Couch to 5k thread

shergar22

youtube! wrote: »

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Ha ha its so funny cos I thought I was the only one doing that:p, its just amazing how the brain somehow manages to fire you along when approaching a walker for fear of looking stupid.:pac:

On the other side of the coin, being passed out by a more seasoned/faster/less knackered looking runner is pure soul destroying

There's a young lad who I've passed twice in the last week, thankfully going in opposite directions both times.
I'm sure it's the lack of oxygen in my lungs making me delirious, but he's got the whole sweaty/floppy hair thing down to a tee, making him look v cool, rather than looking like a rasher as I do after my run.

Also he's got the longest stride I've ever seen, even though he's only around the 6ft mark. I'm sure he's working on his pacing/stride, but one day we'll be going in the same direction and he'll whizz past me.

That will be the day I curl up into a ball and take to the bed.

I'm gonna have to stalk him and find out his routine so we only meet going in opposite directions.
He's my running hero/anti-hero!

youtube!

Well things have dramatically changed for the better for me in the last few days.

First of all I found the joys of road running compared to the rough trails I had been using up to now,and then last night I was on week 5 day 3,ye know the suddenly hard one that expects you to run 20 minutes without a break?
Funnily enough I always thought while looking ahead in the programme that this was a mistake becuase the next 3 or 4 workouts dont expect 20mins non-stop,but anyway I digress.

The fact is I had been dreading doing it so when it came to doing it yesterday I tried to give myself every advantage,step one was naturally to run on the smooth pavements as I have already said,but step two was that I decided to run late at night well about 11ish and boy did it make all the difference. Lovely and cool no traffic just nice and peaceful.

I literally just told myself that failure wasnt an option and everytime I felt like stopping I gave myself a target up ahead,like just run to the post box and then when I get there it just run to that blue car or whatever, I also got into a nice rhythm and was going through mentally the stuff I had to do the next day etc, its mad because when you do start thinking of the mundane banal everyday stuff that we all have to do the next day,when you plan mentally all that boring rubbish that had to be done,a weird thing happens...you find that you have actually stopped thinking about the running! this was a very strange feeling for me because I just felt I was on automatic pilot and the funny thing is I totally missed my cue for the warm down! Before I knew it I had run a full 32mins non-stop! When I eventually snapped out of my trance it was only because I noticed I was just around the corner from my house!

I am quite sore today especially around the groin but hell it feels bloody fantastic and I cant wait to do it again. Running is such an amazing and now natural feeling to me and I just love it!

youtube!

Hey shergar dont you worry about him mate! You just do your own thing!

shergar22

great stuff Youtube! Great to get into that zone where everything else takes care of itself, (breathing, stride etc).

That happens me on the bike, but I guess I'll need a few more runs for it to happen while on foot.

Delighted to be able to see/chart peoe's progress. Gives me a boost, as well as the heebie jeebies at the thoughts of runnig to 20 in 2 weeks time.

Once I get Mr Floppy hair long-stride away from me I'll be fine!

davenewt

youtube! wrote: »

it feels bloody fantastic and I cant wait to do it again. Running is such an amazing and now natural feeling to me and I just love it!

youtube! youluckybastard!

Savage Tyrant

Congrats youtube! sounds like you're making fantastic progress!

And shergar... I'm 100% sure Mr.Floppyhair is running flat out when he sees you and then dies a death when he's far enough away you won't see.... That's what we'll choose to believe anyway!

Pacing Mule

shergar22 wrote: »

On the other side of the coin, being passed out by a more seasoned/faster/less knackered looking runner is pure soul destroying

There's a young lad who I've passed twice in the last week, thankfully going in opposite directions both times.
I'm sure it's the lack of oxygen in my lungs making me delirious, but he's got the whole sweaty/floppy hair thing down to a tee, making him look v cool, rather than looking like a rasher as I do after my run.

Also he's got the longest stride I've ever seen, even though he's only around the 6ft mark. I'm sure he's working on his pacing/stride, but one day we'll be going in the same direction and he'll whizz past me.

That will be the day I curl up into a ball and take to the bed.

I'm gonna have to stalk him and find out his routine so we only meet going in opposite directions.
He's my running hero/anti-hero!

I'm a couch to 5k finisher - started on the plan back in January and am currently training for this years DCM.

