C25k...decling distance?

emilym173

*DECLINING distance...sorry for the title typo!

I'm currently doing C25k. I've never been a runner, but I am active (yoga, hiking and p90x). Despite being active, I wouldn't really call myself "athletic." I'm kind of a weakling by default and have to really work to keep in shape. I recently decided that I need a new fitness goal and signed up for a 5k. I've heard really great things about C25k and decided to use it to prepare for the race. I'm a bit intimidated by running, but I'm in the best shape I've ever been. No excuses, right?

Well, I'm now on week 3. If I wasn't looking at my logs, I would say that I'm feeling and doing great. I've even dropped some weight. However, my logs tell a different tale. I'm a little bit confused by my progress. I can't tell if I just suck or if my logs are "normal".

Week 1
Day 1: 2.23mi
Day 2: 2.62 mi
Day 3: 2.70 mi
(I figure this is normal...my distance is improving with each run)

Week 2
Day 1: 2.21 mi (why did this drop lower than day 1?)
Day 2: 2.38 mi
Day 3: 2.77 mi
(still thrown off that my distance dropped, but again I am increasing with each run.)

Week 3:
Day 1: 2.27mi (another drop...)
Day 2: 2.15 mi
And that was today.

How I am getting worse? I even changed my route to flatter grounds for week 3 to make it less challenging (week 1 and 2 had a lot of hills.) I'm considering repeating week 3. Or there is always the possibility that I just need to be more optimistic and stick with it...

DavPul

It's week 3. Not exactly time to raise the panic flags just yet

badbcatha05

Like Dav said, it's early, I wouldn't get to worried yet. That first run 3 is less than a half mile away from a 5k anyway. I can't remember what mine looked like, though I suspect there would have been ups and downs... I can't remember how the time increases went as the program progressed. It's easy to hope to improve your time and distance every time you go out don't let it bother you if you don't. You will have bad runs along the way. Sometimes they don't feel so bad until you look at the time and think to yourself "Sheesh, what happened." It's just part of it. Stick with it, I'm sure you will be at the goal in no time.

ETA- I definitely wouldn't worry about your day 1 runs at all--- they are not really all that different. Are you using a GPS watch or phone? When I used my phone, I would periodically get slightly different distances even when I would run the same exact route.

wilsoje74

Don't even look at distance until you are fine with the whole program. Then you can work on speed if you want to. I personally do to care how fast I run, just that I do it. I'm not running to win.

PaytraB

Don't worry about your pace or distance yet. The program is meant to build up your stamina and as the running time increases, your pace will decrease at first.
As you get stronger, the pace will pick up by itself but that probably won't happen until after you finish the program since each day/week will have you running longer run times (and therefore will decrease your pace).

Congratulations on starting and continuing C25K. It's a good program. It worked for me and I had never considered myself a potential runner before.

froeschli

Meh, I wouldn't worry about distance until you complete the program. I am just getting back into running after the winter and am going the same distance, with progressively less walking breaks. Yet my speed is up and down, depending on all sorts of factors like how much I cycled the day before or whether I am running on a trail or road, am I dehydrated or hungry...
Look at running as a bodily function - they are rarely linear

Capt_Apollo

a big part of running is mental. i have a good loop that i can run in my neighborhood that is 4 miles long. you'd think that if wanted to get eight miles in, i'd just do it twice. but no, once i take a step past where i started, thats it. mental wall.

but if i want to get a really long run done, no problem, i just head out as far as i can, and turn around at the half way point.

emilym173

Thanks everyone. Because of p90x and p90x3, I've gotten into the habit of writing down my progress (# of reps, weights). I'm used to always seeing improvement week-to-week. Running is just a whole different animal and much more of a mental struggle than I had anticipated. I'll try not to get so hung up on the numbers.

badbcatha05

a big part of running is mental. i have a good loop that i can run in my neighborhood that is 4 miles long. you'd think that if wanted to get eight miles in, i'd just do it twice. but no, once i take a step past where i started, thats it. mental wall.

^^ This too! I thought it was just me. No way I could run two laps of my 5.5 mile loop. Physically sure, mentally-- not a chance. I don't understand why it just is what it is.

sphkhn

This happened to me as well I'm on week 5 and I have an app that counts my pace and during my first week intervals I was running at an 8 min mile speed which is way too fast and I went 2 miles on the first day now when I look at my pace I'm running at a 10 min mile speed which is better for a 5k run. Good luck! You should join the c25k group lots of tips on there. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/47-couch-to-5k-running-program-c25k-

3dogsrunning

C25k is a time goal. It is not meant to be a distance thing or speed. It is encouraged that you go as slow as you have to to make it through the time interval. Forget distance at this point.
Plus, you distance declines are very small. It could even be an issue of GPS accuracy. Every GPS, even the dedicated running ones, have an accepted degree of error.

harpere87

Also, keep in mind different factors can effect how your runs go. I've ran the same "course" on windy days vs a still day and in the time period given for c25k I finish my course and some days I don't. On week 3 I wouldn't worry too much about it. Plus, I'm pretty impressed that you are doing that kind of distance in week 3 - jealous! haha