Couch to 5K - Question?
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When does the speed come? It's a little demoralizing to enter my jogs into MFP as very fast walks because I can't go faster than 4.7 mph. I really want to get to that 5mph so I can log it as a jog. I've been using sprint intervals in my 30 minute jogs to try to speed up (one minute 4 steps breath, 30 seconds 3 steps/breath, slow jog 1.5 minutes), but I haven't gotten further than 3.6 k in 30 minutes for the last couple of months...
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I've read that static stretches are for after jogs, and dynamic stretches are for before. You can google dynamic stretches. There are also youtube videos.
They say that speed comes with distance as a newbie. So keep running further and speed will come. I hope. I'm slow still.
Re: stretching, I've read that you shouldn't stretch before warming up during the five-minute walk. In other words, I've heard that you should stretch only afterwards.0 -
teeseeytopcat wrote: »Can folks offer any experience, positive or negative about this plan? I've done week 1, day 1 today on my treadmill. I'm almost 60 & have lost 30 pounds since April & am now walking about 5 miles 4 times per week. I'd like to try running now!
Thanks
I tried it a few times and couldn't stick with it. I would get to week 5 or so and never be able to get past that point. My goal was to be able to run the "run" portions without walking before moving on to the next workout, otherwise I would repeat it again and again until I got it.
Anyway, I ended up making my own similar plan programmed into my heart rate monitor using distance rather than time. Same concept but for some reason it seemed to work better for me; I find distance goals more motivating than time goals.
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Yes to both of these.When does the speed come? It's a little demoralizing to enter my jogs into MFP as very fast walks because I can't go faster than 4.7 mph. I really want to get to that 5mph so I can log it as a jog. I've been using sprint intervals in my 30 minute jogs to try to speed up (one minute 4 steps breath, 30 seconds 3 steps/breath, slow jog 1.5 minutes), but I haven't gotten further than 3.6 k in 30 minutes for the last couple of months...
They say that speed comes with distance as a newbie. So keep running further and speed will come. I hope. I'm slow still.
Re: stretching, I've read that you shouldn't stretch before warming up during the five-minute walk. In other words, I've heard that you should stretch only afterwards.
Speed gains come with endurance gains at first, so you should run farther to run faster. It sounds odd, but it's true. Two shorter runs and one longer run each week is enough, you just want to slowly up the distance of all three runs over time, with no more than a 10% total mileage increase from week to week to prevent injury.
Static stretching should be avoided before warming up. It's been proven that dynamic stretching is better for injury-avoidance than static stretching. I usually just start my runs with a fast walk to stretch dynamically and then do some additional stretches after my run to keep myself limber.
As far as logging as a walk vs. a run.... create your own exercise entry. I do that for my run/walk intervals and use the calorie burn from my HRM.0 -
The plan is great for building up your bodies ability, but most importantly your confidence in how far/fast you can run.
Interval training (ie. running/walking) has been found to build up your fitness fast.
Week 5 is the tough one; google it and you'll find heaps of advice, as well as lots of friendly advice on here I'm sure.
My tips:
1. Don't be afraid to repeat days (although I only repeat days which I have failed until I succeed).
2. Slow it down if you need to. Some people suggest walking for 30 seconds when you're in the middle of a run that you don't feel you can finish, but I have found for me especially on a treadmill (as I can control the speed better) that it is better if I slow down the whole run but continuously run. That's what I did for W5 D3, and whilst I only made 2 km in 20 minutes I still ran for 20 minutes -which gave me a much higher sense of achievement than if I had to have a walking interval in between. I then just slowly increased my speed knowing that I could run for 20 minutes as I did it the day before.
3. If you do fail at a workout DO NOT beat your self up about it. How I see it is a failure shows me where I'm at physically. And that's the level I should push at until I'm better.
4. Take the rest days, injuries suck.
5. For running in general I have read that you should do static stretches beforehand, only afterwards. -I could be wrong though so other MFP peeps please correct me on this or any of my other tips.
6. Do the cool downs, you'll recover faster (less injuries)
7. I find for me that my daily target for calories is perfect, ie if I go for 3 or more days 100 calories lower than this then I start to feel really out of sorts, light headed etc, so I make sure that I eat back calories to give my body the fuel it needs; but you'll have to work out what's right for you.
And above all Go for it! -and report back on your progress please
All of this. I'm also going to echo several other people on here. Don't worry about how fast you're going. That will come later.
One other thing. Get fitted for some running shoes, especially if you're planning on running outside when the weather gets better. A good pair of shoes can help prevent injury. Go to a running store where they'll actually analyze your gait. A good pair of shoes can cost $100 and up but should last 300-500 miles. Your feet, legs and hips will thank you.
