My first week, first day was really bad! - Couch to 5K

Couch to 5K

132,410 members158,563 posts

My first week, first day was really bad!

Sarahlovesbadfood profile image

I am 28 years old and 5ft 7 and am 17 and a bit stone. I am in size 14 trousers but like size 18/20 tops and have a huge bust 38ee, so I carry most my weight on my bust and belly. I do walk a lot hence being in size 14 trousers but I did my first day on Tuesday and have my 2nd one is later tonight.

I found that walking was fine but I just couldn't run for the whole minute my legs felt like they were going to give out. I feel like I'm going to have to just keep repeating week one till I can jog the whole minute every time.

Did anyone else find this as well?

Written by
Sarahlovesbadfood profile image
Sarahlovesbadfood
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
27 Replies
rr76 profile image
rr76Graduate

Don't worry - a lot of us had to repeat weeks. If you walk a lot your legs should be more than strong enough to jog for a minute. You could try slowing things down a little when you jog perhaps? You will find it gets easier - the biggest step is getting started which you've already done.

Sarahlovesbadfood profile image
Sarahlovesbadfood in reply to rr76

Thanks! I think my main problem is I'm jogging up hills. The only flat around here is through the main town but not confident enough to do that yet and don't fancy walking all the way up the hill to jog back down, I would probably fall on my face.

Steve_L profile image
Steve_LGraduate

You haven't said whether you're also trying to lose weight by dieting. Just running won't shift any weight at all. My partner was almost the same weight and height as you (she's still the same height), and we went on the 5:2 fast diet in January 2014. She's lost three stone and is feeling an awful lot better.

The advantage of the fast diet is that you only have to really focus on two days a week in which you eat very little, and just be sensible but otherwise eat normal food the other 5 days, so she found it relatively easy to do, and wasn't tempted to give up.

Sarahlovesbadfood profile image
Sarahlovesbadfood in reply to Steve_L

Yeah I'm trying to eat better would be a lot easier if cupcakes, ice cream and lemon cake were never invented but...I'm just having a pouched egg on toast for breakfast and then a salad for lunch with very small amounts of ham and cheese for 5 days a week and have 2 days where I can have a sandwich or toast and then having 5 nights a week with pasta or rice and only 2 nights where I can have potato or chips.

Hopefully this with jogging will help.

Thanks

in reply to Sarahlovesbadfood

Are you sure you are eating enough? Try an app called myfitnesspal

Sarahlovesbadfood profile image
Sarahlovesbadfood in reply to

Will check it out after my jog, thanks.

Dunder2004 profile image
Dunder2004Graduate

Hills are a killer for runners far more experienced than you or me so it's really advisable to do whatever you can to avoid them.

For the 1 minute running stints, just go as slowly as you can and you will finish them soon enough. Nonetheless, it's not a problem if you have to repeat a run or a whole week for that matter. You are asking your body to do things that it is not used to and you legs are having forces imparted on them that they are struggling to cope with right now. They will adapt and strengthen quickly, almost certainly much quicker than you expect.

Well done for getting started.

Sarahlovesbadfood profile image
Sarahlovesbadfood in reply to Dunder2004

Thanks. I will feel a lot better tonight going up those nasty hills knowing that there really difficult and not just me being a wimp.

Sarahlovesbadfood profile image
Sarahlovesbadfood in reply to Sarahlovesbadfood

Thanks

Tomas profile image
TomasGraduate

I can't add much to what has already been said, other than "welcome on board". You have taken the important first step of getting started, so now it's "just" a matter of following through and making it a habit. Welcome to the new you :)

AdamB profile image
AdamBGraduate

Having to deal with hills does have its advantages later on though. Once you've mastered them, they can be used to your advantage. I have to run hills all the time because of where I live. Last week at parkrun I overtook at least 10 people as they struggled on "the hill" ;)

I don't think of them as hills as such. I try and convince myself that all hills are downhill (it's just that you have to tackle some of them in the wrong direction...)

Sarahlovesbadfood profile image
Sarahlovesbadfood in reply to AdamB

Thanks

MarkyD profile image
MarkyDGraduate

Hi SarahLoves<Salad and poached eggs>, welcome. You're doing just great, don't worry about it. You've started a diet and an exercise program, that is the main thing. Doesn't matter that W1r1 was hard, just stick at it and jog even slower if you need to, hills really are killers aren't they?? Can you work out a route that puts the runs onto less steep parts of the hills? Anything to make it a bit easier. As Laura tells you "You can do this".

Sarahlovesbadfood profile image
Sarahlovesbadfood in reply to MarkyD

Thanks.

Buffy007 profile image
Buffy007Graduate

My worst run and worst aches were after wk 1, r1 - so at least you know you're normal!

Sarahlovesbadfood profile image
Sarahlovesbadfood in reply to Buffy007

Thanks

I did run 2 tonight and after all the great things every said I really pushed myself. I felt like giving up but just kept thinking I can do this don't give up. It was hard but I actually managed to run for the whole minute a few times tonight.

