Starting to run - C25k

motivatedsister
motivatedsister Posts: 544 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Despite running cross country many moons ago in high school, I've never liked running long distance. But I do notice that over any other type of workout (and I do a variety...boxing, Zumba, Pilates, body pump, etc.), when I run I lose quicker. Even if it's not reflected on the scale, it'll show in inches! So I always say I'm going to start c25k to get back into running, and I'll do about a week and then my feet start hurting, I can't get my breathing down, or any other excuse....and I quit!

But I'm so ready to lose this weight that I'm ready to give it a go again. I started on Tuesday and OMG, you would think that I hadn't worked out in ages by how sore I am today. The good thing since I have been working out consistently since last year, I was able to complete the running with no problem (breathing under control!). Dare I say it was easy! Lol....I might even go as far to say I enjoyed it in the moment. My feet and shins didn't hurt...guess these shoes were a good investment ;)

I'm still planning to keep doing all the other workouts that I've been doing and just add in running in the AM 3 days a week. If you're doing c25k....friend me, I might need a little accountability when the going gets tough!
«1

Replies

  • treegirl97
    treegirl97 Posts: 70 Member
    I've just started back up too! Today I did W1D2. I've never run in the winter before so I'm hoping it won't be too tough, but it's definitely hard to get motivated to get outside on cold and windy days.
  • motivatedsister
    motivatedsister Posts: 544 Member
    edited February 2016
    I've always done it on a treadmill....a friend of mine who runs marathons says I should run outside it'll be easier. Lol I've got bad memories of running in the cold and feeling like my chest was gonna explode. Maybe I'll try when it gets warmer.
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
    Keep it up, guys! You'll feel absolutely amazing when you finally do a full 5k!
  • Riskay123
    Riskay123 Posts: 159 Member
    I just did W1R3 today. I normally run outside but today I ran on a treadmill due to bad weather. This is my second time doing C25K. I finished it a few years back. I have been walking every other day this week. Next week I am starting weight training with a trainer and I am going to complete the C25K on every other day. I would friend you but I don't know how to. I have friended people before but the option seems to be missing. Please feel free to friend me if you want.
  • motivatedsister
    motivatedsister Posts: 544 Member
    I planned to do W1D2 this AM, but my body is still supe sore! I didn't run yesterday but I did my usual Zumba and body pump class, so I think that just added to the soreness that was still lingering from the run on Tuesday.

    I might try to complete the run during my lunch break today...we'll see how I feel. One of my friends suggested I just rest today, but I just started so I don't want to deter from the plan this early in the game. Even though I was super sore yesterday I pushed through and did my normal workouts....it was rough to start but once I got warmed up it wasn't so bad. So I'm hoping I can do the same today.
  • megbee617
    megbee617 Posts: 100 Member
    Hey! Another C25K-er!

    I'm a little ahead of you and I'm on W3D2. I'll send you a friend request!!
  • motivatedsister
    motivatedsister Posts: 544 Member
    Ugh...so I definitely spoke to soon. I was feeling motivated by posts on MFP so decided to go for it and run on lunch break. My feet/calves hurt so bad....I couldn't make it I ended up walking for like 80% of it and even that was a little uncomfortable when I tried to walk faster. I didn't run yesterday so I did have a day of rest from running, but I did workout hard, so maybe I need a true day of rest. I was hoping to add this into my workouts not substitute it for something else.

    For those of you who are doing it...are you doing anything else as well? Or just c25k? Endurance wise I was fine and was ready to go...but my calves said absolutely not. This is usually why I don't stick with it...open to any suggestions.

    Maybe I should just run maybe once a week until my calves/feet are accustomed to it? I'm pretty sore so I think I'm going to skip boxing tonight and have a true rest day.

    Plan to do Pilates and Zumba tomorrow....maybe I'll skip Zumba and try the run again.

    To not be completely negative...working out over lunch was doable!
  • peachyfuzzle
    peachyfuzzle Posts: 1,122 Member
    Try to do some calf raises, something in the order of 3x30 like three times per day until your calves get some strength in them. You're likely not strong enough to run yet.
  • motivatedsister
    motivatedsister Posts: 544 Member
    Yea I've been meaning to add that in, someone told me that would help my feet be more comfortable in heels again. Machine has been broken lately at the gym.

