For those who have finished c25k, do you find it was 'juuust riiight' in terms of weeks? How often do people finish in 9 weeks? Which weeks are the hardest? What is the "average" (just like "normal", I'm not convinced it exists) time of completion? I'm at the end of week 6 but I think it's taken about 10 days to get here, rather than just a week. I wonder if that's generally the case...?

Have you finished the program, Wingz? Do you remember what days really threw you for a loop?

I made it into a 10 week program. Repeated week 5 and it was a lot easier the second time. A lot of weeks it was more of a mental thing for me. The program really does work - its a slow build up - but your mind sometimes just isn't ready to accept the fact that you can increase the time.

That's exactly why I was thinking I'd need another 1 or 2 workouts from the week 4 schedule. It wasn't until I needed to run without prompts that I forced myself to do w5d1, because I knew I'd never be able to keep a w4 run going without the prompts from my ipod. Alternating 5 minute runs with 3 minute walks is easier for me to mentally track, so I tried it, and it was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be.

Listen to wingz. She has come a long way and has good advice for beginners. For what it's worth, the hardest part of this is just getting out the door. The second hardest thing is to go slow - and don't worry about how fast everyone else is going. The third hardest thing is learning to really listen to your body and adjusting when you need to. Your speed will increase as you increase your mileage once this becomes a habit/hobby obsession. In the meantime, just focus on the current day and don't worry about how fast/slow you are going.

I just did my first 5k last weekend and stuck to the run/walk program I have been doing for the past few months. Nobody really cared that I was walking - I just looked over my shoulder to make sure I wasn't stopping in front of someone.

I'm not all that interested in racing - DH has been trying to get me to run a race with him for quite awhile and I finally did it just to have a race experience. It was fun, but I just don't really get the point of paying to run a 5k when I can walk out my front door and do it for free. However, the idea of running a half with a live band every mile does sound like a lot of fun, so I'm training for the Chicago RnR half in August. My miles have increased a lot this year - I started running every day in March - but the days that used to be my rest days are short and very easy runs. For me, I find that I don't get as tight if I do something every day. I'm also doing a run/walk ratio on every run since it is easier on my body. I'm also doing some low heart rate training - trying to keep my heart rate well below 150 for most runs - which keeps me at a slow pace. And, I adjust my training plan based on how I feel - if anything hurts I do just a really slow 1 mile run. So far it has worked. Note: I do not recommend this for anyone just starting out! You need the rest days and need to work up to time on your feet. It's a slow process. Trust me - I did too much too soon in the early days and paid for it with hours and $$ in PT.

The other thing about going your own pace is also to do your own thing, if that's what works for you (and I'm not trying to convince anybody that I'm "anti C25K", it's just what's worked for me). I was stuck on week 3 for the longest time - I literally would poop out, I couldn't take it. When I did finish it, and started week 4, I thought I would die. So instead of following the program, I decided to just run until I was tired. And by run, I should say "slog along, at a very slow jog." It worked. Before I got benched last summer by a back injury, I slogged my way up to 4 miles, without any walk breaks. Took me about 3 months to get there. I started running again a few weeks ago, and I'm doing 2.5 miles without breaks now, and doing a lot of cross-training in case my back freaks on me (so far so good!). I find too, that the cross-training is immensely helpful. It makes the running a TON easier!! When I stop for walk breaks now, I lose momentum, steam, whatever you want to call it, and when I start running again, I tire out more quickly. So walking, it turns out, is not for everybody. Anyway, that's my 2 cents about going your own pace.

I had a feeling going into the C25K that I would not be able to comlete it in the 9 weeks planned. I have repeated week 4 and week 5, one time each. I am now on week 6. I will likely need to repeat the rest of the weeks. It's no big deal to me. I just want to run. I want to live a healthier lifestyle than I have in the past. Losing weight would be nice too.