Starting couch25k tomorrow.... nervous !

FitToBeKim

I have a dear friend that recently started the couch25k and she has really inspired me !
When I was young I loved to run, for no reason, just run as fast and as hard as I could. I know it sounds so strange but it really made me feel better. It relieved so much stress and relaxed me. In my teens it really helped with SO many things !! (I was underweight then though so it came really natural for me).
Now, many, many years later and I have not even attempted to jog and i'm over weight (5'8 166lbs 42 yrs old), oh and i'm a smoker... That is another goal that I will work on down the road.
So far I have lost about 34lbs ( Only 22 lbs since starting MFP) not much by MFP standards.
I downloaded a free app for the c25k and I'm starting tomorrow.
Does anyone have any advice, tips, warnings, etc ?
I am eating at 1200 calories a day.... does that need to go up and if so by how much ?
What kinds of things should I eat before running or should I eat before running ?
Sorry for all the questions but I would appreciate any info, advice, etc.

Steffani911

I'm am at the end of my c25k. Best advice I can say is just do it! For me, I could barely run a block maybe two when I started. It was torture. My lungs hurt. My legs hurt. I swore I couldn't do this. The strength and stamina came amazingly fast! I just got back from doing 3.5 miles. I'm hooked (and mind you, I was a couch potato for so long and overweight not exactly the exercising type.) I too ran as a teen. I am doing my first 5k this weekend.

I don't really worry about what I've eaten before I run. I wear compression shorts and two tops-short sleeve with a long sleeve over, Washington State so you never know. I don't take water with me but my gf does when she runs. I have, however, taken on an old lady habbit of putting tissue in my wasteband because I have to blow my nose about every 10 minutes. Oh an I don't care how fast I am. Not one bit. I'm not in any competition. Doing it for me. But I am a newly experienced runner, that's just what works for me.

FitToBeKim

Thank you so much !
I really appreciate it !

kristafb

I'm in the middle of week 3 and I my best advice would be to take it slow. The first week I was dying running 1 minute but I was rull out running!! I read on the C25K group here on MFP that I should slow down & I did and now I'm running 3 minutes and its getting easier & easier. Don't get me wrong, I'm still dying, just not as badly lol. Also I've started icing my shins after each run when I feel a bit of a shin splint start, just to be on the safe side & I also do my run every 3rd day, partially due to my work schedule & partially due to the fact that I have about 70lbs on me still and I don't want to injure myself so I want to make sure I give my legs plenty of rest between runs.

I've never been a runner or even a bit exercise fan & grew up with asthma so the fact that you used to run will make this easy for you. Good luck!

FitToBeKim

Thank you so much for the information !
I hadn't thought about icing the shins.... I do worry about the shin splints !

I have trouble with my knees aching all the time... Hoping they don't become an issue.

Thanks again, I really appreciate it !

loosesealbluth

I'm at around week five right now and I have to say that the best thing to do is find a pace you're comfortable at – it's going to be impossible if you start off sprinting (I go at about 4.8 mph right now, which is up from like ~4.5 which is around where I started). Also: it's okay to repeat days/weeks!! Seriously – don't make it a race. Each week is three or so days but I've been finding myself doing each week at least 4 days and sometimes more. I wait until I'm feeling comfortable with a given week before moving on. It's helped a lot! If you're eating 1200 calories a day right now, I'd say you should definitely eat back some (if not all) of your exercise calories...you don't want to be netting under 1200. Anyway, good luck with it and have fun!!

