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

vitani

Cerulean Chicken wrote: »

Just finished W5!! 20 min jog, and my mp3 player died on the second last song, quick mental jig to work out I had about 4 mins left so I kept going, when I checked it when I got back I was spot on so I didn't miss any of it.

Du know what, that was actually easier than the first 3 min jog I ever did. I genuinely only got tired on the last 2 mins, and I think that was more because the music ran out so I was depending on myself to keep the pace going, whereas for the last two days of W5 I had Destiny's Child Survivor on the last bit of it :P

W6 D1 sounds like a doddle now :pac:

Woohoo! Well done!

timewilltell

Hey everyone... I'm finally back in to the swing of things.

Quick bio: Started couch to 5k about May last year, kept up the running after and got up to about 6k.

So I took a break there from about November, what with my job, dark evenings and a SERIOUS condition called...laziness. When it strikes, it strikes bad.

Back out the last few weeks, doing a mix of 3k, 4,k 5k etc, every second evening. Today I did 7 in 45 minutes! Absolutely thrilled with myself Have my FIRST EVER 5k race coming up on the 10th of March with my running partner..bring it!

Cerulean Chicken

I'm going to ask a quick stupid question to the more experienced runners here (and just people who know more than me about it basically!), but I was thinking today about having done the last 5 weeks. I haven't really lost any weight from doing (that's fine), I look basically the same except that my bum is bigger and I can see a small bit more shape to my thighs, obviously these are only the visible improvements. So what I want to know is, by me going from finding jogging for 60 seconds tough to finding 20 mins relatively easy what ways has my body improved physically? What things have happened to me during this process that make it possible for me to do this now?

I hope this makes sense, I'd just like to hear what good things I'm doing by doing this, to spur me on more Like if I had a lost a bit of weight I'd be able to see that as visible tangible success when I'm not doing the actual exercise, so I'd like to know biologically speaking what's going on in there Have I just improved my leg muscles? I feel like that can't be all of it!

rainbow kirby

The muscles will have got stronger (which is the cause of the bum/thighs changes), the ligaments, tendons and bones show some adaptation too to cope with the increased impact, and your cardiovascular system will have adapted to it - the heart and lungs become more efficient to cope with the increased effort. If you monitored your resting heart rate between the start and the end of the program, it will drop in most cases - your heart has to do less work to pump the same volume of blood around the body now. Your lung capacity may have increased too - this is especially noticeable when people start Couch to 5k after quitting smoking.

Cerulean Chicken

Thanks Ok I had hoped/figured most of those things happened but just wanted to be sure. Might check my resting heart rate alright, that'd be an interesting and good one to see get better. Because I've always been particularly lazy in life my heart rate was never a fun one to check, especially after doing anything

Lucyfur

CC have you taken any photos or yourself? I thought my body wasn't changing at all...took photos and the difference isn't massive, but there's definitely a change

Cerulean Chicken

Lucyfur wrote: »

CC have you taken any photos or yourself? I thought my body wasn't changing at all...took photos and the difference isn't massive, but there's definitely a change

Nope no photos, I have lost a bit of weight/changed shape a bit since before Christmas and over the first few weeks my waist is more obvious now and my awesome ass Maybe over the weekend I might take a photo or two to compare for when I finish c25k, I've started in the gym too so with both I should see a difference over the next while.

Although I do have a photo of me in a tight top and skirt from just before Christmas when I had just made it back down into a 12 skirt from being 12-14 for a long time, I was gonna maybe wear that outfit tomorrow night any way so with any luck it'll fit better and I can take a photo and compare that, thanks My boyfriend maintains I look at lot different around the middle, keeps saying "there's nothin' of ya!" when he hugs me

Lola92

Hi guys! I've decided to join in over here after thinking about it for longer than I should have. I did W1 D1 on Wednesday and then I came down with the Flu on Thursday and still not feeling great at all. Hopefully I'll be able to get back to it early next week once I'm feeling a bit better.

What do ye think about repeating a level until you're comfortable with it? I'm really unfit, which I'm working on improving, so I think it might be better to take it slowly until I build up some fitness and have lost some more weight (18lbs gone so far). I am also swimming 1-2 times per week, and going to the gym twice a week also.

