Any c25k newbies?

Man, week 5. It goes from 5-minute runs to 8-minute to 20-minutes. I'm not a wimp but I'm not spending 20 minutes at 85%+ HR and no, I can't run any slower.

I once had a sports medicine doc say I had really loose knee ligaments that allowed a lot of lateral motion. I wonder if that's behind why running is so hard for me. I guess I'll try some knee supports and see if that helps. I doubt it will but it'd be nice to know for sure and what's another $30.

Speaking of spending-- I picked up Zombies Run 3 and ZR 5K Training recently and have been wanting to try those but I think I need to be outdoors and need to buy MP3s to accompany them. I did the first segment of each on the treadmill with playlists off and accelerometer off (because my phone sits on the console) and they sounded identical, too, which seems fishy.

I'm also using the Zenlabs C25K app. I'm just did week 2, day 1. So far the app is pretty good but I've got some questions for fellow users.

1) Is the calorie count about right? It only gave me credit for 150 calories for today's outing, and only 143 for week one. For science purposes, I've also been running (heh) the MapMyWalk app for the same workout and it gave me two or three times that amount of calorie burn. I know that's high -- if I could burn 350 calories with 20 minutes of walking-jogging with two five-minute walks I wouldn't be fat in the first place! :-) But 150 seems low. Any thoughts?

2) The music part of the app only seems to be finding my itunes playlists, not my Google ones. Is there a way to make it look harder on my device to find playlists?

3) After doing it right the first time, the app failed to communicate with Facebook in either of my prior two runs even though the app is selected and seems logged into Facebook. Is there a way to reboot the thing (I've restarted the phone -- that doesn't do it).

I'm using the free version. It syncs with this site. It said that I ran for nine minutes at 5.2 MPH and walked for 22 minutes at 3 MPH. That comes to 1.88 miles at an average speed of 3.64 MPH. The times were correct. MapMyWalk says that I walked for 1.97 miles at an average speed of 3.97 MPH. So the difference in terms of miles and speed were pretty small -- small enough that small GPS errors in MMW and the timing of starting and stopping the apps could account for more than all of the difference. I don' t know whether the app is actually counting. I don't know whether the app actually records the speeds or just assumes that a beginner runs and walks about that fast -- I suspect the latter, since my prior workout used the exact same speeds to a first decimal point.

But the calories for that run were radically different -- 150 for the C25K app and 341 for MMW (Actually, I think it's this site that assigns the calories).

I'm mostly just curious about the mechanics and want to be a little closer to right -- I'm a good 40 pounds away from thinking I'd benefit much from a chest-strappy kind of thing.

stealthq- Thanks for explaining about the identical ZR workout. I'll plan to take it outdoors in winter. Why can't you do it on a treadmill? Does it need the GPS cues for the experience? I tried to do The Walk outdoors and for that I was constantly having to interact with my phone (which isn't easy out in the sun while walking dogs without reading glasses!) so I thought ZR might be better inside, sitting on the console. Though it doesn't make much sense a running app would need people to be checking their screen and pushing buttons.

nokitchen- 341 calories for under 2 miles sounds like too much. Usually roughly 100 calories a mile is about right (more if you're obese, though).

I'm using the free version. It syncs with this site. It said that I ran for nine minutes at 5.2 MPH and walked for 22 minutes at 3 MPH. That comes to 1.88 miles at an average speed of 3.64 MPH. The times were correct. MapMyWalk says that I walked for 1.97 miles at an average speed of 3.97 MPH. So the difference in terms of miles and speed were pretty small -- small enough that small GPS errors in MMW and the timing of starting and stopping the apps could account for more than all of the difference. I don' t know whether the app is actually counting. I don't know whether the app actually records the speeds or just assumes that a beginner runs and walks about that fast -- I suspect the latter, since my prior workout used the exact same speeds to a first decimal point.

But the calories for that run were radically different -- 150 for the C25K app and 341 for MMW (Actually, I think it's this site that assigns the calories).

I'm mostly just curious about the mechanics and want to be a little closer to right -- I'm a good 40 pounds away from thinking I'd benefit much from a chest-strappy kind of thing.

Wow, not to sound stupid, but I didn't even know the Zenlabs calculates calories burned on it's own. I assumed it was this site that did it also LOL I too use Mapmyrun at the same time and never really compared. Guess I should look into it. As for the music, I usually bring up the music then I hit the playlists button at the top of the screen and it shows all of mine. For the facebook posting, once you have signed in it should stay in the app, but you have to hit the send button at the top of the screen at the end of the workout. When mine missed it one day, I let it run beside me while I sat on the couch and at the end I hit send so it would track on facebook. It just says you completed the week and day, no other data so you could try that.

I do not think you are sounding stupid, I have never seen zen labs calculate calories. If it does I think it is interacting with something else. I am using the C210k free version and I do not remember entering any weight data, so not sure how it would differentiate between my burn and someone else's even if it knew the distance. YMMV. Personally I have a pedometer and use that for working out all bipedal energy burns anyway. It is accurate enough for my purposes.

When mine missed it one day, I let it run beside me while I sat on the couch and at the end I hit send so it would track on facebook.

