C25K Help!
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lemonsnowdrop
Posts: 1,298 Member
Okay, so I'm very new to running. Before, I couldn't run for thirty seconds without becoming winded. Recently I started Couch to 5K, which from the get go was very difficult for me. Still, I was able to finish every session, even if I was completely exhausted at the end.
Well, today I hit my first wall. I started Week 4 (day 1), and I couldn't do it. The five minute jog was too much. I got over halfway through it, and during the second 5 minute interval, I had to stop. My side was splitting and I couldn't breathe. I couldn't even walk. I'm incredibly disappointed in and angry with myself. I should be able to do this, but I couldn't.
Did anyone else ever have to repeat days? Ever have days you couldn't do? I'm pretty disheartened by this and feel like I'll never be able to build up to an actual 5K.
Well, today I hit my first wall. I started Week 4 (day 1), and I couldn't do it. The five minute jog was too much. I got over halfway through it, and during the second 5 minute interval, I had to stop. My side was splitting and I couldn't breathe. I couldn't even walk. I'm incredibly disappointed in and angry with myself. I should be able to do this, but I couldn't.
Did anyone else ever have to repeat days? Ever have days you couldn't do? I'm pretty disheartened by this and feel like I'll never be able to build up to an actual 5K.
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Replies
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I just finished Week 4 and it was definitely the hardest for me so far. I actually ran week 4 for 2 weeks. Maybe slow down a bit on the 5 minute intervals. If I get side stitches it's usually my breathing - slow down and breathe deeply in and out for a bit.... don't quit trying. I had to stop one day - went back the next and was able to finish. Good Luck - Don't give up!0
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Three thoughts:
1. Don't be angry with yourself. You couldn't run 30 seconds a short while ago and now you can run for more than quadruple that
2. Repeat as needed. The original C25k program says that right up near the top
3. Slow down. Shuffle if need be. Speed can always come later.0 -
When I started, I did the first week THREE times! It's okay to repeat a day or even a week if necessary.
Don't get discouraged. On your next scheduled run day, try W4D1 again. You can do it!0 -
C25K is a great program to get you started... but I feel there are weeks were they jump up too much with the running. Repeat week 3 as many imes as you need... or keep trying week 4. If you did 3 mins of the 5 minute jog - that is freakin' awesome!! Try again tomorrow. try for 3:30... then try for 4 mins.0
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I've just done week 4, day 1 after 4 days of no training at all - wow it was a killer. I totally agree that the last 5 mins were the worst! I can't give any advice as I've not done it before but just wanted to let you know you're not alone!0
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Okay, so I'm very new to running. Before, I couldn't run for thirty seconds without becoming winded. Recently I started Couch to 5K, which from the get go was very difficult for me. Still, I was able to finish every session, even if I was completely exhausted at the end.
Well, today I hit my first wall. I started Week 4 (day 1), and I couldn't do it. The five minute jog was too much. I got over halfway through it, and during the second 5 minute interval, I had to stop. My side was splitting and I couldn't breathe. I couldn't even walk. I'm incredibly disappointed in and angry with myself. I should be able to do this, but I couldn't.
Did anyone else ever have to repeat days? Ever have days you couldn't do? I'm pretty disheartened by this and feel like I'll never be able to build up to an actual 5K.
You couldn't breathey you say?? Slow down a lot, jog at a pace that you can comfortably carry on a conversation. You'll find over time that pace gets faster.
Splitting side you say?? if this happens take a deep breath, hold it, let it out slowly, x3 or more and it should go away in short order.
Repeat, repeat, repeat. If you find a day hard either repeat a whole week, or retry that day and try to improve on it.
Water! Drink lots of it.
Breathe. Don't huff and puff (we all do it at first) but breathe.
Most of all enjoy what you are doing, take in the scenery, enjoy the outside, soak up the vitamin D!
keep it up, you are doing great!0 -
Best advice I was given was to slow down when running. It really made a difference in being able to finish each section. Keep going, it does become easier!0
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Yup.. repeat days (or weeks if you need it!). I tried 3 (or 4??) times to do C25K before FINALLY succeeding. But then I was supa jazzed... and joined a running group that did C25K on the track and we ran a 5K together
I will be running my second 5K race in a few days.
And just go slow- run slower than you think you *can*, that way you still get some oxygen!:laugh:0 -
I love the C25K program. Repeat weeks as needed. This isn't a quest to get it done as quickly as you can. Go at your own pace, and you'll be rocking it in no time. :-)0
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Don't feel bad. I was at week SEVEN and had to stop bc of an injury! I'm back at week 1 day 1 as of today. I do remember the jump from 1 minute to 5 minutes was rough. Listen to your body. Make sure your shoes are good. Don't try to beat any records. Enjoy the scenery. That's all I got. Good luck! :drinker:0
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Okay, so I'm very new to running. Before, I couldn't run for thirty seconds without becoming winded. Recently I started Couch to 5K, which from the get go was very difficult for me. Still, I was able to finish every session, even if I was completely exhausted at the end.
