Couch to 5k

Completed it. Loved it. I highly recommend it.

If you have a smart phone or iPod touch or the like, there are free apps available to download that tell you when to run/walk. They also allow you to play your own music.

Also, get properly fitted for running shoes at a local specialty running store ASAP before any problems from improper footwear arise. It will make a world of difference. I started out with Nike "running shoes" from Sports Authority, and it was a big mistake. Many here have the same story.

Good Luck!

I am trying this too. I did it one day, and did well, but twisted my ankle walking back to my car. lol. But I am not taking this as a sign that I should not run. I am going to wait till the tenderness is gone from my ankle, before I continue though. And I hope this gradual build up will be easier on my body.

I am so glad you asked this question because I wanted to try this soon!

Excellent program!! It was the first and only exercise I did when I was first starting on the path to a healthy life almost 2 years ago. I started in December, so I did it on a treadmill and have been running at least 3 times a week (I switched to outdoors) ever since. Hang in there. It is really challenging and you will think you can't possibly complete the program, but you can and it really works. Thousands and thousands of us can't be wrong. : )

It really works. It is an awesome program. I completed it this summer and ran my first 5k in October and finished in 37 minutes, 5th in my age category. It was the best feeling ever. Good Luck!!!

I started today as well on the treadmill. Thanks for reminding me to buy running shoes. I'll go get some this week.

I'm on Week 3 and love it so far. I always think I'm not going to make it, but so far every time I'm pushing through and doing great! In the Groups area of the Community section of this website, there is a group for people who are starting, currently doing, or finished C25K, so you may find more support there!

I'm another one who started running with this...It's resulted in my completing a 5K for charity and signing up for a Half Marathon!! At first I couldn't even do 60seconds without dying, but it's amazing how quickly your stamina builds up! I now run regularly with my running partner, and we are now training to complete a Half Marathon in March (about 9mths after doing our 5K race!).

I remember a friend warned me it gets addictive - at the time I thought she was mental as i was forcing myself out of the door! But here I am less than a year later, doing my 5k route as a "short week-day run around the block" lol! it's true, I do feel the urge to get out of the house and run!

Everyone's advice is also great - do get some proper shoes (although i didn't get mine fitted I got proper "middle of the road" shoes which have served me well but I am looking forward to seeing a positive difference once I get properly fitted for my new ones). And also don't run if you're injured - no point permanently damaging yourself when you can just delay a week. And lastly, jog - don't run! I spent the first few weeks sprinting during the running periods and then struggling to recover by the time I had to run again. Once I decided to slow my pace right down to a slow, very comfortable jog, I could run so much further! Remember your stamina will also improve faster than your leg/knee muscles will build strength, so don't push too much harder than the program suggests!

Feel free to add me if you wish

I've just finished week 8 today, and the programme I'm doing has one more week to go to get me running a full half hour. I highly recommend it - I've never been a runner, hated sports at school, and have done no regular exercise in over 11 years until I started this in September.

Lots of good advice here already; I'd second the advice to get good comfortable shoes, and above all take it slow! My run today felt as though it was barely above walking pace - but I made it through 28 minutes and covered over 2 miles. Me! The one who wouldn't even run for the bus!

Go for it

I hit my first 5 minute run mark without following the c25k. I am 265 lbs so I hope that is some sort of accomplishment!

What did it for me was very high quality motion control running shoes. The shin pain that would set in about 90 second in never really did. Brooks Adrenaline GTS 12 was what I ended up with.

I am doing C25K and am currently on week 7. I have been blogging about it on here http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/seamatt

It's a really good programme, and I would not go as far as to say I am enjoying it, but I am enjoying the sense of accomplishment after each run.

I would recommend you get fitted for running shoes at a local running store. They should put you on a treadmill for 15-20 seconds and video your feet. This tells them how your feet react and can find an appropriate support.

Good luck

As others have said, the best way is to go to a proper sports shop and get your gait analysed on a machine, but I too didn't start out with that. I went to my local big sports store (Decathlon) and spent ages looking at all the different types.

I knew I'd be road running rather than on the treadmill, but probably not hiking through woods so I chose a pair that were a good all rounder with lots of support layers within the sole... I asked a member of staff which section I should be choosing from and was pointed in the right direction. There was also a choice according to your length of runs, which wasn't something I was worried about at the time, but will be more considerate of next time.

Once I narrowed it down to a final 3 I chose simply based on colour :laugh: They were £85 down to £50 which was the top end of my budget but they made such an incredible difference it's amazing.

Consider a minimalist model like the Vibram Five Fingers (toe shoes), Merrill Foot Gloves, or Nike Frees. If you start to research midfoot strike, you'll start to learn that traditional highly padded shoes enable you to run in a way that pounds the heel, and sends shocks up to the ankle, knee, hip, and back. Minimalist / barefoot shoes help / make you land on your midfoot and not your heel, a much more biomechanically sound way to land.

Experienced runners need to take the transition slowly as running this way puts more stress on the calf which needs time to respond. But a beginning runner is the perfect candidate. I did exactly this and am now running 10k routinely and have avoided knee injuries common to new runners. I recommend them highly as a super light, super comfortable alternative. At least give them a try in the store.

This. SO this. I have plantar fasciitis in both feet (if you're not familiar with it, just imagine shin splints but on the arches of your feet), and Vibram Five Fingers got me off of crutches, and now that I've started C25K in them I'm finding that running with proper midfoot strike in them is actualy MORE comfortable than walking! It takes some effort to learn to run a little differently, but the beginning of C25K is perfect for that because you're running for only 60 seconds, and you can focus on correct form for that long. Here's a website at Harvard dedicated to the importance of foot strike in minimizing impact forces while running:

http://barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu/4BiomechanicsofFootStrike.html

Started the program in February of this year; ran a half marathon this past weekend. Be warned - running is addictive.

Some tips while I was on the programme:
-Get some decent running shoes
-If your legs feel tired than the previous workout after a few mins of the current workout, do not hesitant to walk out the rest. Learn to listen to your body for injuries or when you need rest.
-REST IS IMPORTANT, like I said, always take an extra days rest if your legs arn't 80-100% healed.
-Learn to rate the workouts by 'easy/medium/hard' and repeat the day if you feel its hard. If you feel your workouts are 'easy/medium' you will love and breeze through the programme without hitting that mental block that most people feel (I attempted this programme 2 times before completing it).
-If you proceed with the easy/medium/hard routine, after week 5/6 you will almost never run out of breath after a workout.
-During your last minute of your workout, always sprint at your maximum speed - your legs will feel fatigued and tired, but the adrenaline will make you forget everything and you will love it (don't forget to walk briskly for another minute afterwards before going to your cooldown walk speed)
-After each workout, use a foam roller to massage out your muscles (along with the normal stretches), this piece of equipment is a runners paradise!
watch this video if you've never used it before: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SF0OP8_PHmo

Everytime you do any work on your legs - use it and you will fall in love with it hahaha


Enjoy running, you will be addicted to it soon enough xD