I'm not sure I will be able to do this but I'm going to give it a try!! My level of fitness at the moment is zero and I have about 1.5 stones to lose. How does everyone find it?? Any advice would be much appreciated thanks
Starting today: I'm not sure I will be able to... - Couch to 5K
Starting today
buddie17Graduate
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buddie17
Graduate
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61 Replies
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You will be amazing!! I'm a 42 yr old with 4 stone to lose- I have just completed my 1st week. On my 1st run I huffed and puffed as though my lungs may explode at any 2nd. lol I took my 14 yr old son with me for moral support and he was walking faster than me running. But I did it- and it felt amazing. I didn't care that my face was beetroot red or my legs felt like jelly- I had actually gone out and ran!! And you will feel the same. I have so much more energy- my body aches but I know that's because Ive actually achieved something and it feels good. You will feel good. 😀
Thank you so much that's just what I needed to hear! I'm 45 and my 13yr old has offered to come along with me for moral support !! So similar situation...! I'll let you know how it goes!
Make sure to take it slow and steady- snails pace is a great start. And it's certainly beats sitting still!! Good luck 😉
Snap! I'm 45 with about 2 stone to lose, totally unfit but my 13 year old wouldn't be seen dead within a 5 mile radius of me!! - At any time, but even more so when I'm jogging!
I've been so surprised and chuffed with how it has gone for me, yes it can be hard, but totally achievable. I've had my ups and downs but I've got through them, thanks to all the lovely support on here, reading everyone's comments and knowing that we are all in the same boat.
It is so ridiculously pleasing and satisfying to see how quickly our bodies adapt and improve (even if they aren't quite athletic standard!) that you won't to stop. Good luck, trust the programme - it works! Nice and slow, you'll be fine.
You have come to the right place for great support and friendly encouragement! Welcome to the running family! You will hear from lots of people just like you who have started out with no idea of how far they could go with the programme. You will amaze yourself I am sure! It is a great thing to do for yourself and if you take on board everyone's experience you will discover how amazing this running lark can be...
Keep posting and let us know how you get on
IannodaTruffeMentor
You sound like a large proportion of people starting this plan, who invariably go on to amaze themselves at their own ability and actually come to love running.
You probably don't believe that either and you may claim you are not looking for a new love in your life........so, be warned, if you start this, your life may never be the same again.
Don't try to run like your 13 year old. A gentle jog is all that is needed. Always take your rest days....... ALWAYS!!
Enjoy the journey and keep us posted.
Kimchoc08Graduate
Welcome 😊
With the help of this forum and the wonderful advice that people will be giving you, you'll be amazed at what you'll be able to achieve.
Slow and steady are the 2 words that you need to remember as I found that even though I feel as if a tortoise could overtake me I always seem to get to the end of the run and I feel amazing!! Good luck 🤞🏼🤞🏼
Great advice.... I'm going to take my time... I'm soooo unfit
The best thing to remember is that we've all been where you are now and we've all survived, so far anyway......😊
Enjoy... 😀
MummycavAdministratorGraduate
Buddie...you will be able to do it...you have made a start by confessing to us that you are going to try so there is no turning back!!! Take it nice and slow, don't expect too much of yourself & listen to your body...the programme is designed to build up your fitness level gradually, if there are some runs that you can't manage first time, bag the stamina & count the kms you do & try it again...there's no rules...it may take you longer than 9 weeks but you WILL do it....& you have found he best people to share that journey with...loads of advice from breathing to bra's!!! Keep us up to date with your journey...you'll surprise yourself all the time...most of all though...ENJOY IT!!!
OldflossAdministratorGraduate
It is fantastic... welcome to the forum!
Follow the programme, take it slow and take it steady, makes sure you take your rest days and more if needed
The way to the Graduation podium is by taking it gently...not by pushing
A healthy eating regime, linked with this programme will make you feel fitter, mentally and physically!
Keep posting your runs too! great advice form the Graduates and the opportunity to exchange notes and experiences with the other Newbies too
buddie17Graduate
I've done it 😊 YAY! Day 1 completed... I'm still puffing as I type but I feel good! Think I'm going to love this forum. Thanks all for your great advice... Weird, I'm actually looking forward to Tuesday / Day 2 😄
Yeay!!!!!! Go you..post your run please... simply wonderful...on the way and looking good !!
Thank you !! How do I post a run ?
Just click on the write a post link at the top , then do a report of your run and how it went..short or long as you like Mine tend to go on and on and on! I ramble a lot
You can add a photo too if you like
Well done 👍🏼 and I bet you feel amazing 😁
YAY 😊 Go you!!!! Well done- you've done the hardest run- brilliant 😊
BrownEyedGirlieGraduate
You can do this. The program is achievable if you stick to it. I graduated this week and wouldn't have done it without this group so keep posting or just reading and it will get you there. Welcome to the running family🏃🏻♀️
Thanks I think I'm going to love it!
I started today also, I have about 4stone to loose. You can do this... we can do this... good luck and best wishes
We certainly can do this!!!
How did you get on? 😊
Not as bad as I thought it would be x but it hurts now! Bath time
dapsmith281Graduate
I was at the same point you are just three weeks ago, now actively looking forward to each run. Bags of encouragement will come your way from others on her. If I can do it, and I am more than 1.5st overweight with knackered knees then anyone can
Thanks I'm loving this forum... great to share experiences
Shelby1973Graduate
Hiya Ull do it one step at a time it's hard going but by following the app Ull build up . Good Luck x
Thanks amazing support on here!
Having just graduated I can recommend this program. It really works and has got me running outdoors for the first time in my life! I've still got the weight to lose but am sure that will happen in time. Welcome to this forum everyone on here has been in your position and knows what it's like. I hope you enjoy running 🏃🏼♀️🏃🏼♀️🏃🏼♀️😊
You will be so surprised how fitter and much longer you can run for in a few weeks. Ive not seen any inch or scale loss really but I feel happier and seen my fitness improve loads. Have fun!
