Can’t speak for everyone, but I have bad knees and squats make all the difference in the world for me. I started at bodyweight but can now do an additional 28lbs (two 14lb dumbbells.) I also do things like swings and snatches for core strength. I don’t tend to injure myself during running as long as I’m doing regular strength training.
I’ve completed Couch 2 5K before and ran my first (and so far, only) 5k in 2008, but I’m back on the program again in Week 7. It’s tough. I’m slow. I did 2.5 miles today with three very brief walk breaks. It’s a great program and I recommend it to anyone who doubts they can picture themselves as a runner.
Two great websites for tracking exercise are SparkPeople and Fitocracy. SparkPeople is more touchy feely and supportive and Fitocracy is more competitive. I love them both for different reasons.
I tried to get into the C25K thing, and it seems every time I jumped to week 2, I broke myself.
I blame a combination of running on a treadmill, and wearing $30 shoes from Walmart. But I can’t justify spending $100 on shoes that I may only wear for a week or two and then they’ll sit in my closet getting dusty. Ugh.
Suggestions? Advice?
Once I get some new (cheap) shoes, I hope to start running again.
Week 6 for me. My schedule keeps getting screwed up because I end up at at my parents’ place. I was at their house for over a week while they were out of town. I walked in the morning and took their dogs out in the afternoons for a long walk each day.
Cheap shoes are worth every penny you pay for them. I just replaced my $100 running shoes and I never run a single step in them. But they are so comfortable and they fit so well that they’ve saved a boatload in pain and further joint damage.
I highly recommend using the podcasts, by the way. There are also C25K apps for both iPhone and Droid that will just play the timing cues over your regular playlist. I can’t imagine trying to do the first few weeks while constantly looking at a stopwatch!
Also yes, shell out the bucks for the shoes. It’s worth it, I swear.
I just finished day 1 of week #2, and I was able to run for an additional 30 seconds on my last running interval! (Hey, this is almost miraculous for me. :))
The problem I’m having – which I’m sure will go away, but it’s a little disheartening at the moment – is that I just feel too tired to keep running by the end of each interval. My legs don’t hurt, I’m not gasping for breath…I just don’t have the energy to keep going.
I’ve been on a low-carb diet for over a year now – I know one of the downsides of going low-carb is that you initially don’t have a lot of energy for high-intensity cardio, but I’ve been on the diet for so long that I thought I had adapted by now. I’m going to try to eat a slightly carbier snack (like maybe a small apple with cheese) before my next run to see if that helps.
Sorry if this is clueless, but do I need to wait for a certain period after eating before running?
I don’t like to run right after eating anything heavier than maybe a yogurt or a piece of toast, but that’s just because it makes me feel gross, and not because it’s contraindicated. (As far as I know.)
Re energy: You might actually be running out of energy. Try having a yogurt or something before you run. Or an apple, sure. Or you might just be psyching yourself out at the end of your run. A lot of running is mental.
Also, let yourself slow down, a lot if necessary. Even if your running speed is slower than your fast walking speed, it all counts and it leads to improvement.
You never adapt to a low carb diet. Your glycogen stores remain low and are quickly depleted with any activity. (“hitting the wall” or “bonking”)
When this happens, you start burning fat only and you can only continue at a very slow pace as fat metabolism is slow and inefficient and only provide energy at a slow rate.
Try adding at least 75-100 grams of carbs a day and see if that helps.
Experiment with eating before running, everyone is different and you’ll need to find what works for you.
Let’s see, Beta-chan is 13 kg, and Didi is 9 kg, so if I hold them both while doing the squats, it should be 22 kg. That will be a good start.
You probably are right, my body tone isn’t what it used to be (don’t get old if you can help it). While I never really did a lot of exercises, I’ve always been active. I had started to slow down the last couple of years as I’ve approached 50, but young kids take a lot more energy, so I’m getting back into shape.
I’ll work on the squats and some other exercises for a while and then will do the Couch to 5K.
This body thing getting old pisses me off. I remember deciding to take up running again when I was about 30, and started off with 5k in 45ish minutes to take it easy.
I ate an apple and about 2 cups of a vegetable mix that included carrots and lima beans an hour before running last night, and I think it helped with my energy level.
I couldn’t tell for sure, because I was distracted by my calves hurting a lot as I ran, probably because I wore heels all day yesterday and skimped on stretching beforehand. :smack:
One of my other problems is that I have a chronically tight hamstring in my right leg. (I’ve had this problem for at least 10 years.) I’ve been trying to focus my stretching on that leg and taking more time with it than the left leg, but I’m wondering if I should check in with a physical therapist for a specific stretch routine. I know tight hamstrings are a problem for a lot of runners, so I don’t want to exacerbate things.
I’ve kinda started up again. I did the C25K program a couple of years ago, then took a good deal of time off. I ran 2 5Ks earlier this year, with very little training, and felt that my last time was shocking (probably because of all the walking I did). My friend convinced me to run another at the end of October, and so I started training for it early this month.
I’m running an entire 5K now three times a week - yesterday’s went really well. I’m still not timing myself, so I don’t know what my pace is, but I’m running the whole thing and that’s a success for me.
After the race next Saturday, I’m hopefully going to start training for a sprint triathlon sometime next summer, with the same friend that convinced me to run this last 5K. With luck, there’ll be no stopping me this time!
Me and the Fiance both started this program again recently; due to time constraints (she gets off the treadmill only 20 minutes before I need to be in the shower, or I’m late) today was the first day I finished day one; she’s now finished week one, and should be starting week 2 next week.
From my past, failed, attempts at this, I’ve learned two things :
I can no longer run at an 8-10 MPH pace like I would have when I was in high school.
Seriously, slow down idiot! I’ve found that 4.5 - 5 MPH is a good starting point for me; my muscles seem to cope right away, but my tendons take a while to get into it. My ankles HURT this morning for the first 4 runs.
Hopefully I won’t have the issues I’ve had in the past, where I’ve stalled at week 2 for a month, and gotten bored and dropped the program.
I’m not sure what the issue is (no injury that I can remember). I’ve done yoga on and off (mostly off :p) for about 15 years, and for as long as I can remember, my right leg has been tighter than the left. Maybe it’s just an anatomical quirk of mine.
I’ll be more conscientious about stretching and not overstretching next time, and see if that helps.
Same – I don’t think I’m physically capable of running at 8-10 mph at this point. Even 6 mph seems really fast to me. Although I did notice last night that I felt better, almost like it took less effort, to run at 5.5 than at 4.5 – maybe the way running faster lengthens my stride?
I haven’t yet. I got busy this week and I need to get some cold-weather gear because it got COLD. I’m setting aside time for it starting next week, though.
I will be starting next week. Wish me luck! Just in time for the weather to get cruddy, so my tentative plans to go run at the high school track are scratched for now. Treadmill it is!
The dog and I are on week 2 and are enjoying it, so far. I am using an interval timer on my iPhone and Johnny (the dog) has figured out what the walk/beeps and run/bells mean. He likes to run so he starts running as soons as he hears the bells, but takes his time slowing to a walk when he hears the beeps. He also keeps me going just a wee bit faster than I would go on my own.