Bite me C25K! - What I wish someone had told me when I started

Another great post! Thanks heaps, and well done!

Love it! Congratulations also on how far you've came, you must feel GREAT!

I all of this but I've been there with you through some of it. I am so proud of what you've accomplished. I know you were struggling there at the beginning. I'll add a few notes of my own since my story is a tiny bit different.

I started at age 45 after having despised running all my life. In my younger years (until about 30) I was incredibly active, gymnastics, competitive karate, etc. but nothing that required running. Along comes middle age and I realize that while I'm not technically overweight I'm not far from it and I'm barely walking 1500 steps per day. I got more active then and since my sister started running marathons when she'd hit 40 a few years earlier, I thought "Maybe I could do that, too."

So I started C25K. W1D1 I thought I was going to die. I ended up creating my own "Week 0" where I only ran for 15 seconds and then walked for 3 minutes. I made it past there and on to weeks 1, 2 and 3. And here's where my story goes off the track. I had a conversation with my sister and it turns out she's an interval runner even for full marathons. I rather liked the idea of just doing the C25K thing rather than running without stopping. After doing some research I found that it's easier on the joints, results in less injuries and has some benefits due to the interval nature. So I departed from C25K and ran intervals instead. I'll say that I still love what C25K is all about and recommend it all of the time. My intervals are currently running a mile and walking a minute and I do eventually plan to try to run a 5K without stopping, hopefully at the upcoming Thanksgiving Turkey Trot.

For everyone just starting out, Des' 8 points above are great! He's hit on a lot of things that I see new runners struggling with in the forums all of the time. I can say that I particularly love the Zombies 5K app because of the story telling aspect but any of them will work just fine. Do not be afraid to repeat weeks or even create your own. Although a lot of what we can and can't do is all in our heads if you're seriously having problems making the distance then do what you have to do to keep progressing.

Going slow is key. You're going to be running at a pace that is ridiculously slow but that's okay. C25K is about endurance, not speed. If you get winded, go slower. If you're at a fast walk, that's fine, just keep at it. I'll tell you, even professional runners do most of their training runs at a pace that's very slow for them. There's a lot of evidence that running slowly for 80% of your running time gets you faster in the end than running as fast as you can all of the time, so keep it slow! Once you graduate from C25K you can throw in some speed drills and hills, not before.

Keep your stride short. I see people running in my area in these long, bouncy strides and I want to pull the car over and have a long talk with them about wasted energy and injuries! 180 steps per minute is the recommended cadence to keep your feet underneath your body and prevent the injuries that can come from over-striding. I actually ran with a metronome app for awhile to get used to the faster foot turnover and now I find that I naturally stride at between 175 and 180 regardless of the music I'm listening to.

Additionally, follow the C25K rules. Don't run more often than every other day or for as long as the program has you running. Those rules are there for your protection, to guard you from overuse injuries. Many new runners get gung-ho and want to run every day. Most of them end up getting sidelined with shin splints or sore joints. The recovery day is just as important as the running. Don't do high impact activities on the days between. No bouncy aerobics. If you want to do more, I strongly suggest strength training. It'll help strengthen the stabilizing muscles in your legs and only make you a better runner. If you'd rather do more cardio then bike, walk or swim.

I didn't need "real" running shoes until I was regularly going distances over 5K. Most of my early C25K sessions were only a mile and a half or so in the 30 minute sessions and a good portion of that was walking. At around the 5K mark I started getting black toenails and my right knee was twingy so I went to a running store and got fitted in the right shoes for me (neutral Mizunos) and I've not had a problem since.

Most importantly in all of this, have fun! Whew, that ended up being a lot longer than intended but I hope some of it helps.

Thank you for this! I've been so lazy lately and the scale is creeping up. This is just what I needed to get inspired again. I love the C25K program. But I was always upset that I couldn't keep up but it's clear I was going too fast too soon and I gave up.

I'm starting over. Thank you!!

You look amazing!! A true inspiration

Wow, what an inspiration to so many people, good on ya

Just what I needed to read! Thank you and congratulations!

Danngggg!!!! [i [/i]

Wonderful and extremely inspiring post! Thank you for sharing!

Dude, you are awesome.

I've been running since 2003. I only recently learned that most runners are in discomfort/pain/wanting to stop during their runs. Wow, I'm normal! I'm actually pushing harder now, having learned that, and I'm more in love with running than ever. I am also still Queen of the 11 Minute Mile

Great post.

I'd like to emphasize the "wussy pain" vs real pain part. I tried to restart C25k this past fall. I was doing great, end of week three, but my legs were KILLING me. Not just while I was running, either, but almost all the time when I was walking too. I tried to ignore it- I figured it was just muscle pain- and ran through the pain for another week. After that, I couldn't- it hurt too much. So I went to the doctor and it turned out I had stress fractures in both tibias. I had to take it slow and rest for awhile. While I was resting, I was walking one day and fell (it was raining and I slipped). Landed on my knee and it hurt but again, I thought the pain would go away. Thought that for a month... until an MRI revealed torn meniscus and lateral fracture to the kneecap. Awesome. Clearly, I hadn't learned my lesson about pain the first time around!

So, I'm passing on to everyone- pain can be just "tired, achy, lungs on fire" pain or it can be serious pain. listen to your body! Really, really listen.

And get good running shoes. I had crappy ones and I'm sure they contributed to the stress fractures.

Great post. Very motivational. I know a lot of people who would have had a million excuses not to start. Congrats on your success. You seem immeasurably happier in the second picture, which is what it's all about at the end if the day!

"Your body is a big fat liar."

SO true. Also, #7 is what made the switch in my brain finally go on when I started running. I would reach a point in my run that I would think, "okay it's time to stop now." And I would stop. But why? No real reason, other than my brain telling me to. I realized one day that if I do mental a "check-in" before I allow myself to stop (any pain? feet feel good? knees? hips? breathing good?), inevitably it was just my brain trying to pull one over on me. Shut up brain. This isn't about you. :-)

Thank you for your post, Des. Keep up the fantastic work!

Des was my inspiration to start and stick to the C25K program. It took me 9 months to complete and I had to repeat many weeks but I did it! Would be nice though to hear back from him on how he's doing!

This post is awesome! I too did the C25K. It works! I was leary when it came to the 20 minute run as it was such a huge jump but I ran 25 minutes instead as I wasn't ready to stop. I highly recommend C25K to anyone! I couldn't run 20 seconds when I started!