C25K - Difficult for beginner?

pandabear_

I have just finished my first day of C25K. I managed about 15 minutes of the podcast before giving up.

It wasn't a tired or bored thing, I developed a really bad headache and thought I might collapse!

Did anyone else have trouble completing a day when they first started? I feel a bit like a failure! It's supposed to be "COUCH" to 5k and I can't even last 15 more minutes!

Any tips?

babydull

Did you hydrate properly beforehand?
I found the first week tough, definitely, but it gets easier.

LorinaLynn

Try a Week 0.5. Jog 30 seconds and walk 2 minutes. Do that for the first week, then go into Week 1.

Also, you might be running too fast. Go slow. Very slow. So slow it's about the same as the fastest you can walk. Slow enough that you can talk, or sing along with the music.

Kimbie500

I quit the first time I tried it but finished it just a couple of weeks ago on my 2nd go around. I was pretty stoked and posted about it here:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/323123-just-finished-c25k-another-nsv

OneBryteSmile

Definitely agree with the above poster about hydrating. Also make sure you have eaten something before you go running. Don't run on an empty stomach. When you are starting out, don't worry about how fast you are going or distance. Take your time and pace yourself. You have plenty of time to work on speed and distance. Just work on completing the session. If you need to walk a little longer during the walk intervals, don't feel bad about it. Trust me, you will get better each and every week and be able to do more than you ever thought possible. The program is just simply amazing. Another important thing is to make sure you stretch, stretch, and stretch again. Really really important before and after your run.

I just completed C25K last week and I have my first 5K next week Saturday.

Good luck to you! You can do it!

glittermouse

Yep, it was hard when I first started. (I did some of it last year, got up to 20 minutes of jogging)
I think the first week they start you at 60 seconds of jogging? I was dying after 20 seconds. And, all the muscles in my feet, ankles and calves were cramping badly.

That being said, it does get easier--and much faster than I imagined possible. I think if you can't finish a workout, that's fine. You can certainly repeat days. And if your head was hurting that much you did the right thing by stopping.

Best of luck

hermanaamber

I am on my third day of week one and I still couldn't sing or carry on an intense conversation, but I attributed part of that to our altitude b/c I'm definitely out of breath. One mistake I made was the first time I tried, I felt so out of shape I wasn't taking a rest day between. I thought.my body needed more work to get used to it, I never did get past week one. This time I'm feeling so much better understanding that with our elevation I am just going to be panting like crazy! I said, Sunday, they really should have a program for someone who starts under the couch or something!

meerkat70

Perhaps a dumb question, but are you breathing? I have a tendency to *hold my breath* when running. I have to pay attention when I first start out, to make sure I'm not doing that.

pandabear_

Thanks everyone, you have given me a lot of helpful tips.


Next time I will make sure I hydrate more (although I drank 1 1/2 pints of water beforehand), eat well and make sure I breathe! I'm sure it will be one of these that I mistook that must have caused my headache.

And also not feeling bad about taking longer walking intervals, thanks! :happy:

I said, Sunday, they really should have a program for someone who starts under the couch or something!

Haha, very true!

silkysly

I’m a runner & get a somewhat exhausted if I don’t hydrate before I run. I never did the C25K, but I remember the first time I ran on a treadmill I couldn’t make an 1/8 of a mile. I really thought my heart was going to beat outta my chest & I was going to die. Hang in there, you’ll make it.

babydull

Thanks everyone, you have given me a lot of helpful tips.


Next time I will make sure I hydrate more (although I drank 1 1/2 pints of water beforehand), eat well and make sure I breathe! I'm sure it will be one of these that I mistook that must have caused my headache.

And also not feeling bad about taking longer walking intervals, thanks! :happy:

The amount of water you had sounds good to me. Leave about half an hour of not drinking or eating before you start, and just remember to be kind to yourself. Go as slow as you can, and if you start feeling ill again, just pause it, rest, and try again. You can do it.

shydaisi

Make sure you have eaten approximately 1 to 2 hours before your walk/run, and drink plenty of water.

If it is more about your fitness level than your nutrition or hydration, what about if you try a Week "zero" where you do 3 days of just straight walking for 30 minutes?