Couch To 5K discussion thread (discussion of other programs welcome too!)

The_Morrigan

grandmaster wrote: »

All this talk of boobs could be quite incapacitating to a young gentleman like myself. Thank heavens that I have some self restraint left

I think Tom Welling is a good Clark Kent/Superman but Dean Cain was very good as well. For me, Teri Hatcher is still the best Lois Lane.

I think the fact you could distract yourself from the boob talk with the superman talk was your saving grace...could have gotten messy otherwise lol

panda100

I started my first run this morning. Its such a great programme for people like me who have no motivation whatsoever!

This might be a strange question but my ears really start to hurt when Im running. Its more my jaw and the internal part of my ear really aches and I had to stop running a few times because of this. Does anyone know anything I can do to help this?

Also I've been using Carlis' podcast http://runningintoshape.com/5k-training-downloads/, I find the whole idea of this great as it really gives me motivation to run and I like the walks inbetween the runs.
Her music is driving me insane though! Can anyone recommend one with better music or is there a way I can download my own music but still have someone telling me when to walk/run?

Thanks

syklops

panda100 wrote: »

Her music is driving me insane though! Can anyone recommend one with better music or is there a way I can download my own music but still have someone telling me when to walk/run?

Thanks

What I have been doing is splitting MP3s into the lengths of the runs/walks. That way when a song stops suddenly, and a new somg takes over I know I need to change between my walk/run.

Google for Mp3 splitting for a tutorial.

jokettle

Moved on to Week 3 today I found the first 3 min run surprisingly alright, but the second one was really tough! I managed to finish, but Im pretty sure I looked like a beached whale trying desperately to flop her way back to shore during those last 30 seconds

I'm really glad I got through it though, and I'm looking forward to the next one I didn't think I'd ever look forward to running! My knees are feeling a bit tender, though-can anyone recommend any stretches I can do to prevent/ease this up?

G-Money

W4D1 Complete

So week 4, day 1 is complete and it wasn't too bad. I wasn't super looking forward to it as it included not one, but two 5 minute jogs :eek: To my surprise the first 5 minute jog was ok but the second one was a killer. I was just shuffling along it felt like and I think I was getting stiches in both sides at the same time! I'm not sure though as I rarely, if ever get them. The pain was just under/at bottom of both ribs when I took a big deep breath in. It wasn't that bad but my side were hurting a bit. Although it just came on at the end of the second 5 minute jog so I was pretty much finished then anyway.

I was fairly wrecked and again wondered how the hell anyone can run or jog for 20 minutes when I was like a beetroot after just 5 minutes. It didn't help that I looked ahead and noticed that Day 3 of week 5 includes a 20 minute jog. For some reason when I think of that, all I hear is the Family Fortunes "eeee, errrrrrrrrrr" noise.

As I was about half way done, 3 young fella's showed up and looked like they were going to loiter. In fairness they looked harmless enough but I don't like an audience when I'm exercising. Anyway just at the end it started to hammer down a bit with rain so they soon disappeared then. But f***, the second 5 minute jog was tough.

But I have to say, once it was over and had a couple of minutes to recover, I felt fine. Even now I feel grand. It's funny how when you move onto the next week and find it hard, the previous week suddenly seems easy.

I think what might have caused the stitch/pain was that I ate a banana less than an hour before heading out. Normally when I exercise at this time of the day, I'll not have eaten anything since lunchtime. My mate was kind of convincing me to eat something as he reckoned I'd be wrecked doing the 5 minute jogs without eating something small. He plays football and he was telling me that on a Saturday, he'd get up, have a big bowl of cereal, 2 eggs, a big mug of coffee, then when he's on his way to the match, half a bar of chocolate and an energy drink.

I want to avoid all that as I can see myself over-eating under the guise of needing "energy".

So that's week 4, day 1 complete. I'll say it again, the 5 min jogs are a killer.

jokettle wrote: »

My knees are feeling a bit tender, though-can anyone recommend any stretches I can do to prevent/ease this up?

Here's the exercises my physio gave me when he fixed my knee a month or two ago. I normally did no stretching at all before or after exercising.

