I just finished C25K and I want to pay forward advice for th

The Couch to 5k program (http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml) is a very popular one on this board for those of us trying to lose weight and get in shape. This morning I just completed the nine weeks and I have “graduated” from the C25K program. Woo hoo! For all of those who are in the middle of the program or thinking about doing it, there is hope. If I can do it, anyone can. I hated running my whole life and now I am a middle-aged overweight guy and I now have five 3 mile runs under my belt.

I tried the program once last year and made it about 5 weeks until injury and apathy caused me to stop. This time I was a little more committed and a little more prepared. I wanted to put together this post to help share along some of the advice that I gathered from this forum and elsewhere that made a difference for me.

1. Good shoes. When I tired C25K last year I just went out in the old shoes I had and eventually had very hurt knees that put an end to my progress. This time I started in old shoes again and the knee pain revisited starting in week two. I had an aversion to getting fitted for proper running shoes because of a visit several years ago to an upscale fitness store where the salesman seemed to have a dubious grasp of anatomy and seemed like a snake oil salesman pushing $200 sneakers. I went to the running store anyway and this time the salesman without a pause diagnosed some issues I was aware of and helped me find shoes that worked and also were as budget-friendly as possible. The shoes made all of the difference in the world and the pain went away even as the running intensity increased.

2. Runkeeper (www.runkeeper.com). There are lots of good apps and devices out there to measure your progress and provide coaching, but the one I picked was Runkeeper. It is certainly not the only choice. But for me, having that external metric so I could point to small, but real improvements, was really really important for me in order to make progress.

3. The right BPM music – Podrunner Intervals (http://www.djsteveboy.com/1day25k.html). It took me until Week 7 to discover Podrunner intervals, but the steady rhythm 135-145 BPM music made a huge difference to the consistency and ease of my runs. And that leads to…

4. I was running too fast and you may be too. Slow down. I started using 140 BPM music from Podrunner in Week 7 and it slowed my running down a whole lot. It was amazing how much more energy I had at the end and how easy the long distances were. In fact, I ended up doing my first 3 mile run in W8D2 because I felt so good at the end of 2.75 miles running this slower pace that I easily ran another quarter mile. As good as I felt I probably could have gone even further. The music was a real useful tool. I ended up using 145 BPM music for my week 9 runs.

5. Take small steps. I was under the impression that real runners used long loping strides. But shorter strides are easier, more efficient, and less stressful on your body. See this video for the argument: http://www.5min.com/Video/An-Introduction-to-Evolution-Running-3-29683888

6. I learned I didn’t hate running, I hated the first mile. I have running friends who talk about a running high or about the Zen of running. After about six weeks I was thinking that I just did not get it, and maybe running was just not for me. I was enjoying the sense of accomplishment but not the actual running. During each running interval I felt uncomfortable and out of breath and I spent most of the time thinking about how achy I felt and about how long until this interval would be over and I could walk again. Now that I have completed five 3 mile runs, I still feel that way – in the first ½ to 1 mile of the run. After that my mind drifts and the 30-35 minutes and the remaining miles just pass away fairly easily. I think I have a glimmer of what my friends have been telling me.

7. The middle weeks were the hardest for me. By far. I was actually unable to finish more than a few of the exercises in the middle weeks without taking short walking breaks. In retrospect part of it was that I was running too fast, but also those gains in the middle weeks are really hard. I thought about repeating some weeks, but I always ended up just moving forward with the program. It worked out for me and eventually the running became much easier in the later weeks because of the issues above.

8. The Couch 2 5k Forums (http://c25k.cze.dk/index.php). They are full of wonderful advice and encouragement. Much of what I learned above was gleaned from there.

I have completed the program and between the jogging and counting calories I have lost over 30 pounds, but I still have a long way to go. Best of luck to all of you!