C25K question

hjsportsed1

I started my C25K program today. It says Week 1 Day 1, Week 1 Day 2, and Week 1 Day 3. Do you rest for four days before starting week 2? Or go every other day? I just assumed you did them every day.

TrishSeren

It's designed so you only need to run 3 x a week, however, you can run more if you feel like you can, it just means you'll finish the program sooner.

When I did it, I ran tue, thur and sat and went to the gym mon, wed, fri.

Man I was fit back then -sigh-

estherdragonbat

Mine says "Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday" but I'm not tied to those days. Three days a week, preferably not consecutive, though it has been a couple of times.

apullum

Ideally, you would have a rest day between each running day, so you might run on Monday/Wednesday/Friday, or Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday, etc. I would not recommend that new runners have consecutive running days.

Purplebunnysarah

Every other day - running without breaks as a new runner is a great way to get injured and not be able to run at all.

estherdragonbat

Ideally, yes. I've had some less than ideal weeks. Basically, Tuesdays are with a running group and I need to run two days on my own. I may be the last person in the First World without a smartphone or a fitbit, so on my other two days, my husband and I go to a track. I run and he shouts out to me when it's time to walk/run. Problem is, some days he has other commitments. Thursday is my cooking day and while I try to get everything done by evening, sometimes that doesn't happen.

So, ideally? I'd run Tuesday-Thursday-Sunday. But sometimes, it's Tuesday-Wednesday-Sunday or Tuesday-Thursday-Monday. I'm now on Week 8 of a 9-week training program and so far, no injuries. Probably a combination of dumb luck and my having been reasonably fit before I started. (It's my first time training to run, but before that, I was walking 10K daily for almost a year and I've been strength training for about a year and a half.)

AnvilHead

apullum wrote: »

Ideally, you would have a rest day between each running day, so you might run on Monday/Wednesday/Friday, or Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday, etc. I would not recommend that new runners have consecutive running days.

sarahthes wrote: »

Every other day - running without breaks as a new runner is a great way to get injured and not be able to run at all.

^ What they said. Give yourself a rest day in between runs if at all possible. You'll be glad you did as the weeks go by and the workloads increase.

pondee629

estherdragonbat wrote: »

Ideally, yes. I've had some less than ideal weeks. Basically, Tuesdays are with a running group and I need to run two days on my own. I may be the last person in the First World without a smartphone or a fitbit, so on my other two days, my husband and I go to a track. I run and he shouts out to me when it's time to walk/run. Problem is, some days he has other commitments. Thursday is my cooking day and while I try to get everything done by evening, sometimes that doesn't happen.

So, ideally? I'd run Tuesday-Thursday-Sunday. But sometimes, it's Tuesday-Wednesday-Sunday or Tuesday-Thursday-Monday. I'm now on Week 8 of a 9-week training program and so far, no injuries. Probably a combination of dumb luck and my having been reasonably fit before I started. (It's my first time training to run, but before that, I was walking 10K daily for almost a year and I've been strength training for about a year and a half.)

If you are on a track, why don't you review the program before going out, estimate how far you would run/walk in the allotted time segment and count laps instead of having someone shouting at you, or when there is no one available to shout at you? How does your husband know when it's time for you to walk/run? You could just borrow his timing device.

Panini911

rest days are important. But ideally if you want to exercise the rest days, do something else. walk, swim, bike, lift, play a sport (that isn't all running :P)

agree with every second day as much as possible.

estherdragonbat

Psychological baggage, I guess. I've never been athletic or coordinated. I've always been a clock-watcher. My husband just looks at his watch and when I'm focusing on the track, periodically angling my wrist so I can see the numbers interrupts my rhythm. And if I've got to do it, I'll be doing it every couple of seconds, especially as I get close to time. Also, going around in circles, I've lost track of the lap number I'm on a few times. Pacing is something I struggle with when I'm not with the group (when I am, I just stay a half-pace or so behind the leader). If someone is ahead of me on the track, I keep mentally repeating to myself, "Run not race. Distance not sprint. You do you. Do not speed up. Do not try to pass. Just keep moving. Wait. Is this circuit three or circuit four? Did I start this interval at 7:12 or 7:13?" And weirdly? When I'm on my last interval, I find myself covering significantly more ground. I don't mean a last sprint at the end. I think it's because in my mind, when I get hot and sweaty, I assume I'm slowing down and push harder. This is my first experience with distance running; I only ever sprinted the last time I ran (elementary school field days!). I have no inner sense of "this is normal" to guide me.

At this point, with the 5K happening in one week (eight hours and 16 minutes, as I type this), and me running 15 minutes at a stretch, let's just chalk this up to fortune favoring the foolish. I'll accept that I'm not doing it as right as I should be, but as far as results? I'm getting them.

