Runners! Needing encouragement :(

ampjorgensen

SO I have a few questions all you runners out there!

First off I JUST finished C25k Week 4 day 1 and I have to say WTH? it was quite a big surprise how far it jumped up. My cousin who runs tons of Marathons tells me it is all a mind game, but I was SOOO not mentally prepared for that! Anyways I look at this now as something that will only get harder and I ask myself will I actually be able to do this?

Anyways for those of you that have made it to that 5k mark and beyond did you feel like you would never get there!?

My goal is to run a 5k on my birthday and i have to sign up by July 12th for Color Me Rad to get the early bird fee.. and I keep second guessing myself. What if I'm not ready by then? what if I can't run it? what if I completely embarrass myself?

Did anyone else feel this way when starting out?

jenndymond

Im not sure how many times I stopped and started the c25k or repeated days until one day I just ran, the program told me I could walk but I felt good and strong so I kept running it just happend, out of the blue. Before I knew it I was running 5k. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other, and keep breathing!

You will get there!

For me on my first 5k i was to afraid of failing to let myself stop!!

toothpastechica

Sign up! You don't need to be able to run without stopping to do the Color Me Rad..it good motivation ESPECIALLY if you not quite there yet.....to get you to push to be there, or at least close! I'm doing the color run in September and JUST got back into running this month, meaning I am still walking a good chunk of 5k...but hoping to be back into running the whole distance by the time the run comes up. (I might sign up for a sooner one too if I can find one!)

bornofthorns

I am on Week 7 (2.5 straight run). It sucks so good! Let me boost your spirits here. I have never ran. I personally think of it as a flight or fight thing, but I decided to try c25k. At 282, I just did 2.5 at 4.6mph. It is not fast, but I did it. I will run my 5k sometime this fall. I am starting to get excited, and really taking a good luck at what I need to do in order to reach my goal for it. If I can do it, you can do it!

DesDawn24

Im not sure how many times I stopped and started the c25k or repeated days until one day I just ran, the program told me I could walk but I felt good and strong so I kept running it just happend, out of the blue. Before I knew it I was running 5k. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other, and keep breathing!

You will get there!

For me on my first 5k i was to afraid of failing to let myself stop!!

This!! I've been trying to do my own thing, similar to C25K. I've been slowly increasing, and feeling like I was still going nowhere. So tonight when I got on the treadmill I just said screw it, and kept going! I didn't run nearly 5 k, but I ran farther and longer than I ever have before and it's a HUGE confidence booster. Just sign up, work as hard as you can and if you have to walk a little, so what! At least you're out there trying, which is more than a lot of people can say. Good luck!

grimendale

It really is a mental game. I signed up for a 5k the same week I started the couch to 5k program. Knowing that I had already committed helped push me passed the "there's no earthly way I can possibly run that far" when the run distance bumped up each week.

alfiedn

I signed up for color me rad in August! I'm so excited to be a part of that and I've been really dedicated to working out since. My brother contacted me today (I'm going to visit him on Tuesday) and he wants to run a 10k race on July 4th, so guess who signed up for the 5k? I'm lucky because I've been training at altitude and he lives at sea level, so I should be able to do it. My main goal is his to be able to run the whole thing. If I can, that will be a major accomplishment for me! Sign up, let it fuel your workouts!

RadioactivePirate

You can do it! It's all "Wow I will never be able to do this" until all of a sudden it's "Holy crap, I just did that!"

Also sign up for the race. Especially with a fun run like that, there will be lots of walkers and if you need to take walking breaks you will be able to without embarrassing yourself. It's good to have it as a goal but don't stress out over it. This is supposed to be fun.

astronomicals

Running is conditioning. Four weeks isn't that long. You'll look back in 3 months and think running a 5k is a breeze. It really gets a whole lot easier. Just take it easy and run at a comfortable pace. Developing stamina and endurance takes leaving a lot of sweat in your path. Once you have it its nowhere near as hard to maintain as it was to acquire.

MandyBFit

Sometimes you need to repeat a week! Maybe repeat week 3 once more to prepare for week 4? I had to repeat week 3 for about 3 weeks now I can run 3 miles without having to walk, but it really is a mind thing. You'll get there and I'd say just sign up for the 5k.

BeTheFire

What does "C25K" mean? As far as an acronym goes.....?

Dernbach235

I ran my first 5k last December without much training. After that I was hooked. My second run was in March, which I trained for, I shaved off 4 minutes. Sign up for it!! You can do it and you will be hooked. I'm currently training for a 1/2 marathon at the end of September. I never thought that I would be a "runner." Now I'm running 7 miles at a crack. Good Luck to You!!:flowerforyou:

Dernbach235

Couch to 5K.

BeTheFire

Couch to 5K.

Thank you.

