Too slow?

[Ejd5775]

Week 5, Day 2 so far (no real exercise to speak of prior to starting c25k) and I run exclusively on a treadmill. It's old, and I don't know if it's accurate on the readouts.

Could I possibly be running a little less than 3mph? w5d2 says 8 minutes or 3/4 mile... I ran 8 minutes and didn't even get 1/2 a mile in according to my treadmill.

A) is that possible? I mean... from what I read of others and even on beginner type questions... people are moving quicker than that.

B) Should I repeat until I can get to 3/4 mile in 8 minutes?

Feeling embarrassed & discouraged...

[Ullyrunner Graduate]

No such thing as too slow - it's the running motion that counts. Although called couch to 5k, there are no distances or speeds laid down. The only requirement for graduation is to run continuously for 30 minutes. And it sounds as if you are well on your way! Forget distance, just do the time!

Good luck!

[Ejd5775 in reply to Ullyrunner]

Thank you! That's true isn't it... I'm very excited about improving and all of the health benefits (including losing weight) and I just want what I'm doing to be beneficial... but I guess anything is better than the couch!

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate]

Slow and steady....that's all you need to remember.

As the great folk on here will tell you... you are off the couch... making the effort and going for it!

You're doing just fine...

[JoolieB1 Graduate]

Bless you, I remember feeling like that while on C25K. I was determined not to repeat any weeks when I did it, but looking back, it would have allowed me to build my fitness more gradually and perhaps enjoy it more, guess I am stubborn! However, running is running. I used to think that if I run any slower, I will be going backwards. You need to remember, you have never run for so long before and so going slow is your way of managing the run time. There is so much time to think about speed later, right now, don't worry at all about it, just the times and feeling ok about running and not beating urself up!

When you graduate, speed can build naturally without even trying! Keep going. Julie 😀

[Pinguette Graduate]

i asked exactly the same question in week 5 as I felt I was going embarrassingly slow but everyone reassured me that speed doesn't matter!! Now, on week 9, I realise that they are totally right. Running, even at a pace that others can walk at, takes a lot of energy as we need to get our bodies off the ground and that action gets us so much fitter than walking does. I've also found that I'm naturally speeding up a bit now, albeit from "really really slow plod" to "some chance of not getting overtaken by grannies on zimmer frames"..... So keep plodding away at whatever pace suits you right now and be very proud of how far you've come from week one!!

[carerof Graduate in reply to Pinguette]

this made me smile, i have a mental image of little old ladies with frames and you just ahead trying to widen the distance!!!!! Lol

[Caroline69 Graduate]

I remember thinking I wasn't actually moving at all - the snails were passing me!

But, please don't even think about speed at this point - it's all about getting out there, completing the program and improving fitness. Stamina first and improving your speed will come in time .... ( I'm still waiting though to be honest!!)

Good luck, just enjoy the running x

[Hidden]

Don't feel embarrassed and don't feel discouraged. Can you run for longer than when you started ? I thought so....You are making progress and that's what counts. Just keep doing what you're doing, don't look at the distance display, just concern yourself with running for the time specified and you will be fine. If you want to speed up when you have graduated all well and good but for the time being do not give speed/distance another thought. Good luck and chin up !

[GoogleMe Graduate]

Is there any possibility of running any other way? It certainly is achievable on a treadmill (others have done it) but as you have found, it is much more difficult to get the 'what speed?' issue out of the way so it is a slightly different business.

Running is about a different movement rather than a different speed. My Fitbit thinks I go for walks, I beg to differ!

[the_tea_fairy Graduate in reply to GoogleMe]

I'd vote to get off the treadmill as well, but it's coz I run mostly for emotional wellbeing and find half an hour spent outdoors is a massive mood-boost.

If you want further encouragement, though, I'm convinced running over rough ground and hills gives me a pert bottom and flat abs as well as runners legs 😉. And as GoogleMe says, you won't be looking at a speed/distance display.

[Ejd5775 in reply to the_tea_fairy]

I would LOVE to go outside! But it's freeeeeeezing here right now!

[GoogleMe Graduate]

Just occurs to me... this is the *NHS* C25K you are doing? Because that doesn't mention speed or distance at all... and if it did it would be in metric

FWIW it was a big day for me (post C25K) when I got under 10 minutes per kilometre - and I'm not running sub 9 minutes/km yet. The right speed for you is the one you can sustain for as long as you need to.

[Ejd5775 in reply to GoogleMe]

I'm in the U.S. and probably read way too much about each run... Some programs compare to distance... That's where the uncertainty is coming from!

[GoogleMe Graduate in reply to Ejd5775]

Aha... you can still use the NHS C25K podcasts outside the UK... there are lots of C25K programmes and the NHS one isn't the original by any means. But it does seem to be more genuinely for beginners and Laura's coaching suits many of us in a way that other words and voices would not when we are starting out. (Laura did used to post here - she wasn't someone who was mad keen on sport and therefore became a sport trainer)