Please help me to run 5k!

So I read the running section and it's good stuff but nothing that explains why I'm failing so far

I started couch to 5k at the beginning of last year. At the time I was slightly overweight and since then I've reached the middle of my healthy weight range, I'm working at getting to the low end of a healthy weight range since I reason if I get lighter then running should be easier

Anyway I started couch to 5k, it took me 2 weeks to do week 1 but I managed it eventually. Then I couldn't do week 2 so I stayed on week 1 for a couple of months and gradually lost weight til I could do week 3. Got on week 3 and did it barely but then couldn't even do half of week 4. Then I got stuck repeating week 3 for about 9 months and my weight stopped going down after only half a stone. I was also doing weights and situps but never saw any improvement. I didn't know if I was pushing myself too hard or not hard enough, I just lifted what I could handle without too severe exertion, aimed to do at least 10 and stopped when my muscles were burning and came back to do more later when the burning subsided

So I went to slimming world and rearranged my diet, it's mostly protein and salads and high fiber carbs now. I plummeted in weight another 2.5 stone and plateaud about 2 months ago at my current weight. I lost my transport and couldn't go to the gym anymore. I've been running outside at a slow pace and saw a really big improvement as I lost weight and built up from running only 3 minute intervals to being able to run 20 minutes (slowly) without stopping. I finally got transport and went back to the gym thinking I would easily clear week 4. Anyway I got to the final 5 minute running and I was still gasping for air, feeling sick and couldn't do it. Tried again after a couple of days and after reading about running form and breathing and got 2 minutes into the last run before I had to stop but didn't feel sick, just out of breath

So I'm trying to work out why I can't progress to what should be below the standard of an absolute couch potato, if it's my pain tolerance that is too low, if I'm not pushing myself hard enough or if I should be going more slowly

From what I can gather there are 3 states or training that are useful for different types of exercise, aerobic, anaerobic and cardiovascular

So if I'm correct, aerobic is mild exertion of 50-75% of my max heart rate, cardio is 75-90% of my max heart rate and anaerobic is when I go over what my body can manage and I get a stitch because my body is making up for the deficiency with a very inefficient form of respiration called anaerobic.

So which training do I need to do in order to do a 5k run in 30 minutes? If I've understood this right then the running I was doing outdoor was either aerobic training or not fast enough to be even aerobic training, but since I definetly was improving and able to run for longer then I think it must've at least been aerobic. So the running I do on the treadmill at the gym at 10km an hour is cardio then? So does this mean maybe when I first went to the gym my cardio improved but my aerobic was bad so I failed, and now my aerobic is good but my cardio is bad so I'm still failing? I notice when I did PE at school I used to get stitches but since I started exercising again last year I haven't been getting stitches, does this mean I've not been pushing hard enough? Should I be mixing in some sprints? Should I be increasing the incline of my running? Should I be slowing down and running for longer? Or do I just need to push through the pain?

I have a watch which is supposed to measure my pulse but I have no idea how to make it work so I don't know what % of my max heart rate I have been running at
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Replies

  • jenniferthomas7
    jenniferthomas7 Posts: 9 Member
    Yeah I bought some good shoes, some really expensive ones with gel soles inside. I'm not getting hurt while running so that's good

    So all I need to do is build up to 30 minutes and then gradually build up in speed from there? Will I be able to manage or will I plateau? Am I not supposed to be working on both my cardio and aerobic fitness?
  • Penthesilea514
    Penthesilea514 Posts: 1,189 Member
    As an aside: I was so out of shape when I started this years ago, that I had to walk for a few weeks, 3-4x a week to just build a base of cardiovascular endurance. I could not go straight into C25k. But you can totally do it, trust me- just know that your time in that 5k is the least important part of your training right now.
  • jenniferthomas7
    jenniferthomas7 Posts: 9 Member
    Ok, I'll try just running for 30 minutes at a slow pace without stopping, and then I'll gradually increase it by .1km per hour til I hit my target, thanks!
  • Penthesilea514
    Penthesilea514 Posts: 1,189 Member
    You will build up both over time- many training programs for running involve a variety in the lengths and speeds of runs to help hit all of the different types of running. For now, you are just trying to build a running foundation- the rest can come with time.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,727 Member
    Yeah I bought some good shoes, some really expensive ones with gel soles inside. I'm not getting hurt while running so that's good

    So all I need to do is build up to 30 minutes and then gradually build up in speed from there? Will I be able to manage or will I plateau? Am I not supposed to be working on both my cardio and aerobic fitness?

