Beginning runner using C25k
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Program: C25k Week 2 Day 2
Date: 10/16/2014
Start time: 6:50 pm
Goals:
• Run and walk with head up, not down
• Keep arms from crossing over chest, elbows at 90 degrees
• Keep comfortable ‘talking’ pace
• Complete run portions of program
• Increase my pace
Distance: 3.1 miles
Duration: 53:54
Ave Pace: 17:24
Change from last attempt: -01:40
Change from Week 1, Day 1 (58:58): -05:04
Change from Fastest Time, (Week 2 Day 2: 53:54): This is my fastest time to date!
I remembered to use my inhaler for this run and my lungs were the better for it. However, I do believe I made a mistake on this run. I wanted to try to increase my pace, so I started out running faster for the first interval. Too fast I think. I was in a lot of physical discomfort by the end of the first 90 seconds and I never seemed to recover myself by the end of the program.
I believe that when I do this run on Saturday, I will start out at my normal snail pace and after I hit the halfway mark in the program increase my pace.
As an aside, when I do this run, I run through my subdivision. I do this because I don’t want to have to stop for crosswalks or slow down, I want a continuous run. But I do believe I picked a good time of year to do this. The reason is that every run I make, there are more and more houses decorated for Halloween. It makes it kinda cool, and creepy a bit, what with the skulls and whatnot. Looking forward to making the same run during Christmas time and seeing the new decorations.
Goal Achievement:
• Run and walk with head up, not down
o Doing well on this.
• Keep arms from crossing over chest, elbows at 90 degrees
o Did pretty good on this one.
• Keep comfortable ‘talking’ pace
o Still a work in progress..
• Complete run portions of program
o Doing well on this, still need to find a good balance between finishing and increasing pace.
• Increase my pace
o A definite work in progress.
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Program: C25k Week 2 Day 3
Date: 10/18/2014
Start time: 7:47 pm
Goals:
• Run and walk with head up, not down
• Keep arms from crossing over chest, elbows at 90 degrees
• Keep comfortable ‘talking’ pace
• Complete run portions of program
• Increase my pace
Distance: 3.1 miles
Duration: 48:28
Ave Pace: 15:38
Change from last attempt: -05:26
Change from Week 1, Day 1 (58:58): -09:30
Change from Fastest Time, (Week 2 Day 3: 48:28): This is my fastest time to date!
First of all WHOO HOOO!!! I broke 50 minutes! For some this may not be very fast, for me it was pushing myself. When I went out on Saturday my goal was to push myself and break 50 minutes.
I can walk a 5k with no problem, I can WALK for miles and miles with no problem, the problem begins when I start to run. So what I wanted to do was push myself for the run portions of the C25k program. I know if I push too quickly in the beginning it ruins my time overall as I become fatigued and never really recover. So this time I went pretty slow at the start. When the program told me I was halfway done, I started to push during the run portions. I finished the C25k program at about 1.6 miles or so. I wanted to push myself so I booted up Week 1 Day 1 of the program, fast forward past the warm-up, and did that program for the last 1.5 miles of the 5k. I still had to push a bit at the end to make it in under 50 minutes, but I did it.
I am looking forward to pushing myself next week. I need to learn to push myself and ignore the discomfort if I am going to get any better. However, I need to push in such a way as to not cause injury because not being able to walk/jog for a week or so won’t help me. On Tuesday I start Week 3 Day 1. Over the course of 28 minutes it has 9 minutes of running (same as week 2). Two 90-second jogs and two 3-minute jogs. The 3-minute portions give me some pause, it is twice as much as I have been doing. But there are only two portions, I have belief in myself that I can do it!
Goal Achievement:
• Run and walk with head up, not down
o Doing well on this.
• Keep arms from crossing over chest, elbows at 90 degrees
o Did pretty good on this one.
• Keep comfortable ‘talking’ pace
o Still a work in progress..
• Complete run portions of program
o Doing well on this, still need to find a good balance between finishing and increasing pace.
• Increase my pace
o A definite work in progress.
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RUNNING_AMOK_1958 wrote: »
Good article. The C25k is basically what the author was talking about, but with more structure. I am a goal driven person and having the goals of the C25k program helps me focus more.
The advice about listening to your body is paramount. My wife went out this weekend to run and didn't listen to her body. Now she probably won't be able to run for the next week or so while her knee heals up.0 -
Love watching your progress, thinking about posting something similar to this to track mine. I'm starting my c25k program this afternoon
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Your progress is inspiring! I downloaded this app a few weeks ago, but wasn't sure when I wanted to start it (I live in Wisconsin, so the weather is getting colder and I have to take my 4 year old out with me and I don't want it to get too cold for him). You are making me want to start it now, even with the cooler weather coming.0
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JessRaddatz wrote: »Your progress is inspiring! I downloaded this app a few weeks ago, but wasn't sure when I wanted to start it (I live in Wisconsin, so the weather is getting colder and I have to take my 4 year old out with me and I don't want it to get too cold for him). You are making me want to start it now, even with the cooler weather coming.