I'm a 6ft+ male and on one occasion in the phoenix park was passed out not once but twice on the one circuit of the park by a woman running whilst pushing a buggy and walking 2 dogs on leads at the same time.

Now that is soul destroying

BUT also inspiring because it shows you what you can achieve with enough dedication and time. Everyone started somewhere. Anyone passing you out like that, yes it's a pisser but try grab onto the positive inspiration aspect.

youtube!

NOT so great today after my watershed run the other night:o
I am afraid I probably gave myself a bit of false sense of achievement because today I decided to just try do the whole 5 k running as much of it as possible. After my 30 mins plus the other night I figured I could do it but boy was I wrong!

I knew after the first few minutes that a 5 k non-stop run wasnt gonna happen so I re-adjusted and just focused on getting the 5 k in with as much running as I felt comfortable with. Even though I ran all that time the other night I only covered 4 k anyway.

So basically I warmed up first and then went out running, I ran then for 9 mins walked for 5 mins ran again for 8mins and then had to walk for another 8 mins (shattered at this point!) ran another 2 mins walked another 2 mins and finally ran the last 2 mins, a total time of 36 mins and 35 seconds for a complete accurately measured 5k , its not exactly the strict programme but it was all i could do after the other night,which in hindsight was probably a bit too much running in one go for a beginner like me.

I am sort of happy with the time but there was too much walking involved for me to take on a 5 k run for quite a while!

I suppose I should just keep trying to cover the distance and get the time down eventually.

Wish me luck,I think I am gonna need it!:pac:

Pacing Mule

youtube! wrote: »

NOT so great today after my watershed run the other night:o
I am afraid I probably gave myself a bit of false sense of achievement because today I decided to just try do the whole 5 k running as much of it as possible. After my 30 mins plus the other night I figured I could do it but boy was I wrong!

I knew after the first few minutes that a 5 k non-stop run wasnt gonna happen so I re-adjusted and just focused on getting the 5 k in with as much running as I felt comfortable with. Even though I ran all that time the other night I only covered 4 k anyway.

So basically I warmed up first and then went out running, I ran then for 9 mins walked for 5 mins ran again for 8mins and then had to walk for another 8 mins (shattered at this point!) ran another 2 mins walked another 2 mins and finally ran the last 2 mins, a total time of 36 mins and 35 seconds for a complete accurately measured 5k , its not exactly the strict programme but it was all i could do after the other night,which in hindsight was probably a bit too much running in one go for a beginner like me.

I am sort of happy with the time but there was too much walking involved for me to take on a 5 k run for quite a while!

I suppose I should just keep trying to cover the distance and get the time down eventually.

Wish me luck,I think I am gonna need it!:pac:

Hi youtube!

Made the same mistake myself starting off. Thought I had it made when I got over the first 20 min session then had a disastrous one afterwards.

Just going back to your previous post

youtube! wrote: »

Funnily enough I always thought while looking ahead in the programme that this was a mistake becuase the next 3 or 4 workouts dont expect 20mins non-stop,but anyway I digress.

What you didn't realise (nor did I at the time) is that these programs are designed to push you forward, then take a step back, push forward again, step back a little etc. The fact is that hitting that first 20 mins is a major achievement and required a lot of effort on your body - and isn't repeatable immediately. Just because you ran for 20 minutes today does not mean you can run for 20 minutes every day (yet!) Hence the bit of a step back to rest and recover before pushing on towards the half hour / 5k climax. You will see the same concept in most training programs.

Don't be disheartened at all - this was completely normal, has happened to plenty of people before (me included) and you will push forward and onward in the next couple of weeks.

youtube!

Pageant Messiah wrote: »

Hi youtube!

Made the same mistake myself starting off. Thought I had it made when I got over the first 20 min session then had a disastrous one afterwards.

Just going back to your previous post



What you didn't realise (nor did I at the time) is that these programs are designed to push you forward, then take a step back, push forward again, step back a little etc. The fact is that hitting that first 20 mins is a major achievement and required a lot of effort on your body - and isn't repeatable immediately. Just because you ran for 20 minutes today does not mean you can run for 20 minutes every day (yet!) Hence the bit of a step back to rest and recover before pushing on towards the half hour / 5k climax. You will see the same concept in most training programs.

