Any C25K Success Stories?

iKapuniai

So I hate exercise. Period. Well, I don't hate it, I just don't particularly like it and rarely EVER have the energy to do it. However, if I could choose one thing I'd want to do for exercise, it would be running. Problem is, I can't run for longer than 10, MAYBE 20 seconds (seriously) without getting entirely winded. With that in mind, I'm thinking of starting the C25K program. It's my dream to be able to run with ease, and this might be a good way to do it.

My question: Is there anybody here who has had success with this program? As much as I love hearing from everyone, I'd REALLY like to hear from the people who started out 100+ pounds overweight (I'm 320lbs) and were horrible at running/jogging/sprinting when they first started the program, and who are now fit, healthy, and running with ease!

Anybody? Would love to hear from you!

Much Love and Alohas,
Ihilani Kapuniai

BobbyDaniel

Not 100 pounds, but I have lost a total of 75 pounds...55 of those after I started C25K and kept running when I was done with the program. I thought my knees wouldn't make it and felt like my lungs were going to explode last fall when I was in those early weeks. Today I did a 10 miler, felt like I could have kept going and will be running my first 1/2 marathon in 3 weeks. Hope that encourages you a little!

maddymama

Me! I'm a success story- I started in February, finished in late April. I have run a bunch of 5Ks, and run 3-4 miles a day 4 or 5 days a week. I love running now.

Focus on going the time, not speed at first. You can build up speed later. Focus on going slow and finishing all the intervals. Don't psych yourself out.

And- listen to some great music while you run!

farmgirlsuz

I started out 60 plus pounds overweight. I started changing my diet and walking on the treadmill. The first day I walked ONE mile at 2.5 miles per hour and thought I was going to die! I kept it up...day after day, week after week, slowing adding more time, more distance, faster speeds, more resistance until I was able to walk two miles, then three and then I stalled. I was fearful of taking that first step to "running" because I hated running. I discovered the C25K and thought OK-give it a chance. So one day I started. I looked ahead at what was coming up the next week and laughed...yeah right, like I can run for more than one minute, what are THEY smoking? And you know what? I did it! I cried. I laughed. I smiled... a lot! It can be done! I am now working on possibly (gasp) running a 10k! I have never "officially" run a 5k race with other people, but I do run at least a 5k two to three times a week and have been adding more distance as time allows.
You can DO THIS! Don't be afraid to repeat days or WEEKS if necessary. There is no punishment for not following the program to a T but there ARE GREAT rewards for attempting it and keeping at it!
Good luck!

skinnycarolrezende

how can I become part of this program?

acb81

I am near the end of my second attempt of C25K. (The first time I quit around week 4 or 5 due to severe case of I don't wanna do this.) I just (like an hour ago) finished Day 1 of week 9 and I did 3.11 miles in about 47 minutes, so just at about a pace of 4mph. I never thought I'd make it a whole half hour but I did it and have two more runs in the week to get to the finale of the program. I've lost almost 15 lbs since starting and partially attribute it to the consistency in working out that this helps to establish. There are programs out there that you can put on your smart phone and you play the music you have and there are mp3 podcast type mixes that have the music set to a pre-selected BPM, so that you are basically just going with the music.

Good luck!

Teach4Hisglory

Without C25K, I don't think I would have built up any endurance in jogging at all. I started out way, way overweight. I still have a way to go, but I finished the program and am now on week 3 of B210K. I need the structure. I would give up 5 minutes into running otherwise. But I've learned that I can run for 15-30 minutes without stopping. I am now starting to SLOWLY build speed. When I started in April I was walking at 2.5 (and dying). I thought my trainer was crazy when she suggested jogging for 30 seconds. Now I'm feeling much more confident. I have a lot of knee and foot problems (and worked through terrible shin splints), so my progress may not be typical, but I would absolutely recommend the program. I love it. It is my motivation to keep going. Someday I will run for fun and will run in some events. For now, I'm in the process of losing. Enjoy the journey! (*Ding* "You are halfway there!")

iKapuniai

Wow, you guys are ALL amazing and appreciate ALL of your stories! You've all encouraged and inspired me to give this a real go and push at it. Thank you all for your responses and congratulations to all for your wonderful achievements!

Love and Alohas,
Ihilani Kapuniai <3<3

SabrinaJL

I recently completed my 2nd round of c25k. The first time I did it, 3 mph was a brisk walk for me and 4 mph was a run. I hadn't run since freshmen year of high school (20 years ago and even then I could only run 1/4 mile at a time) so running for 1 minute at a time was brutal. I thought I was going to die. The 2nd time I did c25k, I bumped up the speed. Last Friday I completed my first actual 5k and did it in 34:14. A few days ago, I decided to see how long I could go without stopping and did 4 miles.

