Week 4
bostonwolf
Posts: 3,038 Member
Just finished week 4, day 1. Had to slow down a bit (5.5mph to near 5.1 at the last interval) but was able to finish with no real problems.
I have to say, I think the program is to easy Week 3. On D1 I only did one interval at 3 minutes for for Days 2 and 3 I did 3 intervals of 3 minutes with 2 minutes rest in between.
I'm very glad I did, because I think without that extra work I would not have been able to handle Week 4. It's a dramatic jump up in running volume.
Anyways, no real issues. Very sore from shoveling 27 inches of snow so I'm hoping that dies down before Tuesday.
Anyone else on Week 4?
I have to say, I think the program is to easy Week 3. On D1 I only did one interval at 3 minutes for for Days 2 and 3 I did 3 intervals of 3 minutes with 2 minutes rest in between.
I'm very glad I did, because I think without that extra work I would not have been able to handle Week 4. It's a dramatic jump up in running volume.
Anyways, no real issues. Very sore from shoveling 27 inches of snow so I'm hoping that dies down before Tuesday.
Anyone else on Week 4?
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I'll be starting week 4 on Tuesday, I finished week 3 today. I've tried doing C25K before, and this was as far as I made it so I"m pretty excited to start week 4.0
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Good luck. The key for me was that if I felt myself getting winded I just slowed down. i had to remind myself that it wasn't about speed, it was just about finishing the runs. Speed comes later!0
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Ha, I just mapped out my runs leading up to my 5k on March 10th and realized I'm not quite going to finish the program before the race. Race day will be the equivalent of Week 8, Day 3. Hopefully it will be enough!0
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It probably will be. That last week was just finalizing myself as a runner in my own mind.0
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Congrats! You will do great. I just finished the 1st dreaded W5D3 and it was easier then I had ever thought in my mind.0
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Good for you, WAHM! Week 5 is the mental run. You are prepared for it, but you don't realize it yet. It's a great milestone!0
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Than you! I was worried going into it.0
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Hiya! I just finished my Day 1 of Week 4 earlier & wow do I feel pretty proud of myself! That was a lot of running..errr jogging? LOL I don't recall ever running/jogging for 5 minutes at once before! ha ha! Although my lower legs hurt a bit I felt GREAT after that last 5 minute part!
Everyone is doing fantastic! I was worried but I hope I can keep up this week & move into the dreaded week 5 strong! LOL
Good luck!!0 -
I'm curious to see how I feel tomorrow. I'm pushing the schedule to a run every other day just so I can get through week 8 before the race. that might be a little aggressive and I might miss a run or two this weekend when my wife and I go to NYC, though I think the place we are staying has a gym.0
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Barely made it through that last 5 minutes run last night but I did. I'm taking a night off from the gym tonight (first time in over a week) to give myself a chance to recover for tomorrow's Day 3 run. So far so good!0
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I finished w4d3 last night, I'm not going to lie it was hard
but the feeling of accomplishment afterwards was worth it. I am excited and nervous about week 5 0 -
The rule of thumb is that if you have completed the previous night's run, then you are ready to complete the next night's run.
The secret to Week 5 is holding back and finding your pace so that you are sure you can complete your run.
The thing is that you've been running for over 4 weeks now, so you are more than ready for it. You just don't realize you are yet...that's why a lot of people call it a "mental run"
Good luck on Week 5!0 -
Week 4 was way worse on me than week 5. Strangely, week 6 is tough as well. I just finished week 6 day 2, which is the last day with a walk, and believe it or not, the walks just make week 6 tougher. At least they did to me. I look forward to uninterrupted runs.0
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I did W4D2 on Tuesday, and I was so incredibly excited to make it through and do my first 5 minute runs, though I had a hard time with it. I could breathe fine, my legs weren't too sore, but my knees were killing me. New shoes were bought today, hopefully they will help. If my legs aren't too sore today (I had my first workout with a trainer today) then I'll be running W4D3 tomorrow0
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Good luck hdlb, make sure you aren't landing too much on your heel, than can be brutal on your joints. You want to land midfoot or on the ball of your feet if you can. That keeps your feet under you and vastly minimized the stress on your joints.
Finished W4 D3 today pretty easily. Ran the intervals at 5.3mph with no real problems. Bit winded at the end, but I expected it to be a bit hard. Heading down to NYC tomorrow so Week 5 Day 1 will probably be Saturday morning in Central Park!0 -
I think the sucky walks are on purpose for week 6, all I thought about was "if I could just continue running, it would be easier". However, they get you through the increase in intensity on week 7.
But, yeah, week 5 wasn't a bad week, except for the anticipation of W5D3.0 -
Good luck hdlb, make sure you aren't landing too much on your heel, than can be brutal on your joints. You want to land midfoot or on the ball of your feet if you can. That keeps your feet under you and vastly minimized the stress on your joints.