Lie on your side/lean on your side, grab the ankle of your free leg and pull your foot back towards your ass until you can feel a pulling/resistance on your quad muscle (the one that runs down the front of your leg from your waist to the top of your knee). Hold it for a few seconds then let go. Repeat that until you've held it a total of about 30 seconds. Then roll over and do the same with the other leg.

Get a towel, lie on your back and lift one leg into the air. Throw the towel around your foot towards the toes and pull the top of your foot towards you. You should feel your calf muscle stretching when you do this (while holding your leg in the air). Do it until you feel resistance (but not pain) and hold for a few seconds then stop. Repeat until you've held it for about 30 seconds in total then do the same thing with the other leg.

Lastly, lie on your back, put your hands behind your knee and pull your leg back towards you. Your knee should be heading for your face, with your leg bent at the knee. Do this until you feel resistance in your hamstring and hold it for a few seconds. Repeat until you've held it for a total of 30 seconds, then do the same thing with the other leg.

Do all of this before and after your exercise. I know it's boring but it only takes 5-10 minutes and it's better to spend that time stretching then to spend a few days or more likely, a few weeks injured.

jokettle

Thanks for that gm, I usually do the first stretch but that's all. Hopefully these extra ones will make a difference!

It's really helpful for me to read about people who are not too far ahead of me on the programme; I think I felt the same way about my 3min runs as you did about the 5min ones, but we both got through it so it's not impossible!

The_Morrigan

On a repeat of Week 3 - wasn't overly impressed with day 2 & 3 last week, so going to go at it again.
Started to lose my balance a bit in the last 3 minute run....had to slow right down, but kept moving at a slow jog - might have something to do with the fact I didn't have my glasses on though lol

littlehedgehog

Amazing how great intentions of w4d2 turn into pints after work and arriving home.. Oh, about 5 mins ago.. >.<

Tomorrow I shall be back on the plan!

Thanks for the knee exercises gm - dodgy knee myself.. Should definitely try strengthen it before getting into longer runs!

Nimhaol - my glasses WRECK my head while running, but it's that or headaches

And to reiterate everyone else - the week is only daunting at the start of the week - the next week you're thanking GOD for the 1.5 or 3 min runs!

Panda - weeeeelcome to the fun of c25k - step one, complete

littlehedgehog

W4D2 - painful. I dunno if it's what I ate for lunch, or because I smoked (I gave up a couple of months ago) last night with the pints, but my body was lethargic and achy and just didn't want to run. The second 5 minutes were impossible. Had to keep stopping because i felt like i was gonna fall over. Kind of disheartening, comparing with monday's run. Just gotta remember it'll be better next time.

Still exhausted now. I've a feeling it's what I ate for lunch - real carby, with no protein (the beef was like a boot). Would I be right in that assumption, anyone think?

T-Square

Just completed week 2.

I thought it was a bit harder than W2S1 and S2,
but that is probably because I had 4 or 5 pints last night.

Bring on week 3!

dolliemix

Jean wrote: »

W4D2 - painful. I dunno if it's what I ate for lunch, or because I smoked (I gave up a couple of months ago) last night with the pints, but my body was lethargic and achy and just didn't want to run. The second 5 minutes were impossible. Had to keep stopping because i felt like i was gonna fall over. Kind of disheartening, comparing with monday's run. Just gotta remember it'll be better next time.

Still exhausted now. I've a feeling it's what I ate for lunch - real carby, with no protein (the beef was like a boot). Would I be right in that assumption, anyone think?

Hey sometimes that happens. We all have days where our body just says no. Don't feel bad about it. I had to stop and walk home at some stage when I did C25k. I was dreading going out again but I managed the next session and all the rest of them! Its not easy but keep at it. You are physically able. Sometimes we have to let the mind take over when the body resists. I think every runner feels like that at some stage. You're halfway there so you're doing really well!

G-Money

Jean wrote: »

W4D2 - painful. I dunno if it's what I ate for lunch, or because I smoked (I gave up a couple of months ago) last night with the pints, but my body was lethargic and achy and just didn't want to run. The second 5 minutes were impossible. Had to keep stopping because i felt like i was gonna fall over. Kind of disheartening, comparing with monday's run. Just gotta remember it'll be better next time.

