Couch to 5K SUCCESS! Down nearly 100lbs! (Before & After Pictures)

havronab wrote: »

Amazing job! You look incredible and absolutely should be proud of yourself!! I'm kind of afraid of running, and keep telling myself I'll try doing a couch to 5k when I lose a bit more weight. @shawneelaraye If you don't mind me asking, how much did you weigh when you started running and how difficult was it?

I started running from almost the very beginning when I was 266lbs, but a very light jog on the treadmill (I want to say 4.5 mph maybe?) and only for 5-10 minutes at a time. In high school, I had run on the treadmill fairly often so I was thinking I could just jump back into it but boy, those 5-10 minutes were hard!

The C25K app (couch to 5K) actually starts you out easier than how I started out in the very beginning when I was around 265lbs!! You run/jog 1 minute, walk 1 1/2 minutes alternating for 20 minutes! 3 days a week, and then it goes up from there! I started beginning of March on the C25K app and I weighed a little over 200lbs. Now I weigh around 189lbs! I also wear knee braces to help with the impact and keep my joints in check. My knees don't hurt, but I don't want them to ever hurt! So I try to take as good of care of them as possible while also getting in my exercise!

Also, as for your question about how hard it is. I started running on the treadmill back in August 2016 at my highest weight. So I had already built some endurance, but only at slower speeds like 4.5 mph on my treadmill. I wanted to start the 5K app with the intent on getting faster with my running and also building more endurance. I could already run 3 miles on my treadmill before I started the 5K app, but only at around 4.5-5mph. So I started running at 6.5 mph (but throughout the course of the program I decided 6.5 was too fast so I brought it down to 6mph and that's how fast I run on my treadmill now). I personally thought it was easy in the beginning when I was only running from 1-5 minutes at a time, and then the first time I had to run 5 minutes straight I was having a rough time so I brought it down to 6mph. And I went on from there! You've got to do what works for you! Now I'm looking to increase it again to 6.5 and try to get faster!

I hope I answered all your questions!

Housebound2017 wrote: »

Wow amazing difference between first 2 pics. What is this Couch to 5k with a treadmill please? Can you start by walking on the treadmill with it rather than running? ..and how often do you need to go on it in a week?

Thank you so much @Housebound2017! I downloaded the C25K app on my phone! It has the whole program in it! You can start by walking if you'd like, and then build up to running. The first run is only 1 minute of running (you can do more like a light jog) and then 1.5 minutes of walking and you do that alternating for 20 minutes! It is 3 times a week.

Shull_rachael wrote: »

You look amazing! I've thought about downloading that. You're inspiring I think I will! Congratulations!

I am so glad to have inspired you! I really hope you do, at least to try it out! I loved it because I love a challenge! And not falling into the same boring routine everyday!