Loungers on the run: Couch to 5k to marathon and beyond

Cerulean Chicken

Did W3D2. It was grand, ended up running against the wind for the first two mins of the first 3 min jog, so that was tough! But it made the second one a lot easier, I was finished the second one just as I was starting to think "Ok this is tough how long more".

I also notice now that I actually can briskly walk for the last 5 mins like it says to do For a while it was a very slow amble while my legs recovered, then on W3D1 I happy danced around my boyfriend for most of it because I was delighted with myself. Today I would've been well able to do another 90 second jog during it if I had needed to.

suomi

I just finished W3D3 and I feel so sleepy now. I'm just sitting here yawning. I thought you're supposed to be full of energy after exercising!

Cerulean Chicken

suomi wrote: »

I just finished W3D3 and I feel so sleepy now. I'm just sitting here yawning. I thought you're supposed to be full of energy after exercising!

Wanted to get this done today but have very sore legs after rather vigorous household chores yesterday (how sad is that!). Scrubbed bedroom carpet and must've been kneeling awkwardly, I'm killed with the pain. Will hopefully get it done tomorrow or Saturday.

Whispered

I did it! Back in out of the rain.

It was only day 2 of week one. I know I started a week ago, but in my defence I have gone on a few 3 hour walks with the dogs and I've been to the pool.

It was very difficult today. I'm not sure why it was harder than the first time, maybe because I didn't warm up properly? (I misheard my MP3 and started to run during the warm up)

Are any of you dieting at the same time?

Cerulean Chicken

Whispered wrote: »

I did it! Back in out of the rain.

It was only day 2 of week one. I know I started a week ago, but in my defence I have gone on a few 3 hour walks with the dogs and I've been to the pool.

It was very difficult today. I'm not sure why it was harder than the first time, maybe because I didn't warm up properly? (I misheard my MP3 and started to run during the warm up)

Are any of you dieting at the same time?

Every day of the program has the 5 minute warm up walk, I would imagine jogging straight away would definitely make it harder!

I'm dieting in so much as I'm eating well, very little junk (no takeaways, well one but we shared 1 portion), lots of veg, bit of fruit, dinners of fish, chicken, meat, with not too much bread, potatoes, etc. Giving myself a treat of a digestive biscuit with tea every evening!

lemon_sherbert

Great to see everyone doing so well. I've stepped back my distances this week, and my knee is much better, and I'm running better times, so very much a happier runner. (And despite the fact I've been doing this for over 6 months now, I still don't really think of myself as a "runner".)

An article here that some of you might like: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/the-running-blog/2013/feb/05/why-we-love-to-run

quaalude

Whispered wrote: »

Are any of you dieting at the same time?

Similar to Cerulean Chicken, I'm also eating well.
No sweets, no take out foods, cut out bread at lunchtime so having salads instead of sandwiches and crisps, drinking loads of water.
I didn't really mean to, it just sort of happened at the same time I started running. I became more mindful about how my body was using what I was eating, and decided to eat better.

vitani

I'm not 'dieting' either, but I have started eating better. I'd started drinking more water so I could be consistently hydrated. So the fizzy drinks in work were gone, which led to me craving snacks less for the rest of the day. Then, on the mornings when I'd run, I wanted a decent breakfast afterwards so the toast (and pastries) went and I started eating porridge. It became easier to buy a packet of porridge and keep it in work.

Once I'd made a few changes, I noticed how awful my body felt when I ate something heavily processed, especially something with lactose. So I started bringing homemade lunches into work. It's all just snowballed from drinking a lot more water.

vitani

lemon_sherbert wrote: »

Great to see everyone doing so well. I've stepped back my distances this week, and my knee is much better, and I'm running better times, so very much a happier runner. (And despite the fact I've been doing this for over 6 months now, I still don't really think of myself as a "runner".)

An article here that some of you might like: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/the-running-blog/2013/feb/05/why-we-love-to-run

I love that article. My little girl never walks when she can run instead. It really does seem to be something innate in us.

