Couch ... to 5K ... to 10K ... to ???

redz11

Complete beginner here! I'm starting this log to keep track of my training. I'm in my mid-twenties, extremely unfit, and haven't really been exercising regularly for a few years now.

I've set myself a few goals for 2011 - I want to finish the Couch to 5K programme by 20 February, then I'm going to do the Great Ireland Run on 10 April, and then I will hopefully do the 5 mile and 10 mile Dublin Marathon Race Series. As I'm so new to this whole running thing, I'll probably end up reassessing my goals as I go along depending on how things are going! I'm determined to do the Great Ireland Run anyways though, and I'll see from there!

I've set up a food diary here, which I'm going to update every day ... I reckon there's no point in trying to sort out my fitness without sorting out my diet, and vice versa!

I did my first run of the Couch to 5K today. I'm even less fit than I'd thought! I was really really slow, but even so I was still out of breath after every 60 second run. Kind of embarrassing really! Still, at least I've made a start.

rainbow kirby

Welcome to the logs! Couch to 5k is a great way to get started with running.

kippy

redz11 wrote: »

Complete beginner here! I'm starting this log to keep track of my training. I'm in my mid-twenties, extremely unfit, and haven't really been exercising regularly for a few years now.

I've set myself a few goals for 2011 - I want to finish the Couch to 5K programme by 20 February, then I'm going to do the Great Ireland Run on 10 April, and then I will hopefully do the 5 mile and 10 mile Dublin Marathon Race Series. As I'm so new to this whole running thing, I'll probably end up reassessing my goals as I go along depending on how things are going! I'm determined to do the Great Ireland Run anyways though, and I'll see from there!

I've set up a food diary here, which I'm going to update every day ... I reckon there's no point in trying to sort out my fitness without sorting out my diet, and vice versa!

I did my first run of the Couch to 5K today. I'm even less fit than I'd thought! I was really really slow, but even so I was still out of breath after every 60 second run. Kind of embarrassing really! Still, at least I've made a start.

Hey,
Best of luck to you. Some tight goals there, all achievable given no injuries/issues but if you dont make them keep the head up and push them out a bit.
Started running April last year (C25K) and have run a few 5K, a 4 Mile, a few 8 K, a few 10K and Half Marathon since.
Will be pushing on this year to run them all faster. Like yourself, when I started I was very very unfit. Its surprising how fast you improve though.
Try stick to your time table, give yourself plenty time for recovery and enjoy it!
Kippy

Fluorescence

Welcome! I started c25k myself in October, and did my very first 5k yesterday. I plan to do a 5 mile at the end of the month, a 10k in Feb and a half-marathon in May. If I can do it you totally can. I could barely run the 60 seconds when I started out :P

RayCun

I started with the couch to 5k too, its a great programme. Just keep up the three runs a week, if you feel you can't make it to the end of a section slow down, you're running too fast, and don't worry about repeating weeks if need be.

pokermonkey

Good luck redz.
Sounds like you're in the same boat a me!

maria74

I did c25k last May and having never run before it is one of the best thing I have ever done. Am signed up for Connemara Half Marathon in April and am hopeful that this is just start of my running career.

c25k is definatly doable but you just need to keep at it, the first day I found it very difficult to do 60 secs but it was worth every second of pain!

RayCun wrote: »

I started with the couch to 5k too, its a great programme. Just keep up the three runs a week, if you feel you can't make it to the end of a section slow down, you're running too fast, and don't worry about repeating weeks if need be.

I agree, slow is the way to go, even though you will become aware at times that you can walk faster or even be unsure if you are running on the spot!!

Best of luck!

redz11

Thanks for the good wishes!

Did Day Two today, in Phoenix Park, and also decided to walk there for it - approx five km from my place. I actually enjoyed it a lot more today - partly because I was wrapped up much warmer I think! For this week, it's alternating 60 seconds jogging with 90 seconds walking ... I felt like I wasn't quite as out of breath after the jogs today, but that's probably just my imagination.

Only crap bit was that one of my hips was pretty sore by the end of it. Going to make sure I stretch before and after my next run (on Wednesday.)

redz11

Same run again tonight.