    Price is less important than good fit... Did you get them at a running store?
  • Penthesilea514
    Penthesilea514 Posts: 1,189 Member
    Ok, I'll try just running for 30 minutes at a slow pace without stopping, and then I'll gradually increase it by .1km per hour til I hit my target, thanks!

    I am still going to recommend doing C25k, if you have not completed it yet. Just do it running as slow as you can.
  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,445 Member
    Yeah I bought some good shoes, some really expensive ones with gel soles inside. I'm not getting hurt while running so that's good

    So all I need to do is build up to 30 minutes and then gradually build up in speed from there? Will I be able to manage or will I plateau? Am I not supposed to be working on both my cardio and aerobic fitness?

    That doesn't sound right. Are they really running shoes? And more importantly, are they the correct style for you feet/gait?

    I agree with the other responses. Slow and steady. If you can't sing while you are running you are going too fast.

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    if you can run for 20 minutes, then you can actually run for 30, you just need to run slower.
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,178 Member
    Slow down. You should be comfortably running for 30 minutes. If not, slow down some more.
    When you complete C25K you will not be anywhere close to running a 5K in 30 mins.
    Then work on increasing duration not speed. Speed will come after the distance. First you need to be able to run 5K, then work on time. If it takes you 1 hour to do the 5K at first, this is ok
  • PinkNinjaLaura
    PinkNinjaLaura Posts: 3,202 Member
    I'm agreeing with the others that if you're not finishing, you're going too fast. There's a C25K group here and I'd recommend you go join it. I got a lot of great support and advice when I did it, and it helped to read the comments of other people who were on the same week as me or just ahead of me. When I did C25K my diet wasn't perfect, I was 80 pounds overweight, and I was strength training with a trainer 3x a week, so I wasn't doing it under ideal circumstances. I set 3 days a week (Monday, Wednesday, Saturday) and ran those 3 days. I was slow, but I got through the entire program without having to repeat or skip a week.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    Run slower, even it's slower than you walk. You can definitely get there!
  • timsla
    timsla Posts: 174 Member
    edited August 2017
    I'm doing a race this October. This is my first week of training for it. Feel free to add me; we can rookie our ways through this haha. Also it's a spartan beast race so prolly gonna die. Not from the obstacle; just from 15 miles of awful.
  • AFGP11
    AFGP11 Posts: 142 Member
    Slow really is the major key. I ran my first 5K at 4.4mph and I was proud of it. It has been a while now and I have slowly worked up to running at 5.5mph, but it took months to get there.
  • Penthesilea514
    Penthesilea514 Posts: 1,189 Member
    edited August 2017
    Ok I'm back from the gym. I set the speed to 5.0mph with no incline and I was able to run for the whole 30 minutes. I'll try and do it 2 more times this week and then increase the speed by .1mph next week. I'm not so sure I could sing while running but it didn't feel bad either and I felt at the end like I could've kept going and didn't need to stop

    Sadly I don't have any kind of personal trainer. After I was done running I took some time to catch my breath and did the weight machines. I'm pretty bad at it but I'll see if I improve or not. I just set them to a weight where I could do at least 10

    I'm not sure if my trainers really are running trainers. It was a sports store and the guy said that they are and was talking about how the soles are special shock absorbant ones and how they are resistant to wear and tear

    Anyway it doesn't seem like I need to go slower than 5mph since I was able to do the entire 30 minutes and felt alright after. I'll do this 2 more times and then start pushing the speed back up towards 6.2mph (10kmph) at a rate if 0.1mph, it should take 3 months if I'm able to keep it up every week

    Glad that you did it! Just don't increase your overall mileage by more than 10% each week.

    I strongly do recommend, however, going to a running store and having a gait analysis to buy proper running shoes. You might not have issues now, I get that, but it really should be an investment you make sooner rather than later if you want to keep running. I never thought I needed fancy shoes until I broke down after all the advice I read and instantly, shin/knee/ankle pain that seemed like a "part" of running disappeared- and I was about 100lbs overweight at that point.