Still exhausted now. I've a feeling it's what I ate for lunch - real carby, with no protein (the beef was like a boot). Would I be right in that assumption, anyone think?

I wouldn't even think about doing exercise if I'd been drinking the night before. Add smoking into the mix too and I think you're asking for trouble. I find it tough some days when I'm out there. I haven't touched a drop of booze for at least a month at this stage and I don't smoke and even if I eat right, some days it's just not happening. If I'm tired or lacking energy or if it's humid out, it can make things very difficult.

Don't forget that there's no hurry when completing C25K. You can repeat days/weeks as much as you need to.

G-Money

No C25K for me today. I'm pretty tired and sleepy as I stayed up late last night and I want to give my knees an extra day's rest. I'm heading out though first thing in the morning on Week 4 Day 2 though!

terlywerly

My motivation to jog since I came back from my holiday is non existant. I wanted to go out on 2 of the days this week but couldn't due to tired/hungoverness on Monday and cinema on Tuesday but I had no excuses Wednesday night (unless LASHING rain is an excuse, which it isn't) and I didn't go, and last night I didn't go either (it was pretty wet but I could have put on my rain gear). As I type this the rain is dancing off the roof and the whole street is covered in this weird fog and I know myself I won't be going anywhere tonight. Why have I hit this slump? I've done 5 weeks, including the 20 min jog!!
Guys/gals has anyone any tips for me to get motivated again? I know I'll be able for W6D1 and W6D2 (jury is still out on the 25 min jog) but I just can't get back into the mindset. When I started I was so eager and went out for all the jogs when I was supposed to (more or less).
I feel bla now and I know I should be out there doing it, especially when I've hit a plateau in my weight loss for the past 3 weeks.
Someone, anyone, who has a kick up the bum for me??

dolliemix

Hi terly

when you feel like that the hardest part is putting your runners and shorts on and heading out the door. You will feel a million times better when you come back in that door just 20 or so mins later. Just make a time and stick to it. Imagine if you were training with a team, you'd have no option but to turn up and do it rain or shine. So i'm giving you a time of 11am tomorrow morning. It's an appointment you can't break. ( of course of you get it done before then.... I'll accept excuses).

terlywerly

dolliemix wrote: »

Hi terly

when you feel like that the hardest part is putting your runners and shorts on and heading out the door. You will feel a million times better when you come back in that door just 20 or so mins later. Just make a time and stick to it. Imagine if you were training with a team, you'd have no option but to turn up and do it rain or shine. So i'm giving you a time of 11am tomorrow morning. It's an appointment you can't break. ( of course of you get it done before then.... I'll accept excuses).

Haha cheers for that! It's a good job I'm not in a team cos they'd have had a long wait for me to show up
I think its just a combo of a lot of things. I was away and came back after a week of laziness (stunned I didn't put on weight from that - maybe I ate better than I thought), and the weather is so sh1te and when its that weird heavy weather my allergies play up and affect my breathing when I jog. So then if I go and I can't do it I come back really annoyed and disappointed even though I know it was out of my control.
I think its like a vicious circle. I'm annoyed cos I still have weight to lose and haven't lost any in 3 weeks. Because I'm annoyed I don't feel like jogging. But if I went jogging I'd feel better and maybe lose some of the weight. Which in turn would make me happy and more inclined to jog.
BLA :mad:
(I am such a complainer!!! :pac:)

G-Money

terlywerly wrote: »

My motivation to jog since I came back from my holiday is non existant. I wanted to go out on 2 of the days this week but couldn't due to tired/hungoverness on Monday and cinema on Tuesday but I had no excuses Wednesday night (unless LASHING rain is an excuse, which it isn't) and I didn't go, and last night I didn't go either (it was pretty wet but I could have put on my rain gear). As I type this the rain is dancing off the roof and the whole street is covered in this weird fog and I know myself I won't be going anywhere tonight. Why have I hit this slump? I've done 5 weeks, including the 20 min jog!!
Guys/gals has anyone any tips for me to get motivated again? I know I'll be able for W6D1 and W6D2 (jury is still out on the 25 min jog) but I just can't get back into the mindset. When I started I was so eager and went out for all the jogs when I was supposed to (more or less).
I feel bla now and I know I should be out there doing it, especially when I've hit a plateau in my weight loss for the past 3 weeks.
Someone, anyone, who has a kick up the bum for me??