Vixen67Graduate
This program should come with a warning it's the healthiest addiction I've ever had lol 🏃🏼♀️🏃🏼♀️🏃🏼♀️ You can and will and feel every up and down possible 🐶
We are with you all the way 👍
iain-strachanGraduate
I'm 1.5 stones overweight and I managed it OK, and from reading it lots of people who are even more overweight have managed it.
It's a terrific ride - there are bits where you will love it, and bits where you will think "omg how am I going to manage this?" But we are all there to support you, and many of us have gone through it and experienced all the same doubts, and received excellent support in this forum from others who have gone through it before.
When I started Week 1 I never believed I could sustain running for 30 minutes continuously, but nonetheless I did. It is all about finding a sustainable pace - running slowly enough that you don't run out of breath. It really is possible to do this, and it doesn't matter how slowly you run!
The day I completed the last run of Week 9 I was wearing this insanely stupid grin on my face the rest of the day. I hope you get that experience too! Good luck, and keep coming back to the forum for support, whether it's going well for you, or if the going gets tough.
BordandbeyGraduate
Hi Buddie17, I see you've had lots of replies.I haven't looked at any of them, so I'm going to trust that I might say something that might be a bit different or in a different way that might be helpful....
Have the end in mind! How do you want the last chapter to read? Plot the story so that you reach that end. There might be some twists & turns on the way, some unexpected, but those are tge things that make the story gripping and interesting!
Do the fitst run & let that motivate you to do the second. Do the second and that will motivate you to do the third. Keep going from one run to the next & before you know it..... It's that picture of 'how do you eat an 🐘? One mouthful at a time!' How do you complete C25K one run at a time, or to break it down further one step at a time (or gasp!!)
We all need cheerleaders! Find people to encourage you. Folk on here are really good.Find also someone in your 'physical friend network' who you can text when you've done your next🏃 or who will ask how you're doung or where you're up to.
You CAN do it. The human spirit is a feisty defiant and determined soul. Get it on your side & you'll soon be graduating!
Ready, steady, go!
Brilliant advice thanks for taking the time to reply. Day 1 completed yesterday and I'm raring for Day 2 tomorrow !
FANTASTIC! That's the way to do it!
HeleneCorsaGraduate
Welcome! And go for it, you will never look back!
We all started off at zero. The most surprising thing of all is seeing your disbelief melt away as you go on to make progress you would not have imagined. This forum is a great place to share your journey, to be buoyed along in difficult moments and to be applauded for your achievements by people who sincerely want to see you succeed.
Enjoy, and keep us posted!
Thanks for your reply.... so great to feel I'm not in this alone!
scotinexileGraduate
Do give it a go. I'm pretty unfit but have now completed w3r1 today. I've amazed myself.
Well done... day 2 for me tomorrow!
My advice to you would be to do each week at least twice for the first 5 weeks. If it's been ages since you did any exercise then although you might progress through the first weeks fairly easily you may find you start to struggle. Slow progress is by far the best way to sustain achievement. I started in June and My fitness levels were really low. After completing week 6 I really came up against a wall. I ached all the time and had trouble with my knees. I've taken time out, introduced swimming and a weekly circuit training to make sure I start getting all my muscles working again and increase their strength, then gone back to week 2 to start again. I won't move on to the next weeks training until I can complete the previous one fairly easily. I've now worked up to week 5 again and am finding it so much easier with breathing and muscle ache. I want to be able to achieve the programme in the best health I can. Good luck. It's the best programme out there... just don't rush it!!
First time I've ever read that advice. The vast majority certainly do not graduate "on time/with distance" as a recent survey here showed but overall the programme works - allowing for individual capacities - pretty well.
Almost doubling the time - and that's assuming every run is successful first time out - does not seem too encouraging or productive to me in all honesty.
Best advice I can give personally is for beginners to read as many of the beginning posts of graduates. A lot of shared hopes fears and doubts in them but also the fact that despite all those very natural concerns graduation did occur
Wishing you a many happy miles in your future
Thanks for the advice 😄
Thanks I will take my time and see how it goes.... I'm not in any rush
Honestly, it real does work. And as hard as that was for a lot of us to believe sometimes it was even harder to believe that running "slow....then slower still" was the way to do it.
I have a strong feeling we will see you at the Graduate table...and that it will probably be a bit sooner than you might think 
Enjoy your journey - it can be the adventure of a lifetime as I found out
I can do slow!!
LOL! I bet you my next paypacket against a safety pin that you will find that your "slow" is going to be faster than you think
For fun one day I tried running as slowly as humanly possible. It was VERY hard to do so without breaking into a "walking step"
It was also a revelation just how "fast" I had got around the Park when I checked my time
All part of the fun and unexpected things that happen when you are a Runner. You'll see
lardofaleGraduate
Welcome aboard the good ship C25K! The advice you'll get (and have been getting above) is from people who have had the same doubts as you and have come through the programme wondering why they hadn't done this before! Don't think of the good folks on here as just fellow runners, we're all friends looking out for each other! You've already done the hardest part, good luck for the rest and keep posting, we're rooting for you!
Hi biddie17, I too have started and am going out running with both my 13yr old and 8yr old as they said they would like to come- they both walk faster than my running speed but that doesn't matter as it's getting out that was important - have lots of weight to lose- 6 stones - so finding it very hard but persevering....best of luck to you. ..you can do this....
Go for it!!! It is hard, but also very rewarding knowing that you can do it!! I've just started week 2 today... I did it with my 13 and 9 year old!! Good luck with your next run 🍀😄
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