Nervous about C25K

Although my stories different...
last year i decided to do a traithalon
I gave myself 4 months to train
and trust me before i started i couldnt run for longer than 5 minutes
but 4 months later, i completed my triathalon
i didnt get the best time, but i did it, and so if you start off small work your way up you'll soon be at your 5k

I had a similar experience... But I'm still determined to keep going...

On my last run of week 1, I decided to run with The Boyfriend outside... I'm not doing that again! I think at first I want to just get through this and really make it "easy" on myself: controlled temperature, wind, speed, incline, etc. Maybe later I'll take some of the control out of the situation.

I made a comment to the tune of ".... if I can ever run 3 miles...." and The Boyfriend immediately said, "you will,". And that's that. I will. He doesn't doubt me, so why should I doubt myself?

I don't doubt you, brunsie - You can do it... what's the worst that can happen? You only run 2 miles, so you have to run 3 later in the week? ... you'll lose weight trying to complete a 5k...

Hi Brunsie!
I soo know what you are talking about with regards to the C25K program. I used to look ahead in horror at the upcoming weeks and think to myself... "how am I ever going to do that?" I remember looking at the week that asked you to run 3 minutes straight... I thought they were crazy! To my own detriment sometimes, I am a total rule follower, so I just thought to myself... "If it says I can and have to do it, then I just have to buckle down and do it." I made sure I had some really upbeat songs on my ipod touch and went for it. Now I am up to running 20 minutes at a time without stopping. Granted, I am not going to win any races, but I am going to finish that darn 5K without stopping. For me, a lot of it is mind over matter. If I can run for this long, anyone can. You can do it! Keep me posted on your progress and good luck!

I would say try again! You don't have to win the race or have a super fast time. The point is to finish.
I am planning on running a couple of 5k races this summer and might even try a 10k. I don't currently run, but I am planning on doing C25K when the weather gets a little warmer here in Michigan. Good luck!!:flowerforyou:

I have had similar experiences with every race I run. I know this sounds silly, but I try to reverse-psychology myself.... I tell myself, yeah, I'll train for this run, but I'm not going to commit to it, I'll just see how I do....

I did this and ran my first 5K last spring. Then my first 10K, then my first half marathon in October.

Running is so addicting, once you get to the point where you have your breathing down, you'll be hooked. No pressure!! That's all in your head!! Check out the Runner's World website if you're looking for motivation or inspiration -- they have a lot of tools for beginning runners.

I'm about to start the c25k program too. I have a treadmill and will be running on that as it's too cold here to do anything outside with the baby. My problem is I really want to be a runner, and my body can go and go, but my lungs cannot. How do I build myself up? And you mention "once you have your breathing down"...how do I do that. My breathing is all over the place, I usually just end up breathing in and out through my mouth and in no pattern. Can you tell me what to try? I really want to be successful at this!

What you do is don't let yourself back out. Go ahead and find a race and pay for and sign up for it. If you get there that day and you can't run the whole thing, I promise the running police will not kick you off the race if you walk some of it!

I ran my first 5k one year ago. I finished in around 38 minutes (12:11/mile). I did manage to slowly jog the whole thing and I was so proud of myself! It was awesome to get up on a Saturday morning and go do something that FIT people do! I trained for that race from late December until the race in late February and I could just barely jog three miles by the time it was race day.

This past Saturday I ran my first half marathon in the same race as that first 5k, running the whole thing, with a much better pace than when I did that 5k.

All that to say that your body can do so much more than you think it can! Every single mile you do will make you stronger, and even the runs where you don't do as well as you'd hoped, are a big step in the process.

I have had similar experiences with every race I run. I know this sounds silly, but I try to reverse-psychology myself.... I tell myself, yeah, I'll train for this run, but I'm not going to commit to it, I'll just see how I do....

I did this and ran my first 5K last spring. Then my first 10K, then my first half marathon in October.

Running is so addicting, once you get to the point where you have your breathing down, you'll be hooked. No pressure!! That's all in your head!! Check out the Runner's World website if you're looking for motivation or inspiration -- they have a lot of tools for beginning runners.

