There have been threads about this program in the past and people generally seem to have had good success with it so I figure I may as well give it a go. I have been dieting and walking to lose weight and it’s going pretty well but I think i’m now ready (perhaps) to take it up a notch.
I did day 2 of week 1 this morning and so far it’s going quite well but I would be interested to hear from those who have completed the program before. Have you managed to stick with running and extended beyond the 5k or did you find it hard to motivate yourself to keep running once the structured program stopped?
I completed C25k for the second time back in April. Since then I’ve been running 3x a week most weeks. After the program, I just ran 5k 3x a week but I wasn’t too focused on trying to run longer, I just did it when I felt like it. I signed up for a half marathon in November a few weeks ago so now I know I have to increase my long runs. My longest run so far is 6k in 1:10. So now I just have to do a little more than twice that, should be easy, right?
Awesome program. It is easy to stay focused when you’re done with the regiment, because there’s always another training program to complete. I’m currently training for a half marathon, which I never would have thought possible when I first started running.
I didn’t follow C25K exactly, but just kept gradually increasing what I did. Tomorrow I’m going to run my first official 10K. Normally I run 5K a few times a week (and run/walk it the rest). But my training has been curtailed because I’ve been taking care of my mom after surgery (she’s fine and nearly ready to go home YESSSSS). Still, I managed to run the whole 10K on my own about a week ago. Today I’m resting and making some nice pasta for dinner. Hope to finish around 1:15 max, but judging by last year’s race results, I expect to come in dead last. Doesn’t bother me as long as I can run the whole way. (It’s a trail run too, which I’m told ups the difficulty. Oy.)
In April 2009 I weighed 220. Today I weigh 145. Weight Watchers and running both rock!
ETA: I’m also signed up for a half marathon later this month, but I fully expect to run/walk it. I’ll run the first 5K and then maybe walk a little, run another 5K, etc. I’ve walked a half marathon twice, so I know I can finish. The question is, how much of it can I run? Stay tuned!
Scarlett67, I would recommend that you start your walking breaks sooner.
Run say 4-6 min then walk 1. The idea is to not let fatigue build up too far as you may find when you feel ready to run again, your muscles have stiffened up too much. Jeff Gallowayis a big proponent of this.
I’ll check in regularly if people don’t mind. I stopped running when it got really hot and now I’m going to start back up again - me and my dog. She has trouble keeping up in the heat, but if we do it in the wee hours, I think she’ll be OK.
In any case, we won’t be doing the C25K, but I do find that having a place to report progress helps me stay motivated.
My doc said she would prefer that I do more short runs than increase the length of my run, so this year I may try 1 mile daily, once I’m up to it. I have not yet decided. I think my dog can handle that better too.
I did the C25K early last year. I’ve had breaks since then but I’ve maintained a core fitness so that it generally only takes a couple of runs before I can do 5k again. I’m in a good frame of mind at the moment and my regular run is 10k while I sometimes do I fast 5K run. My goal is to increase my regular run to say 15K and do a fast 10K for a change up.
My only problem with running in general is that I seem to have a problem ankle and I need to be very careful about moderating my running so I don’t push it to the point where I have to take an injury break and then lose motivation.
Well, who am I to argue with someone named runner pat? Thanks for the tip! I will try that.
I finished my 10K this morning in 1:09:something. I’m no speed demon, but I did run the whole thing! And I didn’t even come in dead last – there was a guy who looked to be about 80 years old behind me. I even got a medal for 3rd in the women’s 40-49 “division” – but I think there were only about 5 women running the 10K at this very tiny event.
So now I can say I’ve run a 10K. Next goal: to run the half marathon. There’s one in my town in late April. Maybe by then . . .
It’s good to hear that people who have taken up running have managed to stick with it, gives me hope for the future. I have finished week 1 now, start week 2 on Monday morning and i’m looking forward to the challenge, it’s only another 30 seconds of running each time so hopefully it won’t destroy me too much.
My first run was yesterday and it went better than I expected. I stopped running when it got really hot so it must be about 2 months. I did not lose nearly as much as I expected and was able to run comfortably for the first 3/4 mile. I actually could have gone further but was worried about how sore I might get. Today wasn’t too bad either - I am sore, but not in the places that I expected to be.
One thing that keeps recurring: my right hamstring is always sore. I’ve been diligently stretching, but today it is mildly painful. I’m not sure what to do about that.
Did another run today. It went well. I tend to want to go at it too hard at first, and then hurt something, so I held myself back again to 3/4 of a mile.
I’m using the C25K app in my phone and right now I’m on week 2. I should be on week 3 day 1 but I stopped all weekend and drank and smoked and ate things with gravy so I decided to ease in this week. This program is 9 weeks (maybe they all are, I don’t know) but I will probably be 10 weeks before I am ready to move to the next step up 10k.
I am sweaty and sore but I really like it. I used to run with no real problems but when I went back to school I quit exercising and started eating fast food more often and started gaining weight like crazy.
The runs I do start are very short - 90 seconds - but gradually increase to about 30 mins. I’m already looking forward to a half marathon!
I did C25K seven years ago, coming from a place where I was in pretty bad shape (weight was okay, but in cardiovascular terms, yikes). Did a 5k, went on to do a half-marathon, and still run several times a week for fitness. It’s a great program - I’m glad I did it
One thing I’ve noticed, and seem to remember from the time before when I ran, is that I stay hungry for better food now. I don’t know if it is my body craving complex carbs and lean proteins or if I am subconsciously refusing to undo what I’ve done, but I don’t remember the last time I stopped at a fast food place other than the occasional Subway veggie 6 inch. I did go somewhere and get a big meal and a huge slice of the most awesome strawberry cake I’ve ever had and I felt gross after that for a day. Win-win, but odd.
I’m hungry all the time. I eat a LOT of light yogurt and 100% whole wheat toast…
I started with the C25K program last year but ended up just working on increasing my running each week. I ran a half-marathon in June, and have another one coming up in Oct and have decided to run a full marathon next year. I’ve also lost about 1/4 of my body weight.
Each run is a success, enjoy the time you spend running and listen to your body.
Did my Week 2 Day 1 this morning. Managed to run the whole time I was supposed to be but the last run was more of an amble/trot, I was very tired!!
Out of interest does anyone else use GPS tracking for their run? I set my GPS going at the start of the warm up and stop it when the cool down ends. Today I covered 4.36km during 29:29 which was actually less distance than I did during Week 1 though the duration was 2-2.5 mins longer during Week 1.
Yeah I have the mapmyrun app for my iPhone, I set it going when I start and stop it when I end. I’m happy if my 5k runs are over 10 kph and if my 10k runs are over 9 kph and improving.
I even got a medal for 3rd in the women’s 40-49 “division” – but I think there were only about 5 women running the 10K at this very tiny event. 
