2008 - C25K program :) WELCOME!!

[CoMickey]

Sorry to hear about your ankle, as you know with my posts my knee was not the best either. I only did two days last week, and that just killed me knowing that I should have been doing something. But I decided REST is the best way to let things heal. I did week 6,day 3 which was not as bad as I thought........and my knee was tender but no pain!!

Give it a day or two and try again, or just restart with week 1. Maybe it was too much too fast? It could be you ran too fast, remember being a TURTLE is not bad...........because you will still finish

And speed will come with time, otherwise there is no room for improvement right???

I know it's frustrating, as I've experienced similar "setbacks" with my left knee & ankle (screwed up because of a long-ago car accident). But here's another vote for rest--you want to enjoy this, to complete in a happy and healthy way. Don't worry too much about the calendar; that's what derailed me the first time I tried C25K. I was wedded to the program & not listening to my body, which is ironic because I was doing the program FOR my body (and mind and spirit).

I don't know what to say about the running feels better than walking. That happens to me sometimes too. I assume it has something to do with their markedly different movements.

Thank you both for your words of encouragement! No activity for me today or tomorrow. My ankle is feeling better now without any Advil but I plan to take off one more day and see how it feels on Sat or Sun. Looking back, I may have just overdone it last week by not taking any real rest days (I walked on what should have been my rest days). I don't run fast but I am using the podcast and when it ends, I have been walking/running another mile timing myself with a stopwatch and maybe it is just now catching up to me. TURTLE is good and fits me but maybe I also need to just do the 20 min. and not go any further/longer. I'm trying to figure out if it is a tendon or a muscle that is bothering but can't quite decide.

Swim-mom - Great to hear that you were able to run without a painful knee! I can't wait to be on W6 but I will take it slow and get there eventually!

Debra – Wise words – I won’t worry about the calendar even though I would like to sign up for a 10K in May but hadn’t planned to register until March so that gives me a month to see if I think I’ll really be able to do it. We'll do this sloowwly together!

 

[deekaypee]

Allyson: Congrats on finishing W1 & discovering the podcast! It sounds like you're finding your stride!

Vicki: It sounds like you're being really thoughtful about your running and what you need to do. That's a good thing, as it will help you as you progress. Are you keeping a running log, not just of your pace/distance, but of how you feel?

To anyone who may be interested...I was reading Runner's World book for Beginning Runners (I don't think that's the title, but a close approximation), and it offered not only an 8-week 5K training program (similar, but not the same as C25K), but a 24-week program. It's geared toward people who haven't been walking for (I think) 30 minutes at a time, are significantly overweight, and/or have health conditions. If you're thinking C25K is too much for you, you might want to check it out!

As for me: I completed W4D3 today. It was more difficult than on M or W. I've caught a cold & have a sore throat, which meant it hurt to breath heavily. I was sooo glad to be done. (The rest of my workout went much easier.) I'm taking it easy this weekend, very light RPE, and resting a lot. At this point, though, I'm planning on doing W5D1 next Monday.

 

[swim-mom]

Well, yesterday I was to start week 7...................BUT I got cold feet, plus I was tired and every other excuse I could have thought of I did

After alot of self talk, and a wonderful friend telling me that she was not going to hear any excuses today..........I talked myself into doing it!

So tonight I got the courage up to do week 7!!! It is a 5 minute warm up and then run for 2.5 miles............OMG was the first thing I thought of!!!

The first thing I did was cover the display on my TM, this way I did not "fret" over how far I had yet to go!!!

The end result is that I did the program without walking, but I did it at my own "TURTLE" pace and I am so happy!!

My knee is a bit sore, but OK.............I am not looking forward to w7d2, only because mentally it was hard at times!!

Everyone is doing great!!!!!!!!

Any 5K's planned?

 

[maymom96]

Any 5K's planned?

There are two this summer near me. I want to do them but am waiting to sign up. This was my first week. I only did one complete workout this week so I am sure I will be doing week 1 over. On Monday, I ended up doing week 2 and quit half way through. On Wednesday, I worked out on the treadmill and finished. Today, school was canceled so the family walked on the track with me. I was half way through when we were told to leave because the track was closed.
My legs are hurting so bad. I don't stretch before or after the workout. I know I need too. Any good websites that show you how to stretch?