So here goes

We've all been there CurlyWurly, for a million different reasons. Boredom, tiredness, lazyness, other things going on. There's a million reasons why we drop routines as quickly as we can pick them up. But here's the thing. You've missed a few days or weeks it seems from C25K. You need to be careful as your fitness can fall off a cliff (and quickly too) if you don't exercise regularly. I know mine does anyway. If you leave it much longer, you'll end up repeating weeks of C25K or even going back to the start.

Think about how positive you feel after the run. How it makes you feel physically and emotionally better and healthier. I always say the hardest part of exercising is getting off the couch to go do it, nevermind the actual workout. The hard bit is just getting up off your ass, getting changed and heading out the front door. Once you do that, you've half way there.

Also, you want to be careful not to slip back into your old habits (I need to practice what I preach). The longer you put it off the harder it will be. There's always an excuse not to go, and I've made up plenty of them in my time.

One thing that's been motivating me recently is the athletics I've been watching. Ok, fair enough that a professional athlete is probably going to be much fitter than I ever will be. But I envy their high level's of fitness. I was out on W4D1 the other day and struggled with the 5 minute jogs but managed to complete them. In my head I was thinking "F***, why am I doing this, it's torture". But after it's over I feel better and I know that little by little I'm getting towards that goal of being super fit. Wouldn't it be great to know you could just take off on a 30 minute run and complete it without too much bother? For me that's kind of what motivates me.

I also think of a friend of mine who plays football and who's always been a "Skinny b****rd" (I can't do the nasty "skinny b***hes" tone that most women do :P). Put part of me wants to be able to beat him in a run. I've always been fat, well for as long as I can remember, but I'd like to get super fit and sort of I don't know, prove everyone wrong. People who know me may have this idea that I'm overweight and unfit and will never be any other way. I'd love to just become thin and fit and be able to cast off that old shell that's been holding me down and hiding me away for all these years.

And if you want video motivation, I suggest you check out the Rocky 2 training clip Also, there's Diamond League athletics coming on tonight on BBC Three at 7pm. Usain Bolt will be competing at it, as well as a lot of other male and female athletes in various races, including shock, horror, the 5k! Wouldn't it be motivating to watch that aim to be as fit as those people???

Sorry if any of this seems harsh or preachy, it's not meant to be either. It's just the way written text comes out sometimes.

terlywerly

grandmaster wrote: »

If you leave it much longer, you'll end up repeating weeks of C25K or even going back to the start.

That I would not like. Back to the start was very unpleasant

grandmaster wrote: »

Think about how positive you feel after the run.

Aha here's when we get into trouble. I never feel all that positive after a run. I do feel better than before I went but I'm never 'Oh my God that was fantastic, I feel unbelievably overwhelmingly amazing'. Usually I feel best when I'm in the middle of the jogging. Odd?

grandmaster wrote: »

One thing that's been motivating me recently is the athletics I've been watching.

Sadly I have no interest in watching/attending sports (bar my F1 obsession) so that wouldn't really motivate me, but I'm glad it motivates you GM

grandmaster wrote: »

I also think of a friend of mine who plays football and who's always been a "Skinny b****rd" (I can't do the nasty "skinny b***hes" tone that most women do :P). Put part of me wants to be able to beat him in a run. I've always been fat, well for as long as I can remember, but I'd like to get super fit and sort of I don't know, prove everyone wrong. People who know me may have this idea that I'm overweight and unfit and will be any other way. I'd love to just become thin and fit and be able to cast off that old shell that's been holding me down and hiding me away for all these years.

I can kind of relate to that, but more so in the past than now. I was never massively overweight, 12 stone 10 was my highest point and I'm now a full 2 stone under that again. None of my friends were ever skinny biatches, in fact most of them were heavier than me. So that kind of motivation isn't really there. And I think now that I'm so close to what I'd consider to be the end point of my weight loss (around 3lb more) I'm kinda thinking 'Ah I'm close enough, whats 3lb?'. But yet if I put 3lb on I'd be very annoyed with myself.

grandmaster wrote: »

Sorry if any of this seems harsh or preachy, it's not meant to be either. It's just the way written text comes out sometimes.

