couch to 5k--anyone starting now or success stories??
DebraYvonne
Posts: 632 Member
I am not the world's best runner but I know I can, my knees hurt and I do not pace myself very well. Anyone been successful on this program? Anyone starting now???
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i could not run at all before starting this program and now I love it!! I am about to finish off week 6!
I was having some knee issues when I started but after getting really good shoes the pain went away!0 -
I'm a success story. I did this app last May/June and next week I'm running in a 10k race. You can do it!!!0
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Started Couch to 5k in 2006. Since then I have ran 7 half marathons, was a part of a relay team for 2 full marathons, 4 10ks, and 8 5ks. I LOVE running. I love the peace running gives me and being able to say that I AM a runner.
I fall off the wagon sometimes, sometimes get sidelined by injury, but I always come back to running like a comfy pair of blue jeans-always there when I need it.
My advice:
TAKE IT SLOW!!!!! This is NOT about pace. You need to build up to time/distance on your feet. If you cant talk and have a conversation, then you are running too fast. And in the beginning, it shouldnt be fast.
Get GOOD shoes, like the kind that are professionally fitted by a running store (NOT foot locker).
And STRETCH. I spent 6 weeks in a boot because I tore my Achilles. I learned how important a good calf stretch (and all your other muscles can be).
EDITED: my stretching routine (which I have changed) is generally the same as this:
http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_1/126.shtml0 -
I am currently doing this program. I was scheduled to be starting Week 4 however been laid up with a nasty cold/cough and will repeat Week 3 after this subsides. Quitting smoking also so really excited to feel the difference clear lungs will make in my progress!0
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I just finished the couch to 5k program. And just this past Saturday ran in my first 5K.0
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I'm a C25K success story.
I started C25K last January 28th. I weighed 307 pounds at the time.
In the 9 months since then, I have completed C25K, run 3 5K races, a 10K race, a 7 mile race, a 10 mile race and a Half Marathon.
I've run a total of 730 miles this year so far and next Sunday, I am running my second Half marathon... followed by starting my 18 week training program for my first full marathon next March.
Today I am 235 pounds... most of the way to my goal of 220.
The combination of C25K and MFP has changed my life.
Ted0 -
Success story here too.
Went from only being able to run a mile in 10 minutes in January to now running 15 miles. I've ran 4 5ks, a 10k and a half marathon in the last 10 months.
5K Pr is 22:42- hoping to run around 20:50 before 2013.
I ran a 1:43:22 in my first half marathon.
Off 10 months of training. I want to win a race one day. I won my age group in the half marathon.0 -
I love C25K. I'm on wk 9, and it's been amazing. I was not a runner before, so I have such a sense of accomplishment! You will be amazed at what your body can do. I used to tell myself while running, "Jennifer, you don't HAVE to do this. You GET to do this! Some foks can't even walk, so don't take this for granted!" Get good running shoes. Make an inspiring playlist. Enjoy the ride.0
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I'm just beginning Week 5. It's amazing how in the beginning I thought running for 30 seconds or one minute was so difficult. I'd peek ahead at the upcoming weeks, and think "I will never be able to do that".. But then somehow week after week you surprise yourself. I can't believe that right now, I can run 5 minutes straight, 3 times in a row. I still peek ahead and dread the upcoming weeks, but I have a feeling I will just keep surprising myself!
Thanks to the success stories too, it was great to read!0 -
I'm a success story! I finished a few weeks ago and now I consistently run between 10-15 miles per week. I'm training for my first 10K now, so this program really works!0
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I'm a success story too! I started the end of June and am now doing 5 km runs on my off days from bootcamp. I'll switch it up from 5 kms or sprint intervals....depends how I feel that day and how hard I worked at bootcamp the day before. LOL
I was NEVER a runner. The app made ALL the difference! I'm 40 years old and have become addicted to running!! No one is more surprised at that than ME! The girls at bootcamp did the Spartan Race and Mud Hero, plus a few others this summer, and I love that kind of stuff but thought I'd never make it through the course because of the running. I missed a lot of fun, so decided to try C25K. I am SO glad I did!!!