 

[swim-mom]

There are two this summer near me. I want to do them but am waiting to sign up. This was my first week. I only did one complete workout this week so I am sure I will be doing week 1 over. On Monday, I ended up doing week 2 and quit half way through. On Wednesday, I worked out on the treadmill and finished. Today, school was canceled so the family walked on the track with me. I was half way through when we were told to leave because the track was closed.
My legs are hurting so bad. I don't stretch before or after the workout. I know I need too. Any good websites that show you how to stretch?

Runnersworld.com, I am sure will have some stretchs for you to use. I would look their since it is runner specific. Also check our your local book store or library for books for runners, that may help you!

I think you should sign up for those 5K's. Maybe not two but atleast one of them

This way you have something to work towards, you may not be able to run the whole thing and that is normal...................but to actually complete it will prove to you that you can do it!!

Remember in life we age with BABY STEPS, so don't set your expectations too high. It should be I signed up to complete it THAT IS IT!!!! The next time your goal should be to just improve your time

Being a TURTLE is OK, because I will finish

 

[3DisneyKids]

OK...for my MAJOR news of the day...

I JUST RAN A 5-FREAKIN'-K ON THE TREADMILL!

That's right...I went to the gym, and ran for 36 consecutive minutes! Yes, that is a 12-minute mile for anyone keeping track, so I am slower than the line for Dumbo moves. But the point is that I RAN for 36 minutes!

I am bursting! (In a good way...not out of my jeans...for once! )

This was my FIFTH run this week! And technically, I am only just beginning Week 3...so now I am not sure what the heck to do?!?!

I mean, I am psyched, sure...but...can I repeat this performance? Should I go back and stick with the program as prescribed? Should I start running outside since the road is different than the TM? (I am in Maine where it is cold and icy and slushy and gross, so I really don't want to run outside until Spring). Should I increase speed and do W3D1 (because if I was running faster, then I would definitely need all the walking breaks...)?

As for me, today I will bask in the glow of this HUGE personal victory...and I will not sabotage myself with food!

 

[kimwim8]

Congrats 3DisneyKids! What a wonderful accomplishment! What made you want to do that (and at such a speedy pace) when you're only on week 3 of the c25k plan? Just curious. I would definitely go back to the program for your next run, and increase the speed if you find it too easy. Or skip ahead in the program a little. Good luck and great job!

As for me, I'm a c25k graduate, but was injured - so I'm starting the program again. I just finished w2d3 yesterday, so I have a ways to go...but I'm plugging along.

3DisneyKids - I say 12mpm is a speedy pace, because when I first started running 5k distances I was at about a 15mpm pace, and it took months and months to build up to 12 mpm's.

 

[3DisneyKids]

Congrats 3DisneyKids! What a wonderful accomplishment! What made you want to do that (and at such a speedy pace) when you're only on week 3 of the c25k plan? Just curious. I would definitely go back to the program for your next run, and increase the speed if you find it too easy. Or skip ahead in the program a little. Good luck and great job!

As for me, I'm a c25k graduate, but was injured - so I'm starting the program again. I just finished w2d3 yesterday, so I have a ways to go...but I'm plugging along.

3DisneyKids - I say 12mpm is a speedy pace, because when I first started running 5k distances I was at about a 15mpm pace, and it took months and months to build up to 12 mpm's.

Hi Kim and thanks for the positive reinforcement! I have just been beaming all day!

Not sure what made me do it...I was running along and just felt good so I figured I would keep running instead of taking the walking break....and just see how far I could go. I was definitely pushing myself...like when I realized I was at 13 minutes, I would just say..."ok, shoot for 15...then I'll walk" and then the next time I looked at the timer, I was at 16:30, so I said...well, see if I can do 20..." and so on.

I don't think it was too easy for me...I was definitely breathing hard and sweating up a storm...felt like the right amount of exertion.

Thanks for thinking 12mpm is speedy! I feel like such a slow poke, but I really don't care....I am running for the first time in my life!

 

[kimwim8]

I don't think it was too easy for me...I was definitely breathing hard and sweating up a storm...felt like the right amount of exertion.

I meant, maybe if week 3 seems too easy when/if you go back to it, then I'd either skip ahead in the c25k program or stay at week 3 but run at a faster pace.

Sounds like you're doing wonderful though. That's exactly how I used to be, only I'd be running outside. I'd tell myself - keep running til the end of the block, or to a certain color mailbox.

 

[deekaypee]

Swim-mom: Congratulations on finishing W7D1; that's outstanding! I honestly believe that a significant part of the challenge of running, in whatever stage or whatever level one runs at, is mental. But it sounds like you've got some solid strategies for coping with those challenges.