    Weight training is good to build strength, there are a number of programs in the gaining weight/bodybuilding forum stickies that have some programs if you want to look (from bodyweight to dumbbells/machines to barbells). Here is the link: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10332083/which-lifting-program-is-the-best-for-you/p1

    Just remember to ease into whatever you are starting up. Good luck!
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Ok I'm back from the gym. I set the speed to 5.0mph with no incline and I was able to run for the whole 30 minutes. I'll try and do it 2 more times this week and then increase the speed by .1mph next week. I'm not so sure I could sing while running but it didn't feel bad either and I felt at the end like I could've kept going and didn't need to stop

    Sadly I don't have any kind of personal trainer. After I was done running I took some time to catch my breath and did the weight machines. I'm pretty bad at it but I'll see if I improve or not. I just set them to a weight where I could do at least 10

    I'm not sure if my trainers really are running trainers. It was a sports store and the guy said that they are and was talking about how the soles are special shock absorbant ones and how they are resistant to wear and tear

    Anyway it doesn't seem like I need to go slower than 5mph since I was able to do the entire 30 minutes and felt alright after. I'll do this 2 more times and then start pushing the speed back up towards 6.2mph (10kmph) at a rate if 0.1mph, it should take 3 months if I'm able to keep it up every week

    Increase your distance sometimes, not just your speed
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    Ok I'm back from the gym. I set the speed to 5.0mph with no incline and I was able to run for the whole 30 minutes. I'll try and do it 2 more times this week and then increase the speed by .1mph next week. I'm not so sure I could sing while running but it didn't feel bad either and I felt at the end like I could've kept going and didn't need to stop

    Sadly I don't have any kind of personal trainer. After I was done running I took some time to catch my breath and did the weight machines. I'm pretty bad at it but I'll see if I improve or not. I just set them to a weight where I could do at least 10

    I'm not sure if my trainers really are running trainers. It was a sports store and the guy said that they are and was talking about how the soles are special shock absorbant ones and how they are resistant to wear and tear

    Anyway it doesn't seem like I need to go slower than 5mph since I was able to do the entire 30 minutes and felt alright after. I'll do this 2 more times and then start pushing the speed back up towards 6.2mph (10kmph) at a rate if 0.1mph, it should take 3 months if I'm able to keep it up every week

    Increase your distance sometimes, not just your speed

    This is what I'm working on. ran/walked 8 km on the weekend and did my fastest 5K time so far, not trying.
  • natruallycurious
    natruallycurious Posts: 359 Member
    So I read the running section and it's good stuff but nothing that explains why I'm failing so far

    I started couch to 5k at the beginning of last year. At the time I was slightly overweight and since then I've reached the middle of my healthy weight range, I'm working at getting to the low end of a healthy weight range since I reason if I get lighter then running should be easier

    Anyway I started couch to 5k, it took me 2 weeks to do week 1 but I managed it eventually. Then I couldn't do week 2 so I stayed on week 1 for a couple of months and gradually lost weight til I could do week 3. Got on week 3 and did it barely but then couldn't even do half of week 4. Then I got stuck repeating week 3 for about 9 months and my weight stopped going down after only half a stone. I was also doing weights and situps but never saw any improvement. I didn't know if I was pushing myself too hard or not hard enough, I just lifted what I could handle without too severe exertion, aimed to do at least 10 and stopped when my muscles were burning and came back to do more later when the burning subsided

    So I went to slimming world and rearranged my diet, it's mostly protein and salads and high fiber carbs now. I plummeted in weight another 2.5 stone and plateaud about 2 months ago at my current weight. I lost my transport and couldn't go to the gym anymore. I've been running outside at a slow pace and saw a really big improvement as I lost weight and built up from running only 3 minute intervals to being able to run 20 minutes (slowly) without stopping. I finally got transport and went back to the gym thinking I would easily clear week 4. Anyway I got to the final 5 minute running and I was still gasping for air, feeling sick and couldn't do it. Tried again after a couple of days and after reading about running form and breathing and got 2 minutes into the last run before I had to stop but didn't feel sick, just out of breath

    So I'm trying to work out why I can't progress to what should be below the standard of an absolute couch potato, if it's my pain tolerance that is too low, if I'm not pushing myself hard enough or if I should be going more slowly

    From what I can gather there are 3 states or training that are useful for different types of exercise, aerobic, anaerobic and cardiovascular

    So if I'm correct, aerobic is mild exertion of 50-75% of my max heart rate, cardio is 75-90% of my max heart rate and anaerobic is when I go over what my body can manage and I get a stitch because my body is making up for the deficiency with a very inefficient form of respiration called anaerobic.

    So which training do I need to do in order to do a 5k run in 30 minutes? If I've understood this right then the running I was doing outdoor was either aerobic training or not fast enough to be even aerobic training, but since I definetly was improving and able to run for longer then I think it must've at least been aerobic. So the running I do on the treadmill at the gym at 10km an hour is cardio then? So does this mean maybe when I first went to the gym my cardio improved but my aerobic was bad so I failed, and now my aerobic is good but my cardio is bad so I'm still failing? I notice when I did PE at school I used to get stitches but since I started exercising again last year I haven't been getting stitches, does this mean I've not been pushing hard enough? Should I be mixing in some sprints? Should I be increasing the incline of my running? Should I be slowing down and running for longer? Or do I just need to push through the pain?

