C25K should I move on?

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Lizzypb88
Lizzypb88 Posts: 367 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I took everyone's advice on here when I said that my 25min run I did 3 times at a 4.7 on the treadmill was still killing me!!
I slowed down to 4.5 and did 28min today...
It wasn't any harder but I wasn't as out of breath even with the longer distance, but 4.5 just sounds so slow!! When I usually tell my hubby how far I ran this or that day, this time I feel like saying.. I ran 28min, but not really because it was a slow 4.5... it was a slow jog but it was how slow I needed to go to do the 28min. Why do I feel like I failed in a way?

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  • Alisonswim46
    Alisonswim46 Posts: 208 Member
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    Don't worry about speed right now. Just keep increasing your time running. You aren't a failure. Once you increase your endurance you can add in some speed workouts. Keep going!
  • ijsantos2005
    ijsantos2005 Posts: 306 Member
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    This may sound silly, but to run faster you have to run faster.
    What I mean is, to increase your speed you have to expose yourself to a faster pace; increasing the duration as you improve. This is done slowly over many training cycles.
  • Tweaking_Time
    Tweaking_Time Posts: 733 Member
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    Don't forget that you can repeat a day or a week if you think you need it. You also did more in those 28 minutes at 4.5 mph than people sitting on their couch. Keep it up!

    Maybe do the 28 minute workout and add another 10 to 15 minutes of walking (AFTER the C25K is done) at a fast pace for your cool-down?

    I used C25k off an on for a few weeks and finally just started running as long as I could, broken up by some short recovery walks. It seems once I got past running a half mile without stopping, I could run without stopping a full 5k...but my times were still ugly (5 mph pace).
  • annaskiski
    annaskiski Posts: 1,212 Member
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    When you first start out, you should absolutely NOT run for speed. Hal Hagdon even wrote a book, "No need for Speed".
    You want to run for time, even if that means slowing it down even further.

    Speed comes naturally the longer you run...
  • AFGP11
    AFGP11 Posts: 142 Member
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    I started running for the first time in my life in January doing the c25k and I have kept up with my running since. The first time I ever successfully ran a full 5K on the treadmill it was at 4.4mph. Now, more than six months on, I am running my 5K at around 5.2. At one point I decided I knew better than the experts and did too much, too fast, too soon and ended up with terrible shin splints. I had to cut way back for a while. Don't be like me.
  • robertw486
    robertw486 Posts: 2,388 Member
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    AFGP11 wrote: »
    I started running for the first time in my life in January doing the c25k and I have kept up with my running since. The first time I ever successfully ran a full 5K on the treadmill it was at 4.4mph. Now, more than six months on, I am running my 5K at around 5.2. At one point I decided I knew better than the experts and did too much, too fast, too soon and ended up with terrible shin splints. I had to cut way back for a while. Don't be like me.

    So much this. This is literally a case of "you have to walk before you can run" for most people. The people that are usually quick early on are generally younger, leaner, and were running around for shorter distances as kids long before they ran any distance type runs.

    I'd say for any new runner just enjoy the fact that you ran a distance, then if you stick with it and enjoy it worry about speed increases as you go. There is absolutely no failure in doing something you have never done before and not immediately being great at it.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    ebaroldy wrote: »
    I took everyone's advice on here when I said that my 25min run I did 3 times at a 4.7 on the treadmill was still killing me!!
    I slowed down to 4.5 and did 28min today...
    It wasn't any harder but I wasn't as out of breath even with the longer distance, but 4.5 just sounds so slow!! When I usually tell my hubby how far I ran this or that day, this time I feel like saying.. I ran 28min, but not really because it was a slow 4.5... it was a slow jog but it was how slow I needed to go to do the 28min. Why do I feel like I failed in a way?

    Congrats hon you c25k progress. To directly respond to your question, you feel like you failed because you have preconceived unreslitics idea of what running should be like. I encourage you to listen to the good advice given in these threads and reset your expectations, then keep working on c25k and enjoy your continued success!
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,675 Member
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    Once you get past the initial ability to run 1 mile, a lot of it is psychological. You now know that you CAN run for 28 minutes. So when it's time to run 30, you'll be able to do that as well. Then you'll be able to run for 35, because you've already made the jump from 1 to 3, to 5 to 8 to 12 to 20 etc. so you know that you can do it.

