Week 1 Day 2 done: I was so pumped after... - Couch to 5K

Couch to 5K

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Week 1 Day 2 done

ashishkulkarni profile image
ashishkulkarniGraduate
27 Replies

I was so pumped after managing the day 1 yesterday that I decided to do Week 1 Day 2 today - without taking a day's rest.

Actually, I want to start my Week 2 on Monday which is the real reason.

Managed it. And used a Gymboss Minimax Interval Timer to keep me right.

So far so good.

Still on the treadmill.

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ashishkulkarni profile image
ashishkulkarni
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27 Replies
Rignold profile image
Rignold

Would strongly advise against this approach.

misswobble profile image
misswobbleGraduate in reply to Rignold

Me too. Take the rest!!!! You will get hurt if you omit the rest day. If you are new to exercising you must take a rest day. The rest day is when your body does its best work. Stay hydrated as well

Take care and don't let over-enthusiasm get the better of you. I know it's hard to rein yourself in but trust me it's the best way to complete the programme. You want to be injury-free

freshApril profile image
freshApril in reply to misswobble

hiya, thanks for the advice, i almost did this too (i started wk on on sunday) but was a bit scared of injury and am enjoying it too much to allow an injury to mess it all up for me. Do you think it would be ok to miss the rest day on wk 2 or 3? or would you recommend keeping the rest day until graduation?

JoolieB1 profile image
JoolieB1Graduate in reply to freshApril

I am on day 3, week 5 tomorrow. Everyone recommends taking rest days and recovery time enables you to keep building fitness without injury. If you are desperate to move on your rest days, try walking, cycling or swimming - something different. You will benefit from moving through the programme slowly when u reach week 5!

Well done for being keen!

Julie

freshApril profile image
freshApril in reply to JoolieB1

Thank Julie, you have been very helpful.

ashishkulkarni profile image
ashishkulkarniGraduate

Thanks guys. I will rest tomorrow and do the next run on Saturday :-)

nhs2015 profile image
nhs2015Graduate in reply to ashishkulkarni

Yes take a rest day. You also may find if you do too much at once, you may also give up.

So, a rest day in between or three run a week , even if you have ants in you pants, will get you there.

Curlygurly2 profile image
Curlygurly2Graduate

Naughty you! Well done!

MarkyD profile image
MarkyDGraduate

Gosh, all those micro-tears in the muscle fibres in your legs are going to get a shock. We normally require one or two days for these to repair before going out again.

Really, if you wanted to start W2 next Monday, you should have started W1r1 this Monday.

What's the rush?

ashishkulkarni profile image
ashishkulkarniGraduate

I know...I should have started on Monday.

I was a bit lazy with starting on Wednesday :-)

gary_bart profile image
gary_bart

Trying to just push through the entire programme (or big sections of it) without rest is not going to work very well, but occasionally varying things should be easy enough to recover from if your body tells you it was a mistake (and you didn't push all sorts of extremes). But that said, the rest days are actually "body building days" (to give them a nice, tough progressive name). Or they're the days where you reap your harvest, maybe. (And the run days are either planting days - when good - or ploughing days - which in this case should really be spelled with an ow in it).

If ever you feel like you're being "lazy" in the off days, maybe go and work your arms? (Do push ups, go to a gym, plant a tree, etc)

freshApril profile image
freshApril in reply to gary_bart

good idea, i have been feeling lazy on rest days so maybe these can be 'sit up' and 'squat' days?

gary_bart profile image
gary_bart in reply to freshApril

Good idea. Apparently squats strengthen the knees. You might want to do a bit of research on the various newer core exercises. I've even heard it said that sit ups can be bad for you in some cases. What you're probably looking at is the plank, and the reverse crunch as a good start. (Lately all I've been doing is reverse crunches, which is a bit unbalanced).