somanyrhoades

I will be finishing up my first week tomorrow! I am 5'6,, 162lbs (just lost 6 lbs this week, I started c25k at 168) so our dimensions are about the same, and I smoke (ugh, I'm more embaressed about that then I am about needed to lose weight). I too had not ran in probably 2 decades, not even short distances, nothing, nada zilch! The very thought of running terrified me. But in an effort to get more exercise in than just walking and yoga, I decided to give it a try. The first day was torture. I couldn't make it all the way through the workout. the last few jogs I was only doing about 35-40 seconds instead of a minute. I was incredibly sore for 4 days afterwards, shin splints and all. I didn't do my second day until the 5th day after my 1st (to allow my muscles to heal). And you know what? I can't believe how much my endurance had improved with just that one run! I made it all the way through my second workout wit the exception of cutting one jogging minute a little short. I really thought I was gonna be sore all over again too, but guess what, only my calves were a tiny bit sore! I was seriously shocked! The best advice I got was to just stick with it. If you can't fully do a workout, do as much as you can. I plan on repeating week one until I can get through wihtou huffing and puffing at all. Also, make sure you stretch all the muscles in your legs REALLY well before and after. if you aren't sure about stretches google stretches for runners, it should be helpful. One more thing... I never thought I would say this, but I actually look forward to the days when I get to include this in my workout. I would have never dreamed in a million years that I could train for a 5K, and i'm amazed at how quickly my body has adapted already. I love doing this! Check back with me in week 5, we'll see if I feel the same haha.

bonjour24

i did c25k a few years ago now- it was the BEST thing i have ever done for myself. FWIW i was 5'2", 210lbs and a smoker.
Wear a good bra (or 2) if you've got big boobs, and a tight t shirt over the top of that. then your normal tshirt on that one. swinging boobs is very off putting. you really don't need much 'stuff' to start with- just an old pair of runners will do.
i printed off c25k and stuck it to the fridge, then every time i completed a workout i'd cross it out in big red pen- it was very satisfying.
when i started i couldn't run for a whole minute- i spent 2 weeks working up to that (i'd count lampposts as my distance markers). and that's ok- the important thing is that you start. but go slow- i had to re-learn how to run properly. expect your calves to burn, your ankles to hurt, and a myriad of other issues. but these go after a few weeks. also expect to be out of breath- again after a few weeks this swaps over so that your muscles hurt before you run out of breath.
also, running helped me stop smoking. i couldn't have a *kitten* for a few hours before a run because i found i breathed better. then i'd cut out any cigs the day before as well, and then i stopped. it's not easy to smoke and run!
stick with the programme. i know you're going to look at it and think WTF!!!! especially when you're running 20 mins. but have faith in the program and faith in yourself. if i could do it at 200lbs, you certainly can.
FWIW, c25k is a gateway drug! i went on from that to running 10ks, half marathons, and full marathons! who'd've thought!?

fresh_start59

I am 53, 5' 4", 224 pounds (just recently out of the "morbidly obese" category), with exercise-induced asthma and a longtime fear of increased heart rate and breathing.

And I just completed Week 1, Day 2 of C25k! (Yes, I'm rather proud of myself as I've not run since I was a kid. While I no longer smoke, I have avoided exercise all of my adult life. So, this is a big deal for me)

I'm guessing that I won't be able to complete Week 2 in my second week. Maybe not even my third or fourth. But that's OK. As I change levels, I plan to give it a try. If I get close to finishing, I'll try it again. If I do horribly, I'll repeat the previous week.

This 9-week program may turn into a 9-month program. Or I may never, ever reach Week 9. But the important thing is that I'm moving, I'm working my heart and I'm working my lungs (with the help of an inhaler.)

My tips ...
Don't try it on a treadmill. I attempted that my first try and I failed horribly. I felt unsteady. And for some strange reason, I couldn't get into a jogging motion until I was moving so fast that I could not breath. I did not even make it through my first 60 seconds of jogging.

Jog slow. If you get really winded, slow your jogging as much as you can and then, if needed, slow the walk a bit until your heart rate and breathing are under control.

Take your time going through the program. If you can't finish in 9 weeks. So what? Just do what you can at your own pace.

FitToBeKim

I just can't thank you all enough !! You have covered everything I was wondering about, and more !
I will absolutely look in to the stretching for runners as I am a little concerned about my knees, and then of course the shin splints .
Thank you for letting me know it is ok to do a week over if I don't feel good about it. I had not thought about that and I would have felt like a failure and would have wanted to give up more than likely.
All of your information is wonderful !!
I just can't thank you enough !
Oh, and ps... thank you for letting me know there are some smokers (or former) smokers doing this.
I plan on quitting eventually but I enjoy it too much right now and have smoked since I was about 10 yrs old so it won't be easy but it is in the plans.