Well, today I hit my first wall. I started Week 4 (day 1), and I couldn't do it. The five minute jog was too much. I got over halfway through it, and during the second 5 minute interval, I had to stop. My side was splitting and I couldn't breathe. I couldn't even walk. I'm incredibly disappointed in and angry with myself. I should be able to do this, but I couldn't.
Did anyone else ever have to repeat days? Ever have days you couldn't do? I'm pretty disheartened by this and feel like I'll never be able to build up to an actual 5K.
Hello!
Please don't think this is me being sharp, I just gotta address you and make sure I do it properly!
I presume you're doing this:Week 4
For the runs in Week 4, you will begin with a brisk 5-minute warm-up walk then 3 minutes of running, 90 seconds walking, 5 minutes running, 2 ½ minutes walking, 3 minutes running, 90 seconds walking, 5 minutes running.
I'm over 320lbs in weight (I want to lose approximately 1/2 of my current weight!). My goal is to complete Couch-to-5k without repeating any of the runs / weeks. So far my determination has paid off. Thus I'm going to complete Run 2, Week 6 tomorrow (Both weeks 5 & 6 consist of doing 3 different runs).
My best advice to you is to PACE yourself. If you're using http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/c25k/Pages/get-running-with-couch-to-5k.aspx listen to what Laura says. Most of it is psychological. The reason you felt the way you did was probably because you were going to fast - I still often feel I should be going quicker, but I know I have to pace myself and my stamina for the longer term. BREATHE remember to breathe, what you described sounds like 'stitch' again possibly from trying too hard.
Slow your pace down, breathe and don't worry about going slow / plodding. I remember when I was required to do 5 minutes and my back ached, I was tired, but I was determined not to stop because I wanted no repeats.
Like me, remind yourself (during your plod!) that you'll have plenty of time to speed up after week 9, just master the psychology of running for a long time. Remember, most of this is in your head .. the last run of week 5 in a 20 minute run non-stop, that is only 4 runs away from where you are at the moment .... so you can actually do it, it's just pace and mindset.
IF you do decide you need extra time, repeat your weeks there is NO shame in that!!!
Also as an aside, I tend to deliberately do my runs in hilly places to help develop stamina and fitness a little quicker, so that from next week I'll be running slightly flatter routes with little problem. I also cover around 3 miles even though the podcasts finish long before my route has, I try to do a little run as a boost.
PLEASE remind yourself ... (again like I do!) that this feeling of unfitness, pain, breathlessness, fatigue won't last forever, but in order to cover the miles comfortably later on.
Steady, slow and breathe! Best of luck!!! :-)0 -
I'm on week 4 as well. As others have said, the best advice I was told was to slow down. It's about building endurance. That has helped me a lot! And, some days are just easier than others. :-) Keep it up, repeat as necessary, and good job!!0
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I also started my running with the C25K app, could hardly do the 30 seconds when I started. The 9 week program took me 12 weeks, I repeated the days I couldn't do until I was able to. Best advice I can give is to get fitted for proper running shoes to avoid shin splints and to get a heart rate monitor to ensure you are not overdoing it which can result in you side pains. I didn't realize that I was running too fast and running out of steam until I started wearing one. Being able to keep an eye on my heart rate and thus regulating my breathing almost completely eliminated my side pains. I also had to practice the proper breathing technique when side pains did occur, as a previous poster said, deep breaths in and holding them enlarges your diaphram and helps aleviate the side pains. I finished the program a year ago and have since learned to love running. Just this week I finished my second half marathon - YOU CAN DO THIS! Just stick with it!0
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I started it several weeks ago and yes... there were days I just couldn't do. There were days I could fairly easily run 10 minutes, and the next day I couldn't make it 5.
I am still not much of a runner, but here are some things that helped me:
1. SLOW DOWN
2. Don't do too much too fast. In the beginning I kept running to 3 days/week max.
3. Repeat as necessary.
4. Focus on breathing. I got horrible side cramps almost every time (still do sometimes), and I'm sure it's because I haven't mastered the art of breathing. But when my body starts to ache instead of stopping I take 30 seconds to really focus on deep breathing. 5 deep breaths (in through the nose), try to expand your lungs to their full potential starting at the bottom (if that makes sense), then breathe normally, then do it again if necessary. It really works for me. Breathing properly will also prevent cramping.
