Couch to 5k

I think you may be right about too fast.. I've tried it outdoors once before and found I made too many excuses (e.g. its raining, its cold, its dark etc. etc.) so this time I'm trying on the treadmill. I've found myself more likely to actually do it, which is great (no excuses so far!) but when Im walking I'm going 3.5mph and running I'm doing 7mph until the last 2 runs when I tend to bring it down to 6.5mph. I also do my 5 min warm up as 3 mins on full incline and 2 mins flat. Obviously running with no incline.. Could this be causing me more problems too? I mainly do it as I want to get the calorie rate a bit higher for each exercise, as its pretty low. With the 3 mins incline at the beginning and at the end I'm burning around 200 calories.

7mph is too fast if you aren't a runner

I'm on day 2 of week 4, and am only jogging at 4.4 mph. I started at 4.1 or 4.2. I sometimes feel like I should be going faster, but then said why push myself beyond what I can do? At this point, that speed is challenging enough, and I'm definitely breathless when I finish. I think as I progress further, I'll naturally feel like going faster and will do it.

I always had a huge amount of difficulty running even a short distance or time, and now to be progressing feels amazing! I just need to now stop eating so much so that I can see some results from the calorie burns of C25K and my other workouts!

Started this at the beginning of the week. Successfully completed week one, however it almost kills me. I've never been good at running and I'm not that fit... But I want to learn to run so badly. Should I push myself to start week two and how far should I push myself? When I run my heart rate is getting up to around 185bpm. I get a really bad stitch and for one of the three days I had to pause half way and have an extra minutes break as I was feeling lightheaded.

I'm only 22, 5'3 and weigh 144 pounds. Should I really be this out of breath?? Any recommendations/tips etc welcome. Thank you!

Repeat week 1.
Stitch in your side, stop and take a really big breath, hold it, do this 3 plus times until the stitch goes away.

Slow down, you'll find as you progress through the program you will get faster, when running you should be able to carry on a conversation without wheezing, and gasping, and trying to catch your breath, if you are then slow down until you can have a conversation normally. That was what i found the hardest.


heart rate 185 - have you ever run before? When I started C25K I would see an average of 175ish with peaks in the 190's,
Now I can run 5km and my heart rate will stay in my nominal range around 124-140 (depending on hills and speed)
The more you run, the healthier and stronger your heart will become and the BPM will drop.

Keep at it, took me a few weeks before i started to enjoy running, and now I run 3-5 days a week, always outside.

I love running in the rain and snow.

Your doing great.
Movement is Medicine

Repeat the week if you feel like you have to. Also, slow down. You are building your stamina no need to run really fast. With that said, I just completed week 4 day 1 and am completely amazed with myself. I was a little frightened when I saw that I had to run for 5 minutes, but guess what, I couldn't believe when it told me to switch to a brisk walk. Five minutes went by so fast! You will get there! Good luck!!

I am actually the same age and about the same height as you. When I first started, I was running at 6mph, which is pretty fast for my short little legs. I think I was going faster than I felt comfortable because I'm young and it felt like I SHOULD be able to. Now, I am finishing week four and I'm walking at 3.5 and running at 5. I know it is slow, and it can be embarrassing in the university gym, but it feels SO much more manageable and I still feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of each workout.

So, I definitely recommend slowing down a bit so that you are able to finish each workout without feeling completely overworked. Work on endurance first, and then up speed after you finish the program so that you are able to run a 5k in a better time.

I've been on week 6 of c210k (may be the exact same as c25k week 6) for like a month. haha. And I run at 4.5mph.

There is nothing wrong with repeating weeks and going slower. I found that finding the right pace for me was a lot easier when I started running with a friend. They say your pace should be one at which you can still hold a conversation, even if you end up huffing a bit.

Running slower will help prevent shin splints, as well, which was a big problem for me when I started.

I am also starting C25K. I downloaded the 5K Runner app and tried the first workout last night. (They have a free version that only includes the first two weeks of workouts. You can try if first and see what you think. That's what I did. After I tried it I downloaded the full version.) I am going shopping for running shoes tomorrow and then next week I am starting week 1.