Things that helped me immensely:
- Google proper running form! I still haven't gotten around to getting new shoes yet, but have alleviated every ache and pain I had at the beginning by tweaking my form.
- Repeat weeks or runs if you need to. No one says it has to be completed in 9 weeks!
- Get great music!
- Don't stress about a 'bad run'. They happen, move on. I was so discouraged the first time this happened to me. Then after a two day break, I went back out and NAILED the next one!! It was so exhilerating!!
Have fun! You'll see progression quickly and it is incredibly motivating! I heard somewhere once that "Your run starts when you forget that you're running". The first time that ever happened to me was really cool! There are always new and different things you learn on a run, or get the meditative time to yourself, or can go with a group and socialize, the list goes on and on....it never gets boring!
Good luck!!0 -
:glasses: I finished week 7 day 3 yesterday, will do week 8 day 1 tomorrow morning. I ran my first 5 k 1.5 weeks ago, walked the hills but overall ran more than ever before and was soooo happy to actually get to the finish line. I have asthma, not so great knees (had surgery an both knees over the years), a badly sprained ankle less than 3 months ago and I am the poster-child/spokesperson for the "I can't run, I hate running, I've always hated running even in HS, I'll never be able to run even a mile EVER Club" :noway: I did not think I could progress as the program is designed. I walked daily at a decent pace before starting the program, somedays just a little over a mile, most days 1.75 - 2.5 miles. Then I started C25K.....to my surprise I found it to be almost addictive and the program works for me. I have my next 5 k coming up Thanksgiving, my goal is to run the entire 5k, no walking.
A few things I have learned along the way...... .I ditched the shoes I had bought in the past for running........not right for me, too much 'support' and they make me more prone to twist and hurt my ankle. I now run in minimalist/barefoot type shoes (but have yet to try the Vibram 5 finger type) and my ankle is fine with that. I also found out I do better with some music. And living in WI I got over the thought "it's to cold/overcast/windy/drizzle/light snow to run". MFP folks have graciously shared some good advise on winter/cold weather running, dressing for the weather. And the other 'lesson' I learned is to go slow.......speed and a longer stride will come but it is easier for me to keep my stride shorter and run at a slower pace, that way I am able to breathe, don't get a stitch and can get into some type of rhyth running/breathing.......So yesterday I ran in 27 degree weather with a few flurries, a couple of weeks ago I rain in the rain and still enjoyed it.
I am hoping to really limit running on a "dreadmill" indoors to a minimum this winter. Gloves and a hat are a must for me now but I still run in capri tights with a tech shirt and maybe a light windbreaker. Chilled when I start out but plenty warm during the run. Yes, sometimes I am not so keen on going out to run - I have to just get the shoes on and grab the phone, turn the app on and make myself go but it is so worth it..........So, in a nutshell.....a lot of running is mental, get shoes that work for you, dress appropriately for the conditions and HAVE FUN! 0 -
I started the program in March and finished it in May I think. I wasn't able to run a full 5K until June. I just did my first 10K on Saturday. I had never run a day in my life before!0
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today i finished week 2 - day 1! def kicked my butt, but feels great when your done:)0
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i too am doing this app. i just finished week two day one and it has been very hard for me. I weigh 219 pounds currently and am 5 feet. i will not give up as my mom said she would run a 5k with me in june. what most difficult for me is that'i have a very large chest and my back kills me afterwards!0
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I'm just beginning Week 5. It's amazing how in the beginning I thought running for 30 seconds or one minute was so difficult. I'd peek ahead at the upcoming weeks, and think "I will never be able to do that".. But then somehow week after week you surprise yourself. I can't believe that right now, I can run 5 minutes straight, 3 times in a row. I still peek ahead and dread the upcoming weeks, but I have a feeling I will just keep surprising myself!
Thanks to the success stories too, it was great to read!
