C25K Participants - I need some help

kms1981

So I started week 5 last night. I did my 5 minutes runs just fine. Next up I see is 8 minutes, and man I feel like this is pushing it...but then I look on to my 3rd day this week and see I am supposed to run for 20 minutes straight this week! WHAT? I am working hard and keeping with it but at this point 20 minutes feels impossible!

Any advise form people who have done this? Should I keep doing day 3 until I actually run for a full 20 minutes without a walk break?

As far as my running history: I have none. Even when I was a kid and was supposed to run the mile in school I would walk most of it. I have always been out of shape (not heavy as a kid, just not fit and athletic).

denise_earheart

A few years ago I lost 40 pounds and did it all by walking but I def. built up to it! I pushed myself as hard as I could and whatever that point was I would stick with it until it became a little easier!!!!

Chiquita_Banana

you can repeat some days, thats what i do until i feel like i can tackle what's next

RMinVA

You have to wrap your head around the fact that you CAN do it, instead of thinking that you can't before you even try. Running is a very "mental" thing and it leaves very little room for negative "self talk." You may also want to look at your pacing and slow it down just a tad. That can make all the difference in the world.

I have been running for well over 2 years now, and sometimes running just a few miles a lot harder than pounding out 9 or 10. But most of it is in my head.

chanstriste13

once i got to week 5, my progress slowed considerably. i created a week 4.5 in which my goal was to jog 15 minutes solid. i repeated this until i could - probably 6 or 7 sessions for me (but i was only using c25k 2 days per week at this point). once i got there, i moved on to week 5 day 5. i pretty much modified the program however i needed in order to keep going. it was hard and discouraging, because i felt like i should be able to keep on schedule. but like you, i had no running history either - other than gym class when the teacher would roll her eyes and tell me to come on in because i was a lost cause since i couldn't finish the mile run within the class period.

anyhoo, stay the course, modify as you need to. i thought 8 minutes to 20 minutes was crazy too, and it took me a while to get there. but now i can go 3.5 miles solid, save for two 30-second water breaks. keep it up!

dlaplume2

I did the same thing as you. I saw 20 minutes and got scared to death. I have never run before in my life. I needed a real, good pep talk beforehand. I then got on my treadmill, still a little scared, but with an attitude of if I don't make I'll just walk it out. My husband used to be a run track and he kept telling me I would get in a zone. "Yeah right" I thought. As I ran I got to 10 minutes and thought I can keep going, tried to hit 15 minutes and I did, then at 15 minutes I couldn't quit I only had 5 more to make it. I was over 3/4 of the way there. Then I finished it. It was the best feeling.

You can do it! Break it down anyway you like and do your best.

Best wishes.

krisvtx8777

Yep-I did fitness boot camp and everyone there could run the 25 min straight and I couldn't-they kept saying "you just have to PUSH through that wall" When you feel like your gonna stop, don't, keep pushing....
I started c25k and I'm on week 3. I'm already worried but know that I just have to push through! Good Luck! Don't doubt yourself!

tamcrit

I agree with all the other great advice from the previous posters...I had not run since high school Track, and was a 42-year old overweight mom...I started C25K last February, completed my first 5K last May, first 10K last October, and first half marathon this January. I will be running my second half marathon on 4/17 and am already registered for tow more in June and August. You have to set your own pace and advance with the program as you feel ready. I repeated a few weeks when I did not feel ready to move on. But as others have said, a lot is mental and you do have to push yourself too...and you may just surprise yourself and be able to do it. As someone else also said, maybe slow down your pace a little bit to be able to go the distance. I run a much faster pace for a 5K than I do for a half marathon, because I can not sustain the faster pace for the long haul. But I am proof that if you stick with it, you can do it!! I just kept pushing myself, running a little longer and a little farther each week, building up slowly, at my own pace, and I have shocked myself, and many others with what I am now able to do. A year ago, I would have NEVER imagined that I would be running half marathons now. I am still slow, and yes, I still take walk breaks as needed, but I am doing it and you can too!! Stick with it!! You are doing great!!

denise_earheart

I looked at it and I start tomorrow I am scared to LOL

oceanrose78

Slow down your pace, and don't think about the time. Just think about breathing. You can do it!!!