I came home and had my tea which was chicken breast, with a few curly chips (oven cooked) and it's my night off from pasta and rice. I had tons of salad in it kale, tomatoes, cucumber, celery and mushrooms. I got really hungry about 30 minutes ago and thought no that jog hurt so much I'm not going for the typical bad food I love I went and had an apple. That in it's self is a huge mile stone.

Thank you everyone for your kind words it honestly makes me feel so much better.

misswobble profile image
misswobbleGraduate

You'll lose weight if you eat healthily. Wholegrain pasta and wholegrain rice are preferable and will be better for you and fill you up more, but you have to eat moderate portions, as with oven chips. You can eat wonderful food on a healthy eating plan, and if you keep running you will want to fuel yourself up using good stuff, so will probably find yourself making healthier choices to fuel your runs.

Hills are a pig. If you can find some flat then run there. You can tackle hills later. Also make sure you are running very slowly.

I combined healthy eating with C25k and am feeling fantastic to how I used to be . The weight has come off and stayed off as I've never stopped running cos I love it

Good luck with the programme. Stick at it and you'll do it!

Sarahlovesbadfood profile image
Sarahlovesbadfood in reply to misswobble

Thanks

islandrunner profile image
islandrunnerGraduate

I've said this a few times now on this forum. When I started, I could only manage to run for 20 seconds at a time, and I'd been walking everyday for 20-30 mins for over a month. So did 2-3 20 seconds, then 2-3 30 seconds. Then a minute, then 2-3 minutes, then 4 of them then 6, then finally 8. So took me a few weeks to actually manage week 1 run 1 !!! Now on Week 8, and running for 28 minutes. So, keep going, you can do it.

Hills are bad news when learning to run !!

Sarahlovesbadfood profile image
Sarahlovesbadfood in reply to islandrunner

Thanks

Rob_and_his_westie profile image
Rob_and_his_westieGraduate

That "I'm never going to make 60 seconds" feeling was common to most of us I suspect. In a few weeks, you'll look back and chuckle! The great news is that C25K combined with a healthy eating plan is a great way to shed some pounds and get fit. You'll find yourself getting hooked pretty quickly.

The most difficult part of any run is getting out the door!

Sarahlovesbadfood profile image
Sarahlovesbadfood in reply to Rob_and_his_westie

Thanks.

GoogleMe profile image
GoogleMeGraduate

Took me six weeks and more than 12 outings to get Week 1 ticked off. The good news is that I didn't have to repeat a single run in the programme after that.

Well done with the hills - geography less scary than psychology eh?

Sarahlovesbadfood profile image
Sarahlovesbadfood in reply to GoogleMe

Thanks, I'm going for my last jog of the first week tomorrow and feel a lot more relaxed about having to repeat this week. It is crazy just from the first to the second jog I've already noticed a big change.

Harebell2014 profile image
Harebell2014Graduate

Hi Sarahlovesbadfood. I am new to this as well and in a similar situation to you. I have had to do week 1 for about 3 weeks now.....However after this mornings 3rd run, I feel strong enough to go on to week 2.

During the first few runs, I got out of breath and struggled with the 60 second run all the time. I realised that if I stopped running before the 60 seconds were over, I felt no sense of achievement.....so all I did was pause the app during the walking stage and walked until I was ready to fully complete the 60 second run......that way I really did feel like I'd achieved something special.

It didn't take long to close those gaps and this week I have completed 3 whole runs without pausing the app at all........That also includes a 10 day gap due to feeling poorly! xx

PS- when I did my first run after the 10 day gap, I fully expected to be right back to square 1, but I wasn't!! In fact I found it easier, so something good was happening *somewhere*!

Sarahlovesbadfood profile image
Sarahlovesbadfood in reply to Harebell2014

Thanks, I did notice a difference from wkr1 to wkr2 I'm not sure if the change was more in my mind and I pushed myself more but either way I did jog for longer the second time round.

Today I woke up and had pouched eggs on toast with very little butter, I do honestly feel that every time I jog and it hurts like hell it's making me hate junk food. When I'm in pain jogging I just keep thinking did I have to eat so much rubbish, lol

You may also like...

Day 2 of week 7 - Why are my legs hurting so bad?

week 7 running for 25 minutes straight. When I completed the previous 20 minutes run in a previous...

First Failed Run - A Bit of A Bad Day

five minutes, but eventually managed to keep moving (more walking than running) for 30 minutes so I...

The first day of the rest of my life...

for a minute made my heart feel like it was going to explode out of my chest. By the third minutes...

First day of Week 1

took a 5 minute rest. On the way back started the jogging again. I just could not do it. I did get...

My first post-grad week.

been having a fine old time with my running. Went out on my newest favourite route on Tuesday and...