Cyber running partner OR advice!! PLEASE!!

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  • alanrev
    alanrev Posts: 8
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    feel free to add me I was going to start it on Monday and was looking for a couple of buddies
  • teamAmelia
    teamAmelia Posts: 1,247 Member
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    I just run. I have no idea what you need. But, this is the group and message board for C25K http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/30-couch-to-5k-running-program-c25k

    And, this is our daily check-in thread where we post how we did for the day, how we felt. We're very supportive. There are always ppl starting the program, so I'm sure you'll have someone starting next wk and we'll all cheer you on no matter what level we're on. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1073934-daily-check-in-thread

    Good luck! :bigsmile:

    Oh, yeah, I see that some ppl have stated that you need to slow down, so I want to reiterate that bc if you're going too fast and think that you can't finish, you might give up. Just pace yourself. You should be able to complete each interval. In the beginning, depending on how fit you were before starting, it may be a bit hard, but that's okay. Just pace yourself and don't be afraid to walk a running interval if it's too much for you. You can always continue running when you've recovered.
  • BranMuffin86
    BranMuffin86 Posts: 314 Member
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    I use to HATE, LOATHE even, run and now I get upset when I cant. I started slowly so C25K will be great. It'll help you pace yourself so you don't get worn out and continue hating running. Just remember to listen to your body. Your body takes a pounding running so if something is uncomfortable STOP!! Best of luck!!!
  • Julie7741
    Julie7741 Posts: 93 Member
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    I almost done with week 4- Feel free to add me as a buddy. I was never a runner either... I did C25K last year and loved it. I finished it and ran a few 5ks. Then I took up cycling and rode my bike all summer. I injured a nerve in my arm, so riding is out for me right now. I started running again last week and picked up in the middle of C25K since I've been riding so much. I felt like I could skip the first few weeks.


    Advice- Stick with it and trust that it works. There are days that will feel hard, but you will be able to persevere and do it. Also, repeat weeks if you feel like you need to. Week 5 is a big hurdle to get over- running for a solid period of time.

    The first time I did C25K I weighed 215 lbs and was MAJORLY out of shape. It was tough, but if I could do it then, you can too :)
  • mdhummel
    mdhummel Posts: 201 Member
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    I'm a newbie runner as well. I'm using the Couch 2 5k Zen Labs iphone app, but I don't always follow the app and have been going at my own pace. I've always gotten my cardio workout on the elliptical, which is very low impact, so I was in a lot of pain after my first run and couldn't run again for almost a week. Weight training has helped me strengthen my shin and calve muscles. My ankles would kill me after running, but doing calve raises and lots of stretching after my run has helped reduce the pain.

    Started off at a 17 minute mile a few weeks ago and I have already reduced my mile to 13 minutes and 40 seconds! I won't be running a marathon anytime soon, but it has been exciting seeing improvements each week!
  • hikergirl07
    hikergirl07 Posts: 1
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    When I was younger I was a daily runner. As of now, I am a daily walker. Studies have shown that with the exception of time, all benefits are the same for running and walking. Calories burned during 1 mile of running is the same as for 1 mile of walking. The only difference is that running will take less time.

    If you hate running, my advice is to take up power walking. Exercise that you don't like - you won't stay with it. Walking is more enjoyable and far less stress on the knees. If you want a partner for power walking, I can help you. Presently, I do 4 miles daily and 6 on the weekends. Otherwise, good luck!
  • jynxxxed
    jynxxxed Posts: 1,010 Member
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    Calories burned during 1 mile of running is the same as for 1 mile of walking. The only difference is that running will take less time.
    This isn't true. I burn significantly more calories when I run vs when I walk and I definitely put forth a lot more effort into running.

    Either way, walking is great as well. Running is more fun though in my opinion :smile:
  • crista_b
    crista_b Posts: 1,192 Member
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    I loved c25k and went on to do c210k (I still haven't done a 10k distance, but I can run 4.5 miles straight) which I recently completed and just moved on to a personalized training plan to increase my distance to 10 miles in the next 11 weeks (hopefully).

    Personally, week 5 of c25k is when I started to love running, and in the past I never would have thought that was possible. I'm planning to continue and sign up for the Feb 2015 Disney Princess half-marathon in June and hope to do a full-marathon before I turn 30. I definitely caught the running bug! :laugh:

    For A LOT of people week 4 is kind of the hump. It feels the hardest for some reason, but once you can get past it and finish week 5, you start to feel unstoppable.

