I just did W3D1 ,taking the advice of earlier posters took down my speed considerably, But I seems to be harder to run in a straight line, I have to pay more attention to my footwork and I stumble a lot.
Don’t think I could do the long distances at a higher speed, so steady as she goes .
I’m not overweight - though sedentary and out of shape do fit me descriptively - and although I’m grateful I’m not dragging extra weight through the run, I’m not sure how much “easier” it is. Although I get a psychological boost from it - I know someone who runs 5ks and is at least 40 pounds overweight - and I keep telling myself “if she can do it carrying extra weight, I can do it without the weight.”
Thanks to Dangerosa & MsWhatsit. I’m now pretty pumped to try the W5D3 run, partly b/c of your assurances, & partly b/c I found a new loop that has far fewer hills than where I currently run.
Keep your fingers crossed.
You can do it. Like I keep telling people – when I started this thing, I was 60 pounds overweight and had had no significant physical activity for years, apart from light walking and occasional bouts of weight lifting. And a day ago, I ran for 25 minutes straight! Granted, it was super slow, but still: 25 minutes! I figure that if I can do this, just about anybody can.
(Am now down to only 52.5 pounds overweight. Huzzah.)
I’m out, for now. For a long while, maybe. My knees aren’t up to the strain. Good luck to all of you!
I finally, finally did Week One, Day One this morning (after my delay due to sciatica, see page one of this thread). I am nearly as proud of myself as I was when I got an A in my first class back to school after 20 years away.
The bunion on my right foot was protesting, but not badly enough for me to stop. I just wore very comfy and wide shoes to work today and have taken aspirin. I think it was a matter of my elderly cross-trainers. I will have to get new shoes.
My running was arguably slower than my walking, but I did it!
Sorry to hear that, but knees are important and not worth risking.
Upon completing W1D1, I got in the car and was so dizzy I couldn’t drive for a couple of minutes. I haven’t been that bad since.
The leg is much improved. Some stretching post warm-up walk and pre-run really made the difference.
Today I’m running 2 miles. I’d planned to run last night but got bogged down at work and had to make our pub trivia round, so tonight’s the night. And the strangest thing happened – I was actually miffed I had to delay my run!
Yes, W1D1 was brutal. I felt light-headed at the end as well, and that night I was so exhausted that I fell asleep at 9 pm in front of the TV. (My usual bedtime is midnight-ish.) Like Labrador Deceiver, though, I haven’t had an experience like that since. Although I am sleeping better in general now.
Completed W7D1 today! I’m running a new trail that doesn’t have miles marked, so I have absolutely no idea how far I ran, but I feel like my pace was a little quicker than W6D3. I can’t believe I’m 3 weeks from finishing this thing.
Week 1 Day 1 kicks your butt…
So if anyone is thinking about giving this a try, learn from our mistakes
Unless you’ve built up endurance from something like an elliptical (and even then consider):
Take it slow - you are jogging, not running.
Don’t push it starting out. If you get near the end of the series and you are feeling great, you could give it a try. Pushing it means running quickly or running into your rest period saying “I’m not tired, I can keep going!” None of us found that first 60 seconds too hard either, that’s why the last 60 seconds kicked our butt.
Pick a flat place to run - Brainiac4 and I both made the same mistake running the hills back in the park for Day 1.
Pick a cooler time of day to give it a try - not 3:00 in the afternoon in July. - Another mistake I made (although I think the first time I tried this it was a hot day in May - it was two or three weeks before I started again).
Drink something before you start. I think it was week 3 before I figured out that running first thing in the morning without having a glass of water was bad.
Have something ready to drink for when you finish.
Stretch a little before you start.
What Dangerosa said, except that I DID find the first 60-second run hard. I was actually feeling winded (this is pathetic) just from the 5-minute brisk warmup walk.
You will be surprised, though, at how quickly your cardio endurance and lung capacity improve.
Yeah, I was blown away at how quickly I was able to catch my breath after the run today. My recovery time has gone from, say, 20 minutes to 10 over the past month. (I’m making up the numbers, but you get the idea.)
Did day two today (again, since I got sidelined by a softball injury). One thing I’ve noticed- my legs hurt when I walk, not when I run. Very annoying.
W4D2 complete here.
Some things:
Shins still hurt, but not nearly as bad. I found that if I stretched them, the pain relief was enormous.
Also, I have plantirs fasciatisis (sp?) and I have found that by week 4 it’s hardly noticeable. After runs, my feet are tender and sore (but so is everything), but the improvement in my everyday walking and such is tremendous.
Me too – kinda weird, huh?
I did W1D3 this morning; inspired to start by this thread.
I tried to get on the program last year, but never made it past the first day. My plan then was to listen to Podcasts (which I prefer to music), and time my runs & walks with a stopwatch. This was too difficult and I kept losing track… so I gave it up.
This time, I’m using one of the timed Podcasts which specialize in C25K – I’m using the ‘Chubby Jones’ one off of iTunes. I’d figured I wouldn’t be able to concentrate on a Podcast anyway, what with all the starting and stopping. And I was right – this is SO much easier.
Anyway, I’m pretty excited about this. I’ve always hated to run and I have no interest in becoming a ‘runner,’ but I’d love to get to the point where I can do a 3 or 5 mile run 3 times a week just for the cardio and weight management aspects.
I do find it strange, though, that my legs hurt during the walking parts, not the running parts…
It’s true - the later weeks seem daunting before you get to them, but the first time I did this program, I was really amazed that I could do them the whole way through. Me? Run for 20 minutes? :dubious:
I actually re-started on Monday (the weekend was…odd, so I didn’t start when I planned to), with W1D1. Today will be W1D2, and I’m looking forward to it.
I’m happy to report that my knee does not hurt in the least.
You folks weren’t lying about the bliss of the right pair of shoes. Got a new pair after day one, with professional advice in an actual running shoe store, and day two was completely different. It’s like my bunion doesn’t even know I did any running. Totally worth every penny, and I want to go find that store clerk and give her a big kiss on the mouth.
I finished Week 5 today, and feel pretty darned happy about it. You all were right - the 20 minute run wasn’t even the toughest day I’ve had so far. If anyone has W5D3 coming up, don’t be too nervous about it.
Working on week 4 day 2 today. W4D1 almost killed me - that was hard. Hoping that today was better. And the podcast I was using didn’t have the verbal cues or chimes, just song changes as cues. And I missed one, so I didn’t do the final five minute run - Bad Snicks! Today I’m going to concentrate on a) going slower and b) finding a route with less hills. Oy.