C25K timing

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pippywillow
pippywillow Posts: 253 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I want to do the C25K program. I've been working up to it. I have a silly question for people who've done it before. Do you actually time your 60 seconds of running? It seems like it would be distracting. Right now I just walk and do a few short intervales of running when I feel up to it. But I have no idea how long. If you did actually time yourself do you have any tips on how to do it without messing yourself up? I don't have a smartphone so I can't download the app.

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  • Kamnikar64
    Kamnikar64 Posts: 345 Member
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    Download the C25K app from coolrunnings.com and he tells you when to run and when your 60 seconds are up. It is a great plan and there is a different podcast for each week. Try it, you will like it!
  • briabner
    briabner Posts: 427 Member
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    I have the app on my phone but you can look up the program details online with the details of each workout. Then I would suggest getting a watch/stop watch to record your time. I have a heart rate monitor so if I didnt have my iphone then I could use the timer on my heart rate monitor. Or you could always just count to 60 slowly in your head while running. I believe it is pretty important to keep track of how long you are running because I know for me personally when I would run intervals before I would only run like 20 seconds and it felt like forever lol.
  • wordyroo
    wordyroo Posts: 98 Member
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    I use the NHS podcast since I use my ipod nano instead of smart phone when I run. So it has music and the cues for running. Bonus: the British accent keeps me from wanting to strangle her.

    http://www.nhs.uk/LiveWell/c25k/Pages/couch-to-5k.aspx

    ETA: You can also go by distance instead of time, if that's easier. This one has the distance cues: http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml
  • pippywillow
    pippywillow Posts: 253 Member
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    I've been counting steps, mostly to give myself something to do. I usually go up to 100, but I should at least time myself and see how long it takes me to get to 100 steps. Towards the end of my walk I get up to like 40 and go back to walking. I know that's no where near 1 minute.
  • nolongerXXL
    nolongerXXL Posts: 222 Member
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    I have not down loaded the program, but if you us the run keeper app, you can customize it to what intervals you want such as 60 seconds of running/jogging and then two minutes of walking. It will tell you when to jog/run or walk. Plus it keeps track of your distance, time, calories and minutes per mile.
  • crista_b
    crista_b Posts: 1,192 Member
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    Apparently some people didn't read your whole post where you said you don't have a smartphone and can't download the app... Do you have an mp3 player (like an iPod touch or something)? Before I had a smartphone, I was able to download the app on my iPod and do it that way.
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
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    I guess it depends on the person. I time my stretches of running/jogging/walking in my head in general because focusing on numbers while I do it is like meditation for me :P
  • SherryR1971
    SherryR1971 Posts: 1,170 Member
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    I have a meanie head voice in my earbuds that tells me when to run and walk...I couldn't do it without the app on my phone. :smile:
  • Runninglibrarian13
    Runninglibrarian13 Posts: 57 Member
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    Carli at runningintoshape.com also has a great C25k program you can download to your mp3 player... she gives you run/walk cues and is very encouraging..and its free. ;)
  • frankiep73
    frankiep73 Posts: 40 Member
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    First time I did it, I had a watch that had a timer. That was more difficult since I could not program intervals. Now, I've got the C25K app on my phone and it audibly tells you when to Jog or Walk. I play Pandora for music and the C25K app will announce over it.
  • RunnerElizabeth
    RunnerElizabeth Posts: 1,091 Member
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    I would suggest picking up an inexpensive sports watch with a timer. It's not a big deal to glance at your wrist while running and ad you get further along in the program, seeing how long you are actually running can be enlightening.
  • pippywillow
    pippywillow Posts: 253 Member
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    I use the NHS podcast since I use my ipod nano instead of smart phone when I run. So it has music and the cues for running. Bonus: the British accent keeps me from wanting to strangle her.

    http://www.nhs.uk/LiveWell/c25k/Pages/couch-to-5k.aspx

    ETA: You can also go by distance instead of time, if that's easier. This one has the distance cues: http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

    Thank you, I have some kind of digital music player, not an ipod, when I get home from work I'll see if this works with that. If you couldn't tell I'm not very good with technology.
  • Laurayinz
    Laurayinz Posts: 909 Member
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    instead of using time, can you do distance? If you're running a track and you know each lap is 1/4 mile, something like that? Then work with laps instead of time. Like walk 1/2 lap, jog 1/4 lap,,etc, then tweak is as you go. Or if you're doing a road or path, figure out how far certain things are either with mile markers or landmarks or google maps ahead of time. Doing a 5K isn't about time, it's about finishing the !)@&!)^$ thing. :laugh:
  • craigjmorton
    craigjmorton Posts: 24 Member
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    The whole thing about running and in particular C25K is the timing of the run, you are not running set distances but running for set amounts of time.

    If you go to, for example, BeginnerTriathlon.com, and look at their plans or forums, you can find many types of C25K programs. Some are aggressive and others are more gradual but they all start with the same premise. Walk and run intervals in combination with time.

    When I first started with my C25k program, they had me walking most of my intervals and slowly built up my run time as the program progressed. This in turn, increases your distance run as well.

    You don't need a smart phone or sports watch to do this. You don't even need an app but what you need to do is some google research on C25K.

    From here you can draw up for yourself a personal C25K program on an index card or piece of paper and then take that with you and run according to your wrist watch/stop watch function. This would be most "old school" way of doing things.

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