Does C25K work? Success stories?

Ready2Rock206

I don't think it's helped me lose weight, but I'm running a 5k Sunday and before I started I could barely do the 2 minute runs or whatever the first level is!

NewMnky1

I tried one a few months back, and I know this is just me and that it was a total mental thing, but I found it harder to do it with the program. I relied too heavily on waiting for the breaks even though I felt I could run more, I didn't because of the program. I would barely make it through the running portion because I knew there was a break coming, and I found it harder to start running again once I walked. I also found it harder to pace my breathing when alternating between walking and running.

One day I said forget the program just see how long you can run for without stopping. In that moment I went from barely running 3 minutes straight to running 18 minutes straight. I now run 4 days a week and do 6km in 35 mins.

For whatever reason it didn't work for my but it definitely gave me a starting point and helped me figure out what worked for me. So don't hesitate to try one, but don’t' be afraid to modify it slightly if you find it isn't working for you.

tavinsmom

I'm in my 4th week of C25K. I know some say it doesn't help with weight loss, but I've lost more in the last 4 weeks than I have in the past 9 months of trying to lose weight. I've been exercising since April, and I always eat my exercise calories, so not sure what is doing it, but I'm happy with it.

It's hard work, but I look forward to being able to jog 3 miles straight.

MsipiGRITS

Absolutely! I didn't start the program until I was almost 42 and would highly recommend it for anyone of any age!! It paces you slowly so it is completely doable. Now, I haven't lost weight with the running but I am maintaining. Better than that, though, I definitely feel like I am in better shape both from a cardiovascular AND body fat perspective. The trick is to not go a faster speed than you are ready for. When I do that, I poop out and feel like I've just failed and what was all that hard work for!? LOL Pace, breathing, hydration, good shoes AND socks are key. Also, I would recommend running on the road or track vs on the treadmill... I completed the C25K running on the road, but during the dog heat of summer I couldn't take it and ran inside... When I started back on the road during the "not as hot" days (and to prep for a 5k haha), it almost killed me and my 5k time was pitiful! So, there is a definite difference between them. I say try it you might like it! Go for it!!!

dougii

It does! When I started running late in May 2012 I could not run a lap around the high school track. I found, started and completed a C25K app a bit faster than planned as by the middle I started runing two days back to back each time I went out. In August 2012 I ran my first official 5K - slow but I finished. In October I ran another 5K, shaved 2 minutes off of my PR and then got back in line and ran the 10K - slow but again I finished. I lost almost 4 months to a hip flexor injury at the beginning of 2013 but today am just 68.8 miles shy of hitting my first 1000 miles run. I am not a big race fan but I love running 6 to 8 miles every other morning (pre-dawn) with my favorite running companion - Haley, the 85 pound German Shepherd. If I had not started with the C25K app and the run/walk program I don't think I would have found the one exercise that I am most passionate about - running!

Stage14

I have always DESPiSED running. Hated it with a passion, and struggled with it because of a bad knee to boot. I finally decided last month that I need some sort of real world cardio conditioning, because when the zombies attack, the elliptical is not going to save me.

I started it 4 weeks ago, and in the beginning I couldn't even run the full 60 seconds of the first week. I'm now on week 3 (repeated the first week) and I can complete the workouts and still for energy for strength training after.
And, the biggest success so far is that I ENJOY running now. Obviously I can't give a review on the end results, but so far, I love this program and I am confident I will be able to run 5k by the end of it.

drojen

I have completed the program. It's great to get you up and running. My advice - good shoes, don't worry about pace, speed comes with practice. Just get the intervals done at whatever pace is comfortable for you. I likely started out at 4 mph pace, maybe even slower. It definitely helped with the weight loss because when I run (or exercise in general), I want to eat better. So sure, keeping my calories in a deficit is really what makes me lose weight, I'm more motivated to eat better food because I'm running. It's all a circle for me. It also helps my mood. I feel much better too. I exercise, I eat well, I feel happy, that motivates me to exercise and eat well. The circle of life for me!

crackur

I'm looking into doing it after I complete T25. I want to get fitted for new shoes before then and I'll have strength and resistance training on days I'm not running.

Runningcircuits

Yes, to what many said on here. I started running with C25K several years ago and was running 5Ks regularly upon completion.

As was said several times on here, I did not lose much weight (but was FAR healthier and felt FAR better) because I tricked myself into believing that since I was running I could eat/drink whatever I wanted and the weight would fall off. So wrong! That's why I am here now, still running, but also tracking my calories to be sure I am creating the deficit I need.

Good luck!

likitisplit

I tried one a few months back, and I know this is just me and that it was a total mental thing, but I found it harder to do it with the program. I relied too heavily on waiting for the breaks even though I felt I could run more, I didn't because of the program. I would barely make it through the running portion because I knew there was a break coming, and I found it harder to start running again once I walked. I also found it harder to pace my breathing when alternating between walking and running.

One day I said forget the program just see how long you can run for without stopping. In that moment I went from barely running 3 minutes straight to running 18 minutes straight. I now run 4 days a week and do 6km in 35 mins.

