Newb questions

tseecka

I recognize some faces from my forum thread asking if this program is right for me...you've all convinced me to give it a shot!

As some of you may have noticed, I tend to overthink EVERYTHING. I find that if I plan things out perfectly there is much less chance of my cheating, or being creative with my thinking when I start to get tired...so here's a couple questions that've occured to me as I review the program.

1) Walking is obvious, but what is the difference in your experience between jogging and running? I will cheat if I can see a way to doing it, especially at the beginning--experience has taught me this--so if I have a set rule in place that I have to follow I'm much more likely to succeed.

2) Off days. I notice that the C25K program operates on a three-times-per-week basis. I like to get cardio in on a daily basis, partly because it forces me into a routine and, again, makes me less likely to get lazy with it, and partly because I like food and extra cardio means I get to eat more during the day. Are you supposed to take a full-on break on those off days, or can I continue to do other types of workouts, ie on the elliptical, on days when I'm not doing the C25K program?

BeccaB1981

I don't know what everyone else is doing but on my "off" days I walk on the treadmill instead of doing c25k and I do my workout dvd everyday. I just finished 30ds and now am doing slim in 6. if i took a full break i am worried i might fall off the wagon.

TheCats_Meow

1) I, honestly, jog right now. I just completed wk 2, day 3 this morning and I'm a pretty slow jogger. However, my way of thinking is this: I never ran before in my life (unless absolutely necessary) so I think trying to push myself to run any faster than what I can handle is just going to burn me out. For now, I will jog. I will worry about my pace/speed later when I'm 100% comfortable with the end results of the program.

Jog if you need to jog, run if you feel you can. Listen to your body & focus on your breathing.

2) For me, I don't do anything on my off days, but I can work like that. I have heard of other people cycling, taking spin classes, Zumba classes, weights, etc. on their "off" days and not having any problems with it.

Here again, listen to your body. You know it best. If you feel like you can get in some exercise on your "off" days then by all means, go right ahead. If you need a break, take on.

Good luck!!!

nopeekiepeekie

Jogging = lifting your feet higher and faster than walking
Running = lifting your feet higher and faster than jogging :laugh:

At least that's how I think of it.

The walking part is in there to help you regulate your heart rate until you can get the hang of running for longer distances. Because if you're not paying attention to how your breathing, you'll be out of breath pretty quickly.

For the off days I'll walk, do yard work, do a work out DVD.... anything really. The main point is to not put as much stress on your joints & legs on your off days to give them time to recover. As you move along with your running, you'll be able to run longer and/or more days in a row.

dragonflytwt

Just run! You'll get into the swing of things as the program advances.

Off days? I do strength training. That way when I run I can avoid injuries and it makes my runs easier.

RunLiftEat

1 - For the jog, or run part, do whatever speed you can handle and still finish. It doesn't matter if that speed is 4 mph or 7, or 10. The only thing that matters is that you finish each time, safely.

2 - You can do whatever cardio you want to do whenever you want while on the program.