Running is weird! Any other sport I've ever done, I've gotten real "muscly" pains, in my tummy and arms and legs. Nice pains, like I feel I'm getting fitter and stronger! But when I run, I get "hard" pains, "bony" pains, in my hips and knees and shins.

I guess that's normal? For someone new to running? I must just be very very very very unfit!!!

The pain isn't unbearable, and it's definitely not going to put me off.

Fluorescence

Those aches would be from the impact of running on the body. Running on grass is easier on the joints, though slightly more resistant. It's not because of your fitness level, it's to do with the fact your body isn't fully used to the pounding on the pavement :P

kippy

fluorescence wrote: »

Those aches would be from the impact of running on the body. Running on grass is easier on the joints, though slightly more resistant. It's not because of your fitness level, it's to do with the fact your body isn't fully used to the pounding on the pavement :P

....yet......

redz11

fluorescence wrote: »

Those aches would be from the impact of running on the body. Running on grass is easier on the joints, though slightly more resistant. It's not because of your fitness level, it's to do with the fact your body isn't fully used to the pounding on the pavement :P

OK as long as it's normal, I'm OK with it!

But since I'm not used to it, is it better to just run on pavement anyways to get used to it? Or should I try to stick to grass and sand?

Thanks for any advice (I'm very clueless!)

Fluorescence

I'd be inclined to say keep running on pavement if your joints aren't hurting after your run or too badly while you're running, but I'm pretty new myself so don't take my word for it! Maybe someone else here can say..?

kippy

I'd say to keep running on the pavement. Most "runs" (unless you want to get into the crazy world of adventure/cross country) are on pavement/tarmac.
However, if you continue to get these pains it might be worth trying to change your running style or even your footwear.

I thankfully, havent had these pains but I still dont run that much on a weekly basis (2*5k and 1*10K) with plenty recovery and not that fast paced and try at best not to "land" too hard on the ground but know many that have/do.

maria74

Haven't been running myself for long. But I am have had pains in shins, knees, hips at various times over past few months. I am trying to go with the grass as much as possible as everyone says it means less impact on the joints.
And make sure you give yourself rest days between runs. C25K is great, got me from barely able to do 60 secs of running to training for a half marathon at the moment. Keep it up!:)

RayCun

You could alternate, do some running on grass and some on tarmac. (try to avoid concrete)

chubb22

redz11 wrote: »

OK as long as it's normal, I'm OK with it!

But since I'm not used to it, is it better to just run on pavement anyways to get used to it? Or should I try to stick to grass and sand?

Thanks for any advice (I'm very clueless!)

them pains are normal for somebody starting from scratch. if its getting too sore then compliment your road run with 1 grass run for awile.i had to do this when i first started runnig as i got bad pain too.also make sure you have the correct runners as it is crucial .dont forget to stretch either but only after a run.well done and keep it up.ill look forward to reading about your progress:)

maddogcollins

chubb22 wrote: »

them pains are normal for somebody starting from scratch. if its getting too sore then compliment your road run with 1 grass run for awile.i had to do this when i first started runnig as i got bad pain too.also make sure you have the correct runners as it is crucial .dont forget to stretch either but only after a run.well done and keep it up.ill look forward to reading about your progress:)

Sorry to hijack, but one quick question - Why stretch only after a run? I am new to running but not exercise and was always advised to stretch before and during warm down?

kippy

maddogcollins wrote: »

Sorry to hijack, but one quick question - Why stretch only after a run? I am new to running but not exercise and was always advised to stretch before and during warm down?

Personally, I do a slow build up (walk jog run) to the actual run and I dont run that fast so I find that sufficient as a warm up, however I defo do stretches after a run, I would defo feel it in the legs the next day if I didnt.
(From experience, some painful)
I do sometimes do the odd stretch before I go out but find afterwards is far more important.
I suppose everyone has different routines, those work well for me.

RayCun

maddogcollins wrote: »

Sorry to hijack, but one quick question - Why stretch only after a run? I am new to running but not exercise and was always advised to stretch before and during warm down?