5. Find an enjoyable place to run. Makes things more pleasant and easier.
I did make it through to the end, despite my body often feeling like it was dying. So I hope that helps a little.0 -
Thanks for all the amazing advice, guys! I feel much better now and will jump back on it tomorrow. Just to address a couple of things: I have good running shoes! I love them. Also, the area I run in has many hills, including one particularly steep one and one long incline. Also, I already felt that I "run" quite slow. My husband told me that there is a definite difference in running and jogging, so shuffling along makes me feel like it's a moot point.
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Hiya,
Good re hills (were you referring to me? :happy: ). When I am doing the runs I know I can run faster and look less plodding, I know this because at the end of the run, if I still haven't reached home I do some short intervals where I 'run' properly, rather than plod like an oap lol :bigsmile: .
Like I said before, plod, run slower, plod even if it feels like you're barely plodding faster than your walking pace, it really will prove invaluable when you start the 20 minute runs.
Can I ask what you're using for couch to 5k? I can't recommend enough the nhs podcasts I linked to in my previous post. Gives you advice and guidance on pace and breathing while you're on your run. Check it out.
ETA: forget moot points. If you're on week 4 and feel puffed out / winded within 5 minutes, then you're doing something wrong and you won't progress, as I said week 4, run 1 is only four runs away from week 5, run 3 where you run solid for 20 minutes. Marathon runners do not run like Carl Lewis do they? Don't bog yourself down with 'style' concentrate on getting to week 9 i.e 30 minute running, then you can build your speed and work on style.0 -
Meh, not everyone is a fast runner. Some people are penguin plodders for life (aka me). Others can run a sub 2:30 marathon their first time out. Still others start slow and get faster over time.
Aim to get to the end of the C25k without feeling like you're going to die during and after your runs. Then you can get into a wider variety of running workouts that are used to improve endurance and speed (hills, long and slow, fartleks, etc).0 -
Thanks for all the amazing advice, guys! I feel much better now and will jump back on it tomorrow. Just to address a couple of things: I have good running shoes! I love them. Also, the area I run in has many hills, including one particularly steep one and one long incline. Also, I already felt that I "run" quite slow. My husband told me that there is a definite difference in running and jogging, so shuffling along makes me feel like it's a moot point.
You're doing great. Just slow down a bit. The advice I got when I started running was that you should be able to speak short sentences while running. If you can't, you're going too fast and need to slow down.
C25K will help you build your stamina so that you'll be able to run 30 minutes straight but speed will come later. You won't run 5K in 30 minutes at the end of this program but you will run for 30 minutes. Heck....I've graduated from C25K a little over a year ago and still can't run 5K in 30 minutes.....far from it. I've "sped up" to running it in about 38-40 minutes. The time does slowly go down, though, so it can be done.
Hills are great for training but will slow you down even more. Don't worry about it. Just keep running along.
Don't give up. Slow down. You're doing great.0 -
You can do this!
I can't remember exactly, but I think it was around week 4 that I had to stop mid interval too. I (like everyone else) slowed my pace down, and I just finished c25k yesterday with no problems from there on out. You're just about halfway! Great job!
Somewhere on a c25k forum, someone said you can run a slow 10k before you can run a fast 5k. That stuck with me, and I stopped worrying about being a "respectable" runner so much. I'd rather know I can plod and surprise myself from time to time than burn out on the entire process because I'm not as fast as I'd like to be, which, since I have no history with running, is probably wildly unrealistic anyway.
Good luck to you!0 -
I haven't read the other replies so I don't know if I'm repeating anything. If I am, I apologize. First - in all types of exercise - running, walking, biking, weigh lifting - you have days when you feel on top of the world and you have days you think "What they heck am I doing out here?" It's all part of exercising, unfortunately. I was so glad when I found out one of my running mentors, who I really look up to and who has run several marathons, has lousy running days. There are days when he needs to stop and walk, when he hits the way. When I found this out I felt SO MUCH better.
Sometimes it isn't you - my fore mentioned running buddy and I went out today. In my part of the world it was in the mid-80s today. It's been in the mid-50s at best previous to this. We both ended up walking back to the car. We just weren't ready for the temperature change. So it could be something like that.
Are you getting enough rest / having enough recovery time? I've just started 'rating' my work outs. Here is a link on how to do it - http://www.runnersworld.com/race-training/how-to-recover-more-efficiently
Also, be sure to cross train - it has made a huge difference for me. My running would not be as strong as it is, it not for the cross training I have done.
And remember - everyone goes at their own pace. I know. I get mad at myself as well when I don't hit my goals, but you are running more than you were 4 weeks ago right? That is a huge success! So keep at it and if you need to repeat a week, it is not the end of the world. You would be a better and stronger runner at the end of it.
Good luck!0
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