DITTO.... I get exhuasted just looking at the upcoming weeks... :ohwell:0 -
I just started on Saturday friend me if you want, we can do it together! 0
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Completed it twice at the beginning of the year; first on the treadmill and then started over outside. Ran my first 1/2 marathon in October and I've never ran before this year. Plan to do 2-3 more 1/2 marathons with various 5Ks for 2013. I'd say the program was a success for me. 0
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I finished it in March, and ran my first half-marathon in September! Went from hating running to loving it. I now run 20-25 miles per week. Started at a 12 min per mile pace, and recently ran 5K in 26:26 (8:37 per mile)! Do, and don't worry about pace right now - just build up your endurance, speed will eventually come. The biggest mistake people make is trying to run too fast. Run as slow as you need to to complete the running segments.0
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im up to day 2 week 2 tomorrow
never thought i could run but i am
my advice is just to run slow
speed will come later0 -
Starting week nine tomorrow. I love it.0
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My running buddy and I got as far as week 7 (I think) and then had a 5K. We started with similar abilities, and went from not being able to run at all to being able to run 20 minutes straight, without stopping. We also went from a 16 minute mile to something a little more respectable.
This past weekend, we managed to do a 5K in just over 43 minutes, in 48 degree weather, one with a tummy ache and the other with cramps and traces of a respiratory infection (TMI, but I KNOW we would've done better if we were both 100%), and the course was up and down hills. Not too shabby for two girls who weren't really "runners" and who trained mostly in the warmer evenings, on flat surfaces.
I drink the C25K Kool-Aid and would do it again in a heartbeat. 0 -
There's a group on here if you're interested:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/30-couch-to-5k-running-program-c25k0 -
I have never been a distance runner, or could ever run outside. I heard about this and decided to do it. I could barely run a min back on Aug 27. By Oct 15th i could run 5 k (on the treadmill) in 31 min. I did the program in only 7 weeks because i was supposed to do a 5 k run on sept 30, so i ran 6 days a week instead of the 3. But i wasn't able to enter the run due to some family issues, so i eased up and did the last 3 weeks the way it was supposed to be done. Anyways, great program! And i HATE running haha, but i always wanted to be able to run a 5 k and i can now say i can! don't be discouraged by the longer runs, just pace yourself at your own pace and Don't Stop! It's not sprinting!0
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I started it in March of this year, and since then I have run several 5ks, two 10ks, two triathlons and yesterday I signed up for my first half marathon! I would NOT have gotten started without it and definitely would not have kept going, so I'd like to think I'm a success. Keep at it, the program sure knows what it's talking about!0
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Run slow... this is the BIGGEST RULE of C25K.
If you cant complete a run segment because you are too tired or out of breath, slow down
Just to give you an idea of how slow I was running.... most people could walk faster than I was "running" but that was what I could manage.
I started at 260lbs and just as I was about to start week 9, I ended up having to have surgery but by that time I had lost over 30lbs and I attribute that to C25K and MFP combined.
I have not seen significant loss since that last week of C25K so its time to get started on it again.
Trust the program, it works. Literally thousands of people can testify to that fact. If you don't think you can do it, just try. Repeat weeks if you really dont feel like you are ready to move on. Lots of people have repeated weeks, no shame in that at all.0 -
that's awesome! I love your user name...wombats rock. :-)0
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I am not the world's best runner but I know I can, my knees hurt and I do not pace myself very well. Anyone been successful on this program? Anyone starting now???
I had the pacing problem, but I think it teaches you how to pace without realizing it.0 -
I haven't followed a programme but a few weeks in to doing brisk walks and then seeing if I could run 100 yards without dying, i heard of someone else doing a couch-5K programme and realised this is what I had been doing instinctively.
The prog I heard of was Couch to 5K in 8 weeks, or something like that. Well, I've taken quite a bit longer than that - more like 3 -4 months but at 54 years old I ran about 3.3 miles the other night (In 38 minutes) which I find is about 5.4K. Still smiling to self 'cos i could probably have gone further. My knees did hurt a bit when i first started out in the summer and I assumed it was arthritis but that seems to have passed off now.
Reading this thread inspires me to try and stretch a bit further, although I don't have much spare time to run for more than 30-45 mins and get bored anyway (can't keep earphones in my ears).
Keep up the good work.0 -
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