Maymom: There are some different schools of thought with stretching before running; I'm following the idea that a brisk warm-up before suffices and do my stretches afterwards, when my muscles are already warm. YMMV, of course, and I agree with Swim-mom that Runners World provides good advice. Just keep plugging away at it!

3DisneyKids (is it Riz?): Wow--that's impressive. And congratulations! I think it's great that you were able to challenge yourself that way, and that you succeeded. I wouldn't sneeze at 12mm, either! I agree with Kim, keep your options open to playing around with the C25K schedule. You might find yourself going back to W3, or jumping ahead to another week, or playing with your speed. Remember, C25K is a means to help us all get to where we want to be--running a 5K. Some of us will be able to follow the program exactly, but many of us won't be able to. If you're feeling good, I don't see any reason why you shouldn't try to run another 30 minutes straight.

As for me: Hey, I'm a good example of how YMMV with C25K, literally. I completed W4 last Friday, just as my cold was blooming. This weekend I was sicker than I'd been in a while. I continued to lightly XT on those days, because I thought I could sweat out the cold. By Sunday, though, my fever/chills made me on unhappy camper; I napped 3x more than I worked out.

Amazingly, I slept late this morning & woke up feeling great--or so I thought. I went to the gym, thinking I could complete W5D1. What a mistake! I completed my first 5 minute-run interval, which succeeded in making my lungs hurt. And because it was painful to run, my form was suffering; hunched over isn't really trainer-approved! And then I thought, "Why try to force this?" My body obviously isn't healed enough for the exertion. And so I stopped, listened to my body (rare for me), and shifted over to some light XT, enough to build up a sweat but not enough to exhaust me. I left the gym feeling better than I'd entered, if somewhat disappointed by the lack of C25K progress.

What I'm trying to say, I guess, is less about me than about the program. C25K is just a means to an end. The program is a good one, I think, and it works for many people. I have no doubt that it will work for me. But I think we have to take into account our own bodies--whether it's the level of physical fitness when we begin the program, time constraints, injuries, illness, or energy level--and adapt C25K to fit our needs. Sometimes that means pushing ourselves, like 3DisneyKids. Sometimes that means starting the program over, like Kim. Sometimes that means adding days, like Swim-mom, or repeating weeks, like Maymom & Allyson. And sometimes that means taking a break, like Vicki & me. After all, I think the reason we're all doing C25K has less to do with wanting to be able to say we've run 5K than to become runners. If we're in it for the long haul, much longer than a 9-week program, then we might as well learn to start listening to our bodies now.

 

[larry's girl]

Erika, congrats on running a 5K on the treadmill. I can tell you are elated, as well you should be!

Debra, what you are saying makes sense. I am heading in to week 4 and not at all sure I can do that much jogging. Jogging hurts my joints because I am so heavy - walking is much easier to do. But I do think the interval training (walking then jogging then walking then jogging) is helping me build up my stamina and lose some weight fairly well, so I am going to keep trying to build up with it. But I won't collapse trying to keep up with a schedule that may not fit me, either. It's a fine line between challenging yourself and pushing too hard, risking injury or burnout. Anyway, here's hoping week 4 goes well!

Susan

 

[3DisneyKids]

Thanks so much for the kudos Debra and Susan!

Well, I headed back the gym this morning...and I DID IT AGAIN! It was definitely more difficult today than yesterday...there were several times when I wanted to stop. But Debra gives great advice here...I knew that I am "ahead" of my program, so I also knew it was ok if I couldn't do it again and needed to walk in the middle. Tomorrow is another day and I have no idea where that one will lead. And again, this is on the TM as opposed to the road...no clue what will happen when I finally make the conversion!

There is a 5K at Disney in March and I am really considering going just for the week-end to do the race. It is for the National Kidney Foundation (and those who know me from the other thread know that this is a majorly important charity for my family). So, I am seriously thinking about it...I mean it is three things that are important in my life...Disney, a 5K, and fighting kidney disease...kinda seems tailor made for me, you know? I know that I am not really ready for it yet since I have not run outside yet...but it is a walk/run, so if I had to walk part of the course, that is fine as well. I'll let you all know what I decide!

 

[CoMickey]

Debra - Well said...I am still taking a break...not by choice. I took Thurs. Fri. and Sat. off and thought I would do some walking yesterday but sadly was only able to limped around the block once. I leave for Tampa this Sat. for work for several days and then I will be at WDW the rest of the week and next weekend. I then have plans to go skiing the following weekend...please oh please heal ankle!
I hope you are feeling better soon and are back on your path to C25K! I always find encouragement in your words. Thanks!