I live in Wisconsin as well, and I will not quit running outside until I see a flake of snow. I'm taking my son out to my run today after work, i'll just make sure he is dressed in warm clothes
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Amazing progress! Very inspirational!
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JessRaddatz wrote: »Your progress is inspiring! I downloaded this app a few weeks ago, but wasn't sure when I wanted to start it (I live in Wisconsin, so the weather is getting colder and I have to take my 4 year old out with me and I don't want it to get too cold for him). You are making me want to start it now, even with the cooler weather coming.
I am almost the other way around here in Arizona; I have to wait until the sun sets before I go out running as it is too hot otherwise. Although, as fall progresses I will be able to go out running earlier and earlier.
The child issue is problematic, luckily my wife and I alternate running days. As a parent I know that our situations are all unique any solution I could give either would not pertain to your situation or you have already thought of it. Yesterday my 7 year old son did ask if he could go out with me when I go running tonight, it broke my heart a bit to tell him no (loved his enthusiasm). I run through my neighborhood and while there is not a lot of traffic, there is some. He just does not pay attention enough for me to feel comfortable running with him, especially at these beginning stages, I have to concentrate too much on myself (sometimes just putting one foot in front of the other)!
Good luck to you, I hope you find some solutions!0 -
I did C25K about 4 years ago at the age of 52. It is totally achievable. Keep up the good work and the good form. Let me tell you - you WILL get to the day when you cannot believe you thought 5 minutes was ever hard. You WILL get to the day when a 5K will be a piece of cake and 30 minutes (or less). You WILL get to the day when you can't believe you just ran a solid hour. You WILL get to the day when you can't believe you waited so long to try running. God bless and happy running.0
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Program: C25k Week 3 Day 1
Date: 10/21/2014
Start time: 7:22 pm
Goals:
• Run and walk with head up, not down
• Keep arms from crossing over chest, elbows at 90 degrees
• Keep comfortable ‘talking’ pace
• Complete run portions of program
• Increase my pace
Distance: 3.1 miles
Duration: 53:24
Ave Pace: 17:13
Change from last attempt: +4:56
Change from Week 1, Day 1 (58:58): -05:34
Change from Fastest Time, (Week 2 Day 3: 48:28): +4:56
So before I went on my run I had to move furniture. Because my wife hurt her knee I had to do it on my own. So I moved three sections of a sectional couch upstairs by myself. The hard part is that half way up the stairs, they make a 180 degree turn, and I had to muscle the piece around without gouging the wall or ripping the banister off. Suffice it say that I was a bit tired when I went out.
I still started off well, the 90-second jog didn’t bother me at all. When I go to the 3-minute run, I have to admit I was in some discomfort. By the end of it I needed the full 3 minutes of walking to get my breath back. This was the first time since I started the C25k program that I was short of breath. All other times it had been burning muscles that had bothered me.
I still finished all the run portions of the program and I have confidence that I will do so on the next two days of this week’s program. I have looked forward a bit and seen that in week 4 it jumps up to 16 minutes of running. So week 2 & 3 are 9 minutes, week 4 is 16. That is a bit of a jump and it has 5-minute run portions. I have progressed well every week and am hopeful that this week is no different.
Goal Achievement:
• Run and walk with head up, not down
o Doing well on this.
• Keep arms from crossing over chest, elbows at 90 degrees
o Did pretty good on this one.
• Keep comfortable ‘talking’ pace
o Still a work in progress..
• Complete run portions of program
o I did it, not comfortably, but I didn’t quit!
• Increase my pace
o A definite work in progress.
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Program: C25k Week 3 Day 2
Date: 10/23/2014
Start time: 6:45 pm
Goals:
• Run and walk with head up, not down
• Keep arms from crossing over chest, elbows at 90 degrees
• Keep comfortable ‘talking’ pace
• Complete run portions of program
• Increase my pace
Distance: 3.1 miles
Duration: 54:51
Ave Pace: 17:41
Change from last attempt: +1:27
Change from Week 1, Day 1 (58:58): -04:07
Change from Fastest Time, (Week 2 Day 3: 48:28): +6:23
I did not feel good about this one from the very beginning. It was one of those days where my body was tired before I even went outside. Not much to talk about with this one. I did complete all of the run portions, albeit significantly slower than I had previously. During the first 3-minute run session, my left calf felt as if I had a golf ball shoved under the skin. I still think I am having a problem with warming up. I am going to try something different on Saturday and see how it works out for me.
Goal Achievement:
• Run and walk with head up, not down
o Doing well on this.
• Keep arms from crossing over chest, elbows at 90 degrees
o Did pretty good on this one.
• Keep comfortable ‘talking’ pace
o Still a work in progress..
• Complete run portions of program
o I did it, not comfortably, but I didn’t quit!
• Increase my pace
o A definite work in progress.