For a while, I would do leg strengthening exercises at gym on the off days, but I dropped those just to ease up on this injury of mine. While I was doing the exercises they didn't seem to be getting in the way of the running most of the time. Sometimes several tons of tiredness was arriving all at once, and I'd just take it easy for a while. I wouldn't recommend this, because I'm sure it must interfere with the recovery process in the legs, but I'm just pointing out that it's not fatal.

freshApril profile image
freshApril in reply to gary_bart

nice one, i didnt know they strengthen the knees, i have been looking at techniques online at work the last few days (basically skiving off work haha) and havent heard anything about sit ups being bad for you but i suppose thats how the media is now, one minute somethings bad for you and the next min it cures cancer (e.g. last yr they were saying stay away from e cigs and now they are going to be prescribing them!) ! i do enjoy sit ups, i have never been able to plank for more than 30 seconds but maybe that will change as i go into the later weeks of c25k? you must be very healthy to be able to plank, it literally makes me feel like i want to die but i do enjoy sit ups. i will have a look at reverse crunches in a bit, i need to actually crack on with some work haha! thanks for the tips :D

Rignold profile image
Rignold in reply to freshApril

Situps = lower back pain

Oh, and every day is squat day.

freshApril profile image
freshApril

I wanted to do that! I did day one on Sunday and came home from work on Monday and really wanted to start day two. I didn't though, because i haven't excersized in so many years, I am scared of doing myself an injury so i want to be careful at first. I am really enjoying it too, keep it up!

ashishkulkarni profile image
ashishkulkarniGraduate

I am really enjoying all this community support :-)

Thanks guys!

JoolieB1 profile image
JoolieB1Graduate

Exercise makes us feel good, get tUsed to that feeling and so rest days feel flat 😑

ashishkulkarni profile image
ashishkulkarniGraduate

Ok...had a chat with someone about my predicament and what they have suggested given that I want to start a new week on Monday - start week 1 afresh on coming Monday.

And no running until then.

So that's what I will do and start again on Monday :-(

IannodaTruffe profile image
IannodaTruffeMentor

NHS C25k is devised to work for just about any one..........................that means from fittish teenagers to sedentary...ahem, let's just say older folk, whether they have exercised previously or not. Many people start this programme with underlying health conditions and a large number are overweight.

Younger runners may be able to take liberties with the rest day recommendation ( I have read elsewhere that you should run for a year before running on consecutive days, which seems a bit arbitrary) but new runners are more prone to injury if they do too much before their body has become accustomed to the new stresses on their body and nothing is more dispiriting, or likely to lead to abandoning the plan, than an injury. Some form of non impact cross training on non running days will improve your performance and may decrease your injury risk, long term, so is to be encouraged.

My first look at this forum was to ascertain whether it was okay to run every day, such was my enthusiasm, but like most people, I decided that the devisers of the plan knew more about running than I did, so I ran alternate days right through and would still say that is the safest way to start running.

ashishkulkarni profile image
ashishkulkarniGraduate

I do CrossFit on my non-running days and will continue with that. It comprises of mix of cardio and strength training.

I hope that breaks up the running days up nicely :-)

Rignold profile image
Rignold

I would say if you are a Crossfitter you probably have enough base fitness to condense C25k a bit. Certainly if you are doing Metcons 4 days a week stamina and cardio fitness should not be an issue. If you can do Fran or Murph or Fight Gone Bad, C25k is not going to cause you any problems.

What do you do currently when the WODs involve running?

ashishkulkarni profile image
ashishkulkarniGraduate in reply to Rignold

I can do the odd 300 meters. But when the WODs require multiple runs, I either row or run and walk the distance.

It does get embarassing though especially during partner WODs involving a run as my partner(s) are left to do more of the WOD.

All the more reason why I want to be able to run.

Anyway...I hope that in a few weeks, I am able to contribute more to the partner WODs :-)

Rignold profile image
Rignold

I'm sure you will do very well at C25k. I would suggest, in the light of this, that you stick with the programme as written for a a week or two, and the take a view on accelerating it or not. The thing with all exercise is not to let ego or over enthusiasm (or embarassment) get in the way of progress. That is why WODs are scalable and the crossfitters who stay the course are the ones who don't try to match the Firebreathers.

there is loads of time, there is only one you.

ActonHighStreet profile image
ActonHighStreet

My twopennyworth would be that if you're already pretty fit, you might be better off starting C25k at Week 4 or 5 and sticking to the programme rather than rushing through the early weeks running consecutive days.

ashishkulkarni profile image
ashishkulkarniGraduate

Thanks guys.

I am reasonably good at weights. However, I suck at cardio and especially at running.

As they say in CrossFit - leave your ego at the door. My ego is well and truly out of the picture and will stay there I hope.

I will stick to the C25K programme religiously and not try to jump weeks or days :-)

davelinks profile image
davelinksGraduate

Yes! would strongly advise following the programme religiously. Age, weight & fitness all play a part. Take it steady!

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