Couch to 5k thread

Maximus Alexander

quickbeam wrote: »

Just read what I've to do the next two days this week. Wow!! I usually check back only once a week for the first run of the week. This time I'll report back for each day, but I reckon it might take a few tries to pass this week.

Have confidence in yourself and give it a go. Slow right down, it's all about getting the time done and not the pace. You might surprise yourself!

That said, if it turns out you fall short there's absolutely no harm in repeating the week. You're doing great.

The Muppet

quickbeam wrote: »

Just read what I've to do the next two days this week. Wow!! I usually check back only once a week for the first run of the week. This time I'll report back for each day, but I reckon it might take a few tries to pass this week.

If I remember correctly the first two days of week 5 amount to 15 minutes of running, last week you ran 16 minutes each day. Thats how i looked at it anyway and it helped mentally.

Day 3 week 5 is the best day on the plan imo, take it easy from the off and work into it and be prepared for the eureka moment when you finish that 20 minute run.

The best of luck with it and enjoy.

pcuser

Im injusry free again and finished Week 5 Run 1 today, Im really looking forward to jogging 20 minutes in Run 3 of this week. It does get much easier every run.

MrStuffins

I completed Week 4 Day 2 last Wednesday but haven't been able to do Week 4 Day 3 yet. Gonna go out and do it tonight!

Always in the back on my mind I have that 20 min run this day next week !

quickbeam

pcuser wrote: »

Im injusry free again and finished Week 5 Run 1 today, Im really looking forward to jogging 20 minutes in Run 3 of this week. It does get much easier every run.

MrStuffins wrote: »

I completed Week 4 Day 2 last Wednesday but haven't been able to do Week 4 Day 3 yet. Gonna go out and do it tonight!

Always in the back on my mind I have that 20 min run this day next week !

Everyone seems to know about that upcoming, except me

Northern Monkey

Went to the gym tonight for the first time since hurting my ankle (4 weeks ago). I had planned to just use the cross trainer for 30 minutes to ease myself back in. Everything felt fine when on it so I decided to try the treadmill for 5 minutes to see how my ankle felt... ended up jogging 4.5k. very happy with that!

pcuser

Northern Monkey wrote: »

I decided to try the treadmill for 5 minutes to see how my ankle felt... ended up jogging 4.5k. very happy with that!

Well done

wavehopper1

Week 4 day 1 today. The first 5-minuter was really tough, and I was worried I wouldn't be able to do the second...but the second felt easier, thankfully. Maybe due to my running along a riverside path up-river first, then turned to come back at the half-way point, definitely an upward gradient on the first half.

The NHS podcast "tip in the middle" was about how to avoid a stitch, I hadn't even thought of stitches until now, and I spent the latter half worrying about a non-existing twinge in my side :rolleyes:

MrStuffins

wavehopper1 wrote: »

Week 4 day 1 today. The first 5-minuter was really tough, and I was worried I wouldn't be able to do the second...but the second felt easier, thankfully. Maybe due to my running along a riverside path up-river first, then turned to come back at the half-way point, definitely an upward gradient on the first half.

The NHS podcast "tip in the middle" was about how to avoid a stitch, I hadn't even thought of stitches until now, and I spent the latter half worrying about a non-existing twinge in my side :rolleyes:

I've gotten a couple of stitches on my runs! What's the tip? I've been using an app rather than the podcasts.

I did Week 4 Day 3 on the way home from work yesterday.

Then I did Week 5 Day 1 this morning. 5 x 5 min runs. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Still sh*tting it for that 20 minute run........ but we'll see how it goes!

quickbeam

I've not yet got a stitch running, but I have got them in the past during other activities like walking. It seemed to happen to me when I'd eaten too soon before the exercise. For my running, I've been doing it first thing, before breakfast, hence happy not to have any stitches.

I'm not sure what the podcast says.

MrStuffins

quickbeam wrote: »

I've not yet got a stitch running, but I have got them in the past during other activities like walking. It seemed to happen to me when I'd eaten too soon before the exercise. For my running, I've been doing it first thing, before breakfast, hence happy not to have any stitches.

I'm not sure what the podcast says.

I normally do mine first thing too, before eating.

Yesterday I did the run on the way home from work and I hadn't eaten for ages. I'll see what happens next time.

wavehopper1

MrStuffins wrote: »

I've gotten a couple of stitches on my runs! What's the tip? I've been using an app rather than the podcasts.

I did Week 4 Day 3 on the way home from work yesterday.

Then I did Week 5 Day 1 this morning. 5 x 5 min runs. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. Still sh*tting it for that 20 minute run........ but we'll see how it goes!