    With that said, you may not ever enjoy it, and that's okay. You don't have to run. If you like to dance, try Zumba; if you like to ride your bike, do that; etc. I think the key is finding something active that you enjoy and doing that, but from personal experience and a lot of discussions in the c25k group (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/30-couch-to-5k-running-program-c25k ), if you start c25k and haven't "learned to love running" in the first couple weeks, try to get through week 5 before deciding you don't want to do it.
  • JessieMaeH82
    JessieMaeH82 Posts: 79 Member
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    My one piece of running advice as a C25K veteran (who, unfortunately, can't run a 5k anymore -- but hope to change that in the next few weeks) is SHOES. Find a running store near you where they will evaluate your gait and try you in as many pairs of sneakers as they need to to find the right ones for your foot's anatomy and your gait. I did this before I started C25K and was very happy. Then, about 5 weeks in, I started developing blisters. So, I tightened the laces more. Which led to loss of feeling in my feet by 2.5km. I went back to the store and explained the problem. At first they thought I'd worn out the sneakers. When I told them that I had under 50 miles on the sneakers, they started looking at other things. We ended up putting in a different insole with better arch support, I tie my laces so loose that the sneakers *almost* could fall off my feet, and everything's good again.

    Seriously, the wrong sneakers will not only make running that much more difficult. They'll also lead you to potential injury -- which can lead to you completely giving up. Is it more expensive than just buying a cheap pair of sneakers at ****'s Sporting Goods? Yep. Is it worth it? Well, you tell me. How much are your ankles, knees, hips, etc, worth? :D

    Happy running!!


    Thank you so much!!!
  • JessieMaeH82
    JessieMaeH82 Posts: 79 Member
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    Calories burned during 1 mile of running is the same as for 1 mile of walking. The only difference is that running will take less time.
    This isn't true. I burn significantly more calories when I run vs when I walk and I definitely put forth a lot more effort into running.

    Either way, walking is great as well. Running is more fun though in my opinion :smile:

    yeah if I walk a mile on the treadmill vs doing C25k for a mile---I burn more cals.
    I want to love it! lol I'm gonna try!!! :)
  • JessieMaeH82
    JessieMaeH82 Posts: 79 Member
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    I loved c25k and went on to do c210k (I still haven't done a 10k distance, but I can run 4.5 miles straight) which I recently completed and just moved on to a personalized training plan to increase my distance to 10 miles in the next 11 weeks (hopefully).

    Personally, week 5 of c25k is when I started to love running, and in the past I never would have thought that was possible. I'm planning to continue and sign up for the Feb 2015 Disney Princess half-marathon in June and hope to do a full-marathon before I turn 30. I definitely caught the running bug! :laugh:

    For A LOT of people week 4 is kind of the hump. It feels the hardest for some reason, but once you can get past it and finish week 5, you start to feel unstoppable.

    With that said, you may not ever enjoy it, and that's okay. You don't have to run. If you like to dance, try Zumba; if you like to ride your bike, do that; etc. I think the key is finding something active that you enjoy and doing that, but from personal experience and a lot of discussions in the c25k group (http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/30-couch-to-5k-running-program-c25k ), if you start c25k and haven't "learned to love running" in the first couple weeks, try to get through week 5 before deciding you don't want to do it.

    You're so sweet!!! Thank you!
  • crista_b
    crista_b Posts: 1,192 Member
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    Calories burned during 1 mile of running is the same as for 1 mile of walking. The only difference is that running will take less time.
    FYI for anyone who thinks this is true, running does burn more calories than walking. Here's the main points of an article that explains it:

    In "Energy Expenditure of Walking and Running," published December 2004 in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, a group of Syracuse University researchers measured the actual calorie burn of 12 men and 12 women while running and walking 1,600 meters (roughly a mile) on a treadmill. Result: The men burned an average of 124 calories while running, and just 88 while walking; the women burned 105 and 74. (The men burned more than the women because they weighed more.)

    When you walk, you keep your legs mostly straight, and your center of gravity rides along fairly smoothly on top of your legs. In running, we actually jump from one foot to the other. Each jump raises our center of gravity when we take off, and lowers it when we land, since we bend the knee to absorb the shock. This continual rise and fall of our weight requires a tremendous amount of Newtonian force (fighting gravity) on both takeoff and landing.

    We mislead ourselves when we talk about the total calorie burn (TCB) of exercise rather than the net calorie burn (NCB). To figure the NCB of any activity, you must subtract the resting metabolic calories your body would have burned, during the time of the workout, even if you had never gotten off the sofa.

    Thanks to the Syracuse researchers, we now know the relative NCB of running a mile in 9:30 versus walking the same mile in 19:00. Their male subjects burned 105 calories running, 52 walking; the women, 91 and 43. That is, running burns twice as many net calories per mile as walking. And since you can run two miles in the time it takes to walk one mile, running burns four times as many net calories per hour as walking.


