C25K-Week 5-question

Play_outside

Hey runners!
I'm just wondering how it felt to move from week 4 into week 5-the changes seem to be so much more dramatic. The first 3 weeks I was able to add extra running to my runs, but so far not this week (I have one more run left to complete the week, but will probably do 2 runs as long as I'm feeling good). I'm feeling a tiny bit nervous about week 5! Run 3 is a 20min solid run. Please share what it was like for you!

pinstripepirate

Let me preface this with saying that I've NEVER been a runner. Before I started this program, I doubt I could've run for more than 5 minutes straight. I've been doing C25K very slowly... And I mean that. I did week 4 for a whole month, for various reasons (I didn't feel I was ready to move on, I had vacations/breaks in the middle and wanted to repeat before going on, I was scared, etc.). When I did the first day of week 5, I was like "Wow! After doing week 4 four times, that was a piece of cake!" Week 5 was the first week that I didn't repeat any of the workouts. The third day was definitely a bit of a push, but I was really proud of myself when I finished it. I just finished week 6 today, and also didn't feel the need to repeat any of the workouts.

xOpti

I just ran week 5 day 1 last night and didn't have any problems. I think the trick for me was repeating week 4 a bunch of times before moving on. During that time I kind of 'broke through the wall' and was finally able to find a pace where I could keep running and not feel like I was going to die towards the end of each running period.

I'm definitely worried about day three but I think I'm finally ready to keep moving on without repeating any of the weeks. I would recommend keeping a good running schedule but don't be afraid to repeat runs until you feel ready to move on. I initially pushed myself too hard and found that I was losing motivation because I was dreading my runs.

Keep up the good work! Week 4 to 5 is probably the hardest transition. You are almost on the home run now.

fridayjustleft04

I cannot tell you the last time I ran before I started c25k, mostly because I never ran. Like, ever. I don't even know how the idea of starting a running program entered my mind, but it did. Somehow I managed to do the whole thing without ever repeating a day or a week. It seems like a drastic jump up, and it kind of is, but trust the program. You'll be ready when the time comes to run 20 minutes.

Play_outside

Ok I'm feeling a little less worried. My run tonight was awesome and I tacked on an extra 3min run (just 3min on it's own, not adding 3 to the 5-I'll save that for week 5 when I have to do it haha!) If I have to repeat the earlier week 5 stuff a couple of times, then that is okay. We'll see how it goes! The great thing is that I LOVE running. Totally love it. It makes me feel like a million bucks! I used to run a lot in high school, just for fun, but it has been at least 13yrs since I've BEEN a runner so it's great having it back in my life again. I can't wait until I'm fit enough to run 5-6 days a week. And I'm pretty excited to be almost halfway through C25K. Bridge to 10k comes after this!
Thanks for sharing! And awesome work everyone!!