Oh, and don't feel you HAVE to complete it in 9 weeks. If you need to repeat weeks, do so. I repeated week 6 3 times.

brigbug

Started C25K a year ago! I was at about 15 pounds in my weight loss journey. Since starting and finishing the program, I have run several 5K's, a 5 miler and just ran my first 10k a week ago. I also ran 6.3 miles this morning because I am training for a 1/2 marathon. This also fueled my weight loss. I have now lost a total of 58 lbs. Amazing what a difference a year makes!!
I love to run, there is a sense of an accomplishment that I haven't found in any other exercise. Of course that's a personal preference, but I just wanted to share my success with you!

Cowenlaw1

I started C25K in early July. I was over 330 pounds -- way more than 100 pounds overweight. It was tough at first, but I stuck with it and built up my endurance. I just had to learn to slow down and not stop when it hurt a little. I learned that getting a gait analysis and a fitting for good running shoes is essential.

I'm glad I stuck with it. It's been four-and-a-half months, and I've lost 55 pounds so far. I'm training for a half-marathon, and ran 10 miles for the first time this morning.

Stick with it. It's worth it.

LorinaLynn

I lost 35 pounds, but I was completely convinced that I couldn't run at all when I started C25k last December. A month or so earlier, my dog sneaked out of the yard and took himself for a walk to the park. When I discovered him missing, I ran about one block to find him. I wheezed for HOURS afterward. So when I started C25K, my hopes weren't high. I was totally out of shape.

I started in late December. By the end of February, I was able to run more than three miles. By the end of March, I finished my first 5k race in under 30 minutes. A month later, I was under 28 minutes. In October, I finished a 10k in about 53 minutes and a 5k in just under 25 minutes!

I'm going through the program again over the winter, but for speed this time. I can't believe I thought I couldn't run, and now I'm going to try to actually win a trophy come Spring! :happy:

soccermum75

Hubby started C25k 4 weeks ago. He is 320 lbs and was very badly out of shape. He also had a motorcycle accident in July with a broken bone in his foot and a spleen laceration (healed now). He has a flat foot and the other is hyper arched. One leg is also shorter by 1 inch. Anyways he started the program 4 weeks ago and this week he felt he was ready and tried to run 5 k non stop...and he did it! TWICE! He now wakes up in the morning with the itch to run. He is out the door at 6:30 am for his run and then gets ready for work. He already lost a pant size. When he put his accomplishment on facebook his friends thought he mistyped it. Maybe it was a wii game or something. They could not believe he actually ran a 5 k. It takes him about 50 minutes but that is besides the point. The point is, he can now run 5 k even if he is really slow. Really, really, if he can do it,anybody can. C25k is a great program. That's how i started and i ran a half marathon after 6 months. Good luck!

iKapuniai

Ugh. You are all amazing! These are exactly the stories I needed to hear. Now I have hope for myself, and my mom! She's 45, used to model, now overweight and out of shape, had pretty serious surgery a few months back, and now we're ready to lose weight and get in shape together with the C25K program. Reading these stories are getting me super excited and psyched to get started! Unfortunately I'm at work right now so I can't start immediately (would if I could though! lol) but I might just get this started afterwards!! I'll have my momz read the stories too, might get her energized as well!

Thank you all kindly for the great success stories, you're all my inspiration!

Love and Alohas,
Ihilani Kapuniai

Kaeli14

I am starting this program tomorrow and am really excited I have always wanted to get to the point where I can run as a sort of stress relief, and look forward to running. Right now it just seems like a huge punishment...but I'll get there! I was wondering how you guys track this in your exercise log? Do you just enter the amount of minutes you were running, and the amount of minutes you were walking? Also I live in Nebraska...so basically I picked a horrible time to start this, but belong to a gym. Does anybody have some good treadmill settings pacewise, so I don't spend my full 90 seconds of jogging adjusting my speed

beebee0925

bump

twinmom_112002

Hi...I started 2 years ago august. Last summer I ran my first half marathon and am training for my second one now. Running is my escape.

I won't lie...its not easy and you will want to quit. You will need to repeat weeks. But keep going!! Its worth it. You will grow to love running so much that even on rest days you will want to get out there and run.

Start slow and don't run everyday. Your body has to adjust. Don't worry about how fast you are running. Just be happy to be running. On a treadmill, I would start out at a 4.0 or a 4.5. Get some good music and the app that tells you when to run and when to walk. Don't look at the console for anything other than speed adjustment. Oh and try to run outside at least once a week. The runs go by a lot faster outside than on the dreadmill.