Two weeks ago I made the decision to lose weight and therefore joined WW. On Friday I decided that as well as losing weight I needed to get healthy too as there is no point in being slimmer but still unfit, so that's where C25k comes in.
Never been a great runner even at school, and I'm even worse now! I'm only on week 1 run 2 and I already feel like I'm going to die. Hips and achilles ache and I struggle to jog for the full one minute. Is it possible that somebody can just be too unfit to do this?
Written by
ElleDorado
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
I felt like I was going to die every single run of the nine weeks... But I didn't die! I made it and I'm sure you can too.
You should maybe see a doc about the hips and Achilles though.
ElleDorado, you are probably trying to do the 'running' bit too fast, and if you can't manage a whole minute, do 30 seconds., 20 seconds or 10 seconds. Build up slowly. Remember, even when you're going slow, you are still lapping everyone on the couch!
Also, please, please, please invest in running shoes (if you haven't already) Go to Sweatshop or Up and Running and have a gait analysis and be really fussy about which shoes are comfy. The staff are usually very helpful. Don't give up, you CAN do this xx
If yo are lucky enough to have a lovely person in your life (or even a helpful friend!) get them to massage your sore bits, it really helps with aches and pains :-). Bio oil is a nice oil but even plain vegetable oil will be nice.
Also, Epsom salts in a warm bath helps too. Good luck x
No, you cannot be "too unfit" to succeed; you simply have to slow down during the running stints.
Take your time, don't be obsessed with speed nor afraid to stop when you feel pain (discomfort and even soreness are normal, pain is a warning signal) and you are bound to succeed, like countless others who are here have done.
Keep us posted on your progress and do not hesitate to seek help and encouragement on the forum. Welcome, soon-to-be-runner!
No it's not! Just gird your loins and be in it for the long haul. Well, not so long, as Couch 25k only takes 9 weeks, give or take. Losing weight and getting fit doesn'-t just magically happen, it has to be worked at, so get your planning head on, clear any junk food out the pantry and get ready for a lifestyle overhaul. It's so worthwhile! To do nothing, but get unhealthier, is not an option is it ☺
So, no more talk of defeat before you even got going! Big yourself up from here on in with a "can-do" attitude
C25k is short walks followed by 60 seconds of running, for several weeks. Worst case scenario is you have a minute to go before you get to walk. If you 4un nice and slow you will soon get the hang of it. In the meantime increase the amount of walking you do. Get a pedometer, or use your phone and go for 10,000 a day. Easy when you are doing c25k
The mantra at WW class is eat less, move more. You can eat plenty of healthy foods though so no worries. Just stick with it. Never quit 😊
I've said this loads on here, so apologies to those who have heard it before...I have taken 11 weeks to get to week 6. I have never been a runner, but decided I needed to get fit.
Take it as slowly as you need to, but don't give up. Walk if you have to, try and do a little more each time, talk to Laura ( I often had to apologise to her for my colourful language during the first few weeks!!!). Doing something is so much better than doing nothing!
One thing I will say, is make sure you take your measurements as well as counting points when losing weight with WW. My weight has only changed by a few pounds since running, but have lost 2 inches from my bust, 3 from my waist and 2 from my hips. If you rely on the scales, you may get disheartened.
Definitely get decent running shoes and if pain doesn't improve, get media advice 😊😊😊
How many years has it taken for you to get unfit and fat???? When was it that you can honestly say that you were fit and not overweight ?? We slowly slowly become who we are - and we can only slowly slowly go back to where we used to be. It takes much much more than simply making a decision to turn around to get back there. That decision is of course vitally important - but it is only the start of our journey. The secret is to enjoy the return journey - and to do all that you can to continue on the journey. You can get there (notice that I didn't say "will" because I don't know that and only you can determine whether that happens) - many people with much larger problems than you (or me) have already done it
First of all, try running very slowly, it is only the time that matters with no medals for speed, make it as easy as you can. There is certainly some aching that results from starting running but while running it should be manageable and following rest, you should feel ok. I slept a lot when I was doing C25K and I often sat in bed with the electric blanket on! It is going to cause some discomfort but it will get better. I was totally unfit but I graduated and now run 2 X 5k and 1 X 10k a week. I'm not fast but I am fit! If I can, u can too, one run at a time
Born with foot bones so deformed they would have been broken and reset if I had been born over here. Lifelong Exercise-Induced AND Cold -Induced Asthma, smoked an average of twenty cigs a day from age 15 to 53 (and a heck of a higher average with vast quantities of booze at weekends) Excused all sports at schools, never interested in sports, gradually grew to about fifty pounds overweight and living on crap diet. w1D1 tried it out of sheer curiosity and also frustration with NOT being healthy depsite walking and diets etc. Thought I was going to die that first time - my lungs were almost being expelled through my nose and it felt like I was so desperate to breathe I was trying to inhale through my derriere...
That was June 1st.
Today - August 15th - I ran for thirty continous minutes for the fourt or fifth time.
Check with your Qualified Medical Whoever and if they say give it a go - honestly, you WILL be doing that thirty minutes if you keep follow the programme and hang out and run with us here. We are ALL in this together - you might run on our own but if you come to this Forum you will never run alone.
Read as many posts as possible - then the decision you make will be a truly informed one. I hope you stay and the day will come when you will be urging a newcomer to run who is in the same boat as you are now
There are more people, probably, who whilst currently physically unfit - and thus for whom the programme was designed - have a lot of mental training to do which is much more relevant.
Others have pointed out that you are almost certainly going much faster than you need to - don't forget you are looking for a pace you can eventually maintain for 30 minutes. It's a running motion which is not necessarily faster than you can walk. Slow down your running, slow down your walking.
My tip, as someone who took a long time to crack Week 1 but never lost hope: when you come to a point when you really have to stop running before Laura (if you are using the podcasts) says stop (and do try taking smaller steps, even running on the spot if you are close to the end)... then just walk the rest of the podcast, don't try running again that session. The walking is still useful and you have a very clear marker of your progress and next time out you'll be motivated to equal or exceed what you did last time, even if you don't manage to complete the full session with all 8 runs.
I was thrilled to bits to manage 4 runs the first time out (that was 3 and a half more than I thought I would!) Next time out 4 again and I gradually crept up till I had completed the full Week 1 session the required 3 times. It was a great investment.
The hips and achilles will benefit from you taking it more gently. You could look for softer surfaces which may improve your running style so you are not slamming yourself down. Are you hitting the ground heel first? Probably not a good idea.
When I started I was really pessimistic however I really wanted to get fitter and lose weight. Medically I'm considered obese so from week 1 I took it slow, really slowly, the first week my calves felt like they were on fire and my shins hurt. Occasionally I took 2 days rest instead of one and sometimes a week to give my body time to recover and get stronger. I'm now on week 6 and about to attempt my longest run yet and now for the first time ever I ran after the delivery man to get my parcel!
You can do it!! Just remember if you find yourself in pain don't run through it. Slow down to a walk. If you find an increasing ache/burn slow down.
Also buy proper running trainers! They do make a difference!
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
But I didn't die! I made it and I'm sure you can too.
Defeated, Disappointed and Sad!
Disappointed not defeated!
Disappointed but not defeated 
Just finished my first day! 
Thinking about starting C25K or struggling to stick at it? 
