Couch to 5K and One Hour Runners

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Where are you in the C25K plan? (Read 506 times)

Wingz


Professional Noob

    Week 1? Week 10? I did a modified version of this plan when I started out - stretched a 12 week plan out to 20 weeks. It was what I needed because I was so out of shape. (I was 210 pounds when I started running.) However, with some patience I got there. I still remember how ecstatic I was the first time I ran for 10 minutes straight... Big grin

    Roads were made for journeys...

    shyrunner07


      just started week 3 today Smile I'm thinking i might stretch this one out for a couple of weeks....we'll see how things go by the weekend...
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      rectumdamnnearkilledem

        Hey, Andrea, how is your leg doing? Are you in pain anymore? k

        Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

        remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

             ~ Sarah Kay

        shyrunner07


          compared to a few weeks ago, it feels beyound amazing.... Smile Still a little local tenderness on the inner calves, and if i attempt to squat down on the ground with hannah, it really kicks in. But, it's nothing that's keeping me from running now, so i'll take it. Hopefully it will fade away after a few more weeks... how are you feeling now after the big race? has your body forgiven you yet? Whereabouts was the race?
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          rectumdamnnearkilledem

            I am feeling MUCH better. Still a couple of semi-grouchy muscles, but overall I would be happy to go for a run today. But today I am overdue for a weight workout, so I'm going to do that, then run tomorrow. The race was in GR...in Grandville/Standale area. Off of Wilson...near some Christian HS. k

            Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

            remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                 ~ Sarah Kay

            shyrunner07


              did week 4 tonight...i wasn't sure i'd be up for it, as last week felt like a struggle... but i figured, i'd see how things went during the first run interval- if i didn't think i could go a whole3 minutes off the bat, i'd replay week 3 again. No need for that! I actually did the whole workout...although i was hoping to work for an hour, but had to stop after 30 minutes....
                did week 4 tonight...i wasn't sure i'd be up for it, as last week felt like a struggle... but i figured, i'd see how things went during the first run interval- if i didn't think i could go a whole3 minutes off the bat, i'd replay week 3 again. No need for that! I actually did the whole workout...although i was hoping to work for an hour, but had to stop after 30 minutes....
                That's great, Shy. I would recommend not trying to exceed the plan by very much until you are almost at the end of it and able to run a mile or 2 all at once. One thing I found valuable was to walk 1-3 miles on the non-running days. Not only did this "work out the kinks" from the previous day's run, but it (I think) added miles to the pile and made it easier for me to progress.

                When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?

                Wingz


                Professional Noob

                  Let doing the whole workout be enough! Starting gradually and doing LESS than you could possibly do is the whole point of the plan - it helps keep you from getting hurt. If you MUST exercise more, make it some cross-training that's non-impact - swimming or biking are good. The C25K's the way it is to give your body time to adjust to the pounding... most people's cardiovascular systems adapt faster than their joints - which is why so many new runners get hurt. That said, congrats on being able to finish the workout! Big grin Keep up the good work! Cool

                  Roads were made for journeys...

                  shyrunner07


                    thanks guys! I took Bonkin's advice and just walked yesterday on my "off day"- i feel much better this week than in the past weeks...looks like that will be my routine now for the coming weeks- just the one half hour c25k followed the next day by simply walking... looked ahead to see what is coming up...yikes! i can't believe that (as long as everything feels good) I'll be running a full 20 minutes by next friday. wahwahweewah! Shocked
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                    rectumdamnnearkilledem

                      looked ahead to see what is coming up...yikes! i can't believe that (as long as everything feels good) I'll be running a full 20 minutes by next friday. wahwahweewah! Shocked
                      Just wait...won't be long before you get to the point where 20 minutes is how long it takes you to feel warmed-up and find your groove. Big grin k

                      Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                      remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                           ~ Sarah Kay

                        I am done with repeating week 4, and gah, it didn't improve that much :s Perhaps I am trying to run too fast (~9:30 min/mile first 5 mins, ~10:30 the second interval), but no matter how hard I try I can't really run slower. Maybe I am focusing too much on my HRM, but I don't see things improving that much. I tend to blame it on my overweight (I am ~235 lbs), but hey, I am trying to acquire healthier eating habits and I hope it will go down until ~210 lbs easily (I have already did before), so my running will hopefully improve too. And yeah, I am also trying to walk much more: Uni is ~2.5 miles from home, and I have began to walk back every two days or something. In summary, I though I would improve faster (I could feel the improvemente during the first three weeks, but now it's a little bit more stagnant), but yeah, I know this is a medium to long term business Smile
                        PRs 5K 21:44 10K 51:35 51:09 48:41
                          I don't know your fitness level, but I would say that 9:30/mile is way too fast for the C25K plan. In my case, I was in the 220# neighborhood and was doing many of my C25K runs at 12:00 - 14:00 pace. Not only was I (and still am) overweight, but I had just (1 month prior) quit 28 years of pack-a-day (or more) smoking. I KNOW it's hard to run slow - but trust me when I say that the distances get easier when you slow it down. And then, when you can do a mile or two (or finish the C25K plan) - work on going faster.

                          When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?

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                          rectumdamnnearkilledem

                            Yeah...and most folks say not to mess with speedwork at all until one has a full year of running under his/her belt. After running for over a year I would be inclined to agree. The couple of times last year when I tried to add speedwork or hill workouts I usually ended up with nagging pains. Now I will do at least one speed/hills workout/week and it's really making a difference. But I had to build the aerobic and muscular endurance FIRST. k

                            Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                            remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                                 ~ Sarah Kay

                            Wingz


                            Professional Noob

                              Perhaps I am trying to run too fast (~9:30 min/mile first 5 mins, ~10:30 the second interval), but no matter how hard I try I can't really run slower. Maybe I am focusing too much on my HRM, but I don't see things improving that much.
                              In one word: YES! You are trying to run too fast. That's why your HR is through the roof. And it's probably also affecting your ability to improve in your running. You need to have your HR in a certain zone in order to get the most improvement... and the red zone ain't it! If you are having this much difficulting slowing down, then get thee over onto a tread mill and set it at 5.0. (I picked that speed based off the pace you just gave.) Use that for your running speed (the TM will force you to maintain that pace) and see what your HR does. And then adjust accordingly. If it's still peaking into the red zone, set it for 4.8. Or 4.6. Or 4.2. Or whatever it takes. Seriously! Running is a long-term thing - it's not a crash-diet. You have to ramp up slowly and have patience. You have to have patience. If necessary, remind yourself you didn't get out of shape in a month so it's not fair to ask yourself to get back in shape in a month either. It's going to take some time. You have to have patience. If you have patience and train smart you can get where you want to go. If you're impatient and try to do too much too soon you probably won't get where you want to go. You can get there. Just have patience with yourself!

                              Roads were made for journeys...

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                              rectumdamnnearkilledem

                                Running is a long-term thing - it's not a crash-diet. You have to ramp up slowly and have patience. You have to have patience. If necessary, remind yourself you didn't get out of shape in a month so it's not fair to ask yourself to get back in shape in a month either. It's going to take some time. You have to have patience. If you have patience and train smart you can get where you want to go. If you're impatient and try to do too much too soon you probably won't get where you want to go. You can get there. Just have patience with yourself!
                                Truer words were never written. Smile k

                                Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                                remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                                     ~ Sarah Kay

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