I should be clear that I don't try to squeeze extra training days into my week, so probably one thing in my favor is that if I run two days back-to-back, I have two or three consecutive rest days too.

thisPGHlife

@estherdragonbat There is an app my friend turned me on to called Zombies, Run! Full disclosure, I haven't used it yet. I'm trying to get my weight a little lower before I start running because I am trying to not blow out my knees. There is a companion app for it that is called Zombies, Run! 5k training. It's similar to the C25K programs in that it tells you when to walk and run. But, they tell you a story while you work out which is appalling to me because it's a distraction from the running. Then, when it's time to pick up the pace, the story pauses and you hear the Zombies behind you. Your supposed to run to get away from them. I don't know if this would help you out not. It could keep you distracted and entertained as well as doing the timing for you.

IvyReisner

Zombies Run 5K is a lot harder than Laura's C25K podcast. Not bad, just a lot harder. It's not as guided. You get things like "okay, so walk or run or whatever you like for the next 20 minutes".

Zombies Run the main app is amazing. I'm in season 2 and after the end of season 1, I didn't want to wait to go on my next run. Yipe!

thisPGHlife

IvyReisner wrote: »

Zombies Run 5K is a lot harder than Laura's C25K podcast. Not bad, just a lot harder. It's not as guided. You get things like "okay, so walk or run or whatever you like for the next 20 minutes".

Zombies Run the main app is amazing. I'm in season 2 and after the end of season 1, I didn't want to wait to go on my next run. Yipe!

Thanks for this!! The more you know...

whatsizbucket

I've never heard of the Zombies 5K program! Does it say 'Braaaaaaaains!' at the end? I'll have to check it out.

I listen to Podrunner. It's cool. Works for me.

IvyReisner

It does not say "braains" at any point.

It starts off, you are in a helicopter. The chopper is shot down and you're the only survivor. You find a headset and can hear but can't speak. The mike is out. A voice comes through the speakers, a man, saying his name is Sam Yao and he's from Able Township. He tells you where to head and guides you away from zombies in the area. Of course you can run in any direction you want. He says go east. You run west. It still works. Since you can't answer him and tell him your name, he calls you the new Runner 5, in honor of the last runner they lost. Over the course of a few episodes you meet some more runners and the folk at Able township, and you start to hear about a project Greenshoot.

From there it's a series of story missions that are sometimes light and funny and sometimes rather deep as more of the world and its intrigue are revealed. Overall, it's well-written especially for what it is.

estherdragonbat

skram01 wrote: »

@estherdragonbat There is an app my friend turned me on to called Zombies, Run! Full disclosure, I haven't used it yet. I'm trying to get my weight a little lower before I start running because I am trying to not blow out my knees. There is a companion app for it that is called Zombies, Run! 5k training. It's similar to the C25K programs in that it tells you when to walk and run. But, they tell you a story while you work out which is appalling to me because it's a distraction from the running. Then, when it's time to pick up the pace, the story pauses and you hear the Zombies behind you. Your supposed to run to get away from them. I don't know if this would help you out not. It could keep you distracted and entertained as well as doing the timing for you.

One more thing to file away for when I get a smart phone!

hesn92

ideally you would do them every other day, like MWF. I'm sure you wouldn't die if you couldn't make it work one day and had to to TWF instead. I wouldn't do them three consecutive days in a row though. Running can be really hard on your legs/joints/knees/feet/etc. and you need to give your body plenty of time to adapt. I think the most common reason people get injured during running or end up quitting is because they tried to jump into it too fast.

capaul42

One note on the Zombies Run 5k app. Having done both a regular C25K and the ZR5K, I found ZR5K better. In addition to the distraction of the story, you do more than walk and run drills. There are certain stretches that you incorporate into the workout as well. I found these extremely helpful in that they help strengthen the muscles needed for running.
I could not finish C25k. I found it boring, dry, monotonous and it corrupted my music files. ZR5K I actually finished. I will probably run it again after my Sept race to work on increasing my speed.

VUA21

hjsportsed1 wrote: »

I started my C25K program today. It says Week 1 Day 1, Week 1 Day 2, and Week 1 Day 3. Do you rest for four days before starting week 2? Or go every other day? I just assumed you did them every day.

I do mine Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. Once you hit about week 4 & 5, those rest days between runs become much more important. It's designed to run 3 days a week.

DeshotelK

Today I'm on Week 5 Day 3 of Zenlabs C25K (I think it's a 20 min jog). I alternate days of yoga and jogging. I completed C25K a few years ago and had to stop running due to back issues and a knee injury. This time around, I find it much easier. Not sure if the yoga is helping or what, but I'm taking my time to prevent injuries and loving it. May need to check out the Zombies Run. Sounds entertaining!

mbaker566

i also enjoyed the zenlabs version