Couch to 5K Support!

I can't help you but i am looking forward to see the answers you'll get. I want to run a 4 km race in one month. Today, I ran intervals (1 min.run/30 s. Walk). I really wonder if I will make it at this rate. Does C25k really work?

I did the same thing first time I used the couch to 5k. Had a complete freak out about the 10 minute intervals cause the fiv minutes were leaving me wiped.

Stuck with it and did the 10 min day. Man was that day tough. Oddly enough though when the 20 minute run came around I was able to run it no problem. I even tacked on another 7 minutes of running I was feeling so great. It was amazing!

As of today, I'm officially running week 5 day 1. I ended up repeating week 3, and then week 4 a couple of times to build stamina and courage. Like you, I couldn't fathom moving up to longer running intervals. And in my books, 5 minutes repeated 3 times over is looong. Before I started C25K, I had not been able to run more than 200 feet without running out of breath.

My strategy is to move onto the next segment when I feel the current one getting easy - as in I don't want to stop running when Laura says it's time to cool down and walk

Keep up the good work!

I did this program, and it really does truly work. I've reached the point where I can run 30 minutes straight through. I am very, very slow, so that's no where near a 5K yet, but I'm working on it.

I did this for fitness and weight loss... well, that's what I tell people. But in reality, I wasn't able to run around with my daughter, and seriously, that's what prompted me. I wanted to be able to take off with her without having to think about it, and to keep going without pooping out in a couple of minutes.

When I did the program, I took longer on most weeks - what they did in, say, week 3, I did for week 3, 4, 5... working my way up to doing their "week 4" in week 6, etc. But it worked, no injuries thank goodness. The program itself says you can do this - you can repeat weeks, or go more slowly if you need to, so don't be afraid to do so if that's what you need to do. I mean, I couldn't do 10 minutes of running in the week they assigned it. It simply was not possible for me, so I adapted the program and took it slower (running 5 minutes one week, 6 minutes the next, etc.), and that worked for me.

Stick with it!!! I did the same app in January and had great success with it. I had not run a mile since I was a freshman in high school and that was 19 years ago, lol!! Since then I've run five 5K races, a 6k and have registered for my first 10k at the end of the month. It is one of the best things I have ever done for myself!! You got this!!! :flowerforyou:

I have not done that program but I did start walking which turned into jogging and then into running and got me to

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This past Sunday I ran my first 15k in 1:26:29

Good Luck

Anyways, week 5 day 3, the 20 minute run is more of a mental challenge than a physical one. Trust the program, take it slow, repeat weeks if you need to. You can do it!! (Have fun!)

This. I redid week 5, day 2 so many times because I couldn't believe that I could possibly run 20 minutes. I finally did it last week and it really wasn't so bad! I discovered that audio books do a great job of distracting me and time flies by.

So, I have never been a runner. I'm 23 years old, have been overweight my entire life, and have asthma. I am currently on week 4 of the Zen Labs Couch to 5K program, and I've pleasantly surprised myself so far and have been able to keep up with it.

I've been checking out the outline of upcoming workouts, and I'm trying not to freak out here. In only two weeks from where I am now, the program wants me to run 20 minutes straight. Right now the most I've run is 5 - it's been hard, but I've done it. I've registered for a 5k that will take place on November 1st, and I'm confident that as long as I stick with this I will be able to run that.

So my question is this - anyone else here who has struggled with running and successfully kept up with this program? What have your experiences been?

C25K Grad here.
The 20 minute run freaks everyone out. But you'll be ready. It is, at that point, a bit of a mind game and you'll need to keep your focus. Be prepared with good music, an audio book or whatever distraction you need to just concentrate on, try not to think about your legs and what they are doing.
The program is designed to prepare your body for the 20 minute run and it knows you're ready and now it's up to you to realize that you're ready.
(whatever you do.....try very, very hard not to look at the time. It has the potential to throw your confidence off. Just keep going for as long as you can and don't look until you've thought (2 or 3 times) that the time must be close)

You can do this. You'll be ready. It's a nerve wracking day, though.

PS: if you really start to feel like you won't make it, slow down. Don't stop, just go slower.

I started the C25K program about 11 weeks ago. I was also never a runner! I was lucky if I could get a half mile in without dying! The program is awesome. Stick to it and stay motivated! In just 9 weeks I went from 0-3 miles and ran my first 5K! It's amazing to think what can happen in just 9 weeks! Get some good music going in your ear buds and fight through the first 15-20 minutes and you will be set!!

Long time listener, first time poster.

The post made me smile because I just finished the Zen Labs program a few weeks ago. I remember having the same feeling about the 20 minute run...it was such a big jump that I figured there was no way I could do it. I finished it...but the last 3 minutes was a haul. The last few minutes of the 22 and 25 run were tough the first time too.

But the program absolutely works. When I started I could barely run 3-4 minutes without being winded. I was in my early 40s and never liked to run. By the end of the program I was able to run 30 minute straight. I ran my first 5k 2 week ago. I had a modest goal of 31 minutes, hoping to run the whole way and keep a 10 minute pace. Between the adrenalin of race day and the competition of running against other people, I actually finished in 27:38. I made the mistake of running early at a very fast pace and slowed down a lot the final 3/4 mile. I was a lot more tired than my normal run....but it was a great feeling.

Once you get the base, adding time seems easier and easier. Sunday is my long run day. I ran for 45 minutes...and felt like I could have kept going. I've lost 17 lbs since I started the program.

There were 3 keys to me....

1. Get fit for running shoes. The few times I tried running in the past, my back would ache. I went to a store that specialized in running shoes. They put me on a treadmill, watched me run and recommended the type of foot support I needed. It made all the difference in the world.

2. Listen to music - Maybe it's just me, but hearing myself breathe makes me tired. I load up Pandora and just focus on the music.

3. Pushing through the first mile. Once I get a good sweat going and into the run, it's just clicking off steps...but the first few minutes in when I'm thinking about how far I have to go, it feels like a chore.

Stick with it. If I can do it, I know anybody can....

The biggest tip I can give is when you start your 20 minute run, slow down. when you have slowed down, slow down some more, then once you've done that, slow down a bit more.

Speed is not the objective. You don't need to win a race. you just have to run for 20 minutes. If you dont pace yourself you will run of energy early on. You can go faster once you are comfortably running 30 minutes 3/4 days a week. But first just run 20 minutes.

And remember, slow down some more! you will suprise yourself