Who else is on this running program, and how are you doing so far? Any tips you’d like to share?
I’m on day #3 of the first week, and so far it’s going pretty good! 
The last two running days I’ve been pretty spent by the end of the running portion, so I don’t know how I’m going to make it through the first time I start week #2 (that will be on Tuesday), but I imagine people feel this trepidation each time they move on to the next week, right?
I’m in the middle of doing it now as well! I’m on Week 7, Day 3, so closing in on the end. Yes, your gut instinct are right… you think to yourself, “This sucks, no way I’m gonna be able to make it through the next one…”. But you push yourself through it. I’m at the part where there’s no more intervals, no more walking. And there have been days where, 5 minutes into it, I’ve thought, there’s no way I’m gonna be able to finish it today. But, I haven’t given in yet, and it always feels great.
No real tips that I can think of right now, sorry. Keep going, though!
The human body doesn’t like to exert itself and it’s perfectly normal to feel like stopping. The good thing is you can recalibrate yourself to a higher level of exertion before it kicks in.
Even world class runner go through it when racing, we all do.
I did it two summers ago and then stopped running. But yeah, its normal - and early on its the worst because you can’t imagine being able to scale up.
But you do and you will.
I had a friend who doesn’t run - he bikes. But when I first got to know him he was 300 lbs. He bikes 100 miles a day with some regularity now - and is slim and trim. I always had him in mind as I ran - I figured that if he could get his 300 lb frame on a bike and be successful, I could move mine through the run. Later, I met a coworker of my husband who runs 5ks. She is NOT a slim person, but again, she moves half again my weight through a five k. If she can do that, I can get through week two.
My biggest piece of advice is to pick someone either 1) inspirational or 2) competitive. Mine were frankly a combination of both.
Good luck. I’ve been thinking about getting back on the treadmill…maybe I will.
I took a similar program a while ago. I’ve done marathons since, but have yet to be in as much pain as I was during that first week.
Good idea. I’m in. I’ll start tomorrow.
No, seriously. I need to get in shape
Me, too. No joke! We’ll be runners for the new year.
I tried to do it a couple years ago and got shin splints really bad. I tried to work through them and I thought that conditioning would make them stop. Then my doctor told me that I’m practically flat-footed, and that I can’t run. 
I’ve always wanted to be a runner. I’m not spending hundreds on orthotics, either.
I don’t get shin splints, per se, but the last time I tried running (~3 years ago) I would get very sore shins during and after the run. One thing that helped the pain (before I gave up, which also helped the pain :p) was to do this particular stretch – you can even do it sitting down. Point your toes on one foot, bend your leg and touch the very top of your big toe (where the nail is) on the ground if you’re sitting or on the edge of a step if you’re standing, and place some weight on your toe. You’ll feel the stretch along the top of your foot and the front of your shin.
I’ve been doing this stretch, a hamstring stretch, and a dynamic plantar fascia/achilles tendon/calf stretch (stand on my toes at the edge of a step, drop my heels below the edge for a few seconds, rise up on my toes for a few seconds, repeat) before running now, and I’ve yet to have any problems. (Knock on wood.)
Keep at it!
I did Couch to 5k this summer, and these days I’m running 1-4 miles pretty much every single day. I’m more stable and energetic than I’ve ever been, and I finally have a flat stomach and tight butt. I feel great and look great. It’s awesome.
Run, run, run! I did C25K too, and while my training is currently somewhat on the lackluster side, I have run a half-marathon in the past and plan to run another one in the spring. When I started, I weighed about 215 pounds and had never voluntarily run in my life. I am cheering all of you on!
The last time I tried to run, I started to get knee problems. I’d love to do it again, is there conditioning I can do for knees?
Go to a specialized running shoe store. They can evaluate your stride/footplant. You’ll need some fairly heavy duty motion-control shoes.
If you have a running club in your area, they’ll know all the good places. Or just ask local runners.
You can also add toe walks, heel walks and rapid toe tapping.
Good for you, gallows fodder! I am a big fan of C25K. I finished the program last November and am still running. In fact, I just finished a 10K program. If someone had told me last summer that I would be running 10K by the following fall, I would have said they were crazy. But here I am! It’s a really good feeling.
As for tips, the only one that comes to mind is: Don’t get psyched out by the increasing runs each week. I know it seems like a lot of running, but many, many people have done it and you will be able to as well. Oh, one more: Don’t run too fast. I used the Podrunner Intervals podcasts and I liked how the pace was quite slow in the first weeks, but then picked up in later weeks. I felt that it helped me run longer without tiring.
Good luck!
Thanks for the tip! One of the issues I’m having is that I’m running on a treadmill and it’s hard for me to tell what my natural pace is and what speeds I should set the treadmill for when I run and walk. I have noticed that when I jog across my basement (don’t laugh!) it feels a lot easier and smoother than when I jog on my treadmill, so I might be setting the speed too high. I’ve been using the treadmill rather than go outside because I couldn’t think of an easy way to mark time and/or distance without the clock right there in front of my face. But I’ll try one of those podcasts!
Good for you! I started with C25K in the spring of 2010; I wound up ramping up my week-to-week increases a little more slowly than the program indicated (in part due to injury), but I was able to get to 5K by the end of the winter. So far this year, I’ve run in six 5K races and two 10Ks, and am training towards running in a 15K next month.
One piece of advice: don’t look ahead in the weeks. You may wind up saying to yourself, “I can barely do a two-minute run now! How the hell am I ever going to do three??”
Stretching was (and is) very important for me; I have very tight muscles, and when I started, I began to suffer from self-inflicted patellar tendinitis. I went to a sports-medicine doctor, who diagnosed the issue, and prescribed several particular stretches. I stretch nearly every day, and haven’t had a recurrence of the issue.
I’ll also second runner pat’s advice on getting properly fitted for shoes for your stride. It was the very first thing I did, before I even started to run, and I believe it makes a huge difference.
I’m a fairly recent C25K graduate and now I run 4-5K 4-5 days a week. And yes, I feel like stopping for about the first 5 minutes or so but then I get into the rhythm of it and it starts to feel better.
I agree about getting the right shoes. I had foot, hip and knee pain at various times until I went to a running store, got evaluated and started buying the right shoes.
I’ve quite before because I let myself get psyched out about week 5 when you run for 20 minutes without stopping. This time I motored through it and it wasn’t as bad as I thought. It helps to pace yourself.
A word of advice if you’re using the I-phone Couch to 5K app. It times you and tells you when to walk and run which is awesome because I didn’t have to look at my watch constantly. But, when I completed my C25K I was only running 4.25K in 30 minutes because I’m really slow and the app doesn’t compute distance. I had to work a couple of extra weeks to get up to 5K. My pace is still around 8 minutes/K which makes my 5K about 40 minutes but that suits me. I’ll work on speed later.
I use the MapMyWalk app to track my speed and distance now.
Best of luck to all who started. You can do it!
Okay, I lied. Not lied exactly. I meant it when I posted it, but I need to gain a few levels of fitness before I actually run or even jog.
I did, however, walk for 30 minutes today. And I’ll do it again on Wednesday.
And I really admire all of you who’ve made the commitment. Go you!
You could also get onto fitocracy, there’s a bunch of dopers on there already. It’ll help you track your progress.
Find music to run to that has your run beat. Run outside to find it (or on a track). Then come in and play with the speed on your treadmill until you are hitting that beat with that song.
There is a web site out there that gives you run beats for songs, but I have no clue how to search it up.