Not at all, we're all on here to support each other!!

And I'm sorry, but I hate Rocky <runs away to hide before I'm stoned to death!!>

G-Money

terlywerly wrote: »

And I'm sorry, but I hate Rocky <runs away to hide before I'm stoned to death!!>

Straight red card CurlyWurly. And just wait until Jokettle and her friend find out you said that, you'll be in trouble then :P

I have to admit I never feel completely amazing after a run, I might as well be honest. But I do generally feel better about myself and feel fitter after it and I'm always glad I go and do it. Apart from those few times when I've picked up an injury.

I didn't realise you were so close to your goal weight, and I can see what you mean, 3 lbs isn't much. Personally if it were me, unless I became really obsessed with getting to X lbs then I'd say 3 over is no big deal. However as you know yourself, you'll be going into maintenance mode now.

One thing that always bugged me was when I thought of all the times I'd tried to lose weight and then gave up for some reason, or no reason at all quite frankly. The next time I'd start over and get a bit demotivated as all the weight is back on and I'd often think to myself "Jeez, if you'd only just stuck to it ONE of those times you wouldn't be in this situation and back at square one AGAIN".

Perhaps think of your C25K like that. Now if you genuinely have no interest in completing it anymore then I'd suggest you find some other type of exercise that you like better. But if you do like it, want to continue but just find yourself stuck in a "bleurgh" rut then think about that point. How if you don't stick to it this time, a few weeks or months down the line you'll be unfit again and seeing you started the programme in the first place, I'm guessing it's because you wanted to get fitter. You don't want to give up now then cut to 6 months from now you're back to square one kicking yourself saying "why did I quit back then..." Also, it's good to take advantage of the good weather. Come the winter, you'll feel even less like going out.

Ok, here's what I suggest you do tomorrow. Forget about which day of C25K you were on. Just get your gear on and go out for a brisk walk, quick jog. Doesn't have to be anything major, just go out to get some fresh air and do a bit of jogging to get the legs moving again. It might help get you back into it and might make it seem less daunting.

BabyBirch

terlywerly wrote: »

My motivation to jog since I came back from my holiday is non existant. I wanted to go out on 2 of the days this week but couldn't due to tired/hungoverness on Monday and cinema on Tuesday but I had no excuses Wednesday night (unless LASHING rain is an excuse, which it isn't) and I didn't go, and last night I didn't go either (it was pretty wet but I could have put on my rain gear). As I type this the rain is dancing off the roof and the whole street is covered in this weird fog and I know myself I won't be going anywhere tonight. Why have I hit this slump? I've done 5 weeks, including the 20 min jog!!
Guys/gals has anyone any tips for me to get motivated again? I know I'll be able for W6D1 and W6D2 (jury is still out on the 25 min jog) but I just can't get back into the mindset. When I started I was so eager and went out for all the jogs when I was supposed to (more or less).
I feel bla now and I know I should be out there doing it, especially when I've hit a plateau in my weight loss for the past 3 weeks.
Someone, anyone, who has a kick up the bum for me??

I think everyone feels like that sometimes! My little tip is, if you don't feel like running, just put on your trackies and shoes and tell yourself that you'll just go for a walk, and if you feel like running you will. Once you get out the door you'll probably feel like you might as well run it! Otherwise maybe go back to the start of week 5 and redo some intervals? At least they'll feel easy and you can build back up to the start of week 6.

terlywerly

grandmaster wrote: »

I didn't realise you were so close to your goal weight, and I can see what you mean, 3 lbs isn't much. Personally if it were me, unless I became really obsessed with getting to X lbs then I'd say 3 over is no big deal. However as you know yourself, you'll be going into maintenance mode now.