Two tips, I think. The first tip was that if it comes on, to use slow deep breaths.
The second, she acknowledged was unproven, but suggested that sipping water would help.

quickbeam

Amazingly, I actually managed 2 x 8 mins this morning. Though I very much doubt it came anywhere close to the 3/4 mile that it was meant to. I'm pleased to have managed it. I'd have liked a week of this before moving on to a 20 minute run, but, sure, I'll give it a shot anyway, and if not possible, just try again - it seems like a massive jump though. But then again, I didn't think 8 minutes was possible yesterday, and I didn't think 5 minutes was possible 10 days ago, so I might just surprise myself.

pcuser

I finished week 5 day 2 today, 2 X 8 mins runs. I really enjoyed it and im starting to feel like a runner now. The only down side is I have some type of injury on my left calf muscle. There is a pain at the back of the calf just before my left leg leaves the ground while jogging or when I walk up the stairs.

Hopefully it will be back to Normal by Friday.

quickbeam

I did it!!!!

I can't believe it!!!

A nice morning for it too - mild, no rain or wind. Bloody C25K app started - I got the whole "welcome to C25K from Zen Labs" and then nothing. At the point where my warm up usually ends, and I start running, there was no indication, and none for the rest of the run either - no half-way pointer, or 1-minute-to-go notification, or time for cool-down notification. I haven't figured out what happened there yet, I guess I had messed with some settings accidentally.

But I also run my MapMyRun app (shouldn't have interfered with the C2K5 one, it never did before), so I knew roughly where I was at. I had MMR alerting me every two minutes, so my goal was to do eight minutes - I knew I could do that since Wednesday. Then just do another two, to bring me to 10. And sure by then I was half way there, so I might as well continue, just two minutes at a time. It was tough; very, very tough, but I was dogged and kept going - two whole circuits of my route, so about 2kms in total.

It was a fantastic feeling to complete. I'm feeling very chuffed. My legs felt weird when I was done, like coming back on to dry land after being on on a boat for a while. Is that normal? It wore off after 1-2 minutes and I was fine by the time my cool down was complete.

I haven't checked what I have to do next week yet, but I feel that if I got through this week then I can do anything.

The Muppet

Brilliant , and so you should feel chuffed . Look how far you've come in a few weeks . Congratulations .

Maximus Alexander

That's brilliant, delighted for you! Yeah the great thing about that run is that after being so intimidating, it then makes you realise that you will definitely complete the programme.

gypsylee

Well done on your run. Its a great feeling to be able to run further than you ever thought possible.

pcuser

quickbeam wrote: »

I did it!!!!

I can't believe it!!!

Well done quickbeam

I was supposed to do my 20 min run yesterday. Unfortunately I cant at the moment due to an injury.

Its so frustrating as I was really looking forward to this run. Hopefully Il be ok for Monday morning. Im itching to go.

pcuser

Well today was bitter sweet,

I finally got to do my 1st 20 mins run, after thw 12 min mark I was beaming like a cheshire cat as I knew I was going to be able for the run. I managed the 20 minute run and did not find it to hard at all, Quiet the opposite in fact.

However 22 seconds in to the cool down felt a little twinge in my left calf muscle. A few seconds later and it was quiet sore.I think I have pulled the muscle again or may have runners knot.

I play this by ear and see if I can run again this week.

quickbeam

Arrraghhh!! Well done on the 20 minutes at least. Take care of dem muscles!

The Muppet

pcuser wrote: »

Well today was bitter sweet,

I finally got to do my 1st 20 mins run, after thw 12 min mark I was beaming like a cheshire cat as I knew I was going to be able for the run. I managed the 20 minute run and did not find it to hard at all, Quiet the opposite in fact.

However 22 seconds in to the cool down felt a little twinge in my left calf muscle. A few seconds later and it was quiet sore.I think I have pulled the muscle again or may have runners knot.

I play this by ear and see if I can run again this week.

Congratulations of the 20 minutes,

Bad luck with the twinge, hopefully it is not as serious as you fear and will settle down .

Listen to your body and if you have any doubt rest it until you feel its ok to go again.

pcuser

The Muppet wrote: »

Listen to your body and if you have any doubt rest it until you feel its ok to go again.

I rested a few days Muppet and taught it was ok. It was not sore during the run at all. I have to go to the Doctor today with the young fella so il ask her to take a look at it.

The Muppet

pcuser wrote: »

I rested a few days Muppet and taught it was ok. It was not sore during the run at all. I have to go to the Doctor today with the young fella so il ask her to take a look at it.