I don't post mine anywhere but I noticed a lot of my workouts weren't getting checked off by the app, so it'd default to the wrong workout when I opened it, which bothered me a little. I must've been closing the app too soon or wrong or something. I fiddled with the 'skip' looking button and figured it out it skipped the workout ahead to the next track or next minute in a long track. So I was able to re-start and skip through the completed workouts to get them checked off, without letting them run their whole time length again.

I use a Droid phone which I don't store music on so I downloaded some free MP3s from Google Play to try with the app and I can't even find them on the phone. My next phone is going to be an iPhone 6, I think.

I have been doing the program for a couple of months. I am still on week one due to my weight and knee pain. I enjoy it but am going at my own pace.

Dont worry, I'm in the same boat...
I'm still enjoying it
2nd month in and this week just managed to do w1d1 and today w1d2!

For both of you, I would seriously think about forgetting to try to use c25k to get you to run. I would be inclined to use it as a motivation to go walking and use the run/jog intervals as walking faster. Depending on how it goes just use the app daily. On IOS zen labs do the C210k as a freebie, that would get you walking about an hour a day, in a structured manner. Given the issues you both have, I am impressed you have persevered, I am not sure I would have. Once you have gone through it walking I would have another go at the run/walk intervals. I hope you enjoy whatever programme you continue with.

I finished up the C25K program using the Active app this past weekend. Yay me!

Overall, I am very pleased with having finished but a little disappointed in the results. I'm not certain I could complete a 5k on the run...it'd probably be close, though. On my 30 minute intervals, I was able to run about 2.6 miles, so that's still half a mile shy of 5k, but I could've kept going. It's just a question of how long.

Pace was never a strength for me, either, as I was usually between 11:15-12:30/mile.

I felt like my breathing/cardio was ok. I was breathing hard but not panting.

My biggest issue seemed to be tired legs. Some days they just felt like lead. The first couple of minutes were usually the worst but after that, I'd get into a rhythm and sort of grind it out until the end but I never did lose that heavy legs feeling.

Now that I've finished the program, I'm diving into the Zombie 5k app and seeing if I can't start working on my pace and better endurance.

Congrats!! I know I'm only at week 8 (28 minute runs) and even my kids said wow mom, I'm surprised you survived that run LOL So I can only imagine how tough the 30 minutes will be. I feel also that I will be falling short of the 5k especially since you have the 5 minute warm up in the beginning also. I look forward to finishing because I would like to try the Zombie Run app, but don't want to mix the two together. Let me know how you enjoy it!!

I started the C210K workout 3 weeks ago. I had to take a week off because of blisters from a weekend hike, and tonight will be my Week 2 Day 3 work out. It is kicking my *kitten* but I love it.

I finished up the C25K program using the Active app this past weekend. Yay me!

Overall, I am very pleased with having finished but a little disappointed in the results. I'm not certain I could complete a 5k on the run...it'd probably be close, though. On my 30 minute intervals, I was able to run about 2.6 miles, so that's still half a mile shy of 5k, but I could've kept going. It's just a question of how long.

Pace was never a strength for me, either, as I was usually between 11:15-12:30/mile.

I felt like my breathing/cardio was ok. I was breathing hard but not panting.

My biggest issue seemed to be tired legs. Some days they just felt like lead. The first couple of minutes were usually the worst but after that, I'd get into a rhythm and sort of grind it out until the end but I never did lose that heavy legs feeling.

Now that I've finished the program, I'm diving into the Zombie 5k app and seeing if I can't start working on my pace and better endurance.

Congrats!! I know I'm only at week 8 (28 minute runs) and even my kids said wow mom, I'm surprised you survived that run LOL So I can only imagine how tough the 30 minutes will be. I feel also that I will be falling short of the 5k especially since you have the 5 minute warm up in the beginning also. I look forward to finishing because I would like to try the Zombie Run app, but don't want to mix the two together. Let me know how you enjoy it!!

I have every faith you will finish it, good luck

I started the C210K workout 3 weeks ago. I had to take a week off because of blisters from a weekend hike, and tonight will be my Week 2 Day 3 work out. It is kicking my *kitten* but I love it.

You might be better off in the bridge to 10k group where there is a check in thread to report progress, I have found that informative and inspiring about the challenges of slightly longer distances. If I was not on the iPad I'd set up a link, I think it is bridge to 10k. If I get a chance later on I'll add the link

I'm on my second day. I love the app. It is so simple to understand.

I am going out in 1 hour to do day 1 of Wk 3 - I have loved it so far and done it every other day - Today is the first day where my knees are aching at the thought and I could happily just slog in my PJ's but hey - I can do that afterwards! I have to be out walking my dog anyway so now I just put my headphones on and go - 3 min intervals today - gulp! I have never been a runner but think it is a fab programme - great to hear so many positive stories!

Me and my friend have been doing the c25k program for 1 week.Next time we have to do Week 2 Day 1. We are running on Monday , Wednesday and Friday. The thing is that my friend can't come in Monday and my question is whether we can do the Monday running on Sunday and then continue on Wednesday????????? Thank you .

I'm on Week 7 Run 2 today. Interestingly, I did a 1 mile 'fitness test' run (via Endomondo app) before I started C25K and my time for 1 mile was 14m58s. I repeated the test yesterday and this time my mile time was 11m 59s.

Never thought I'd ever see myself running at this stage in my life (I'm 51)!