Pushing myself for 5k

It's a great app and has helped a lot of people (including me!) do something they never thought they could do!

Way to go gang. Follow the program and you will do well. While doing C25K remember, if you can run any slower you are running too fast. Plenty of time to pick up your pace later.

TnVeggie wrote: »

I've been attempting CPto5K for 8 years now...if I had only done a week a year, I'd be there by now. I always get stuck at week 4 and then have to start all over. As soon as my pes anserinus bursitis clears up, I'll be starting again.

Why start over if you don't finish week 4? Just repeat the week, repeat individual days, whatever it takes.

nsavage15 wrote: »

Great job everyone. I'm going to start again too but I am starting from a walking point.

Beginning with walking helped me quite a bit. It's a pretty big leap from couch to running , but walking to slow running...not as much

I started running using a C25K app, it was great! I gave up using it after 4 weeks though and decided to go it alone. I've gone from not being able to run for 30 seconds to being able to do about 2k non stop and then the rest with just small walking intervals. I'm building up to running the whole thing. I've already entered into a 5k race for May, hoping to totally smash the 30minute mark on that.

I was never a runner. Hadn't run for more than a few dozen feet since high school gym class. And in my late thirties, a couple years after quitting an 18 year smoking habit and 60 lbs overweight, i signed up for a charitable 5k with some friends.

I downloaded c25k to my phone, and hit the local park. Following the program, and reading forums here for advice (slow down! belly breath! take the rest days to heal bones and joints!) i sailed through the 8 week program without a hitch.

At a few points, i was intimidated. I wasn't a runner before, and suddenly i was going to push myself to run for 20 minutes with no rest? But when Week 5 came, i did it. That felt good!

Before i started, 5k seemed like a long stretch of road; an insurmountable run. But after 8 weeks of commitment to follow the program, 5k was a quick job; a little more than 1/2 hour around the local park.

I live in the hot, humid south, and quit running in June when it was in the 90s in the early morning, and way too hot after work. But our weather has finally cooled, and i'm going to start running again. Thanks to c25k, i know what it will take to get back on the path!

nubianQueen02 wrote: »

I ran my first 5k In 2013 and I slacked off and never ran again. now I'm up to 260lbs @ 5'2 and I'm afraid to run. Everything hurts and I am afraid i'm goin to "break a knee" lol!! I day dream about running again someday and this forum has helped to encourage me.

c25k would be perfect for you. It builds gradually, so your muscle and bone strength builds as you build up running distances. Start today.

C25k is great! I finished it about a month ago and was having fun. Then some things got in the way and I stopped. Bad me! But this morning I went out again and enjoyed it so much! So here we go! To everyone who is considering doing c25k, I say go for it! And don't start out too fast.

(I'm starting with week 4 I think, then just plow through it. I think since I've done the whole thing recently, it shouldn't as hard to build up to a longer run this time.)

NiveaSoG wrote: »

amyrebeccah wrote: »

NiveaSoG wrote: »

This might sound like a REALLY STUPID question but during the run, are you running, sprinting or jogging very slowly?

Jogging VERY slowly, and that is NOT a stupid question. The whole point of this is to build endurance and a consistent pace and that means going slower probably than your natural inclination.

Thankyou for clarifiying.

WOW when I first started, I used to try and go on an all out sprint and then slow down into a fast jog. That's why I didnt finish the plan!

Absolutely. When i first started trying to run, i would just all-out sprint between lampposts at my local park. At first, i could cover the distance from one to the next, only. And then i'd wheeze and huff and puff and hate it. I gradually worked up to sprinting the distance of two lampposts, still hating every moment of it.

Once i started c25k, i started reading up on proper running, and the biggest thing i learned was NOT to sprint.

i initially thought running was all about conditioning my cardio; but learning to run well is also about conditioning your muscles, joints, and bones. Running is a hard impact, and if your legs haven't been subjected to that abuse recently, they need time to get used to it.

By running slowly, and in short increments, you gradually get your body used to the "abuse" of good exercise, without causing an injury. This is why the built in rest days are also super important - even when you jog slowly, as you get used to running, your body needs time to heal up and get ready for the next run.

In addition to learning to keep it slow, i read up on and started practicing belly breathing, and keeping focused breathing in rhythm to my steps, and posture. Each of these things have really improved my ability.

I went from sprinting between lampposts and wanting to puke to being able to regularly job over 3 miles without taking a break. In 8 simple weeks of sticking to a c25k program!

nubianQueen02 wrote: »

I ran my first 5k In 2013 and I slacked off and never ran again. now I'm up to 260lbs @ 5'2 and I'm afraid to run. Everything hurts and I am afraid i'm goin to "break a knee" lol!! I day dream about running again someday and this forum has helped to encourage me.

Are you walking regularly? Start with that. When you can walk an hour without pain, then start mixing in some short jogs, from one mailbox to the next, or one light post to the next. Gradually extend the time you run. If it hurts while you're running, slow down. It is going to take time for your body to get used to the pounding. But it can if you're patient.