Finished W4 D3 today pretty easily. Ran the intervals at 5.3mph with no real problems. Bit winded at the end, but I expected it to be a bit hard. Heading down to NYC tomorrow so Week 5 Day 1 will probably be Saturday morning in Central Park!
Thanks, I paid attention to where I was landing tonight, and it helped with one knee. My other knee/leg has issues...that will take some work.
Good luck on Week 5!!0 -
vardaeml: I use the C25K app on my phone and rarely look to see what the actual day's run consists of. When I queues me I run, when it queues me again I stop.
Did W5D1 in Central Park this weekend while my wife and I were in NYC. Great place to run, no need to worry about cars or traffic . I ended up adding one more interval to the end just because when the last interval ended I was too far on the west side of the park and didn't want to walk all the way to the east side, then five blocks to where we were staying. Last one was a bit tough but not too bad. Going to try D2 tonight at the gym with the treadmill on 5.3mph to see how I handle it.
Also going to need to buy new sneakers before my race so I'm looking forward to that.0 -
New shoes are always fun and can make such a difference.0
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Tonight was tough. It was W5D2, two eight minute runs. First one was not bad, had to step off for a few seconds on the second one. Ran the first at 5.3mph, second started at 5.4 and every two minutes dropped so I ended at 5.0 mph.
Stretched out really well, will do some easy ellipticals in my Five Fingers tomorrow and then give D3 a try. Might do it outside though, I actually found it easier to control my wind outside as opposed to a treadmill.0 -
The last time I did C25K, I got up to week 5, day 2. Today, I started week 4 and don't remember it being this hard! I may spend some extra time on it before I move up to week 5, if I don't chicken out and go back to week 3 for another day before I try again. Those 5 min. runs are a huge step from week 3 for me.0
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If you finished Week 3, you finished Week 3. Week four is hard for most people, but you are being prepared to succeed in week 5. If you feel like you want to repeat a run, that's great. But my rule of thumb is that if you finished the previous day's run, you're ready for the next session. Don't bore yourself repeating a run again and again that is challenging but that you can successfully complete at the right speed.0
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Could not finish the 20 minute run, largely because at the 12 minute mark I had to hop off the treadmill and go to the bathroom. Glad I was not running outside, things could have gotten very ugly!
Hopped back on and ran another 8 minutes, but I'm going to do elliptical today, rest Friday then give it another try on Saturday. It's funny that those last 8 minutes were as smooth and easy as any I've ever run. Clearly I was carry some stress that was gone when I returned from the bathroom 0 -
Sounds like you are doing great! How cool to do your run in Central Park. And great dedication too!
I can't wait to hear about your race! I am pointed toward a race the first weekend in May. I have the option of a 1.5 mile race or a 5K, but i will just have to see how it goes as to which one I do. It's hard for me to imagine running 3.5 miles. But then again, a month ago I couldn't imagine running at all, so....0 -
I was just realizing that it's only about two weeks away!
Did D3 yesterday with minimal problem. Had to stop for a few seconds a few times just to mop off some sweat, but otherwise finished it easily. I think if I was outside I just would have automatically slowed down a bit.
Going to try to push the speed a bit for the next one (five minute runs) and then slow down for the 25 minute W6D3 run. Also really need new sneakers, so those are getting ordered on payday this Thursday.0 -
Just finished Week 6 Day 1 with no problems. Did the following:
10 minute warmup
5 minute run (5.5mph)
3 minute walk
8 minute run (5.3, then down to 5.1, then up to 5.6 the final two minutes)
3 minute walk
5 minute run (5.5mph)
5 minute walk, then 15 minute elliptical.
Felt good, hope I can ace Day 2 and then work my way through the 25 minute run on Day 3.0 -
Update: Pretty sure I did W6D3 successfully today but ran outside and forgot my phone, so I'm not entirely positive. Ran a route around the Charles river and ran for about 2 miles straight, so I'm pretty sure that was 25 minutes. Took 60 breathes, went until I couldn't go any further then repeated twice more. 4.2 miles total, walked the last .5 miles or so.
Feeling pretty good. Icing down my knee and I need to stretch too but I at least I'm pretty certain i can do my 5k next weekend in around 40 minutes or so. Hopefully less.0 -
OK, so I was up to Week 7 D2 and my race was upon me. Yesterday I ran the Ras Na hEireann USA in Somerville MA. I finished the 5k in 38:49 for about a 12:20 pace. I will count that as my week 7 D3 run and move on to week 8 and finish the program next week!0
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Congratulations!0
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Yay, you!. My goal is a race under 40 minutes.0
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