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Agree about week five. My estimation is that there is an eternity between running four minutes and five. And when I moved up to 6 and 8 minutes, my poor body gave up any hope of the rest break. I have switched to "might as well run and someday there will be a rest break".0
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I had to create my own "Week 0" when I started because I couldn't run the whole time that was scheduled for Week 1. After that, things went well, though. You've already gotten some great advice but I'll reiterate a few important points:
- Don't do anything high impact on the days between runs. Walking, biking, swimming, yoga, all are fine. Your joints need recovery time until they get used to the impact of running.
- You probably won't need running shoes at the very beginning (you'll be doing more walking than running) but you will by the end of the program. Go to a dedicated running store and have them check your gait, foot form, etc. then recommend the proper shoe for you.
- Unless you have a previous injury or physical limitation, running shouldn't hurt. Injuries are most commonly caused by overuse (see #1), the wrong shoes (see #2) or a surface that's too hard. Don't run on concrete; stick to asphalt, dirt or grass.
- You mentioned a treadmill. Be sure to set the incline to at least .5 and preferably 1%. It will not only help prevent shin splints which can occur with a treadmill set at 0% but it'll better simulate running outside. Unless they've started treadmill races, if you want to eventually challenge yourself with a race you'll need to transition to outdoor running at some point and it will make the transition easier.
- Have fun!!
The running shoe thing ... get that done around week 3 to week 4. That's when shoe-related knee pain started for me (and I had to take a full week off to get over it), plus you want to be sure you're happy with your new shoes BEFORE you make the jump in running time on week 5.
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Good thought, although trouble didn't start for me until I was regularly running three miles or so, well past the week 5 point. My problem had more to do with the fact that running shoes should be a size or so larger than regular shoes than anything else... yep, the dreaded black toenails. Once I had my gait tested, though, I found that my feet are dead straight when running, my stance is perfectly balanced 50/50 and my arches are low to medium so neutral shoes are perfect for me and I'm not likely to notice issues others might. Someone who pronates, and doesn't have the right shoes, is going to run into trouble much sooner than I did.I had to create my own "Week 0" when I started because I couldn't run the whole time that was scheduled for Week 1. After that, things went well, though. You've already gotten some great advice but I'll reiterate a few important points:- Don't do anything high impact on the days between runs. Walking, biking, swimming, yoga, all are fine. Your joints need recovery time until they get used to the impact of running.
- You probably won't need running shoes at the very beginning (you'll be doing more walking than running) but you will by the end of the program. Go to a dedicated running store and have them check your gait, foot form, etc. then recommend the proper shoe for you.
- Unless you have a previous injury or physical limitation, running shouldn't hurt. Injuries are most commonly caused by overuse (see #1), the wrong shoes (see #2) or a surface that's too hard. Don't run on concrete; stick to asphalt, dirt or grass.
- You mentioned a treadmill. Be sure to set the incline to at least .5 and preferably 1%. It will not only help prevent shin splints which can occur with a treadmill set at 0% but it'll better simulate running outside. Unless they've started treadmill races, if you want to eventually challenge yourself with a race you'll need to transition to outdoor running at some point and it will make the transition easier.
- Have fun!!
The running shoe thing ... get that done around week 3 to week 4. That's when shoe-related knee pain started for me (and I had to take a full week off to get over it), plus you want to be sure you're happy with your new shoes BEFORE you make the jump in running time on week 5.
I always hesitate to tell someone to go out and spend a bunch of money on running shoes before even starting C25K because not everyone finds running to their liking. You can start without plunking down a bunch of money on new shoes as long as you have shoes which are good for walking because it's mostly walking at the start, anyway.
I guess the point is, if you notice anything that seems even slightly amiss with how your joints, feet or legs feel whether while running or at any time after you've started, get thee to the running store, posthaste.0 -
Thanks again for your advice.
Today I completed w1d2
A few months ago, I did invest in some good fitting running shoes [the sales person spent 1 hour helping me select the best for my pronating foot]. I also have orthotics so I feel I've taken care of footwear issues. Now ....the fun begins, right? 
My plan is to likely spend at least 2 weeks on each week so that I SLOWLY get up to the 5K mark.
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teeseeytopcat wrote: »My plan is to likely spend at least 2 weeks on each week
fwiw adaptation stops at about the three week point, so if you're already planning to double the length of the plan you're not leaving yourself much space for when you need to repeat a week. Given you're existing walking capacity you shouldn't have any issues with the plan as designed.
