents.

Hope you are feeling better this morning Badgoushk. Prosecco I am headed up your way in summer holidays and was thinking I should try and carry on whilst away. Would it be ok if I pick your brains nearer the time ?

Rest day from C25K for me today but have said I'll keep a friend company on a swim so my saggy backside will be on display to the poor people in the pool!

Thanks for your reply Bad - turns out that Map My Run works in the background even if C25K and music are both on. I did w2r2 last night prosecco and I'm not far from Edinburgh, I love being out in the rain! Means I don't get too hot for a change!

W4R2 complete: much easier when it's cooler & breezy. I go on holiday next week so I'll make a start on week 5 but definitely won't get to finish.

Mirabelle you're very welcome to ask! There are nice flat promenades by the shore at Cramond/Silverknowes (which has a 5K park run on a Sat am) & Portobello, plus a cycle path network & numerous parks.

Well done Prosecco and thank you for the info, very helpful and I'm really looking forward to seeing Edinburgh.

W4R3 done and Zen Labs tells me I'm halfway and people who get to that point finish. Hope they are right ! Used map my run as well and was pleased to see I jog a little bit faster than I walk. At my current speed it would take me 46.05 mins to run 5k if I were actually able to.

Hello everyone, feeling a bit sorry for myself with this cold and terrible sore throat! I might need to wait until Sunday to complete week 2. I won't let it derail me though!

Really sorry to hear that Badgoushk I think you are very sensible to wait until fully recovered and hope that is soon. I had 2 weeks off for an op and was surprised to find how good it felt to be back to it.

Aw get well soon Badgoushk
Tomorrow is the start of week 4 for me. 5 mins run seems rather daunting. Anyone got any good tips/ motivation to help me?
Happy Friday night folks!!

You already can do over half of five minutes. It's counting to 150 x 2 or 100 x 3. Don't over think it, trust that having done week 3 your body can do it but your mind hasn't caught up with the idea yet. Make sure you do go slow enough to be able to have a conversation, you're building endurance not speed at this point.

Or you could do what I've done this week, go early so you are half asleep when you do it, that helps a lot!

Get well soon Badgoushk. Have just completed Wk 2. Finding it hard work to breathe when running due to sinus probs and hayfever so not sure how I will cope with longer runs. Guess it is one step at a time.