Thanks in advance ladies!

rainbow kirby

Lola92 wrote: »

What do ye think about repeating a level until you're comfortable with it? I'm really unfit, which I'm working on improving, so I think it might be better to take it slowly until I build up some fitness and have lost some more weight (18lbs gone so far). I am also swimming 1-2 times per week, and going to the gym twice a week also.

There's nothing wrong with that - more important at this stage that you're building the habit of getting out regularly. Swimming and gym work will back this up nicely too.

Congrats on losing 18lbs so far

lemon_sherbert

Lola92 wrote: »

What do ye think about repeating a level until you're comfortable with it?

Congrats on getting started and great weight loss so far! I repeated weeks over and over until I was ready to move on. You'll be amazed how quickly you progress though.

eviltwin

Did the Operation Transformation run the the Pheonix Park in a time of 42 mins. Really chuffed with that. The last timed 5k I did was in early December and that took 55 mins! And I reached the end without feeling like I wanted someone to put me out of my misery.

Whispered

I slacked off. Starting again on Monday. From day 1.

Quite annoyed at myself for not keeping it up.

Lola92

Thanks for the advice guys. I'm looking forward to getting back into it soon!

Cerulean Chicken

Whispered wrote: »

I slacked off. Starting again on Monday. From day 1.

Quite annoyed at myself for not keeping it up.

You're going back to Day 1? How far had you gotten into the program? Starting again would drive me mad! That's been my main motivation to do it every 2 days, fear of slipping backwards and wasting days going over the same weeks of it!

Whispered

Cerulean Chicken wrote: »

You're going back to Day 1? How far had you gotten into the program? Starting again would drive me mad! That's been my main motivation to do it every 2 days, fear of slipping backwards and wasting days going over the same weeks of it!

Ah I only had week one done so it's not too bad.

Cerulean Chicken

Cerulean Chicken wrote: »

W6 D1 sounds like a doddle now :pac:

Oh LOL. Jinxed myself nicely with that one!

Just back from W6 D1. It was SO much tougher to do the 5/8/5 runs, the 8 minute one was not nice, my legs were like lead, I was roasting. Then on the last 5 min jog I tripped on a rock and hurt my ankle, it's fine again now but not a good start. Then halfway through that final 5 min jog my mp3 player froze! Grrr. The route today didn't seem to work either, it's the same one I do most of the time but I "ran out" of space and was much further back than normal. So when the mp3 player froze I had about 2.5 mins left which I reckon was just about back to my house, so I ran that far and then walked about 2.5 mins past the house and back to it again.

That was no fun! I think it's much easier to do 8+ mins than shorter runs.

quaalude

I'm just in from W8 D1 - a 28 minute run.
I got through it - but I'm pretty wrecked.
About two-thirds in I thought to myself "I'm in bits, I have to stop", but I thought logically and went through everything - was my breathing ok, were my legs still able for it - and I realised I was fine, still functioning, and I pushed through.
I'm not near 5k though - I only went 4.23km (measured with Runtasic), that includes the 5 min warmup and cool down.

Cerulean Chicken

Bought myself pretty proper runners today And a nice running vest top, and new 3/4 length running leggings. Charlie Brooker's article is becoming more and more relevant, I can actually masquerade as a runner now!

Pembily

Cerulean Chicken wrote: »

Bought myself pretty proper runners today And a nice running vest top, and new 3/4 length running leggings. Charlie Brooker's article is becoming more and more relevant, I can actually masquerade as a runner now!

I find the right running gear motivates me

I haven't been out for a week, going out tonight

How are your legs now CC?

Quaalude, the only thing holding you back is your mind a lot of the time. Well done on the 28 min.

eviltwin

quaalude wrote: »

I'm just in from W8 D1 - a 28 minute run.
I got through it - but I'm pretty wrecked.
About two-thirds in I thought to myself "I'm in bits, I have to stop", but I thought logically and went through everything - was my breathing ok, were my legs still able for it - and I realised I was fine, still functioning, and I pushed through.
I'm not near 5k though - I only went 4.23km (measured with Runtasic), that includes the 5 min warmup and cool down.