Don't be disheartened at all - this was completely normal, has happened to plenty of people before (me included) and you will push forward and onward in the next couple of weeks.

Your dead right I had absolutely no clue about the way the programme is deliberately designed to do this. Thanx for pointing it out because it actually makes perfect sense now that I understand it, you see all the time on the programme up to now i was only covering 3.5-4 K at most so even though I went too hard at it today,do you advise me to cut back my distance and just start week 6 (which still only covers 4K at my speed) or press on with the 5 K ? I am a bit confused and deflated after my original euphoria! If I do have a slight criticism of the C25K it is that is should be called C2 30mins because I think a lot of folks are thinking thay are covering the 5 K in distance when in reality they are not. Thanx again for your help!

Pacing Mule

youtube! wrote: »

Your dead right I had absolutely no clue about the way the programme is deliberately designed to do this. Thanx for pointing it out because it actually makes perfect sense now that I understand it, you see all the time on the programme up to now i was only covering 3.5-4 K at most so even though I went too hard at it today,do you advise me to cut back my distance and just start week 6 (which still only covers 4K at my speed) or press on with the 5 K ? I am a bit confused and deflated after my original euphoria! If I do have a slight criticism of the C25K it is that is should be called C2 30mins because I think a lot of folks are thinking thay are covering the 5 K in distance when in reality they are not. Thanx again for your help!

I 100% agree with you that couch to 30 min is a more appropriate term. My first 30 minute run did not cover 5k. To cover 5K in 30 minutes you need to be running at a pace of 10 kmph / 6 min per kilometre which was a bit too fast for me. Even now 6 months on and training for a marathon 6 min kilometres are something I would struggle to do for 5k. My average time for a 5k now in training is approx 32 min, with a personal best of 27 min in a race environment but that was months after finishing the couch to 5k.

My advice to you is aim for the time on your feet running at a comfortable pace rather than the distance. If you aim for the distance or portions of the distance running faster than you are comfortable with you will get disheartened as it will be too tough. Follow the program, use the stepback runs. They are there for good reasons. By the end of the program you will run 30 minutes non stop - you may be at 5k you may be a little shy of it but just aim for 30 minutes. Don't worry about the pace for the moment.

youtube!

Pageant Messiah wrote: »

youtube! wrote: »

Your dead right I had absolutely no clue about the way the programme is deliberately designed to do this. Thanx for pointing it out because it actually makes perfect sense now that I understand it, you see all the time on the programme up to now i was only covering 3.5-4 K at most so even though I went too hard at it today,do you advise me to cut back my distance and just start week 6 (which still only covers 4K at my speed) or press on with the 5 K ? I am a bit confused and deflated after my original euphoria! If I do have a slight criticism of the C25K it is that is should be called C2 30mins because I think a lot of folks are thinking thay are covering the 5 K in distance when in reality they are not. Thanx again for your help!

I 100% agree with you that couch to 30 min is a more appropriate term. My first 30 minute run did not cover 5k. To cover 5K in 30 minutes you need to be running at a pace of 10 kmph / 6 min per kilometre which was a bit too fast for me. Even now 6 months on and training for a marathon 6 min kilometres are something I would struggle to do for 5k. My average time for a 5k now in training is approx 32 min, with a personal best of 27 min in a race environment but that was months after finishing the couch to 5k.

My advice to you is aim for the time on your feet running at a comfortable pace rather than the distance. If you aim for the distance or portions of the distance running faster than you are comfortable with you will get disheartened as it will be too tough. Follow the program, use the stepback runs. They are there for good reasons. By the end of the program you will run 30 minutes non stop - you may be at 5k you may be a little shy of it but just aim for 30 minutes. Don't worry about the pace for the moment.

