Extremely beginning aspiring runner....

I think you'll find the C25k ok - I'd say just have a go. You'll surprise yourself.

If week 1 is too hard, do a pre-week one, with slightly shorter intervals. But my guess is, you'll find you can do it.

5K Runner (another C25K app) is how I started, and I took MUCH longer than the regular schedule to complete it. Now I'm hooked on running—doing a half marathon in April 2013!

Read up on running—there are some good online sources out there. There are also LOTS of people out there just like you who are just learning to run. I love John "The Penguin" Bingham's book, Running for Mortals. It's SUPER inspirational and has good tips about fitness, nutrition, training.

If you are SUPER winded, you are going TOO fast. S.l.o.w. it down. You should (believe it or not!) be able to hold a conversation while running (not sprinting, jogging/running). If you take off running and feel like your heart and head could burst, slow it down. If you feel like you're barely moving faster than a walk, it doesn't matter. Slow and steady will help build your cardio capacity and make sure you don't burn out on it!

I've been running since September 2011, and I *still* run slow. I know speed will come with more work and patience, when my body is ready.

Also, check out Runner's World's beginner's section. The mag/web site is DEFINITELY not just for elite runners. I LOVE it!
http://www.runnersworld.com/topic/0,7122,s6-238-520-0-0,00.html

For what it's worth, most runners still don't LOVE every run they do, but they do have those brilliant, "This is incredible!!!" runs regularly (for me, it's about 30% awesome runs, 35% okay runs, the rest are frustrating—but this builds mental strength!!!).

Congrats on taking this first step to a new running/active lifestyle! You will do this!

kate.

I'm starting the C25K program tomorrow, and I am also an extremely beginning runner. I think it's a great program to start running with. If you think the program goes too fast, no one will hold it against you to repeat a day or a week. Just go at your own slow and steady pace!

I've not looked at the C25K, but I learnt to run with a colleague during our lunch breaks. We made a circular route in the streets around the office in the city and used the street blocks as progressive targets. We were never allowed to stop, but if we had to stop running we would walk for a black and then start running again. At first, we would only be able to run 1-2 blocks at a time, walk a block and then run another 1-2 blocks... within a few months we were able to run the whole thing. We did this 2-3 times a week. I found reaching goals easier than watching that second hand ticking by. Running outdoors and making yourself reach that next tree, or that pond in the park, or that sexy yellow Lamborghini, is a great way to keep pushing yourself past that comfort zone. Good luck! I don't have a single running cell in my genetics and yet now I can comfortably run 6km of hilly landscape and last year I even did a triathlon!

Try C25K. My sister and I started it on April 15th of this year. We were both completely out of shape and had never run before. I was 245 lbs and she was 265. We are both incredibly short, too. 5'3" and 4'11". We couldn't even run all of the intervals on week 1 when we started. We just kept repeating it over and over until we could do it, probably 6 or 7 weeks! When we moved on to week 2, it was so easy we felt guilty for not trying to move up sooner. We are doing week 3 day 3 tomorrow. We'll probably repeat W3 for another week, but that's okay. You can go as slow as you need. Just try. You'll really surprise yourself. Your body is capable of amazing things! Good luck!

I did C25K about 11 months ago, and have run 2 5Ks. I'm still slow, and I actually stopped running a couple of months ago. However, when I was running everyday, I got to the point when I could run 4 miles-without stopping! That, to me, was more important than my time. As you do it, and keep going, look for the little changes that you make that make have nothing to do with your time. Go the same route at first so you can gauge how far you can run without stopping as opposed to how far you could run last week.

Also, it helps to have a motivated running buddy. I lost mine a few months ago to P90X (said she was exercising too much) and thats why I stopped running. It was hard for me to motivate myself.

Good luck!! Remind yourself that everyday you go out there and at least try, you're doing better than you did 2 months ago. You can rock this!