I was the same, don't worry about it. It took me a few months after completing the C25K to run a full 5k but keep getting out and you will get there.

quaalude

eviltwin wrote: »

I was the same, don't worry about it. It took me a few months after completing the C25K to run a full 5k but keep getting out and you will get there.

That's reassuring - thanks eviltwin.

Cerulean Chicken

Pembily wrote: »

I find the right running gear motivates me

I haven't been out for a week, going out tonight

How are your legs now CC?.

Yeah I can't wait to wear my new stuff out tomorrow, might take them to the gym for a day out today

Legs are grand!

eviltwin

Decent running gear makes you feel fantastic I did my OT run on Saturday in my proper gear and for the first time I felt like a "proper" runner.

My legs have been in bits since but I did a bit of walking on Sunday to prevent myself seizing up and managed a 3k gentle run last night.

I've also cut sugar out of my diet during the week and its making a huge difference.

quaalude

I just signed up for http://www.docklandsrun.ie/5km-dublin-city-fun-race/ - I chose this one because it's near my house, so less scary than one further away. Bits of the course are bits of my usual C25K routes.
I can't believe I just entered a run. That was unthinkable at the start of the year!

eviltwin

quaalude wrote: »

I just signed up for http://www.docklandsrun.ie/5km-dublin-city-fun-race/ - I chose this one because it's near my house, so less scary than one further away. Bits of the course are bits of my usual C25K routes.
I can't believe I just entered a run. That was unthinkable at the start of the year!

Well done!! Entering your first race is a huge moment. Its a great incentive to keep training too. I did that route last year in the Great Pink Run on week 7 of the C25K and it was grand, very nice, managable run.

kingtut

Decided to skip the couch to 5K and go straight for a 5K (entered the Operation Transformation 5K which was on last Saturday).

Finished it in a time of 28:47 which I am delighted with as I have not run further than up the stairs in about 10 years lol

......... but ....... now I want to build up my endurance so I am going to try the couch to 5K and hopefully enter another 5K.

YAY for running (if I can call it that) !!

Cerulean Chicken

Took my new shoes to the gym, they were great So light and comfy on the treadmill. I did a double take at my reflection in the mirror, I look a lot different now around my middle, bigger bum, slightly more shapely legs, flatter stomach, yusss!

quaalude

Cerulean Chicken wrote: »

Took my new shoes to the gym, they were great So light and comfy on the treadmill. I did a double take at my reflection in the mirror, I look a lot different now around my middle, bigger bum, slightly more shapely legs, flatter stomach, yusss!

That's great, Cerulean Chicken!
I'm not really sure if I look any different, but I *feel* happier and much more confident, so that's making me feel like I look different, if that makes any sense!

Cerulean Chicken

quaalude wrote: »

That's great, Cerulean Chicken!
I'm not really sure if I look any different, but I *feel* happier and much more confident, so that's making me feel like I look different, if that makes any sense!

Well I weighed myself a few weeks ago and was down 5lbs, then I weighed myself about two weeks after and was back up the 5lbs and was so mad! Now I've apparently put on another 0.2kg, but I very definitely look different now, kind of suddenly in the last two weeks.

I put on a skirt at the weekend that I was shoved into late last year, I couldn't figure out why it wasn't looking right...it was about to fall off me, I shimmied out of it without even opening it But the weight loss has and is very secondary to getting more fit and healthy for me, it's just a bonus

eviltwin

Cerulean Chicken wrote: »

Well I weighed myself a few weeks ago and was down 5lbs, then I weighed myself about two weeks after and was back up the 5lbs and was so mad! Now I've apparently put on another 0.2kg, but I very definitely look different now, kind of suddenly in the last two weeks.

I put on a skirt at the weekend that I was shoved into late last year, I couldn't figure out why it wasn't looking right...it was about to fall off me, I shimmied out of it without even opening it But the weight loss has and is very secondary to getting more fit and healthy for me, it's just a bonus

I haven't lost any weight at all bar a few pounds in early Jan but a pair of jeans that were snug over Christmas are hanging off me. I started running really to lose weight but that's become secondary now. I get more of a buzz running an extra half a mile than I ever got seeing a drop in my weight.