Yeah, I'd been aiming initially for 154lb, thinking there was no way I'd ever get there, and I did! And at the moment I'm only 1lb off healthy BMI. I think 147lb is fairly ok for me. Being very top heavy I know being much thinner would look very wrong (as it did in the past at 140lb) so I don't ever wanna go that low again. I just thought 147lb was a nice number for some reason. But I haven't lost anything for my last 3 weigh ins and if I'm still 150lb on Monday it'll be a month, and even to lose the 1lb to get to ideal BMI would be a huge achievement!

grandmaster wrote: »

Ok, here's what I suggest you do tomorrow. Forget about which day of C25K you were on. Just get your gear on and go out for a brisk walk, quick jog. Doesn't have to be anything major, just go out to get some fresh air and do a bit of jogging to get the legs moving again. It might help get you back into it and might make it seem less daunting.

SkinnyPotential wrote: »

My little tip is, if you don't feel like running, just put on your trackies and shoes and tell yourself that you'll just go for a walk, and if you feel like running you will. Once you get out the door you'll probably feel like you might as well run it!

Ye are both right, I think thats what I'll do. Head out for a 'walk' and bring my iPod and see if it goes any further. Thanks guys, I haven't said it in a fair while but this place is brilliant for support. I definitely wouldn't be this far in without help.
And to anyone else who is struggling - I feel your pain!!!

It will be worth it though, when I can jog continuously for 30 minutes. It may not happen within the next 4 weeks but it WILL happen

jokettle

Terlywerly, GM's right. I'm not impressed with your lack of Rocky love :P

But I know what you mean about searching for motivation! I was meant to go running today, but a stressful day in work and the thoughts of just curling up on the couch for an evening were far too tempting. I'm going tomorrow, though; I *am*! There's no harm taking a small break once in a while anyway

Stench Blossoms

Starting week 1 on Sunday. Was hoping to start today but seemed to have misplaced one of my runners (just shows how much I use them!)

coffee_cake

Sigh. Last week I ran lots with good intentions of getting back to week5 after the month break.
And this week I haven't gone :rolleyes:
Been unbelievably tired. Think I'll have to kick myself into action again on monday...

dolliemix

Stench Blossoms wrote: »

Starting week 1 on Sunday. Was hoping to start today but seemed to have misplaced one of my runners (just shows how much I use them!)

lol! That sounds like something I'd do!!

kippy

bluewolf wrote: »

Sigh. Last week I ran lots with good intentions of getting back to week5 after the month break.
And this week I haven't gone :rolleyes:
Been unbelievably tired. Think I'll have to kick myself into action again on monday...

Keep it up - one foot in front of the other. Get out there.

Not ran in close to 5 weeks, fecking broken rib. Goin back out on Monday after walking the streets of galway tomorrow evening.

T-Square

I find having a signature that tracks my progress provides a real impetus to continue on.

I'm actually half looking forward to week 3

dolliemix

kippy wrote: »

Keep it up - one foot in front of the other. Get out there.

Not ran in close to 5 weeks, fecking broken rib. Goin back out on Monday after walking the streets of galway tomorrow evening.

Good to see you back. Good luck Monday!


Good idea with the sig T-Square!

G-Money

W4D2 Complete

I'm just back from completing Week 4, Day 2 and it went ok. I found the 5 minute jogs a little easier today but what really held me back were my legs, they just felt like lead and I'm not sure why. I went out about 9.30am and it was muggy enough out but I don't know if that was it. Towards the end of the 2nd five minute jog I thought I could feel a bit of a stitch coming on but it didn't. Funnily enough I wasn't feeling massively out of breath or anything when I was running and even when I stopped, I caught my breath very, very quickly. It just felt like I'd no energy and my legs felt like they were made out of concrete.

Again I was thinking to myself "how the hell will you ever complete a race when you're this b*****xed after (or during) a 5 minute jog. I'm considering repeating week 4 but I will see how I get on with Day 3 before deciding that. So far each week I've struggled a bit with the longer jogs, but once I move onto the next week, the previous one didn't seem so bad.

jokettle

W3D2 complete The first half was fine, started to struggle rigt before the second 3 min jog. It wasn't quite as bad as W3D1 though, so I'm staying positive! I'd pretty much recovered before I got home (my walk back from the park is my 5 min cooldown period) so I'm happy with my progress

And once again, the Boot Camp is running in the park I jog in. Watching those poor souls being put through their paces makes me so grateful I chose C25K istead!