    I have a watch which is supposed to measure my pulse but I have no idea how to make it work so I don't know what % of my max heart rate I have been running at

    To address your heart rate question. I don't think you are thinking of it completely accurately. The different heart rate zones just tell you how hard your body is working, and you have no way of knowing what zone you are in without taking your heart rate. A lot of exercise is actually done based on heart rate zones. We cannot say if you are pushing yourself hard enough or not, only your body can tell you that. And one of the best ways to tell is by taking your heart rate. There are some fairly inexpensive chest straps out there that will pair with a lot of treadmils and stationary bikes (at least the ones at my gym pair with them) so you can monitor your heart rate the entire time and work on shooting for specific zones. You can also stop and take it manually.
  • Pid57
    Pid57 Posts: 11 Member
    I started C25k at age 52 and have been running ever since. I built up to 5 miles slowly, got injured, and started over. I switched to a different plan - the Runners World Buds Coates system and, personally, thought it was easier. I bought a cheap iron man watch for interval timing. I'm not a natural runner. I pretty much hate it (until I'm done!) and the only way I can do it is AUDIBLE BOOKS. My brain has to be engaged and distracted. I'm 60 and still running. It's literally the only way I can eat what I want. Just do it. There's a reason why Nike has that as their slogan. You just have to do it. FYI - I wear heavily-cushioned Brooks Ghost shoes plus insoles for high arches. I run best at about 50 degrees or colder. And a lot of what you're saying sounds like anxiety. Don't over think it. Audible helps me get out of my own head.
  • Helkaahaien87
    Helkaahaien87 Posts: 19 Member
    I found that Zombies, Run! 5k is the best training app I've used! Got me to 5k, then 10k, then a half marathon. It has a great story to keep you distracted and not only does run/jog intervals (like most apps) but has you do leg strengthening and stretching. You may look silly skipping or doing calf raises but it will help you prevent injury and better your workout!
    Their site has both Zombies, Run! and the 5k - I recommend both!
    https://zombiesrungame.com/
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    dewd2 wrote: »
    Ok I'm back from the gym. I set the speed to 5.0mph with no incline and I was able to run for the whole 30 minutes. I'll try and do it 2 more times this week and then increase the speed by .1mph next week. I'm not so sure I could sing while running but it didn't feel bad either and I felt at the end like I could've kept going and didn't need to stop

    Sadly I don't have any kind of personal trainer. After I was done running I took some time to catch my breath and did the weight machines. I'm pretty bad at it but I'll see if I improve or not. I just set them to a weight where I could do at least 10

    I'm not sure if my trainers really are running trainers. It was a sports store and the guy said that they are and was talking about how the soles are special shock absorbant ones and how they are resistant to wear and tear

    Anyway it doesn't seem like I need to go slower than 5mph since I was able to do the entire 30 minutes and felt alright after. I'll do this 2 more times and then start pushing the speed back up towards 6.2mph (10kmph) at a rate if 0.1mph, it should take 3 months if I'm able to keep it up every week

    I can only say it again - going hard all the time is NOT better. It is worse. I am very competitive when I race (at least in my age group) and I DO NOT run hard 90% of the time. I can (and sometimes do :D ) sing. As a new runner ALL of your runs should be slow.

    Good luck.

    I have a right good sing along as I'm running... especially on long runs!
  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,445 Member
    dewd2 wrote: »
    Ok I'm back from the gym. I set the speed to 5.0mph with no incline and I was able to run for the whole 30 minutes. I'll try and do it 2 more times this week and then increase the speed by .1mph next week. I'm not so sure I could sing while running but it didn't feel bad either and I felt at the end like I could've kept going and didn't need to stop

    Sadly I don't have any kind of personal trainer. After I was done running I took some time to catch my breath and did the weight machines. I'm pretty bad at it but I'll see if I improve or not. I just set them to a weight where I could do at least 10

    I'm not sure if my trainers really are running trainers. It was a sports store and the guy said that they are and was talking about how the soles are special shock absorbant ones and how they are resistant to wear and tear

    Anyway it doesn't seem like I need to go slower than 5mph since I was able to do the entire 30 minutes and felt alright after. I'll do this 2 more times and then start pushing the speed back up towards 6.2mph (10kmph) at a rate if 0.1mph, it should take 3 months if I'm able to keep it up every week

    I can only say it again - going hard all the time is NOT better. It is worse. I am very competitive when I race (at least in my age group) and I DO NOT run hard 90% of the time. I can (and sometimes do :D ) sing. As a new runner ALL of your runs should be slow.