No harm getting it looked at if your going to docs anyway ,Do you do a cool down routine? Do do any stretches after your run?

pcuser

I dont stretch. I always complete the warm up and cool down though, I add about 4 mins on to the cool down, Maybe its time to start looking at stretches.

MrStuffins

I was away for work, so I brought my runners with me and fully planned to do Week 5 Day 2 followed by Week 5 Day 3 before getting home.

I only managed to find time to do Week 5 Day 2 but, I must say, I felt great after it! I did both 8 min runs and I genuinely felt I could've kept running all day!

I'm tired after my trip but i'm going to attempt the 20 min run tonight! Wish me luck!

quickbeam

Good luck!!!

Maximus Alexander

pcuser wrote: »

Well today was bitter sweet,

I finally got to do my 1st 20 mins run, after thw 12 min mark I was beaming like a cheshire cat as I knew I was going to be able for the run. I managed the 20 minute run and did not find it to hard at all, Quiet the opposite in fact.

However 22 seconds in to the cool down felt a little twinge in my left calf muscle. A few seconds later and it was quiet sore.I think I have pulled the muscle again or may have runners knot.

I play this by ear and see if I can run again this week.

You could try giving the calves a good massage, you can use a tennis ball or similar, or a foam roller if you have one. If you find any hots spots you can just work away at them for a while whilst watching TV or something. Works wonders for me anyway.

The Muppet

pcuser wrote: »

I dont stretch. I always complete the warm up and cool down though, I add about 4 mins on to the cool down, Maybe its time to start looking at stretches.

You will see a lot of conflicting advice regarding stretching . My own opinion is that they are beneficial after a run . When I did the couch 2 5k program I always stretched after the run and got through it injury free despite starting from a non existent fitness base . Here's a link to some stretches that may help if you chose to give them a go.

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/c25k/Pages/how-to-stretch-after-a-run.aspx

The Muppet

MrStuffins wrote: »

I was away for work, so I brought my runners with me and fully planned to do Week 5 Day 2 followed by Week 5 Day 3 before getting home.

I only managed to find time to do Week 5 Day 2 but, I must say, I felt great after it! I did both 8 min runs and I genuinely felt I could've kept running all day!

I'm tired after my trip but i'm going to attempt the 20 min run tonight! Wish me luck!

Well don't keep us in suspense . How did it go?

pcuser

The Muppet wrote: »

Here's a link to some stretches that may help if you chose to give them a go.

http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/c25k/Pages/how-to-stretch-after-a-run.aspx

Thanks Muppet il give it a go next time.

MrStuffins

The Muppet wrote: »

Well don't keep us in suspense . How did it go?

It went very very well!!

So well that when I noticed I had 1 minute left to go I started really pushing myself to run as fast as I could.

It's so encouraging! I genuinely think I could do the full 5k tomorrow if I wanted to!

The Muppet

Brilliant.

pcuser

Well done MrStuffins

Hesh's Umpire

Been doing a good bit of walking this past six or eight weeks, usually around 3 km in 30 minutes but sometimes 3.5 km or even once or twice 5 km.

Having walked 5 km in around 55 mins, it occurred to me that maybe next June I could walk the local GAA club’s 5K “Fun Run” but in the last week or so, I’ve become more ambitious and built a few little jogs into my walks.

Downloaded the “NHS Couch to 5K” podcast last week and did my first 3 sessions sessions last week. Couldn’t believe I ran for 8 minutes in total along with 20.5 minutes walking!

Did week 2, run 1 last night, found it tough but got there. 90 seconds running is tough - the sixth one was really hard! I'm overweight (not as much as I used to be) and it's hard on the joints!

quickbeam

Well done Hesh. I'm carrying too much weight too, but the program is designed really well, so that even with that handicap you find yourself running much further and longer than thought possible. Just take it VERY, VERY, SLOW. Speed can be built in later.

Keep us updated. The "expectation" of posting here keeps you going too. At least it has for me. I'm still only on WK 6 but six weeks ago I would have thought running 5km was impossible for me, but now, I know I will be able to do it. Not yet maybe, but it is on the horizon.

gypsylee

I love reading your posts and seeing how well you are all doing.

FrancieBrady

Hesh's Umpire wrote: »

Been doing a good bit of walking this past six or eight weeks, usually around 3 km in 30 minutes but sometimes 3.5 km or even once or twice 5 km.

Having walked 5 km in around 55 mins, it occurred to me that maybe next June I could walk the local GAA club’s 5K “Fun Run” but in the last week or so, I’ve become more ambitious and built a few little jogs into my walks.