I have to say 3DisKids - Wow...way to go! I hope I will be there someday and sooner rather then later! I am sure it is just a wonderful feeling.

Susan - You can do it!

Everyone else...feel proud that you are where you are and that you are still working toward your goals!

 

[maymom96]

After only truly completing one full 30 minute workout my first week last week, I wasn't sure if I would be ready for week 2. As I was doing my first run, I decided to try week 2. Guess what? I did it!!!
I used the treadmill at the gym, listened to upbeat music (instead of the pod cast) and watched tv. Oh and I chewed gum which helped take my mind off everything. I am so proud of myself!!!!

 

[3DisneyKids]

After only truly completing one full 30 minute workout my first week last week, I wasn't sure if I would be ready for week 2. As I was doing my first run, I decided to try week 2. Guess what? I did it!!!
I used the treadmill at the gym, listened to upbeat music (instead of the pod cast) and watched tv. Oh and I chewed gum which helped take my mind off everything. I am so proud of myself!!!!

You SHOULD be proud of yourself! Way to go! Three cheers for YOU!

 

[vscohen]

Hi!
So I was so excited when the 40% discount code came out and I got one, because I decided that meant my husband and I could go to Disney for our fifth anniversary in October and stay in a deluxe, rather than go in September for free dining and stay in an Allstar. And then I convinced a friend she and her boyfriend needed to come down too. And he said "okay, but only if the two of you agree to run in the ToT 13K" (which is going on while we're there)

So she found the CP25K program, and we both thought it was a great idea (though we're going to have to take it slow moving from week to week given how MUCH of a couch potato we both are!) and then I found out the Dis (which I go to all the time for my trip planning) has stuff dedicated to this program! AWESOME!

Anyways, tonight was my first time working out in probably more than three years, and we started with week 1. We're both using the podcast, which I've found helpful because of the motivational comments added in =)...my friend did the whole thing, but decided to only run every other time she was supposed to be running (we're planning on taking 2 weeks for each week, and even that is going to stay flexible...)
I was able to get through the whole workout! But Oh My Gosh I am SOOOOO sore now =) I thought the five minute warmup walk would be good enough to stretch me out, but apparently not. I think we're going to swim tomorrow to loosen up our limbs and joints a bit, but I really think we'll be able to get through this!

Congratulations to everyone that's accomplished so much on the plan already - your stories are very inspirational =)

 

[swim-mom]

Hi everyone

Glad to see that everyone is making progress!!

On Sunday night I did w7d2 at 11:30pm (not a good idea). I did complete it, and ran the whole 2.5 miles BUT I was so tired I just wanted to give up several times..................but I didn't.

Monday I do my practicum, so it is now a REST day!! Tonight, I am going to watch the BL and I plan on doing day 3.

Keep up the good work everyone.............and remember running close to midnight is another challenge that I hope no one has to deal with

 

[kimwim8]

On Sunday night I did w7d2 at 11:30pm (not a good idea). I did complete it, and ran the whole 2.5 miles BUT I was so tired I just wanted to give up several times..................but I didn't.

Yup. You're nuts. Congrats on making it through, though. I don't know that I could have ever done it.

I ran w3d1 today. Felt good! I'll run d2 on Thurs and d3 on Sat.

Keep up the GREAT work, guys!

welcome vscohen!

 

[swim-mom]

I took it easy yesterday, since I have been sooooooo tired.

So I decided I would follow week 7, for time rather than distance. Normally, being on a TM I run the whole 2.5 miles. BUT this time I walked for 5 and ran for 25, to give my body a break. PLUS, it was 10:45pm when I finally got on the TM.

It was fine, I think doing that last night was a great way to exercise and to take a break.............since with the distance I run for almost 40 minutes at my TURTLE pace

Even though last night was w7d3, I am doing to do another day. This week is a challenge!!!

Hope everyone is still doing great!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[kimwim8]

It was fine, I think doing that last night was a great way to exercise and to take a break.............since with the distance I run for almost 40 minutes at my TURTLE pace

You're really doing great! It was a good idea to listen to your body and to bring it back a notch last night. I still don't know how you run so late at night. I'd have to force myself to wake up at 4:30 or 5am to do it, rather than stay up & try to have the energy that late at night. Different strokes for different folks!!

Oh, and I signed up for the ocean drive 5k on March 30th! WISH me luck!