I don't know when we become 'runners'. I'm going to be calling myself a beginner for a while yet.

quaalude

lemon_sherbert wrote: »

An article here that some of you might like: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/the-running-blog/2013/feb/05/why-we-love-to-run

Some of us will relate more to Charlie Brooker's take on running (apologies if it's been posted before): http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/nov/06/charlie-brooker-becomes-a-runner

Whispered

Great, thanks. I do tend to not eat too many processed things anyway. I'm not working much at the moment so I'm here all day to cook and I find it cheaper. I definitely think that carbs are a big issue for me. Potatoes, bread, pasta - love them!

I'm considering doing up a tesco shopping list and having it delivered every week, it will stop me from buying stuff I shouldn't. Who on earth needs 6 baking potatoes for a week.

msbusterpuss

Hello!

Im on W6 D3 today so when I get in from work it will be 25 minutes of running. I found W6 D2 really hard which was 2 bouts of 10 mins running with a 3 min walk in between, i found it so hard so i do not know how im going to get through it!!

Ill let you all know if I survive to tell the tale!!

quaalude

msbusterpuss wrote: »

Hello!

Im on W6 D3 today so when I get in from work it will be 25 minutes of running. I found W6 D2 really hard which was 2 bouts of 10 mins running with a 3 min walk in between, i found it so hard so i do not know how im going to get through it!!

Ill let you all know if I survive to tell the tale!!

Please do!
I'm exactly one week behind you, msbusterpuss - I've W5 D3 after work today, the 20 mins run.
I am really excited about it, and trying to prepare well - I went to bed early last night, and brought in a lovely, healthy chickpea salad for lunch today, and have already picked out the album I'm going to listen to when I'm running!
I'll report back later too.

msbusterpuss

Will do. You make me ashamed of myself - you are looking forward to it - I am dreading it

quaalude

msbusterpuss wrote: »

Will do. You make me ashamed of myself - you are looking forward to it - I am dreading it

That's funny - I would be dreading it, but I was inspired by this post of yours, that you got through it: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=83021821&postcount=1948
I'm trying to think positively!

msbusterpuss

quaalude wrote: »

That's funny - I would be dreading it, but I was inspired by this post of yours, that you got through it: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=83021821&postcount=1948
I'm trying to think positively!

HaHa, well I am going to take a leaf out of both our books and get into the positive thinking mood!!

Let me know how you get on!

Cerulean Chicken

Well I've just finished W3D3 So Week 4 is next, which seems impossible :eek: I found today ok, the second 3 min jog nearly killed me, it was uphill (the route changes the faster I do it and I end up doing things like running up the feckin hill bits!) and at the top of the hill I thought omg I can't do this, it's ok to walk a bit. I took one walking step and thought "No! Cannot go back to boards and say I didn't finish it!!" So I jogged very, very pathetically for next minute of it, I kept moving but it must have looked like I was actually dying to passersby. But I finished it

Week 4 looks impossible right now. If 3 minutes nearly killed me how can I possibly do it for any longer?? Granted I have a sore calf muscle today which probably didn't help the stamina, but still, surely the last 3 min jog of the week should've been the easiest??

suomi

Cerulean Chicken wrote: »

Well I've just finished W3D3 So Week 4 is next, which seems impossible :eek: I found today ok, the second 3 min jog nearly killed me, it was uphill (the route changes the faster I do it and I end up doing things like running up the feckin hill bits!) and at the top of the hill I thought omg I can't do this, it's ok to walk a bit. I took one walking step and thought "No! Cannot go back to boards and say I didn't finish it!!" So I jogged very, very pathetically for next minute of it, I kept moving but it must have looked like I was actually dying to passersby. But I finished it

Week 4 looks impossible right now. If 3 minutes nearly killed me how can I possibly do it for any longer?? Granted I have a sore calf muscle today which probably didn't help the stamina, but still, surely the last 3 min jog of the week should've been the easiest??