For whatever reason it didn't work for my but it definitely gave me a starting point and helped me figure out what worked for me. So don't hesitate to try one, but don’t' be afraid to modify it slightly if you find it isn't working for you.

This is a common experience...most people find the C25k app makes it easier, but some find it distracting. This is exactly how the successful runners made it anyway.

JoelleAnn78

YES! I loved C25K! I give it 100% credit for taking me to a place where I believed I could be a runner. Now I run for fun -- gasp -- and pay money to push myself in order to shave off another 30 seconds from my PR. I have lost 30 pounds since the day I started C25K (3/18/13) by running and eating at a 500 calorie deficit.

DO NOT out do the program. If it says run - run, if it sas walk - walk. it is designed to condition your body to be able to do the long run (3.1 miles is the long run in this case....). And take rest days. You're body needs to rest and repair muscles.

PurplePolkaDot84

This is so good to know about those programs. Right now I'm walking 4 miles in a hour and it's tuff. I'll have to try this because next September I want to run a 5k for my 30th birthday.

1brokegal44

I hope so. I'm on week 4. Big jump from week 3 to 4 in terms of running time. I suspect I'll be on week 4 for a couple of weeks. I'm planning on running the 5K Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving.

SadFaerie

I didn't do C25K but started a very similar run/walk program some years ago. It didn't help me lose weight and I'm still looking to blindness more eagerly than to running. What it did do, however, was to turn me from a person who couldn't run more than 100m without spitting out her own lungs into a person who can now run half marathons and is seriously considering a 26.2 next year. So yes, by all means, try it! It is worth it.

mapnerd2005

I did it, and it worked well for me. Started in January 2011, got to about the 7th week and switched to the 10K one, finished it and ran an official 10K in mid-April. When I started in January I couldn't run one lap around a track or between two lamp posts on the street.

brandiuntz

I started C25K in January as a way to get into running and get cardiovascular benefits. It absolutely helped with that. I've gained a love for running and am currently training for a half marathon.

Diet is more important for weight loss.

As others said, keep your pace slow...slower than you think you need it. That will help you gain endurance without burning out from pushing too hard early and not wanting to finish the program. Running is a mental challenge, though. Part of the sport (to me) is learning how to push yourself when you're wanting to stop.

Good luck!

RBXChas

Yes, I hated running with a passion but really wanted to love it. I did it in late 2011 and continued to run afterwards but never more than five miles at a time (usually 3-4). Running and Spinning reshaped my body and helped me lose 82 lbs.

Now I'm back after having a baby 3.5 months ago, and I need to lose most of that weight again (and then get to ultimate goal weight). I need to add strength training and yoga to the mix, but until I can afford the time to get back to my Spinning classes, I'll be running. As soon as it gets cool enough (I'm in coastal SC), I will be starting C25K again.

Based on other workouts I've done, my stamina is still pretty good, so I may skip the first couple of weeks of the program, but I do intend to use it to get back up to running a 5K again. Once I do that, I want to do Hal Higdon's half-marathon training program. Then that's it. I don't have much desire to run a marathon.

Oh, but as far as enjoyment, yes, once I got my form and breathing techniques down (as well as awesome shoes and comfy clothes for running), I loved it! I lose myself in the music, and it really clears my head. I love Spinning and all, and while the group dynamic makes a tough workout super fun, it doesn't clear my head the way running does. Even if you have a running partner, you'll tend to get some distance at some point, and then it's just you and the road. I find it very peaceful, and if I go early in the morning I often encounter deer and occasionally a fox

ETA that I was eating at a deficit. Exercise helped but was not fully responsible for my weight loss.

RBXChas

I have always DESPiSED running. Hated it with a passion, and struggled with it because of a bad knee to boot. I finally decided last month that I need some sort of real world cardio conditioning, because when the zombies attack, the elliptical is not going to save me.

Yup, pretty much! I know someone who recently lost quite a bit of weight from eating well and doing the elliptical every day for an hour. I suggested she start running C25K, and she figured because the elliptical tells her she does x miles (I forget the number) every day, she can just go ahead and run a 5K. She told me later that she could hardly do it. The elliptical had done very little to prepare her for running. I'm sure she had gained some sort of cardio endurance from the elliptical, but it just goes to show that running is more difficult and as such probably does a whole lot more for your body than an elliptical machine ever could!

AmyMgetsfit

I am doing right now. I am taking it slow, I do some weeks twice or do more easing into it. Like for instance for week 5 day 3 you run 20 minutes. I may run 15 minutes on day 3 and then go an extra day to do the 20 minute run. I am getting much more fit from it. I cross train by biking and strength training on days I don't do the c25k. I am 58 years old and have never run in my life. I have tried it a couple of times when I was younger, but I gave up after the 2nd day. I did wait until I had lost weight and had been working out a few months before I attempted it. I am really loving it and always look forward to my run days. I think it is a great program. For me taking it slow is what is working for me. I also don't want to over do it and get an injury. My knees are holding up well, that was my main concern when I started. Which was one reason I waited until I had lost 40lbs, I didn't want to put added stress on my old knees.