Great advice! I will rein it in a bit and just do the programme, thanx again!

shergar22

stick with it Youtube! You're my new hero/goal.
I went out this morning about 7am. i normally do my runs in the evening, but couldn't this evening, so I said I'd try it out early.
As I suspected, morning runs don't appear to agree with me. I'm certain my blood runs thicker in the morning, more like treacle.
I also went on the road for the first time which was a hugely different experience compared to woodland paths.
Still the smae issue with breathing, stull struggling to get into a rhythm and didn't manage to zone out.
On the plus side, after I finished the programme I managed another 2 min run before I made it back home.
Beginning to suspect that I simply don't like/amn't cut out for running. It has yet to click with me and I am not enjoying it as yet. I will plug on though, fully aware that I've just started really and am probably a bit too hasty in reaching a conclusion

dancingshoes

yey! finished week 2 so proud of myself even if I do say so myself I spent 4 hours yesterday trekking and climbing, so I was quite sore, so I had to really push myself out the door this evening, as I wouldn't get a chance again til monday because I have a wedding at weekend.

bring on week 3!

youtube!

shergar22 wrote: »

stick with it Youtube! You're my new hero/goal.
I went out this morning about 7am. i normally do my runs in the evening, but couldn't this evening, so I said I'd try it out early.
As I suspected, morning runs don't appear to agree with me. I'm certain my blood runs thicker in the morning, more like treacle.
I also went on the road for the first time which was a hugely different experience compared to woodland paths.
Still the smae issue with breathing, stull struggling to get into a rhythm and didn't manage to zone out.
On the plus side, after I finished the programme I managed another 2 min run before I made it back home.
Beginning to suspect that I simply don't like/amn't cut out for running. It has yet to click with me and I am not enjoying it as yet. I will plug on though, fully aware that I've just started really and am probably a bit too hasty in reaching a conclusion

Hey thanx I dont think I have ever been called a hero before!
I always find running early morning is not good for me either and it could be just down to fuel supply, they do recommend eating a good 2hrs before running in the evening so I dont see why it should be that much different in the morning, if you like me then you dont feel like eating that much really early anyway. So if you havent had much to eat or youhave just eaten right before you r run it may be uncomfortable.

I cant agree with anyone who says they are not cut out for running, I would have a few short weeks ago but hey you only have to trawl through these posts to realise anyone can run! This programme works although as I pointed out it should be called 0-30mins instead of 0-5k.

What week are you on now?

Keep it going!:pac:

youtube!

Week 6 day 2 complete. Did it earlier in the day and every step was a heartbreaker, run for 10 walk for 3 run for 10, still I managed it and after the warmdown I ran a bit more to just get the 5k ,took me 34.30 in total. Fairly pleased with that but as I said it took a lot of effort today, sort of looking forward to and dreading my next run at the same time! Keep ya posted.

shergar22

Day 1 of Week 4 done this afternoon. First 5 min run!! And did it!!
As per usual, breathing was a problem on the first runs, second half of the run, it seemed to click and breathing was more comfortable with diaphgram more relaxed and easier to catch my breath.
First 5 min run I had kind of fixed a spot on the distance at the top of a rise as roughly where the 5 mins would be up. When I reached the spot, your man pipes up that I was halfway through the 5 mins. Nearly kicked a cat but struggled on.
The tiredness seemed to relax my breathing on the return leg. So much so that I actually finished my programme and added about 90 seconds to my last 5 min run. The after a 30 second walk I did another 2 min run uphill!!
So, perhaps I'm getting into it. During my typical mental flogging of myself during the run I copped that part of the issue might be that I'm used to covering ground quicker on the bike so am finding the slower (plodding) pace more frustrating. Think I'm getting over it though.
Youtube!, I'm catching up!!!

LionelNashe

I'd like to share a mental approach that works for me, and may work for others.

If I think to myself "just another few minutes" or "just 3 kilometers until I'm home" then that 3 kilometers of footpath is stretched out in front of me in my mind's eye and it's more daunting than it needs to be. If I crave the finish line, even though I can't make it come any faster, then a mental struggle is added to the physical struggle.

So, I try to think like a buddhist and just be aware of the present moment, and forget about the finish. For example I focus on the discomfort in my legs and chest and I realise it's actually not that bad, and my legs are still moving regardless. I open my eyes to what's around me, and I notice new details on a familiar street, like an unexpected view of the mountains in the distance, the sturdiness of the trees on Griffith Avenue or the coolness of the rain.

I think this is especially important when doing a run-walk-run programme, because the walking breaks are dangling in front of the runner like a carrot on a stick, just out of reach, temptingly. From past outings, the body (or the mind?) remembers the instant relief that comes from a walking break, so the urge to take an early break can be very strong for mental reasons rather than just physical reasons. I'm not saying don't take the walking breaks, because the body does need to get used to excercise at a gradual pace, but I do think that the mental struggle can be more difficult when the mind craves the finish or the walking break, and it's still a few minutes or a mile away.