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Congrats on completing all of the runs!0
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Program: C25k Week 3 Day 3
Date: 10/27/2014
Start time: 6:39 pm
Goals:
• Run and walk with head up, not down
• Keep arms from crossing over chest, elbows at 90 degrees
• Keep comfortable ‘talking’ pace
• Complete run portions of program
• Increase my pace
Distance: 3.1 miles
Duration: 52:29
Ave Pace: 16:57
Change from last attempt: -00:55
Change from Week 1, Day 1 (58:58): -06:29
Change from Fastest Time, (Week 2 Day 3: 48:28): +4:01
I took a few extra days off here. Normally I would have done this run on Saturday the 25th, but I wasn’t feeling it on that Saturday or Sunday. So I went out on Monday and while I did not do great, I did ok.
I am still having difficulty with the warm-up. Part of the problem is that the warm-ups I see online are for people who are in shape and regularly run, I am not either one of those. But I tried a different way this time and I think it worked well for me. My legs weren’t too sore and my lungs did not get really distressed.
I am on to Week 4 Day 1 now, which alternates 3-minute, and 5-minute runs for a total of 16 minutes of running, which is the biggest jump to date, considering week 3 is only 9 minutes of running.
I will probably start week 4 on Wednesday, wish me luck!
Goal Achievement:
• Run and walk with head up, not down
o Doing well on this.
• Keep arms from crossing over chest, elbows at 90 degrees
o Did pretty good on this one.
• Keep comfortable ‘talking’ pace
o Still a work in progress..
• Complete run portions of program
o I did it, not comfortably, but I didn’t quit!
• Increase my pace
o A definite work in progress.
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Good luck on week 40
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I just wanted to say that I really admire your tenacity and dedication. You seem to be very motivated. You're an inspiration!0
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Good luck! You seem dedicated
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Program: C25k Week 4 Day 1
Date: 10/30/2014
Start time: 7:02 pm
Goals:
• Complete run portions of program
• Increase my pace
Distance: 3.1 miles
Duration: 50:09
Ave Pace: 16:11
Change from last attempt: -02:20
Change from Week 1, Day 1 (58:58): -08:49
Change from Fastest Time, (Week 2 Day 3: 48:28): +1:41
This week was a pretty big jump in run time. Week 3 is 9 minutes of total running, with the longest being 3 minutes. Week 4 is 16 total minutes of running, 2 3-minute and 2 5-minute runs.
I did ok I think. My biggest goal with all of these is to run or jog the entirety of the run portion, and I did that. I posted my 2nd fastest time and I wasn’t hustling too much, or focusing on time. This is my 10th time doing the 5k and I am noticing that my total stamina is getting better. I know I could have pushed myself harder on this workout and still been fine. On W2D3 when I posted my fastest time, I was concentrating on coming in under 50 minutes, I wasn’t trying to beat any time on this run and I was only 9 seconds over 50 minutes. Gives me hope for the future.
I do an entire 3.1 miles when I do these ‘runs’, but I incorporate my warm-ups into the 5k, hopefully as time goes on I won’t need to do that. So for this run what I did was start out with a 5 minute walk to my starting line and I do some stretches while I’m walking (striding, high knees, hip flexing, etc.). Then when I get to my starting position I alternate 1 minute of running with 90 seconds of walking (basically week 1 day 1), I do that 3 times. I then keyed up my current workout (W4D1) and did that. After that workout was over, (I was a little over the 2 mile mark) I keyed up W2D1 for the rest of the run. I think the biggest detriment to my time on this run is that after I did my warm-up (the 1 minute runs), I still did the warm-up for W4D1. When I do day 2, I think I will fast forward a few minutes and see what that does.
Goal Achievement:
• Complete run portions of program
o I did it. There was a time or two I wasn’t sure if I could complete the 5-minute runs. The funny thing is that I start getting really burned around the 2:30 mark or so, which makes even the 3-minute runs painful. But I reach a point at about 3:30 where the burn subsides a bit and running for the rest of the 5 isn’t too bad.
• Increase my pace
o This one is progressing. Looking at my split times, I can see that I am getting faster on the run portion of the program.0 -
Program: C25k Week 4 Day 2
Date: 11/02/2014
Start time: 6:39 pm
Goals:
• Complete run portions of program
• Increase my pace
Distance: 3.1 miles
Duration: 48:53
Ave Pace: 15:46
Change from last attempt: -01:16
Change from Week 1, Day 1 (58:58): -10:05
Change from Fastest Time, (Week 2 Day 3: 48:28): +00:25
I know some of you that live in cooler climates will scoff, but it was about 65 degrees when I went running last night and I was cold! My muscles felt tight and my hands were freezing the entire time. I need to go and buy some new exercise clothes, I don’t get home from work early enough to go out when the sun is up.
I didn’t do too bad on this one I think. I was only 25 seconds off my fastest time, so I am happy with that. I am refining my warm-up process and learning to push through my discomfort more. I know I could have pushed a bit more on this day and I will try to do so when I do W4D3.
Goal Achievement:
• Complete run portions of program
o I did it. The 5-minute portions are still a bit rough and I find myself wanted to look at the timer to see how much time is left. Sometimes when I look it makes it easier, like when I have a minute or less left, at other times it is disheartening when I see I have only run for 2 minutes and am already hurting.
• Increase my pace
o This one is progressing. I am refining my process and believe that I will break a sub 45 minutes next week.
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