    Source: http://www.runnersworld.com/weight-loss/how-many-calories-are-you-really-burning
  • Prismapencils
    Prismapencils Posts: 154
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    I would love some friends as I see myself in a lot of you. When I was in high school, I was pretty thin. This is because I was on swim team. I dreaded the beginning of every practice because we had to run. I was always pretty slow and very out-of-breath. I think this is mostly because I didn't know how to breathe or pace myself. I just knew how to HOLD my breath. XP

    I've heard of C25K's success, but I don't actually have a printout of the day-to-day schedule. Instead, I've been doing my own thing. I try to run on the treadmill on class days (M,W,F-1 hour), where I have access to the school gym. On the days I stay at home, I do Jillian Michael's No More Trouble Zones. (Basically 45 minutes of toning with 2 10 pound dumbbells--I prefer this one because there's not much cardio, so my apartment neighbors downstairs won't hear me jumping around. There are plenty of leg exercises on there.) If I miss any of these days due to classwork or fatigue, I make them up on the weekends I have off by running to the town square and back (3.1 miles) with my boyfriend and brother.

    We are going to register for the Glowrun 5K November 3rd. I hope this works. I'm tired of telling myself I can't do it. It might be helpful to have a C25K buddy to inspire and also to give information on their regiment. That way, I can learn how to increase the difficulty to get better. I'm glad I'm not alone in this. I wish I had known about this site in high school.

    I don't think I'll ever truly love running while in the act unless I'm competing or can eventually sprint. I just love that feeling of accomplishment afterwards, especially if my team was really wanting to stop yet we got to our goal anyway. I did love the fact that I outlasted a really tall guy on the treadmill yesterday. That never happens. Usually, I'm the one to start last and get off first. It was a nice change of pace. I also like running for more goofy reasons. I like the fact that maybe I would survive the zombie apocalpyse without being left in the dust by faster friends. Or that I would be less of a burden.
  • ThatHarleyChick
    ThatHarleyChick Posts: 3
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    Hi everyone. I'm a running newbie - I did my first 5K almost a year ago (an annual "Turkey Day 5K" on Thanksgiving). I said I would never do another one! My friend convinced me that it was nothing and that I could walk faster than most of the people there. WRONG!

    Anyway, skip forward a nearly a year. I started running again about 2 months ago, because I was determined that I was going to do better at this year's Thanksgiving 5K. I don't know what happened, but gradually, a fast walk because a walk/run, then more of a run/walk, and now almost entirely running! I never, ever, EVER thought I could be a runner (I smoked for over 30 years!), and now I'm not happy on days that I can't get out for at least a couple miles. I did my first 5K of the year about 3 weeks ago, and I'm doing 2 in the next 2 weeks, then another 5K and an 8K in October, and then that Thanksgiving race.

    One of the reasons I never thought I could run is because I have "pre-existing" health issues - mainly knees and back. I've already had surgery on both knees for torn meniscus 7 years ago; I currently have arthritis in both knees (not severe, but there). Lubricant injections have helped, but they still bother me some. Back issues are more severe - spondylolithesis - and cause more problems (sciatica), but I usually have it under control with anti-inflamatories and lots of crunches to keep my ab muscles strong. Oh, and did I mention that I'm over 50?

    Now, lets talk stats: my best mile is only about 11:05, so I'm slow (who cares!), and the longest I've ever run (well, run/walk really) is 5 miles. Right now, I'm just trying to put miles under my belt and get more consistent at 3.5 miles.

    I give props to all of you who are giving running a go. I really love doing it, and here's to hoping that you do to. Just remember: you may be slow, but you're still lapping everyone that is sitting on the couch!
  • teamAmelia
    teamAmelia Posts: 1,247 Member
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    I've heard of C25K's success, but I don't actually have a printout of the day-to-day schedule. Instead, I've been doing my own thing.

    You don't need a printout. It's a cellphone app. I guess that you cannn track your mileage and time manually, but the app takes care of everything for you. It tells you when to run and when to walk, and you can play your music while you walk/run. Here's the MFP group http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/30-couch-to-5k-running-program-c25k

    And, look for the app in your phone's marketplace. I know that RunDouble and Active have a C25K app.

    Without the app, you really have to rely on yourself to start running again after you walk. I couldn't do that. LOL.
  • Prismapencils
    Prismapencils Posts: 154
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    Oh, thank you. I guess I read or saw the actual calender for it somewhere. I didn't know that it was primarily an app. That's not exactly helpful though for me since I have a dumb phone instead of a smart one.

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