    Not gonna quit...day 1 was easy and it felt good, so I know I CAN run but maybe not as much or as often as I'd like just yet until I get better calf strength.
  • peachyfuzzle
    peachyfuzzle Posts: 1,122 Member
    You don't need a machine to do calf raises. You just have to lift your heels off the ground over, and over again. :)
  • motivatedsister
    motivatedsister Posts: 544 Member
    Lol very true. I was wanting to do weighted calf raises....but I could definitely do non weighted anytime!
  • peachyfuzzle
    peachyfuzzle Posts: 1,122 Member
    motivatedsister wrote: »
    Lol very true. I was wanting to do weighted calf raises....but I could definitely do non weighted anytime!

    You could put a backpack on, and get the weighted effect. Honestly, if your calves aren't strong enough to jog just yet, then you shouldn't be worried about adding more than your body weight to them until they gain strength.

    You also could set your heels of the back of a step to increase the range of motion.
  • pondee629
    pondee629 Posts: 2,469 Member
    motivatedsister wrote: »
    Lol very true. I was wanting to do weighted calf raises....but I could definitely do non weighted anytime!

    Or just pick something up and get your heels off the ground. ;-)

  • 777cbr
    777cbr Posts: 15 Member
    My personal opinion as someone who runs a lot is that it is better not to take days off even if sore. If you are sore go for a shorter time frame/slower pace (really slow) there is a lot to be said about active recovery and getting the blood moving to help heal damage done by harder workout days. It has always worked for me.
  • peachyfuzzle
    peachyfuzzle Posts: 1,122 Member
    777cbr wrote: »
    My personal opinion as someone who runs a lot is that it is better not to take days off even if sore. If you are sore go for a shorter time frame/slower pace (really slow) there is a lot to be said about active recovery and getting the blood moving to help heal damage done by harder workout days. It has always worked for me.

    I'd say that this depends on if it is muscle, or tendon soreness. Muscle soreness is probably fine to go light exercise on, but I'd hazard against any true exercise for a couple of days if it has to do with the tendon running up the back of the legs to the calves (achilles).

    Tendon pain in the calf is generally pretty easy to spot since it should be quite sharp, and sit directly in the middle-bottom of the calf muscles whereas calf muscle pain is more of an ache out to one side, or the other.
  • motivatedsister
    motivatedsister Posts: 544 Member
    I'm typically firmly in the same camp as @777cbr that when starting any new workout program yes you'll be sore but that you should push through that sooner rather than later. I've always found that if you don't workout the next day you'll be even more sore than you were the day before. The best medicine is always to keep moving - at least in my experience!

    That's why even though I was sore yesterday from the run on Tuesday I went ahead and did my normal non-run workout. After the initial warmup I was fine! So even though I was sore still today I wanted to stick to schedule and run today.

    Other than working on strengthening my calf muscles, I think the next time I'm going to do warm-up a little on the elliptical first to get loose then go to the c25k workout. Maybe the 5 minute warm-up included isn't enough to get loose.
  • vmsolko
    vmsolko Posts: 51 Member
    I'm finishing up week 6 myself. I did it for the first time last spring, and completed my first 5k in May. It was great. I learned to like running and incorporated it into my workout routines about twice a week. But since I live in Iowa and there is snow everywhere, I stopped in November. We got a treadmill last month so I started up again. Believe me, it's like I had never ever run before! And I had been doing consistent other workouts 5-6 days a week. I find that if I forget to do thorough stretching/warm-up before I start, I really pay for it during the run itself.
  • amber_beaney
    amber_beaney Posts: 54 Member
    Hello, I've started this too! Did week 2 day 2 tonight. I have never done running or jogging before in my life (I hated sports at school!), so I am a complete newbie to it. Feel free to add me if you like, I'm not sure how to do it but it's nice to meet others in the same boat :)
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    edited February 2016
    amber_beaney wrote: »
    nice to meet others in the same boat :)

    that would be me. never have run, but for some reason it's become an intriguing idea since i started lifting a few years ago.

    i'm making no promises and setting no expectations on myself because i like setting arbitrary specific goals and just seeing what they lead to if i put my head down and just finish them. so all i'm gonna say is i plan to complete c25k. which means going out and doing 30 minutes of walk/jog/running, 27 individual separate times.

    first one done. not too bad, apart from tibialis anterior tightness i should have foreseen.
  • cwolfgram
    cwolfgram Posts: 105 Member
    I just finished week 1. I always hating running. I'm mostly doing it on a treadmill due to the snow currently.
  • MikeAV8s
    MikeAV8s Posts: 85 Member
    If you haven't run before, or its been a long time, I would recommend doing the program as designed and not run in between. Once you have built up some miles per week, running more often or more miles will be easier on the body, in my opinion.
  • oocdc2
    oocdc2 Posts: 1,361 Member
    Just FYI, there are podcasts out there that help a lot with pacing, motivation, and such. I prefer Robert Ullrey's: http://www.c25k.com/podcasts.htm
  • motivatedsister
    motivatedsister Posts: 544 Member
    So I laid off running the rest of last week and stuck with my normal workout routine, and decided to give it a go again today.