MGreensides

I'm probably the perfect person to talk to about this. I have only been running for 9wks and although I didn't use the c25k program, I used the same basic concept just at my own pace. I found that at a certain point there is a sort of breakthrough. I've heard this from other runners but was skeptical. Once I could run for 10mins without stopping it got much easier. And for me especially it is a mental exercise, at the beginning of every single run I doubt myself, I just can't get the negative thoughts out of my head. So my advice to you, keep at it. It gets easier, I promise. Some stages will seem like they take forever, then you will have times that you feel unstoppable...those are the days we run for

jogglesngoggles

You can do it! It's all "Wow I will never be able to do this" until all of a sudden it's "Holy crap, I just did that!"

Also sign up for the race. Especially with a fun run like that, there will be lots of walkers and if you need to take walking breaks you will be able to without embarrassing yourself. It's good to have it as a goal but don't stress out over it. This is supposed to be fun.

Yep! You'll be surprised at your body! Don't think so much about the distance or the time, just enjoy the ride, you'll get there!

ashlinmarie

You really just have to tell yourself you can do it. If you run outdoors (and I recommend it even though it is probably hot out by you) you can pick something ahead of you and tell yourself you will run to that landmark (lamppost, tree, fire hydrant, etc) and then when you get there, move on to the next one and the next one. I am not doing C25K (I have done it before but I have issues now where if I start walking, I can't get motivated to run again) but through the above method I have gotten up to running 1.25 miles again. I know that isn't all the way, but it is a good start for me.

And yes, you should sign up anyway. I did my first 5K I was only done with half of week 7 and I managed to run the full 5K. You get so motivated with other people around and if you're like me and competitive, you can pick people who are slightly ahead of you and keep pace or pass them and then move on to the next.

Good luck on your journey!

jetlag

I'm probably the perfect person to talk to about this. I have only been running for 9wks and although I didn't use the c25k program, I used the same basic concept just at my own pace. I found that at a certain point there is a sort of breakthrough. I've heard this from other runners but was skeptical. Once I could run for 10mins without stopping it got much easier. And for me especially it is a mental exercise, at the beginning of every single run I doubt myself, I just can't get the negative thoughts out of my head. So my advice to you, keep at it. It gets easier, I promise. Some stages will seem like they take forever, then you will have times that you feel unstoppable...those are the days we run for

I would agree completely with ths. I think it takes me about 8 minutes to warm up and once I could run for that long, carrying on for 25 minutes just "happened".

I suffered a slipped disc in 2010 and haven't been able to run since. I really miss it and hope I will be able to again once I've lost a lot of weight. I'm only 200+ lbs, but have hyper mobility syndrome which wasn't diagnosed until I started getting back problems from running. So I would say stick with it. When it clicks, it's the most amazing feeling ever.

kar328

I haven't done a 5K yet or signed up for one - too humid here, I'm waiting for fall - but I'm currently on week 6, finished day 2 yesterday. Me who's never run more than a mile at a time and that was 20 years ago, me who weighs over 200. Me who's actually starting to like this running stuff and even bought a running magazine the other day. This program is brilliant in getting people like me up and doing it. At first I was on the treadmill all the time, tried outdoors and felt it was too hard, then something clicked during whatever day/week has the three and five min runs and I find running on the treadmill is not what I want. Week 5Day 3 is definitely the big mind game. I was nervous. I got up early to get outside before the humidity kicked in. I did the whole run, it was slow - I've read the description on other threads of "like a turtle running in mud (or peanut butter) and that's just perfect. I did 1.5 miles which I was happy with. It was actually a bit of a let down going back to the intervals for week six. I finished the last of the intervals yesterday, the rest is straight running and I like tha idea. I think I'm a runner now.

Just don't let your mind try to interfere with what your body can do. You can do this and you will.

BrianSharpe

Self-doubt is common even amongst experienced runners.

When I started running a number of years ago I could barely get around the block without felling that death would be a blessed release. I didn't follow C25K, I started with walking then I went to intervals of 1 minute running (well, more like slow shuffling) and 9 minutes walking, then added a minute running etc etc until I could go 10 minutes without stopping. From there I (very gradually) added time and ran my first 5K in September 2009. I was slow (just under 40 min) but the feeling you get crossing that finish line for the first time is indescribable.

Since then I've run numerous 5K and 10K races and have completed 5 half-marathons and a couple of sprint duathlons (run/bike/run).

If you're finding that the C25K program is progressing too quickly don't worry about repeating a week. You will progress at your rate.

Running is something that you can enjoy for the rest of your life (seriously....there was a man over the age of 100 who completed a marathon recently and - one of my role models - Ed Whitlock ran the Toronto Marathon in 3:30 last year at age 82) it requires practically no equipment other than comfortable clothes and a good pair of runners.

With the right training and attitude you will be amazed at what you can accomplish.

Lisa5718

I'm having trouble at the 5 week jump of C25K but have huge motivation. My nephew has autism and we're participating in the Autism Walk in St. Louis this fall. In August we're having a 5K as part of our fundraising and I WILL run that race. I always keep in mind what they say, it's mind over matter and the first step out the door is the hardest. Good luck!!