    As you continue to run, you'll hit a lot of other milestones and some will feel big and some will feel huge. My first 5 mile run was huge, as was my first 10, first 13, first 15 and first 20. But because I had already proven to myself that I could increase the distance I was able to keep going. Not always easily, but I did it.
  • Locolady98
    Locolady98 Posts: 92 Member
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    ebaroldy wrote: »
    Thank you everyone for the advice and insight! I'll keep going at the pace that doesn't kill me

    Yep!! :) I lost a LOT of weight using my treadmill, starting with C25K. For months, 4.5 was just about my pace. Then it was 4.8 - I ended up staying there for quite a while. Then it was 5.0. Then 5.2.... But all the time, I was losing weight, getting stronger and healthier. Once I was able to run 28 minutes in a row (and that's the first thing I focused on), I just kept at it, and very VERY gradually, my pace increased.

    One of the "tricks" I used to amp up my runs a bit - wind sprints. If 4.8 was a good pace, I would suddenly add in a 1-minute sprint, as fast as I could do for 1-minute, then back it down to 4.8 to recover from it. Then once my breathing was even again, another sprint.

    I think the wind sprints really helped me up my pace. In fact, one of the "games" I used to challenge myself with on the treadmill was... 1-minute as fast as I could, then back it down 1/10th mph at a time, challenging myself to maintain that slightly lower speed for the full minute until I could back it down another 1/10th...

    I really feel like pushing myself on those sprinting days was what did the trick on increasing my basic pace.

    But know what? I'm a slow runner, and that's fine!!! I like running now (I didn't used to), and I need to keep it fun. So if I'm slow, that's fine. The point is good health and fitness. I don't need to race anyone except me. I do try to beat my own times now, but if I'm participating in a 5k, I know it's just for fun, and I'm usually one of the stragglers at the end of the race. No worries! It's still fun, and I'm SOOOOO much healthier and happier than I used to be!
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    edited July 2017
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    ebaroldy wrote: »
    Why do I feel like I failed in a way?

    You're overthinking it. You've posted anxious threads almost every week and you've had lots of solid advice, much of it the same in every thread.

    The main thing is finishing, not what speed you finish in. I was speaking to a friend at a marathon a couple of weeks ago who noted that we'd all run 27 miles with 1km of vertical elevation, so not to worry too much about the fact he'd done it an hour quicker than me.

    Just run, cover the screen on the dreadmill if you have to.

    Fwiw as an ultra-runner, I struggle beyond 10 minutes on a treadmill. The monotony and lack of stimulation do my head in.
  • DebLaBounty
    DebLaBounty Posts: 1,172 Member
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    Any way you can run outside? For some reason, my stride is a little more relaxed outside than on a treadmill. My pace is a little faster. I like seeing how much ground I can cover, too. And for me, it's so boring on a treadmill that I fixate on the pace too much. That little screen becomes an enemy.
  • kimtober
    kimtober Posts: 52 Member
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    DebLaBounty wrote: »
    Any way you can run outside? For some reason, my stride is a little more relaxed outside than on a treadmill. My pace is a little faster. I like seeing how much ground I can cover, too. And for me, it's so boring on a treadmill that I fixate on the pace too much. That little screen becomes an enemy.

    Yes! I do so much better outside and I look forward to it more. Try running outside if you can!
  • Lizzypb88
    Lizzypb88 Posts: 367 Member
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    kimtober wrote: »
    DebLaBounty wrote: »
    Any way you can run outside? For some reason, my stride is a little more relaxed outside than on a treadmill. My pace is a little faster. I like seeing how much ground I can cover, too. And for me, it's so boring on a treadmill that I fixate on the pace too much. That little screen becomes an enemy.

    Yes! I do so much better outside and I look forward to it more. Try running outside if you can!

    It is something I want to do when I finish the program, only w8d2 and 3 left, but I have god awful grass and pollen allergies, I'm a bit intimidated too, but it really is boring, I have been wondering if I would feel time pass by quicker when I go outside

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