Because static stretches will weaken the muscles before your run. Warm ups (if you do any) should be dynamic.
(This is what I've heard and read, I'm no expert)

chubb22

maddogcollins wrote: »

Sorry to hijack, but one quick question - Why stretch only after a run? I am new to running but not exercise and was always advised to stretch before and during warm down?

if you stretch before a run your muscles are cold so you could do damage.if you do 5-10 mins warm-up,jumpin jacks,high knees etc.then a stretch is alright,but only hold the stretch for 7-10 seconds.afterwards when you do your warm down,5-10mins slow jog to walk, hold each stretch for 20secs.this is the guide i have always followed and thankfully i have never pulled or even strained a muscle and i have been running for 15years.hope this helps

pokermonkey

Good job redz. Im on the C25k also and really enjoying it. On the running pains, they are reasonably normal, but if you really start to hurt - stop running and rest. 2 years ago I was doing the Race series 10 miler and at about 6 miles, I was getting awful pains shooting up my foot. Continued round the course and it turned out I had fractured my heel. Now, that was probably down to the fact I wasn't doing much training, and I was a grossly overweight, but anecdotally from reading lots of other stories/blogs etc, its better to stop. Brisk 5 min walks (warm up) before a run seems to work a treat for me.
Keep up the good work!

redz11

I really enjoyed my run today!!!

I stuck with the Week One routine, even though I've already done it three times, because I haven't been out since Wednesday, so I was afraid I mightn't be ready to move on to Week Two.

Big difference today was that I finally found a podcast that, while I mightn't like the music, I'm able to tolerate/ignore it. It's the Podrunner ones, sort of like background gym music, with beeps to signal the changes between walking and running instead of people with stupid American accents telling you when to change. The other runs I did, I was just listening to my mp3 player and timing my walks and runs on that. But it was really distracting, and because I was watching the time so much it seemed to go by really slowly, and I was forever flicking through my songs looking for walking/running music! Whereas today, I was able to totally relax, I could just forget all about how many run/walks I had done and had left to do, and the time flew by! Also I felt like I was going a bit faster, and I was definitely less out of breath while I was doing it and afterwards.

I found the perfect park for running in just down the road from my house. It'll be great for weekends, wouldn't be safe for early mornings/late nights unfortunately.

No pains yet today, and I did a few stretches afterwards so hopefully that'll help.

Weighed myself today - down four pounds so far. Nice little boost!

Looking forward to getting on to Week Two!

Fluorescence

redz11 wrote: »

I really enjoyed my run today!!!

I stuck with the Week One routine, even though I've already done it three times, because I haven't been out since Wednesday, so I was afraid I mightn't be ready to move on to Week Two.

Big difference today was that I finally found a podcast that, while I mightn't like the music, I'm able to tolerate/ignore it. It's the Podrunner ones, sort of like background gym music, with beeps to signal the changes between walking and running instead of people with stupid American accents telling you when to change. The other runs I did, I was just listening to my mp3 player and timing my walks and runs on that. But it was really distracting, and because I was watching the time so much it seemed to go by really slowly, and I was forever flicking through my songs looking for walking/running music! Whereas today, I was able to totally relax, I could just forget all about how many run/walks I had done and had left to do, and the time flew by! Also I felt like I was going a bit faster, and I was definitely less out of breath while I was doing it and afterwards.

I found the perfect park for running in just down the road from my house. It'll be great for weekends, wouldn't be safe for early mornings/late nights unfortunately.

No pains yet today, and I did a few stretches afterwards so hopefully that'll help.

Weighed myself today - down four pounds so far. Nice little boost!

Looking forward to getting on to Week Two!

Good job so far! Personally, I used Carli's podcasts from runningintoshape.com. She does talk a bit in them, but it's not the obnoxious American shoite with crappy techno music that the Ullrey podcasts are either. Would recommend

Anyway, even if you haven't run in a few days, move on to the next day in the program anyway. If you need to, you can drop back in the middle of the run, but you should be able to tackle the new day. You'd be surprised what you can do!

redz11

So, on to Week Two ... sort of ...

"Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes."

It started off pretty well. For most of it, I followed the podcast thing, I was running slowly but still running when I was supposed to.

But for a couple of runs towards the end, I ended up not being able to finish the 90 seconds running. And the last run, I just barely even attemped.

