Runners: Is this normal?!?

mommamo5

So I completed the 9 week Couch to 5K program and I still can't run the whole 5K without slowing down to a fast walk at some point. Tonight I made it to about 20 minutes of running at about 5 mph before I started feeling like I was going to throw up and needed to ease up. Am I pushing myself too hard or do I need to push myself harder to get through it?

I'd really love to run a 5K and more but I'm starting to wonder if I'm just not a distance runner...

What do you guys think?

Booper83

Sounds like you need more water throughout the day, or yes, you are pushing yourself too hard. Sometimes when I run, I'll feel like that. I have also heard, that it is acid build up. Instead of getting cramps, you feel like you are going to throw up. No, don't push yourself. You can overheat. Good luck, but be safe!

drosenbauer

I have the same problem. Just some theories...

Is it possible that your form is off, requiring you to exert way more energy?

I also recently read that distance runners have shorter Achilles tendons in their heels, making their feet more "springy", which allows them to launch themselves with much less effort. Maybe your legs just aren't structured in a running sort of way. (Mine aren't for sure.)

Celo24

It just takes time. Each time you run, push yourself to go just a little further than the last time. When I ran today, my goal was 5 miles. I stopped to walk after 3.25, ran again at 3.35 and finally threw in the towel at 4.1. Was I disappointed in myself? Sure. But I did better than last time and next time, I'll do better than I did this time. Walking for a few minutes and then running again always helps me push through a tough part.

Don't beat yourself up about it. You'll get there!!

gwenkern

If you've finished Couch to 5k, you're a runner. That's all there is to it! I did it starting last March and by summer, I was running for fun. However, I almost always take walk breaks on my runs. I've found that I can maintain a faster average pace if I allow myself to take walk breaks when I feel like I need them than if I force myself to run the whole time. I also have WAY more fun.

Maybe try going for a run where you don't track your mileage or time, just for fun. You'll get stronger in time from repetition and consistency, but you won't get any stronger if you push yourself so hard that you become miserable and quit.

ceinwen23

It takes time. Keep it up and keep running and running a little more each time. You'll get there!! 5k's are tons of fun and very addictive....just remember to rest when your body tells you to and stretch everyday!!!

emmaleigh47

5K really isnt distance running, and its my opinion that you can certainly do that distance.
Some people really enjoy running more by putting in walk breaks. You can go longer, feel stronger.
The key is making those walk breaks "prescheduled" so that you dont feel like you are quitting or a failure.
Walking is NOT a sign of failure... so schedule those walk breaks every 10 minutes ... or 5 minutes... or whatever you want.
You should not feel like throwing up while running... but pushing yourself is good too!

Keep up the good work!

jamie11k

Just keep at it! You may need more time working up to the distance, but your body will get there. Maybe spend some time making sure your breathing is steady? I used to huff and puff and wheeze, but this time around I found if I keep it controlled, my body doesn't HATE the running. Doing a half marathon this spring, and if I need to walk, I'll walk! Don't give up!

Nikstergirl

I did this program last summer and ran 2 5k's last year. The first one I slowed to a walk three times for about a minute and finished in 41 minutes. The second one, I slowed once to a walk for 30-45 seconds... and finished in 36 minutes!!! I think you're doing great! Just get out there.. don't stop, and push! There will be days you have to walk and days you don't, but finish what you've started!

I want to add that I started this just after I turned 38 years old and had NEVER run a mile before this. Currently... training for my first 10k!!!! Good luck, running is addictive, but in a good way! Walk breaks are fine... don't panic!

sassyg

I had to repeat weeks to get through it, there's nothing wrong with this.
Especially week 5 with the 3 different days in it, I spread out into 3 weeks of its own doing each day 3 times. that made the 20 minute run so much easier, then as you know, the weeks after that one just progress gently on the 20 minutes.

i'd go back and hit week 5 again, do day 1 until you've got it under control, then day 2, then day 3. then go back to week 6 once you've got the 20 minute run going well.

I think that's the only real flaw the c25k has, is week 5 seems to just go a bit too much all at once.

good luck!

kt2007

I am not a pro by any means but I would say maybe slow down just a lil and try to get your stamina a lil better. It will come. Give it time man but dont hurt yourself. Good luck with it.

hajjcomb

Give it time. Don't push too hard too fast as that is often a recipe for injury. Congratulations on your success thus far. I remember the first 5k I finished running wire to wire: my total time still wasn't as good as previous 5k's I had walked during. Haha.

