Couch-to-5K

lexoxoc
lexoxoc Posts: 135 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey MFPers!

I NEED to start running again!

The weather is getting to beautiful to pass up and although I love doing yoga everyday I haven't lost weight in FOREVER!

So, I was thinking of starting the Couch-to-5K program.

Any thoughts? Suggestions?

Any input would be helpful!

Thank you all!

Replies

  • llkilgore
    llkilgore Posts: 1,169 Member
    It's a great program. Just make sure you have the right shoes.
  • vicksterious
    vicksterious Posts: 8 Member
    I JUST started this the past week. I can't really speak to the effectiveness of it getting back to a 5k but I can say having the program laid out is helpful for me as far as motivation. Personally, I LOVE this because I run with my cell phone (cant run without the music) and runkeeper (love the gps and it gives updates on time/speed/etc over the headphones) -- So if you start up the C25K free app in the background when you start out it gives you notifications throughout the run automatically timing the intervals and such so you don't have to think about it. I can see where that may be extraordinarily annoying for many but I'm finding it helpful to keep me running.
    My 2 cents. Tons of people on here have done this so I'm sure there will be tons of comments. (There's also a c25k MFP group if you want to stalk the boards there for more insight)
  • stoked2b
    stoked2b Posts: 136 Member
    1) Get good shoes
    2) Go slow, especially for longer runs (5+ minutes)
    3) if you're trying to lose weight, only eat back about 50% of calories

    My story is this: I tried couch to 5K last fall and made it two week number six. However I had trouble running longer than 25 minutes. I lost 10 pounds And then started the program again this February. I also bought a heart rate monitor which helped me to know how slow I need to go in order to complete the long runs. I finished the program in April and I'm running a full 5K now. I had my first race the week ago and another one coming up on May 18!
  • Shapeshifterkate
    Shapeshifterkate Posts: 1 Member
    Started couch to 5k a year ago and just complete my first half marathon in February. My suggestion is to schedule a 5k race a week or two after you are scheduled to finish the program. That helped me a lot with motivation. On days I don't feel like running, I get up and do it anyway because I know I need to get in enough training for the next race. Also recommend a heart rate monitor especially at the beginning to help you figure out when you are running too hard, or not pushing yourself enough.

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