Downloaded the “NHS Couch to 5K” podcast last week and did my first 3 sessions sessions last week. Couldn’t believe I ran for 8 minutes in total along with 20.5 minutes walking!

Did week 2, run 1 last night, found it tough but got there. 90 seconds running is tough - the sixth one was really hard! I'm overweight (not as much as I used to be) and it's hard on the joints!

I feel your pain!
Starting week 4 run 1 tonight. Very nervous about it.
Too heavy as well (54 yrs old - start weight 21st now 19) but reducing weight dramatically and on a diet as well.
This thread is great motivation and should be required reading/prescription for anyone overweight and willing to intervene.

The buzz I am getting from actually intervening in my lifestyle is sustaining me so far. Keep at it!

pcuser

I was talking to a friend of mine today, SHe has being running for years. She reckons I should not run for a week and only if im fully healed.

I have done well and with the exception of the very 1st run I have really enjoyed it. Im gutted but have to be sensible. On my days off from running I think of the next run. I dont know how im going to do it for a week

Hesh's Umpire

If you're doing the couch to 5k, is it a good or bad idea to have a 3k walk on the "rest day" between runs?

Ososlo

Hesh's Umpire wrote: »

If you're doing the couch to 5k, is it a good or bad idea to have a 3k walk on the "rest day" between runs?

I would say yes, it'd be fine. As long as you don't have any twinges or bad niggles and you're not going hell for leather on the walks. Don't see how it could be a bad thing and would just help improve overall fitness.
Good luck with it!!!

FrancieBrady

Week 4 Run 1 completed. Found the first 5 min run tough but had another minute in me at the end of the second one, which is an awesome feeling.

Hesh's Umpire wrote: »

If you're doing the couch to 5k, is it a good or bad idea to have a 3k walk on the "rest day" between runs?

I use a static bike on the off days and find it helps. I downloaded the NHS Strength and Flexibility program for the Off days so plan starting that tomorrow. Similar to Pilate's I think.

MrStuffins

With regard to it being tough on the joints, when I attempted this a few years ago, I was much more overweight than I am now and I found my knees were really being affected.

I changed to running on grass for a while and that really helped! (Just don't slip)

MrStuffins

Completed Week 6 Day 1 last night. It seemed a step backwards from the 20 min run, which was welcome.

It was a weird feeling thinking "8 mins? Sure that's nothing, I was doing 20 the other day".

Whereas only last week I was sh*tting myself at the prospect of 8 mins!

wavehopper1

Did Week 5 day 2 yesterday.
The second 8 minutes was tough, when the voice said "60 seconds left", I thought "thank Jesus", then it seemed to last 10 minutes. I was about to fish my phone out of my pocket to see if the podcast had got stuck :P

Like two other posters said earlier, I also spent two months doing regular walks before I got into this. I think that definitely helped my progress.

quickbeam

Completed WK 6 this morning.

Mon - 5+8+5 - felt it ought to have been easier than it was, still found it tough going. I usually do a 5km walk over the weekend, which seems to loosen the joints a little, but last weekend I missed it due to other commitments, and maybe the long break between Friday morning and Monday morning with little exercise didn't help. Who knows? It might have been tough anyway.

Wed - 10+10 - again, very tough - wondering when will this start to feel "easy". I was very glad for the break in between the two runs and wondered how I'd ever managed to run them consecutively last Friday.

Fri (just now) - 22 straight - nice morning for it, a mild breeze and some refreshing drizzle - but tough again. At 15 minutes I was really struggling, I slowed my pace down even more than it already was, and kept going for the next 7 but was very, very glad to hear the beep to cool down.

So yes, this is VERY difficult, but I am progressing and the sense of achievement is fantastic. But if it was easy then there'd be no accomplishment to completing it, would there? I will be getting my Saturday 5km walk in, so hopefully that will do be some good for my 25 minute runs next week.

pcuser

Well donw everyone. Thats great progress, Im still out injured and now Im starting to worry that my fitness level will drop and I will struggle with my next run. All going well I should be able to get out Next Tuesday.

quickbeam

There's nothing wrong with stepping back a week on the program if you're worried about fitness.

Northern Monkey

pcuser wrote: »

Well donw everyone. Thats great progress, Im still out injured and now Im starting to worry that my fitness level will drop and I will struggle with my next run. All going well I should be able to get out Next Tuesday.

I was out for 4 weeks with only walking to keep my fitness up and managed 4.5k on my first day back (coming from a low fitness base!) if I can do that anyone can!

pcuser

Thats reassuring Thank You