C25K

zoebea33

Hi guys i'm going to start the couch 2 5K today, any advice for a newbie, i always struggle with the treadmill not because of been out of breath but because my legs absolutly kill even just walking on it but i'm going to give it a go how fast are u meant to walk/run?? Thanks in advance


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minburke

Hey I started yesterday and did Day 2 today. I tried it on the treadmill last week but it was too hard for me changing the speed etc.. so now I'm just doing it around the block. It says walk and then jog so I just try and jog it's still hard though! I couldn't do the whole 60 seconds yesterday but then today I could I think the improvement will come quickly!

Good luck!

jenfunfur

I would say do whats comfortable for you. It says jog so i'm aiming for just a bit faster than a fast walk for the first week & hopefully pick the pace up next week. Good luck as long as you're moving it's all good x

zoebea33

Thanks guys going to go do it very soon x

Pebble321

I loved C25K, hope you do too.
Don't worry too much about speed just yet, you need to build up endurance first and speed can come later.
Go at a pace that you can sustain for the running intervals. If it seems really slow at first - that's OK!

Oh, and make sure you have good shoes and a sports bra and read up about stretches - you don't want an injury (I'm off to the physio today with a dodgy knee after starting C25K in January and running a few times a week ever since. I really want to keep going and hope he won't say "stop running!")

Davali

I've done week 1 for 3 weeks and have started week 2 today - I'm finding it easier on the treadmill than outside. I 'ran' by the seafront this morning and was nearly blown away! I can't imagine running any longer than 90 seconds at a time though.....

TheGoktor

I started yesterday as well! It was not as tough as I'd anticipated but it was still tough. By run five, I was just about jogging (compared with real jogging to begin with!) but I kept on, and felt completely triumphant at the end of run nine! I noticed that after the first jog, my heart rate took a fair while to come down but after the last one, it was significantly better. I didn't expect that!

The only downsides were:

A) I didn't wear a long-sleeved top, so got really cold as soon as I stopped. So much so that I had to wrap myself in the duvet while Kevin showered (he is showing support by doing it with me), and I was still shivering! Tomorrow, I'll put on a sweatshirt!

I got earache and a headache. I suspect this was because it was not only very chilly but incredibly windy too. In inclement weather I never go out without a hat because I know how sensitive my ears are, so I have no idea why yesterday I thought I'd be OK! If it's still horrible tomorrow, the hat goes on! In fact, later on, I may even knit a *special* jogging hat! Heheh!

C) My chest was really wheezy afterward and I developed a cough. This morning it is slightly less wheezy but I still have a bit of a cough. I am not a smoker but I sound like one! I'm guessing it's my body clearing itself out, and nothing more serious, but it's still a bit disconcerting.

Oh, and make sure you have good shoes and a sports bra

Absolutely! I had lots of really good advice from people here on MFP about shoes because honestly, I didn't have a clue. I am really grateful to everyone who shared their wisdom. I bought a pair of Nike Pegasus + 27 running shoes, and really, they are so comfortable. I was advised to buy a half size larger, which I did, and yesterday, I understood why!

Also, if you're wearing baggy joggers, you might want to wear cycle shorts underneath. Kevin, who has no fat on his thighs, chafed yesterday, so tomorrow he's wearing cyclers underneath! I wore Skapris, which I found to be perfect (and they have a pocket in the back for my iPhone!).

Good luck to everyone - it would be great if we could use this thread to encourage each other, share our triumphs (and pains!), and just generally be supportive of each other. What do you think?

mejustmichael

DONT GIVE UP!! Im about to start week 5... Push yourself. "The bit of pain is so worth the reward of knowing you pushed through."

I couldn't even run when i started... I had to do week 2 twice...

It works... have fun with it... tell your friends your doing it. and let them join... i have 5 ppl doing it with me. just from posting it on FB.

zoebea33

Thanks everyone gives me the motivation to push myself, don't know why but my legs feel really awkward when i'm on the treadmill and i'm not ready to go out on the road yet, let you know how i go later x


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Davali

I've done the first day of week 2, and did it outside, which I found really hard. Think I'll stick to the treadmill until I've got a bit more stamina.

TheGoktor

I would so fall off a treadmill! It's the park for me - I can't injure or embarrass myself too much there!

realrayne10

I just finished week 1 yesterday. I do it outside instead of the treadmill for now. I suspect the Arizona heat will force me indoors soon enough though. I am loving it so far and look forward to starting week 2 on Sunday.

Good luck!!!

Monica_in_MO

Couch to 5k was a wonderful experience for me. Extremely hard, but so rewarding. Do NOT limit yourself! You can do far more than you think you can. And as far as the awkwardness on the treadmill, I hear ya! I was so scared to turn it up to a jog the first time because I was sure I was going to fly off the end in front of everyone in the gym. JUST DO IT!! : )

DallasLeann

I am also doing the C25K program. I am NOT a runner or jogger. The longest I have ever jogged in my life was from one base to the other while playing softball (I don't know that I ever even made two bases at a time). This morning, I jogged (4.5 mph) for 3 minutes straight, and I did it twice in one workout! I am so excited! I have followed the program exactly. I move up on Fridays because I know I have the weekend off as a reward for completing the level up. I do c25k Monday, bicycle or something low impact Tuesday, c25k Wednesday, take off Thursday in preparation of the level up, and move up to the next level on Friday. Taking the weekend off is the carrot I dangle in front on me. "If I can just finish this run, I will have the whole weekend off." I also do strength training, but I don't overdo my legs. I use the treadmill on the interval setting. When I started my walking speed (entered as "jog" speed on treadmill) was 2.5 mph and my jog speed (entered as "run" speed) was 4.0 mph. This way you just have to push the interval button to transition between the 2 speeds. My Fitness Pal lists 4.0 mph as a walking speed, but it is a jog for me. I do the 5 minute warm-up, hit pause and stretch. Then I start my jog at the 5 minute mark. After I complete the workout I stretch again. If my knees are bothering me (I have bad knees, always have) I take an Aleve 20 minutes before my workout. It is working great for me. I hope you have wonderful sucess.

TS65

Go as slow as you need to go. I'm a snail on the treadmill (3.0 walking/ 3.8 running - and that's up from when I first started at 3.5 or 3.6! :laugh: ) Don't worry how fast others go. (There's a lady in her 70's at my gym - she WALKS faster than I run! ) Repeat days/weeks if you have to. Remember slow and steady wins the race!

zoebea33

Well guys i did it and absolutly loved it. It HURT lol was praying for the 60 to end sooner and the 90 to be longer but i did it then went on to do 30 mins of zumba because i felt sooo good, 5k here i come :laugh:

zoebea33

I would so fall off a treadmill! It's the park for me - I can't injure or embarrass myself too much there!

lol i thought i was going to at one point luckily she told me the 60 secs was up before i did x