Shawnalee0703

What if you ran it at 4.5-4.7 instead THE ENTIRE TIME and see how you feel? Then you can work on your speed and endurance. You have come so far... try slowing a bit and challenging yourself in time moving. Best of luck hun! :-D

elf618

Agree, I have been training for a half marathon and run 4 min walk 1min. I've been able to go faster on average by doing this and keep up my endurance than if I were to force myself to run the whole thing. Keeping just over an 11min mile average with walking Almost every time out is a little bit easier.

douglw

I wouldn't say that it's normal to feel sick from running, but it has certainly happened to me from time to time. An obvious solution is to try to slow down a little bit and see how that works out. Everything takes time. The most important thing is to get of the couch. Even if you're just walking, just doing something is much better than doing nothing. Walking also has the advantage of not messing up knees and hips like running.

I had one other thought. If you are dieting as well as running, you could be getting really low blood sugar towards the end of your run. That can make you feel sick.. Try eating a piece of fruit of a glass of juice a few minutes before you run. That might help. You might also try keeping a small piece of candy with you. Try eating it right about 15 minutes into the run. See if that helps.

kt2007

Also I really improved myself by working on the Elliptical. It can help you with it. Just try doing like 1 hr at a time and it will get your run better I swear.

liscar

I'm still plunking through the C25K program.....I get frustrated and go back to the following week to do over and it's ok. I do know that the feeling like you are going to throw up is getting your heart rate too high ---- because I did that. My husband bought me a heart rate monitor and I only run until my heart rate goes to 165, once it does I stop and walk fast until my heart rate drops to 140 or lower. At first I would barely run until I needed to stop, but now I'm going any where from 5-10 minutes before I need to walk. I think we are ALL different and just because one person can just breeze through the C25k --- doesn't mean we all can I love to run, just not good yet....I'm going to keep trying.

wannbAhottie

I was going through this same thing when I first started jogging, UNTIL a freind of mine who is a runner told me to SLOOOOOW down and let me tell you that was the best advice. She told me to slow down and work on endurance first and then over time the speed will come. I ran my first 3.3 miles on sunday and it took me 46 mins., not a great time by any means but to know I jogged the whole 3.3 miles was so encouraging to me. Keep at it, you'll get it. I hope that you find the advice/help you need to get where you want to be with your running

katbass

DOnt get discouraged (like I did!) I tried the Couch to 5k program several years ago and became very frustrated when the runs seemed to jump from walking to running too quickly for me. I gave up on ever being a runner.
And then I found a "Learn to Run" program. It is similar to the C25K program, but the intervals worked better for me. I am proud to say that I can now run for an hour without stopping and I have a treadmill 5k time of 27 minutes. Keep in mind, I was right where you are not that long ago! I NEVER thought I would be able to run for 20 minutes, 30 minutes, and psssht an hour!? yeah right!
But I can and I DO!

What Ive also found in the process: when you are learning to be a good runner, your pace isnt important. Your form is way more important than your time. I can surely run for a 27 minute 5k while hauling a** and feeling my heart in my face. But my most productive, LONGEST, most calorie-burning runs are done at 4.0, where I can stay in my target heart range and build my stamina. I am not sure I will ever "need" to run 7,9, or 10 miles an hour in "real life". So my goal of becoming a runner lead me to start focusing on healthy running and not on my speed. Now that I know HOW to run and what works for my body and heart rate, I can start focusing on speed.

Fitnesschica

I'm a long distance runner, I enjoy running marathons. I don't think you should stop to walk during a 5K if you are well trained and you've done a few 5Ks and have been running for a while. If it's your first 5K I wouldn't worry about a walk break, it only matters that you finished! However, I don't know what kind of training you are doing but it sounds like your diet might be off. It's normal for someone who is new to exercise to feel a tummy upset. But if you have trained for this run I would think you would be past this phase? What are you eating? You may need to have breakfast (whole wheat toast, oatmeal, play around with what works for you), I never go on a run with out eating but a 5K isn't too long and everyone is different, are you well hydrated? That means consuming a healthy amount of water during the week before your run and maybe some watered down gatorade the day before your run. Some people like to have something salty before a run, stay away from acidic foods like orange juice, oranges etc. as these will upset your tummy. If your having something sweet you need to drink water with it, if you have a GU type fuel gel you need to take it with water or you will upset your tummy if you take it with a gatorade type drink. I don't know what you are consuming so it's hard to say. And again, I don't know what you are doing, maybe your going out too fast? Letting the excitment and crowd get to you, play around with starting out slower and watching your pace. I would log onto runnersworld and type in your problem and see what advice you get.

mommamo5

Thank you all for the kind words and feedback...just another reason I love MFP!

@Booper83-I drink at least 8 glasses of water a day. Should I try to drink more on the days I run? You know now that you mention the acid build up, I do have acid reflux…that could be part of my problem.

