Week 1, session 1.

[BeaniesMum]

Planned my route last night, knowing how unfit I am and living in a hilly area, trying to keep to flat ground. What I didn't realise was it was not quite long enough and was back home after 20 minutes, and boy was I pleased to be there, I'm not sure I could have gone any further if I wanted to. I am beginning to wonder if there is a prequil for the course for people like me "From Couch to walking, wihout getting out of breath, in nine weeks." Also, the flat route was actually slightly up hill most of the way! Not so well planned after all. Next time I will add an extra road and go in the opposite direction. Won't call it a success or a failure, more of a learning experience. Do the lungs always hurt this much?

[danzargo Graduate]

First off, congratulations!!! You got out there and did your first session which is most likely, the HARDEST run to do.

Don't worry about your body cos it will get used to the gradual build up of fitness. Trust Laura and the program and it will see you through.

I was like you 9 weeks ago. Now I can run 30mins and feel amaze balls!!

[runningnotwalking Graduate]

Hi BeaniesMum and congratulations on completing the first run. I would say it still counts and that is 20 minutes of exercise that you've gained even if the lungs are in shock.

I like the Couch2WalKing idea. Going on personal experience, maybe there should also be a Couch2FrontDoor and a Couch2NotQuiteRunningButFasterThanAWalk as well.

Good luck with the course.

[SVR28]

Firstly 20min of exercise after not doing much before is great, in my opinion.

I'm on week 2 run 2. I normally run (shuffle) around our local park then start to head home when Laura says only 2 runs left to go which helps with timing.

Perhaps there is a local park near you or you could work out a circuit route?

I varied my route this week and went out on the road. What I thought was a flat road while driving it turns out not to be so flat when jog/walking it so I think I'm going to go back to the local park. It made a real difference to me, that slight, long incline, I really struggled, so if this is your first week I would definitely recommend finding somewhere as flat as possible. As you say, a learning experience.

As we are just starting out on this we need to be kinder to ourselves and do the hills/inclines maybe after week 9.

Well done for starting and good luck. Here's to the day we are jogging for a whole 30mins!

[BeaniesMum in reply to SVR28]

Sadly the only park near me is on a very steep incline, so have to stick to roads, I'm hoping the changing direction will help. At the moment walking a whole 30 mins, not at an amble, seems like a challenge. Ho hum, must plod on, thanks for the words of encouragement.

[SVR28 in reply to BeaniesMum]

Just a little story for you:

So I'm busy doing Week 2 run 2 Tuesday night and I'm doing the run part of the Podcast, puffing away, doing my best and a guy casually walked past me!

My "running" is so slow a walker goes faster than me. I had a little laugh to myself, I did feel briefly embarrassed but it's a start and so much better than sitting at home watching TV, wishing I was fit and healthy.

Getting out into the fresh air (even in a city) lifts ones spirits.

We are trying, we are doing something and this is what makes all the difference!

[BeaniesMum in reply to SVR28]

I did my run/walk at six am (have to, Husband leaves for work at 7am and someone has to be in with the child) and the roads were clear most of the time except when the run bits came up. Every time she said to get ready for a run someone would appear and I had to try to look like I knew what I was doing and wasn't just about to collapse.

[SVR28 in reply to BeaniesMum]

Oh, this is so true!

I too have to run/walk at odd hours for the exact same reason. I tried crack of dawn but I struggled with it so now I'm doing after dinner/bath/story/bedtime during the week so around 7.30pm/8pm and mornings (7am) over weekends but only after I've had little stretch and woken up a bit.

Someone else on here said no one knows how far you've been running so it could well be that we've been running for hours and run 100's of kms - how would they ever know it had only been 60 secs! This thought made me feel slightly better.

[BeaniesMum in reply to SVR28]

Just read your blog, you are my kind of woman, disaster movies and giving up too soon. It's the cracks in the ground after the polar storm caused earthquakes that would get me.

[lycranotlikely Graduate in reply to BeaniesMum]

In time you learn that they're not that interested in you and soon after that you can say good morning to them with a smile. And- you know what? the walking ones are a little bit envious that you're out working hard.

[BeaniesMum in reply to lycranotlikely]

When I can talk again, I will, but for the moment it will have to be a distressed wave and a sort of squawking sound!

[Beek Graduate]

WELL DONE FOR GETTING OUT THERE! It is hard at first but you have done the hardest part - making a start. Keep coming back to this blog page and you'll get all kinds of inspiration and tips. For you breathing try to breath in through your nose and out through your mouth. I had VERY painful airways at first and this cured it. I still have to really concentrate on my breathing even now. The other good advice was to keep it 'Slow and Steady'. Don't go too quickly and wear yourself out. That will be your mantra 'SLOW AND STEADY'. Hang in there, trust the programme and you'll be fine. Welcome to this wonderful community and keep coming back - I could not have done it without the support and encouragement. GOOD LUCK! (Actually I haven't done it yet - I'm only on week 4!)

[SVR28 in reply to Beek]

I second this - in week 2 is where I discovered this breathing technique and I found when I concentrated on this and doing the heel-toe thing the run part feels a bit easier to manage.

[BeaniesMum in reply to Beek]

Will try this nose breathing thing, thanks. It's my throat that hurts, like I've been shouting. I think I have no option but to follow 'Slow and Steady', besides talking I do everything slowly, I think I may have been a sloth in a previous life, or I'm working towards it in the next!

[Nerdio Graduate]

Welcome aboard.

This is never going to be easy, and the first week is truly a shock to the system. You may have been thinking about this for a week or so. Unfortunately your brain does not have the foresight to send the key message 'She's thinking about exercise!' to legs, lungs and other key parts of the anatomy that are affected by this. So for them, this is more of a shock than it is to your brain

Flat terrain does help. I am lucky enough to live at the top of a hill, and it is a nice saunter down the hill to the park, which is flat. Can you adapt your route for the first week or so, so the run sections are flat / down hill, and you walk up hill. (From what you say, uphill is always going to be somewhere on the route). Mind you, I hate walking downhill, let alone running downhill. I find this can make for some very flat footed running, and shin splints, which hurt.

It does get easier as the weeks go by. That's not to say there are tough weeks, but in the earlier weeks it is just a matter of getting everything moving, and generally fitter.

Beek is right, 'SLOW AND STEADY'. The plan is to run for 30 minutes by week 9. If you do 5K you do, if not, so what. Take your time, and you will be amply rewarded.

[RainbowC Graduate]

Another one here saying well done - getting started is definitely the hardest part of this whole thing.

I live in a hilly area, so decided from the start that I'd try and include just the smaller, gentler bits of hills if possible. Although they're horrible, hard work, they're also a fantastic way of marking your progress (if they're not too grim to conquer). I remember the first time I realised I'd run all the way up 'that bit' where in the first couple of weeks I was praying for the run to end soon! (But I did also have one particular session where I ran down the field at the start, then for the second half walked uphill, and turned and ran back down every time there was a running interval, cos I just couldn't face trying to run back up it at all!)

As others have said, SLOW is the key. It's not a race, it's just you running for yourself. Don't try and sprint the intervals, just take them as gently as you need to to get through.

Happy running!

[PeggyMc]

I did find another program called From Fat to the Finish Line--could have a better name, but it is just like c25k, only the goal is to get to running a mile, not a 5k