Couch to 5K - Question?

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Replies

  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    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.
    I was thinking this, too.

    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.
  • kyta32
    kyta32 Posts: 670 Member
    SueInAz wrote: »
    AglaeaC wrote: »
    kyta32 wrote: »
    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.
    Yes to both of these.

    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 :)
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    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.
  • AglaeaC
    AglaeaC Posts: 1,974 Member
    jgnatca wrote: »
    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.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
    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."
  • AglaeaC
    AglaeaC Posts: 1,974 Member
    jgnatca wrote: »
    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!
  • teeseeytopcat
    teeseeytopcat Posts: 51 Member
    SueInAz wrote: »
    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.
    I was thinking this, too.

    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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