First you have to adopt a positive attitude, if you think you are going to fail you will. I am 42, had never ran a day in my life, and couldn't even run for a full minute when I started. I am currently in week 8 and just ran 1.8 miles this morning without stopping and barely even breathing hard (I was singing along out loud with my music). So, if this old lady can do it I'm sure you can too. It will amaze you how fast your body adapts and changes.

I started C25K not really believing I would do the whole thing, I thought 'well it'll be exercise anyway for the few weeks I can manage'. The first weeks were tough and it was only by week 6 I realised I could do it and was confident I would finish the programme. And today, for the first time in my adult life, I ran 5K. You can do it, I believe in you. Take it one day at a time and you'll be amazed at what you can do.

Good luck.

What has been said already. Give your body a chance to show the mind what it can do, if you find it hard to believe still. I've posted some lessons from the first four weeks if you want to read something different from these discussion threads.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/AglaeaC

Just take it slow and then go even slower. One day every other day. I had never been able to do a single athletic thing...definitely not running. I was 230 pounds. I have run two 5Ks and now I'm training for a 10K. I ran 5 miles yesterday and I ran 1 1/2 miles of hills today with my teenage daughter! C25K made it possible. Just trust the program and trust yourself...it will happen. I promise!
And when you think you can't do it or you are in need of boost. Come here. We will get you through.

Also, running is addictive. It's fun once your body adjusts to it. It requires determination to get to 5K but after that the roads belong to you and that is a great feeling.
I'll be starting to train towards a 10K goal in the fall (when the weather cools).

I finished week 4 yesterday. So far I have been able to finish each running interval. The last one is usually the hardest, but it helps to slow down and remind myself that it does end! lol

That said I wasn't even sure I'd get past week 1. I hadn't exercised in years and I knew my body wasn't in good shape. I may have shed a bunch of weight, but that doesn't make you a fit and healthy person! And that's what I want to be. At one point it clicked, and I started hiking in April of this year.

I have been hiking on a regular basis since, once or twice a week, usually for 2 hours at a time. I have logged 190km/118mi now on my official hikes, these are hikes/volksmarches organized under auspices of the National Federation. I'm going for the 250km commemorative medal this year!

Well my point is: on these hikes I always wear a HRM. I'd average between 140 and 160 and usually peak above 180. There are some hills here but nothing too intense. But I was having a hard time physically, getting out of breath so soon, heart pounding, sweating. Even after all these months I didn't feel any improvement. I know my average HR got a little bit lower over time, but physically, I didn't feel a tiny bit fitter.

Today I went on my first hike since starting C25K a month ago. My average HR was 124 and peaked at 168. And I could actually feel the difference! Hills are still straining, but I didn't really get out of breath much. I never thought that one month of C25K would make such a difference! This program is designed to build your stamina and fitness from scratch, and every day it pushes you a little further. The effort pays off!!

Today I went on my first hike since starting C25K a month ago. My average HR was 124 and peaked at 168. And I could actually feel the difference! Hills are still straining, but I didn't really get out of breath much. I never thought that one month of C25K would make such a difference! This program is designed to build your stamina and fitness from scratch, and every day it pushes you a little further. The effort pays off!!

Love your post. C25K does make a difference that we can't always see. We see the daily struggles but not the improvements. Keep at it. You're doing great.

I went on a hiking vacation just a couple of weeks ago and thought the same thing. I don't wear a HRM but we hiked longer and in wilder terrain than our usual and I had no problem keeping up, my heart rate was good, my breathing was good. At the end of the day, I felt exercised but not exhausted. Running has made a big improvement to my physical health.

YOU CAN do a C25K, no excuses. People who are 250+ have finished the program. People have gotten injured and taken weeks off, and picked up where they left off and finished the program. You do not have to finish it in 9 weeks. It may take 12 weeks or longer (some people repeat runs to give themselves time to build up more stamina), but as long as you are determined to meet this one goal, you can do it. The hardest part is actually COMMITTING to finish it.