I hope this helps. I'm actually going to change my signature to include something along these lines. Maybe a tattoo is called for as well.

youtube!

Lionel that makes absolute sense, one thing is for certain it is as much a mental battle as a physical one,just like most sports really.

youtube!

Week 6 day 3 complete. I thought my groins were goin to explode! All done though not fast but v. pleased with my progress, next week I gotta do 3 /25 minute runs, now that will be a good test.

tritriagain

youtube! wrote: »

Week 6 day 3 complete. I thought my groins were goin to explode! All done though not fast but v. pleased with my progress, next week I gotta do 3 /25 minute runs, now that will be a good test.

Just to give you a bit of hope I have finished week 7 day 2 and it wasn't so bad. I felt day 2 didn't go as well as day 1 as I didn't feel great but when I looked at my phone I had only run 100m less than day 1 . I would have thought it was more like 1k. Anyhow best of luck with week 7.

tritriagain

youtube! wrote: »

Week 6 day 3 complete. I thought my groins were goin to explode! All done though not fast but v. pleased with my progress, next week I gotta do 3 /25 minute runs, now that will be a good test.

Forgot to say I use endomondo app over mapmyrun as it gives you audible split times for km as you run and find this to be very motivating

Lingua Franca

I'm not sure where I am in couch to 5k, I've been doing it since March. :pac:

Mind you, I started it and immediately took a week off to goi skiing, then around the 5-6 week mark I repeated a few weeks because I was hitting a wall. I also took a month off over the summer due to a famly emergency that involved a dash halfway round the world.

But I'm sticking to it and keep going back to it and I find it's not at all difficult to catch up again quickly. I'll take a run tonight and see where I am at, hopefully more around the 7 week mark than 6.

dancingshoes

finished week 3 feels strange that I am 1/3 of the way through and only running 3 minutes, I am not looking forward to week four (starting it tomorrow) I feel nervous at the thought of all that jogging, the walking is really cut back. but I said I would trust the programme and stick to it, so I will. good luck with week seven tritriagain. I sometimes think I will never get there

tritriagain

i did my first run in week 8 yesterday and i ran 5k for the first time in 28mins. dont look too far ahead in the prog, dancingshoes just deal with the next run. as i said i found the 2nd run in week 7 hard going but on yesterdays run i felt great. this prog does work. i would have honestly said 8 weeks ago that i would never run 5k now i am looking uo 10k plans. i now look forward to my next run and in fact miss running on my days off. i will never be a great runner but i do feel great running. best of luck dancing shoes, stick with the plan and enjoy each run without worrying about the plan ahead. it will work out for you.

youtube!

Well I skipped ahead a bit and did my first 5 k tonight . All running no walking and in a time if 34 minutes . Some advice to anyone struggling from my own experience.

1) run really slowly , remember you should be able to talk at a conversational pace. I cannot emphasise this one point enough to stay on your feet run like a snail. Speed WILL come .

2) make sure you are comfortable, I used to wear a cap as soon as I ditched it it was much easier, I only wore it so no one would recognise me! But honestly it's good to let your head breathe.

3) try to run in the evenings when it's cooler, the way I see it is this, its better to just master your running with every advantage you can use, when you run 5 k in the cool evenings a few times then you will have the confidence and the skills to do it in the daytime or anytime.

4) get properly measured shoes I know it's been mentioned lots of times but it's a total fact.

5) did I mention running slowly? Oh I did well I just mentioned again . Sue me !

Good luck all and remember if I can do it anyone can!!

Now more practice and time to enter a race !!

tritriagain

Well done you tube, you should be really proud. Keep up the good work .

Halloween Jack

Howdy, first post here, was tipping away at the program, considered myself seriously unfit, had finished week 3 last Sunday, but due to circumstances beyond my control, I couldn't get out at all last week.

I'm heading out this evening, should I repeat week 3 or move pick up from where I left off?

davenewt

You should be fine picking up from where you left off, go for it and see how you feel after today's session. Good luck

Halloween Jack

davenewt wrote: »

You should be fine picking up from where you left off, go for it and see how you feel after today's session. Good luck

Bout to head out shortly, so I'll pick up where I left off, thanks for the advice;€