    It definitely wasn't as bad as the second time, but not as easy and enjoyable as the first. My calf muscles were killing me, but I managed to complete it with skipping 2 of the running sections and just walking instead.

    I'm going to check back because I swear I did Zumba the day before I ran for the first time, but maybe I didn't. I find Zumba really works the calves so I maybe I should try running on days where it's not after Zumba (I did Zumba last night).

    Still committed though....but it's definitely gonna take me longer than scheduled to finish the program.
  • fitdaisygrrl
    fitdaisygrrl Posts: 139 Member
    I'm a c25ker too! I did it a few years back and lost like 20 lbs and then got lazy and had no long-term running goals. This time is different. I started back in November but had several weeks of cold and flu- but that didn't stop me from picking up where I left off. I've repeated weeks and it's going sooo much slower than the last time I did it (which was a true 8 week period). But, I'm running 3-4 times a week, ran/walked a virtual 5k and have another virtual 5k this week (which I will run/walk again). My goal this time is to not just "run 30 minutes straight/run 5k) but to keep going and train for more races and push myself to 10k and half-marathon training after.

    I LOVE the chubby jones c25k podcasts. And as oocdc2 said- there are lots of podcasts out there for motivation. Keep at it and remember it's not a race (yet!) and that it' okay to repeat weeks. Also, check out virtual racing. Another great motivator (and you don't have to run the whole thing, running/walking is fine!).
  • AmberNLettau
    AmberNLettau Posts: 20 Member
    Just did W1R1! I am so excited. I thought for sure I would not be able to even run the 60 sec interval but BAM! I did it. FRIEND ME! I love to be motivated by others but also be a motivation to others. Here's to the first week. :wink:
  • motivatedsister
    motivatedsister Posts: 544 Member
    Had a breakthrough this AM!! I did W1D3 today and it was easy again...yes!!!!!!!! I was actually surprised when it ended...I could have run more intervals. I added a bit of an incline, and I was able to run at a quicker pace than I have before. I think I could have run at an even faster pace, but decided to take it easy so I wouldn't overdo it.

    I did my usual Pilates class yesterday, but skipped the cardio class I normally do as well...so maybe I need to rearrange my workout schedule so that I don't do too heavy of a cardio workout the day before I want to run (at least until my calves get better acclimated to running).

    I'm gonna go to W2D1 workout on the next run and hopefully I can progress. But if I start experiencing the pain in the calves I'll go back and repeat W1.
  • coryh00
    coryh00 Posts: 55 Member
    I completed it last year and then got busy and completely stopped running. After starting over, I just finished week 6 day 3 yesterday. I either run outside when its nice, or inside on a track when its winter (North Dakota) because I have never liked running on a treadmill. I think its because i prefer to speed up or slow down when I want/need without pushing buttons.
  • BamaRunningGirl
    BamaRunningGirl Posts: 69 Member
    I have just started it also. I used to be a runner, so starting over. I am on my second week. Everyone feel free to send me a friends request. I need all the support I can get to get back into my running routine.
  • wi_maint_man
    wi_maint_man Posts: 99 Member
    I was into running as a younger person. Last year after 20 years of not running and 2 false starts , I finally had worked up to 2 miles a day, Mon - Fri on the treadmill. Then I tore a ligament in my ankle when I tripped and fell down the stairs at home. That was about a yer ago, I am now doing intervals of walking and running 1min walk 1 min run, for 20 minutes. I really want to run in a 5k this year ! Running seems to be a good fat burner for me .
  • nikkisha100
    nikkisha100 Posts: 10 Member
    Did w4d1 yesterday and was intimidated by the 5min jog. It felt so good to complete it, but not looking forward to the pain of it again. I have a feeling I may need to stick to w4 workout a little longer than the previous weeks. Has anyone else done this (stick to the same workout until you feel like you conquered it) or just keep moving to the next week according to plan?

Categories