    Good luck.

    I have a right good sing along as I'm running... especially on long runs!

    Thanks for the earworm. :wink:

    "Right, you're bloody well right
    you know you got a right to say
    Ha-ha you're bloody well right
    you know you're right to say"
  • Penthesilea514
    Penthesilea514 Posts: 1,189 Member
    dewd2 wrote: »
    Ok I'm back from the gym. I set the speed to 5.0mph with no incline and I was able to run for the whole 30 minutes. I'll try and do it 2 more times this week and then increase the speed by .1mph next week. I'm not so sure I could sing while running but it didn't feel bad either and I felt at the end like I could've kept going and didn't need to stop

    Sadly I don't have any kind of personal trainer. After I was done running I took some time to catch my breath and did the weight machines. I'm pretty bad at it but I'll see if I improve or not. I just set them to a weight where I could do at least 10

    I'm not sure if my trainers really are running trainers. It was a sports store and the guy said that they are and was talking about how the soles are special shock absorbant ones and how they are resistant to wear and tear

    Anyway it doesn't seem like I need to go slower than 5mph since I was able to do the entire 30 minutes and felt alright after. I'll do this 2 more times and then start pushing the speed back up towards 6.2mph (10kmph) at a rate if 0.1mph, it should take 3 months if I'm able to keep it up every week

    I can only say it again - going hard all the time is NOT better. It is worse. I am very competitive when I race (at least in my age group) and I DO NOT run hard 90% of the time. I can (and sometimes do :D ) sing. As a new runner ALL of your runs should be slow.

    Good luck.

    Agreed- I sometimes get weird looks from people and dogs while I sing, but whatever :lol:
  • _mr_b
    _mr_b Posts: 302 Member
    Ok, so a bit of skim-reading says you've managed to do the 5k without stopping - well done!

    Am I also right in thinking you now want to speed up to do it inside 30 mins? There's two things you can do - Fartlek training, which is small interval sprints as part of your run (google will explain it better) and ..... well I don't think it has a name but basically go out on run 1 and do it as easily as possible, then on run 2 go as fast as you can, run 3 is easy, run 4 as fast as you can (you get the idea).

  • minniestar55
    minniestar55 Posts: 350 Member
    Just wanted to say I found this post & replies very helpful. Thanks!
  • jenniferthomas7
    jenniferthomas7 Posts: 9 Member
    edited September 2017
    Ok so I'm doing my third 30 minutes run today, I'm planning to still do 5.0mph since it's a fairly comfortable speed

    So what should I be doing next week? Should I try to do 4 x 30 minute runs, or should I do 3 x 35 minute runs? Should I be increasing the time I spend running per workout, or the frequency of runs? I would think increase the time I spend on each run is better because then I have a day off between runs to recover and heal a bit, whereas if I'm running 4 or 5 days a week my body might not be able to keep up with the healing eventually. Or should I just keep doing 3 x 30 minute runs per week until I don't ache between workouts anymore and progress after that? Will I still improve from only doing 3 x 30 minute runs or do I need to increase the number of runs or the time spent running in order to continue progressing?

    Tally:
    3 x 35 minute runs: 0
    4 x 30 minute runs: 0
    3 x 30 minute runs: 0

    That running game looks awesome! Too bad my phone is a dinosaur but it might be worth investing in a better one. I've actually been playing a running game in my own head but I kept it secret because I thought it was childish. Might see if I can find another running game as zombies aren't my thing lol
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    Ok so I'm doing my third 30 minutes run today, I'm planning to still do 5.0mph since it's a fairly comfortable speed

    So what should I be doing next week? Should I try to do 4 x 30 minute runs, or should I do 3 x 35 minute runs? Should I be increasing the time I spend running per workout, or the frequency of runs? I would think increase the time I spend on each run is better because then I have a day off between runs to recover and heal a bit, whereas if I'm running 4 or 5 days a week my body might not be able to keep up with the healing eventually. Or should I just keep doing 3 x 30 minute runs per week until I don't ache between workouts anymore and progress after that? Will I still improve from only doing 3 x 30 minute runs or do I need to increase the number of runs or the time spent running in order to continue progressing?

    Tally:
    3 x 35 minute runs: 0
    4 x 30 minute runs: 0
    3 x 30 minute runs: 0

    next week do 2 30 minute runs and a 35 minute run....

    are you stretching thoroughly after you run?