ejb245

I had to do W5D3 twice. I did it during the same week though and just added a 4th day of running into my week. The first time I tried it, I almost made it, but there was a hill involved that kicked my @ss... The second time I tried it, I didn't go fast but I made it. It's definitely mental. Keep doing it until you can make it 20. Otherwise, the 25 during week 6 you'll never get through. That's what I get to look forward to on Friday...

stplatt

Ok, Look at it this way. On W5D1, you ran for 15 minutes, with two 3 minute walk breaks. On W5D2 you ran for 15 minutes, but cut your walking to 5 minutes in ONE walking break. You are only extending your actual running time by 5 minutes. This week is less about fitness and more about the MENTAL aspect of the sport.

Remember, this is NOT about speed. It is about endurance. Finish, even if you have to slow your pace.

You CAN finish the 20 minutes. It may be hard, and you may have doubts, but you CAN do it. You may have to slow your pace to finish the 20 minutes, but you CAN do it, because YOU ARE A RUNNER!!!

You may have to take a couple short 30 second walk breaks, you may feel like quitting when you get done, but you CAN do it. Your legs may hurt, you lungs may burn, and if you're lucky, you may feel like hurling, but you CAN do it, you will do it, because YOU ARE A RUNNER, AND THAT IS WHAT RUNNERS DO.

Runners endure the hardship, push through the pain. We do what must be done for no other reason than BECAUSE WE CAN. We start when the gun goes off, and run to the finish because we finish what we start.

Don't let the run get to your head, just go do it. DEFINE YOURSELF!!

Gennawest

Ok, first off let me say I never thought I would be able to run... AT ALL. Although I was active in high school ( i was a cheerleader, and dancer) running was just not my thing. Recently, I started working out in January. My sister in law is one of those crazy runners. I thought to myself, I want to run too. I have always admired women on the side of the road with there head phones on, just running. So I set my goals low. I remember barely being able to run 60 seconds. I called my mom and was ecstatic. Then I found out about C25k. I remember telling my co-workers I am going to try this running program. And I did. Now I am on week 7, and I can actually run. Now lets not get confused. I dont run like a sprinter, or a 120 lb 5'2 young girl. But for a 5'8 women, that is over 200 lbs, I can run/ jog. I set that number to a brisk (for me 4.3) and I jog on that treadmill (without stopping) for 25 min now. Sometimes I wish I could go back to the 5 min runs (especially while I am running) but then I look at myself in the mirror and continue to push. I continue to push because I like, and I want the results. I have lost 47 lbs in 3 months, 1 week. I hope to lose another 47 in about 4 or 5 months. If it takes a little bit of sacrifice-- 30 min a day on a treadmill then I am willing to dedicate and sacrifice so I can step into a normal clothes store and pick anything off the shelf and have it fit. I am willing to sacrifice because it is something I have set my mind too, and the only person who is holding me back is myself-- and I am not going to get down like that anymore. Good luck, find a focal point, and put one foot in front of the other. Best running wishes.

Gennawest

Ok, Look at it this way. On W5D1, you ran for 15 minutes, with two 3 minute walk breaks. On W5D2 you ran for 15 minutes, but cut your walking to 5 minutes in ONE walking break. You are only extending your actual running time by 5 minutes. This week is less about fitness and more about the MENTAL aspect of the sport.

Remember, this is NOT about speed. It is about endurance. Finish, even if you have to slow your pace.

You CAN finish the 20 minutes. It may be hard, and you may have doubts, but you CAN do it. You may have to slow your pace to finish the 20 minutes, but you CAN do it, because YOU ARE A RUNNER!!!

You may have to take a couple short 30 second walk breaks, you may feel like quitting when you get done, but you CAN do it. Your legs may hurt, you lungs may burn, and if you're lucky, you may feel like hurling, but you CAN do it, you will do it, because YOU ARE A RUNNER, AND THAT IS WHAT RUNNERS DO.

Runners endure the hardship, push through the pain. We do what must be done for no other reason than BECAUSE WE CAN. We start when the gun goes off, and run to the finish because we finish what we start.

Don't let the run get to your head, just go do it. DEFINE YOURSELF!!

i love the part about finishing what you started.