It definitely didn't help that I hadn't run since last Sunday. Also, I didn't have breakfast, and haven't been eating properly at all the past couple of days. Mostly I blame the fact that I really am just mentally and physically exhausted these days.

But none of that can be used as an excuse to do this half-arsed. I need to be able to run 10km by April, without stopping, and I will not get there if I continue at the rate I've been going.

From now on, I will be running every second day, simple as that, no excuses. I don't feel all that safe running early in the morning or late at night in my area, but I just need to get over it and get out there. If I'm not finished work til twelve at night, then I'll go for a run at twelve at night.

It's up to me if I want to do a session properly or not, and I'm sure there'll be other days like today when I just can't/won't do it right, but I still think it's better to at least attempt a run than to do nothing at all. But I won't count days like that as proper "training" runs. That's why today didn't really count, so Sunday is going to be Day One of Week Two. And I'm going to do it properly this time.

(PS - I know that any "real" runners reading this are probably laughing at me that I can't even finish a slow 90 second jog without stopping. It's a pretty embarrassing thing to admit to really, especially in an athletics forum. But I'm just looking forward to when I can run 5km, or 10km, or whatever, and I'll be able to look back at this and laugh at myself! )

(PPS - thanks for the comments and advice, appreciate it! )

RayCun

We all had to start somewhere, and I think everyone who did the couch25k has at least one session that they found really hard. Just keep it up, and try to be consistent in your running.

RubyK

Well done on starting c25k - stick with it, and you'll soon be on your way to completing the 10K. Don't worry about having off days, we all experience that. Thing is not to let it dishearten you. Try and get out running every second day, and you'll soon have the bug

Fluorescence

If you're having trouble, slow down, and then slow down some more :P. For my first few runs of c25k I went out way too quickly at the beginning and then struggled through the last intervals. If you take it at an easier pace you'll find you can complete the runs sucessfully. Good luck!

chubb22

well done so far red11. its tough at the start but just remember to focus on the positive.your only running a short time and already you`ve lost 4 pounds.focus on them things and you`ll start enjoying it more.we all have off days so dont worry bout them.keep up the effort

maria74

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redz11 wrote: »

So, on to Week Two ... sort of ...
But none of that can be used as an excuse to do this half-arsed. I need to be able to run 10km by April, without stopping, and I will not get there if I continue at the rate I've been going.

From now on, I will be running every second day, simple as that, no excuses. I don't feel all that safe running early in the morning or late at night in my area, but I just need to get over it and get out there. If I'm not finished work til twelve at night, then I'll go for a run at twelve at night.

It's up to me if I want to do a session properly or not, and I'm sure there'll be other days like today when I just can't/won't do it right, but I still think it's better to at least attempt a run than to do nothing at all. But I won't count days like that as proper "training" runs. That's why today didn't really count, so Sunday is going to be Day One of Week Two. And I'm going to do it properly this time.

(PS - I know that any "real" runners reading this are probably laughing at me that I can't even finish a slow 90 second jog without stopping. It's a pretty embarrassing thing to admit to really, especially in an athletics forum. But I'm just looking forward to when I can run 5km, or 10km, or whatever, and I'll be able to look back at this and laugh at myself! )

I think you are being too hard on yourself! You have finished week one and are still motivated to continue and I bet there are people who have fallen off already! As Ray said we have all had difficulties at one stage or another during c25k and after it. But what is important is that we still get out there for the next run!
I remember the jump from 60 secs to 90 secs and I found it hard, and could feel it at 60 secs and just wanted to stop. And as others have said just go slow, really slow. Somone once told me go as slow as you can without not actually being moving (some may say I am still doing this )

Also I think you have to make this part of your life but not to take over your life! The reason being that it will become a chore. So if you can sit down for a week and plan your runs ( 3 a week) based on your scedule for work and try to stick to that.

But keep it up and you will get to that 10K. I started this last may and am supposed to be doing 10K tomorow.

RubyK

Good advice from maria!

maria74 wrote: »

But keep it up and you will get to that 10K. I started this last may and am doing 10K tomorow.

Fixed the last bit of your quote , and best of luck tomorrow! It'll be no bother to you