Some of the common mistakes have been covered. Starting off at too fast of a pace. I did this. My first run was too fast and I couldn't even run for 45 seconds. I started thinking, how will I ever run for 5 minutes let alone a 30 minute 5k!!! But then I slowed down to the point it felt that I could walk faster than I run. Then I was able to run for 1 1/2 minutes, and I was proud! The next week it was 3 minutes and I wondered how I could, or would... I did it slowly and I felt that I could do that every day! So I doubled up a few days. Then the 4th week hit and it got harder. I quit doubling up days, because it was harder and I didn't want to get injured (my knees were aching). I was tired at the end of my runs, but it felt AMAZING!!! I get a runners high after completing a hard run! That runner's high is addicting! Being proud of the work you do, and the accomplishments you make, is what makes me want to complete the program. I just completed week 7 day 1 yesterday, and tomorrow I do week 7 day 2. I am looking forward to it. 25 minutes of straight running when 45 seconds was almost impossible! You can do it too!!! Dedication and commitment will pull you through. Decide to do it and don't second guess yourself. You can do it at a different pace, but you can do it! We will all be here for encouragement as well!

1) put your sneakers on and do day 1
2) run as slowly as you can
3) check in with us regularly

(I was actually sure I was going to fail at some point. I just knew that I'd done the run before and could handle the current day)

QFT

You can do it

I too was scared to do the C25K program, I think a lot of us are.

I started in May in my neighbourhood, was weighing in at 240lbs. My neighbourhood is very hilly and because I was so overweight, and my legs had very weak muscles, my shins were in excruciating pain that I could barely walk anymore. I kept at it for a week or two, and gave up.

I started again 5 weeks ago on a flat surface. I also started really slow and set realistic goals for myself, working my way up from a 30sec run/2 min walk for the first week, second week I did 45 sec walk/1.45 min walk then I entered in the actual C25K program by week 3. I am now on W3D2, and I ran a 90s run/90s walk/ 3 min run/3 min walk 2x yesterday. That's a huge step up from where I was 5 weeks ago.

*Make sure you give yourself plenty of time
*Run when it is cooler out
*wear comfortable clothes and running shoes
*Instead of starting the C25K, start with a pre-c25k to gauge where you are at so you don't feel like a failure your first time out if you can't run 1 min straight
*most importantly stretch stretch stretch afterwards. I follow this stretch program after each run:
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2011/08/25/best-stretches-after-run_n_936337.html#s339273title=Quadriceps
Drink lots of water
*pace yourself - it is about endurance not speed
*repeat days or weeks if you need to
*remember to breathe
*count each run as a victory
*and don't compare yourself to anyone

Good luck! And if I can do this... You can do this!

First you have to adopt a positive attitude, if you think you are going to fail you will. I am 42, had never ran a day in my life, and couldn't even run for a full minute when I started. I am currently in week 8 and just ran 1.8 miles this morning without stopping and barely even breathing hard (I was singing along out loud with my music). So, if this old lady can do it I'm sure you can too. It will amaze you how fast your body adapts and changes.

^^ this ^^

I'm 42 as well & also never ran before this. I just finished the program yesterday & ran 2.5miles non stop & on the previous run (Monday) I kept going after the program ended & ran a total of 4miles all together. If you really want to do it you will and can! Just push through the first few weeks & it get's much easier. You will be running distances you never though possible.

You can do it!

I would suggest maybe just walking first. Build your muscle/stamina by walking a mile or 2 a day, and get better at that. Once you get a bit stronger/used to it, you can work your way up to the running and C25K. Would maybe build your confidence about beginning running, too. Like if you can walk 5 miles no sweat, you can think 'hey, I can start to maybe jog some of this!'

Slow and steady wins the race!

Also would like to second this! I started walking daily in January, when I weighed 320 pounds, and I'm just now realizing what a solid base it gave me to move on to jogging. I walked for about an hour a day until it felt effortless, and I knew it was time to move on.

I think I am going to be starting next week too. I really want to be able to do a turkey trot or something similar by Thanksgiving. I am very concerned about failure, running has NEVER been my thing. I wouldn't even run the required mile in high school. I WANT to love it. I want to learn to love it. Hopefully I can keep up the motivation until I DO love it.

I hated it in school, detested the godawful competitions the results of which the teacher then proceeded to announce loud and clear; same people won, same people lost, every single time. That's about 20 years ago though so I figured maybe there's power in a clean slate - and have run 20 minutes straight today. My best tip for those, who have lots of fear etc., is to just stop analyzing so much. I ponder things to death sometimes, but running has become a place where it's all about the mind connecting with the body - and for once the body running the show.

I was 300 pounds when I started the program, and I couldn't run for more than 15 seconds. It took a lot of repeating week one, and then the same for week two, but weeks three four and five were a breeze. I ran 22 minutes tonight without stopping. I'm still over 250 pounds.

Tl;dr- you can totally do this!

This is awesome, and totally inspiring. I do not have a huge weight issue. I started just being 20 lbs over my goal weight. So my accomplishments are dim compared to yours! Congrats on your dedication and achievements!