@Drosenbaur-my form being off is a definite possibility. I have really been trying to work on my form/posture.

@Celo24-that’s really good advice. I will try to make it a little further next time before allowing myself to slow down.

@Gwenkern-a fun run sounds like a great idea=)

@Ceinwen23-Do you have any suggestions on what the best stretching exercise would be?

@Emmaleigh47-I wasn’t really suggesting that the 5K is distance running but I would eventually like to build myself up to distance running. The scheduled breaks are a really good idea!

@Jamie11k-man it seems like I am making all kinds of mistakes…breathing could be part of my problem as well. Good luck with the half marathon!

@Nickstergirl-I keep putting off doing a 5K since I can’t do it without stopping…maybe I should just go ahead and do one. Good luck with the 10K!

@sassyg-I agree with you for sure…there were some times I felt like I wasn’t ready to go to the next level.

@kt2007 and hajjcomb-I definitely don’t want to hurt myself, I just wasn’t sure if I was being a wimp lol=)

mommamo5

@shawnalee0703 and wannbahottie- think I will try to slow my pace down a bit when I run Friday night and see if that helps me out.

@elf618-great advise too! 11 min mile with walking is AWESOME!

@douglw-another good suggestion! I usually run about 2-3 hours after I’ve eaten so maybe I should try to have a piece of fruit beforehand.

Kt2007-I don’t really have the option of the elliptical right now. By the time I go to work and take care of the kids I usually don’t get my run in until the go to bed.

@liscar-sounds like we are on about the same running level right now. Best of luck to you!

@katbass-that is awesome and inspiring…thank you!

@fitnesschica-I haven’t actually ran a group 5K yet…only on the treadmill or outside on my own. My diet could also be part of the problem. Since joining MFP I have gotten a lot healthier than what I was but definitely not has healthy as a lot of people on here=)

Thank you all!

emmaleigh47

@Emmaleigh47-I wasn’t really suggesting that the 5K is distance running but I would eventually like to build myself up to distance running. The scheduled breaks are a really good idea!

Sorry I didnt mean to misunderstand you... I wish you all of the best luck.. but I hate it when people say they "cant" do something. YOu CAN do it... you just have to figure out your route to doing it. While some people can run a 10 minute mile... other people have to be content with a 15min/mile for now. Hopefully I will get better... and faster... but if I only tried to run a 10/mile I would have quit a looong time ago!

Fitnesschica

Could really be a lot of things, go to that website for running advice. Stay away from acidic foods, breathe from your mouth and nose at the same time, maybe you are not getting enough oxygen. Just open your mouth slightly and it will naturally happen, try not to think about it too much. Don't drink more water just drink enough. If you want to be a runner definately read articles on runnersworld web site. Read about what to eat, what to wear, how to breathe etc. They will also give you beginners running plans, thats how I got started, now I run marathons. You can also find a running group in your home town, just google running groups. It is very helpful to get advice and support. Good luck.

UpToAnyCool

You might not want to take advice from a novice jogger (did Couch to 5K over the summer), but I would agree w/ the others that say to slow down a bit. You will definitely be able to do the run w/o walking, but it takes some time for your body to get used to it.
After I got a HRM from eBay, I was initially disappointed that I was waaaay out of range and too close to maximum recommended heart rate. :grumble: :noway:

But stick with it and eventually your body gets used to it - now I can do the same runs w/o as much effort.

That said, there is nothing wrong w/ walking, but wanted to let you know that if you slow down a bit and build up, effort-wise, you will be able to improve.

jo_marnes

Slow down.

I've been running about 18 mths now and have progressed from 6kms to 21kms (last weekend!). I don't follow any programme and I run about once a week. The only times I have ever felt sick is when I go fast. There is no hurry - my 21kms took me 2 hours and 15 mins (pretty sure the last 3-4 kms took most of that time lol). The endurance is more important than the speed (to me anyway). The issues I'm trying to overcome at that distance are mental - my head wants to give up. Sure my legs are feeling it, but I'm not overdoing it as I am not hurting the next day or anything. Endurance running is as much about the mental fitness as it is the physical. Don't push it. It will happen xxx

fitbot

take this from the suckiest runner in the world (me), just keep going.
I did couch to 5km. and, while i could run the 5km, my time was really really crappy, and i still had to walk for 1 min every 10 min.

and this is ok. YOU ARE STILL RUNNING 5 KM which most people cannot do.

and it is all process. I now (7 months later) have shaved off 4 min off my total time, and when i do have to slow down to a brisk walk it is only at 4 km. and only on some days.
it is not amazing, but i am still proud as heck, and still consider running to be the best bang for the buck in terms of getting the most results out of an exercise.

just keep going.