I'm about to start the c25k program too. I have a treadmill and will be running on that as it's too cold here to do anything outside with the baby. My problem is I really want to be a runner, and my body can go and go, but my lungs cannot. How do I build myself up? And you mention "once you have your breathing down"...how do I do that. My breathing is all over the place, I usually just end up breathing in and out through my mouth and in no pattern. Can you tell me what to try? I really want to be successful at this!

For me it just took time and practice. I used to try and sync my in and out breaths with my steps. Breathe in two steps, breathe out three steps. The hardest thing for me was breathing out -- I felt like I was suffocating, so I wanted to breathe in!! But breathing out helps filter the waste materials out of your body. And as 'acakeforawife' (love that name!) said, GO SLOW!!! If you are breathing heavily you are actually going anaerobic and the exercise benefits are not as great as if your breathing is controlled. I'm a total turtle, but I can outrun people who are far more fit than me distance-wise because I listen to my body and back off when I have to.

I have had similar experiences with every race I run. I know this sounds silly, but I try to reverse-psychology myself.... I tell myself, yeah, I'll train for this run, but I'm not going to commit to it, I'll just see how I do....

I did this and ran my first 5K last spring. Then my first 10K, then my first half marathon in October.

Running is so addicting, once you get to the point where you have your breathing down, you'll be hooked. No pressure!! That's all in your head!! Check out the Runner's World website if you're looking for motivation or inspiration -- they have a lot of tools for beginning runners.

I'm about to start the c25k program too. I have a treadmill and will be running on that as it's too cold here to do anything outside with the baby. My problem is I really want to be a runner, and my body can go and go, but my lungs cannot. How do I build myself up? And you mention "once you have your breathing down"...how do I do that. My breathing is all over the place, I usually just end up breathing in and out through my mouth and in no pattern. Can you tell me what to try? I really want to be successful at this!

First off, thank you all so very much for your kind words. They truly do mean a lot to me.

And I also have trouble with my breathing. My lungs feel like they will pop out of my throat I am breathing so heavy.

I have really bad asthma, so the C25K program took me almost 6 months to complete, but now I am up to running 8 miles (1.5 hours). So it can be done with taking it at one day at a time. The trick with breathing is to stay relaxed, back straight and shoulders relaxed. When we start to breath heavy sometimes we panick and start breathing heavier. Remember to take deep breaths and let all the air out. That way your lungs will be able to take in more fresh air.

A couple of patterns that have worked:

Chew gum - keeps your mouth moist and can help with a breathing pattern. (Doesn't work for me but I know it works for others)

Take 2 breaths out and 1 deep breath in.

The trick is to find a pattern you can repeat to yourself as a montra until it becomes habit.

Good Luck. Don't look to far ahead. Set a goal and take it one run at a time. In C25K if you have a bad week, repeat it. It is not a race to finish the program.

Listen, there's nothing to be nervous about! I just completed Couch25K a few weeks ago. It's the BEST thing (physically) I've ever done. Who cares if you move on to a week and can't complete the workout? I did that several times, but I just kept going and kept trying until I could complete it. An important thing for me was that I didn't quit DURING the workout itself. Many times I could make it through 3 intervals, and then not the last one. So on the last one I'd run as long as I could, then I'd walk for 30 seconds to catch my breath, and then I'd start running again to finish it out. Just because you have to walk for a few seconds doesn't mean you've failed. Then I moved on and couldn't complete the next week, so I worked at it until I could, and so on and so on. That's kind of the point. If you could already do it, you wouldn't need to work on it! :laugh:

Thanks to C25K, I can easily run 40+ minutes on the treadmill (I honestly couldn't run 45 seconds when I started) and now I've started running outside. Guess what -- another challenge. I love running outside so much more, but my endurance isn't as good (I don't pace myself as well and I'm running up and down hills). So, here I go again, running as long as I can (about 20 minutes), then walking for a few seconds, then running, then walking, then running. And it's okay. Because as long as I keep working on it, I *will* be able to run the half marathon I want to run next year!