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I was thinking this, too.MeanderingMammal wrote: »teeseeytopcat wrote: »My plan is to likely spend at least 2 weeks on each week
fwiw adaptation stops at about the three week point, so if you're already planning to double the length of the plan you're not leaving yourself much space for when you need to repeat a week. Given you're existing walking capacity you shouldn't have any issues with the plan as designed.
OP, trust the plan and yourself. Don't go into this intending to spend two weeks for each progression. It's already planned to go slowly enough for your body to adapt to the rigors of running even if your brain is telling you there's no way. Give yourself a little credit and have faith that you can accomplish this. If you truly and honestly feel at the end of the third session for a week that you really couldn't run for a moment longer than you did, repeat one day and then move on to the next week. You'll be amazed at what you can accomplish if you just let yourself try.
Keep in mind, too, that even the most experienced runners have bad days. I certainly have them; legs feel like lead from the start, I'm huffing and puffing at a speed that I normally have no trouble with.... I either suck it up or cut the run short and know the next run will be better.
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Yes to both of these.When does the speed come? It's a little demoralizing to enter my jogs into MFP as very fast walks because I can't go faster than 4.7 mph. I really want to get to that 5mph so I can log it as a jog. I've been using sprint intervals in my 30 minute jogs to try to speed up (one minute 4 steps breath, 30 seconds 3 steps/breath, slow jog 1.5 minutes), but I haven't gotten further than 3.6 k in 30 minutes for the last couple of months...
They say that speed comes with distance as a newbie. So keep running further and speed will come. I hope. I'm slow still.
Re: stretching, I've read that you shouldn't stretch before warming up during the five-minute walk. In other words, I've heard that you should stretch only afterwards.
Speed gains come with endurance gains at first, so you should run farther to run faster. It sounds odd, but it's true. Two shorter runs and one longer run each week is enough, you just want to slowly up the distance of all three runs over time, with no more than a 10% total mileage increase from week to week to prevent injury.
Static stretching should be avoided before warming up. It's been proven that dynamic stretching is better for injury-avoidance than static stretching. I usually just start my runs with a fast walk to stretch dynamically and then do some additional stretches after my run to keep myself limber.
As far as logging as a walk vs. a run.... create your own exercise entry. I do that for my run/walk intervals and use the calorie burn from my HRM.
Thank you SueInAz, AglaeaC
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Meandering, not Galloway. Twenty minutes running each time, I am up to two sets of eight minutes running with a one minute rest in between.0
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Meandering, not Galloway. Twenty minutes running each time, I am up to two sets of eight minutes running with a one minute rest in between.
This is confusing. I'm sure it is a good beginner programme, but doesn't sound like couch-to-5K at all.
The original nine-week programme (30 min continuous running each day of week 9, 28 min continuous running each day of week 8, and decreasing) is to be found on coolrunning.com but there is also a fan site c25k.com.0 -
I apologize. I see there are some differences.
C25K http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml
I am taking Learn to Run from the Running Room.
http://events.runningroom.com/training/?sid=622&id=5138
"At the end of this clinic you will be running for 20 minutes, about 2.5K, with a gradual progression of run and walk breaks."
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I apologize. I see there are some differences.
C25K http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml
I am taking Learn to Run from the Running Room.
http://events.runningroom.com/training/?sid=622&id=5138
"At the end of this clinic you will be running for 20 minutes, about 2.5K, with a gradual progression of run and walk breaks."
No worries! It's just that there is so much information to take in as a beginner and contradictory anything can be very frustrating. Glad you have the source added here, someone might choose that programme instead. Thanks for clearing it up!0 -
I was thinking this, too.MeanderingMammal wrote: »teeseeytopcat wrote: »My plan is to likely spend at least 2 weeks on each week
fwiw adaptation stops at about the three week point, so if you're already planning to double the length of the plan you're not leaving yourself much space for when you need to repeat a week. Given you're existing walking capacity you shouldn't have any issues with the plan as designed.
OP, trust the plan and yourself. Don't go into this intending to spend two weeks for each progression. It's already planned to go slowly enough for your body to adapt to the rigors of running even if your brain is telling you there's no way. Give yourself a little credit and have faith that you can accomplish this. If you truly and honestly feel at the end of the third session for a week that you really couldn't run for a moment longer than you did, repeat one day and then move on to the next week. You'll be amazed at what you can accomplish if you just let yourself try.
Keep in mind, too, that even the most experienced runners have bad days. I certainly have them; legs feel like lead from the start, I'm huffing and puffing at a speed that I normally have no trouble with.... I either suck it up or cut the run short and know the next run will be better.
Thanks for the vote of confidence! I'll see how I'm feeling on Saturday when I finish the 3rd session of week 1.
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