Hi everyone,
Long post alert, but as it is my first I thought I would share my story. I have only recently come across this forum which is a real shame as it looks a great place to get advice and support through the couch to 5k programme.
Like most people here, I honestly never thought I could do it, but was determined to complete a 5k race before my 40th birthday (September 2015). Running for a full minute in week one was terrible. Body pains, rubbish breathing, felt like I had actually died, and pretty much felt like this for the first 3 weeks. The advice to run at a pace where you can hold a conversation made me laugh so much, I could barely talk for a good 5-10 minutes when I had stopped running, let alone whilst I was moving, if you could call what I was doing moving at all.
My partner Kevin had agreed to join me on the couch to 5k journey. He has never been a runner either and was nervous that his body wouldn't be able to cope. He is just the wrong side of 50 years old now, and has a build like a string bean, but he has found that the programme has helped him enormously too. As he is 6ft 2 (I am 5ft 5), his stride is significantly longer than mine, and he can obviously move much faster than my little legs can, but he has always run at my pace so we can achieve our goals together. This has involved him running around me in circles like my own personal satellite in the early days, but I have somehow gradually increased my speed so we can (almost) run comfortably at a similar speed.
We completed week 9 run 3 last Friday, but actually did our first 5k distance in week 8 in 35m:02s - which I was really chuffed at. I know I should have stuck to the plan, but we just felt like we could do the extra time and went for it. Something just suddenly clicks doesn't it, and without realising you are happily (well sort of) moving along, breathing in a good rhythm, wondering how you ever though 1 minute was a struggle, and before you know it you only have 5 minutes to go.
We have done another 5k run as our week 9 run 1, and managed 33 mins, but mainly because the first km was sub 5 minutes and way too fast for me and I was wrecked at the end. This also meant I had a terrible run week 9 run 2, and for the first time in the entire programme I had to stop and walk, and I abandoned the run completely after about 15 minutes - disaster. Thankfully run 3 was better and we did the 5k in 34 mins.
We are signed up for the Color Run in Birmingham on 15th August, and my goal is to get the 5k down to under 30 minutes if that is possible. Any advice and guidance would be much appreciated.
Happy Monday everyone.