Well done for finishing it. I always think at the end of the week that the next week looks impossible and that I'll never be able to do it since I'm struggling doing the current week, but once you're doing it it suddenly seems doable. You've gotten so far already, I bet when you started the program you never thought you'd run for three minutes non-stop! Well, I didn't think I could do it anyway. So I guess you just have to keep going and trust the program.

quaalude

msbusterpuss wrote: »

HaHa, well I am going to take a leaf out of both our books and get into the positive thinking mood!!

Let me know how you get on!

I just did W5 D3 - and I'm very pleased to say I completed it!
I took the pace very slowly at first, as I really wanted to make sure I'd enough gas in the tank to finish.
When 10 mins came I was pleasantly surprised, and I kept the easy pace.
When I reckoned I had about 5 mins remaining, I picked it up, and pushed myself a bit.
Then when the 1 min remained prompt came, I just went for it and speeded up a little more! All I could think was "the loungers will be proud of me"!
I feel absolutely brilliant now - I never thought I would be able to do this, and, without this thread I wouldn't even have ever tried, so thanks so much!

msbusterpuss

quaalude wrote: »

I took the pace very slowly at first, as I really wanted to make sure I'd enough gas in the tank to finish.
When I reckoned I had about 5 mins remaining, I picked it up, and pushed myself a bit.
Then when the 1 min remained prompt came, I just went for it and speeded up a little more! All I could think was "the loungers will be proud of me"!

Hey there, congratulations!!!:D quaalude, like you I took it slowly at first, first ten mins were fine next 5 mins i really dipped so I had to slow it down but then for the last 10 I lifted the pace and pushed through for the last 5 mins and again upped the ante for the last 1 - when she says you have 1 minute left of running its the most thankful I ever feel

I have to say I feel very victorious and again like you quaalude it was this thread that kept me going!!!

quaalude

msbusterpuss wrote: »

I have to say I feel very victorious and again like you quaalude it was this thread that kept me going!!!

Deadly - nice one, msbusterpuss!
I'm looking forward to next week already!

Pembily

I'm finished the programmer but I'm going back to week 7 as I just feel being sick over Christmas killed me. Also haven't found a decent 10k programme.

Cerulean Chicken

W4D1 done, and I didn't die! The 5 min jogs were tough, second one wasn't as tough as the first, due mainly to the song that was playing being perfect for jogging/bouncing to, my boyfriend thought I lost it when I started bouncing along with every step singing the words.

Delighted with that now, even if it did all start with me being shouted at for being rude by two women walking their dogs, apparently (boyfriend told me after) they tutted and loudly commented on how rude I was not to say hello to these strangers, even though I had headphones in and baseball cap was limiting my vision so I didn't even see their faces :rolleyes:

lemon_sherbert

Pembily wrote: »

I'm finished the programmer but I'm going back to week 7 as I just feel being sick over Christmas killed me. Also haven't found a decent 10k programme.

I pretty much followed the Hal Higdon Novice 10K programme, editing it a little estimate the times based on the distance. Thought it was as good as any other. You could probably even devise your own, making sure you don't add more than 10% a week

JimmyCrackCorn

Im still getting runs in but should be running more.

I tend to run too fast and kill myself after 5k. My 5k time keeps getting better which is not what im supposed to be doing.

What an odd complaint

suomi

I just finished W4D1. The last 5 minute run was awful, it was all uphill and I thought I was going to die. It was the first time so far that I was actually struggling to keep moving! I'm not looking forward to doing it all over again in a couple of days.

rainbow kirby

You'll be ok, everyone has bad days. Next one will be better, I promise

suomi

Thanks, that's good to hear.

Whispered

No motivation at all.

I hurt my hip over the weekend. I don't know if I'm using that as an excuse not to go, or if I should leave it for today.

Cerulean Chicken

How did you hurt your hip, is it a recurrent injury? I hurt my calf and thigh last week but went doing it anyway, I used totally different muscles to to do c25k than I had hurt so I thought I'd give it a go and if it hurt I'd stop. It was fine, didn't make my ouchies any worse at all. So if it's not a serious injury or one that c25k could do more damage to maybe give it a go and if it hurts after a few minutes just stop?