A (stupid?) newbie question...

[Lee337]

Hi guys/gals,

The name is Lee and I turned 50 a few months ago. I have not done any running before...well, not since my cross country days at high school, many years ago now!

I work as a truck driver so you can imagine I have a 'bit of a belly' on me, which I would like to lose if possible. It's not a massive belly and when I breathe in hard I can get (most of it! lol) to disappear. So I guess it's not so much fat, as muscle that I never use...err, well, that's my excuse at the moment and I'm sticking with it!

I'm looking to do this C25K challenge as I would like to feel fitter than I do at the moment. I didn't have any decent trainers, so I've been into a top store in Birmingham city centre and had my gait measured while jogging on a treadmill. I've never done that before either, and it was strange I can tell you!

So, I've downloaded the C25K podcasts to my little iPod shuffle and now I have my trainers I am all set to start this running off, but I have a question...

Am I supposed to follow the instructions of the first podcast every single day for a whole week (so I have 7 'mini' runs every week), then the 2nd podcast everyday for the 2nd week (another 7 'mini' runs) and so on?

Sorry, if it's a stupid question, but the website is not very clear on this. It simply states you go out running for 9 weeks but doesn't give a break down of what the weeks actually consist of. (Maybe the designers of the website could make this clear if they're reading this!)

Anyway, thanks for reading this and I (hopefully) look forward to being a fully fledged runner in the not too distant future!

Cheers!

Lee.

[PippiRuns]

Welcome to the friendliest forum on the internet where no questions are stupid.

The answer is no - you have to follow the first podcasts 3 times in your first week, then when those three runs are completed, follow the second podcast 3 times in your second week, etc. etc. I think the nice woman in the podcasts - our lovely Laura - explains it all. So just tie those shoes and off you go! Good luck.

[Lee337 Graduate in reply to PippiRuns]

Thank you for the welcome and wishes of good luck!

Ok on the 3 times a week. I hope to get the C25K going asap but start a new job tomorrow in a different part of the country...and have nowhere to stay once I'm there either! Help!

[PippiRuns in reply to Lee337]

Sounds difficult. But if you fall in love with running like many of us here have done, you will soon find the time and place to run no matter what gets in the way.

I started out i March, an overweight 44-year old couch potato, and have now lost 10 kg and am able to run 8-9 km without flagging. You can do it too!

[Lee337 Graduate in reply to PippiRuns]

Thanks Iben. I hope you're right!

[Lee337 Graduate]

Ah, thanks for the info!

[Vanessa291 Graduate]

Welcome Lee337. Good luck and let us know how your first run goes.

[Lee337 Graduate in reply to Vanessa291]

Thanks Vanessa! Yes, I will post on here once I start.

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

This forum is run by a community of people who have done or are doing the NHS C25k programme, not by any paid employees of the NHS or their agents. If you scroll down through the pinned posts on the right of the page you will find a post for a downloadable wall chart, which gives you the breakdown you need.

Welcome and good luck. You won't regret this and all that muscle will be toned in no time.

[Lee337 Graduate in reply to IannodaTruffe]

Thanks for the welcome, wishes and info Ian!

[Josepha2263 Graduate]

Welcome Lee337, you've come to the best place to keep fit. many of us here hasn't done any running since leaving school and came here to keep fit, lose weight and be fitter. The c25k podcast is brilliant Laura is the best trainer you'll listen to she'll explain all as soon as you'll press the on button, she'll tell you what you need to do and when to start running and stop before you know it you'll be like us running addicts.

I never thought I could run for 60 seconds let alone 30 minutes non stop, now I can't stop running I just love it.

Congrats on your new job and hope you find a place to stay. Please keep us posted when you start the c25k podcast, we are all ready to give you advice and to support you all the way.

Good luck.

[Lee337 Graduate in reply to Josepha2263]

Thanks very much for info and nice welcome Josepha2263!

I will indeed keep the forum updated as soon as I get underway which I hope to do asap.

[McFitty Graduate]

Hi Lee, well you've done all the prep, got the shoes, got the podcasts and you've posted that you're starting... so as Iben said, get them shoes on and get going😉 There's loads of us 50 pluses on here, in fact, every age, weight and shape imaginable, all being changed, one run at a time! Get ready for an incredible journey

[Lee337 Graduate in reply to McFitty]

Thanks very much for that McFitty!

Yes, I hope to be fitter than I've ever been in the near future, as well as enjoying a new activity that doesn't just involve lounging around staring at a screen!

(I love the name btw :-D)

[McFitty Graduate in reply to Lee337]

I love my name now (I was McFatty when I started) 😁 (and I'm so addicted to this forum, I probably spend more time staring at a screen than I did before)!

[Lee337 Graduate in reply to McFitty]

lol

Well, I guess it's ok staring at screens as long as you are still getting up off yer a$$!

[misswobble Graduate]

Oh yessssss, we are getting off our butts alright! Welcome to the fold. C25k doesn't take too much time to complete so you should be able to fit it around your day. Have fun! Just go slow and you'll be fine

[Lee337 Graduate in reply to misswobble]

Thank you misswobble. I will!

[melly4012 Graduate]

Well done for taking the first step! The C25k programme is just amazing, following it is one of the best decisions you'll ever make. Go slow, stretch, take your rest days and you'll be a runner before you know it!

As others have said, complete the runs with at least one (two if you need) rest day in between each run and move through the programme one run at a time. If you can't complete the run then repeat it again until you get through all the running stages before you move on.

Stick with Laura and you'll continue to surprise yourself.

The forum is one of the best places on the internet. It's full of incredible, inspirational people so do post for advice, encouragement and to let everyone celebrate your successes with you! We'll be with you every step of the way

[Lee337 Graduate in reply to melly4012]

Thanks very much for the advice and the nice welcome melly!

Yea, I am looking forward to being fitter and a graduate of the C25K programme soon!

[runswithdogs Graduate]

Welcome Lee. You'll be in tip-top shape in no time at all. Happy running.

[Lee337 Graduate in reply to runswithdogs]

Cheers!

[GoogleMe Graduate]

Just to add that the 'week' is perhaps best thought of as 'set of three completed outings with a minimum of one non-running day between each. (Most weeks of the programme you are repeating the same session in full 3 times and then you move on to the next 'week' - even if it was tough, if you completed it and didn't walk when the programme said run, you move on) Some people find it does work best to have set days in the week when they run, others of us just stick with the 'not on consecutive days'. Technically, in the latter case, it would be possible to complete the whole programme in under 9 weeks, but in practice... life gets in the way, some sessions need to be repeated because you didn't manage them in full...

I reckon you've picked a really good option for your lifestyle (I don't know how far you drive but many of us get quite keen on 'running tourism' and variety in your routes helps most of us.

[Lee337 Graduate in reply to GoogleMe]

Thanks for extra info. I have not had chance to get started yet and I'm still a bit sore and aching from my new job which is a lot more physical than I was lead to believe! Plus I still don't actually have a place to stay in at the moment.

[GoogleMe Graduate in reply to Lee337]

Just do it. Knowing you are up against it can help you have appropriate expectations and stop you going off like a bull at a gate... which is a fast route to disappointment. You might even find that it helps with the aches and pains from the new job.

(You might want to make sure you do have access to a shower mind you!)

[Bazza1234 Graduate]

If life gets in the way and screws up a week for you, never mind - just do what you can during that week and repeat it next week. This is a marathon - not a a sprint! You can take longer than the usual 9 weeks - but you have to understand that "you can't outrun a poor diet!!! "

[Lee337 Graduate in reply to Bazza1234]

Thanks for the info Bazza, and yeah my diet is another thing I am working on atm!