C25K newbie

[benmoo21]

Hi all, I'm doing London Marathon in April! I'm up to wk3 of C25K, and starting to panic about the fast approaching marathon and the fact I'm struggling with week 3! I've got to be ready for 26 miles! OMG 😈

[pinkaardvark Graduate]

I don't know how to respond to that.. it just sounds mad. Like someone saying they are off to do everest after having climbed up the back stairs to the toilet.

[benmoo21 in reply to pinkaardvark]

LOL! I know! My mates reckon I can do it so I'll give it my best shot!

[pinkaardvark Graduate in reply to benmoo21]

I guess it depends on whether you have a lot of natural fitness or prior running ability. If your on wk3 it will be end of feb when you graduate from that. Then 6-8 weeks to get you up to 10k and well as you can see you are well past the deadline.

If you can already run 5k comfortably then I'd ditch the c25k and start longer runs. There are some people who just take to running as if it was a latent ability.. here's hoping you are one of them

[Suesky17 Graduate in reply to pinkaardvark]

😂😂😂 That’s really tickled me

[Irishprincess Graduate in reply to pinkaardvark]

😂😂😂

[Suesky17 Graduate]

Wow - respect. ✊ that’s one heck of a challenge you’ve given yourself. Good luck. Remember though, as a newbie I’m pretty sure you don’t have to run the whole thing! 😜

[Millsie-J Graduate]

I think I would walk the distance in one go and then make a decision on if you could actually manage to walk it. Any running would be a bonus.

[benmoo21]

Sound advice! Tomorrow I'm going to do week 3 on my way home from work which is 8 miles.... See what happens!

I have a running bag with essentials including deep heat role-on. Which I've already found useful 😀

[VictoriaRuns Graduate]

Without knowing your level of fitness and running history.. it sounds like you are putting yourself at a high risk of injury

[benmoo21]

I'm doing this for my mate rich who has chronic kidney failure. He's had 2 failed transplants and Dr's say they'll only do a 100% match op now ... which is a rare find. I'm only 50% match. Rich has 4 gorgeous kids under 8yrs! a 100% match kidney will give him another 10-15yrs life to spend with his family

The £££ I raise will go to a family support charity for transplant patients and family..

If I walk/jog the marathon, that's worth it I reckon. I probably won't get a medal lol! 😂

[benmoo21]

My fitness is not good, I'm definitely not a natural runner but I'm working on it ☺

[SlowLoris]

Good luck. I would definitely aim to do it by walk/run intervals. Take it easy and make sure you have rest days between run days to avoid injury.

[runningnearbeirut Graduate]

First of all, you are doing a noble thing in a good cause, so keep that in mind, especially in low points in training and on the day.

Secondly, I hope you realise that "running" the marathon is probably not going to happen. But you can complete it, with a fair amount of running (jogging) if you prepare carefully. Run-walk is what gets people running in this C25K programme, but it also gets lots of people round much longer races. There are programmes/plans that will help you plan for this. Jeff Galloway is a name I think you could google. Being able to run for 30 minutes 6 weeks from now is a good start, but doesn't mean you'll be able to run for 4, 5 or more hours in April, so I think it's wise to focus on "how" you will get round, not "how fast". Doing something like jog 5 minutes, walk 1, (or even a 2:1 ratio) could be get you round and achieving what you set out to do.

I'd suggest you use rest days to strengthen you leg muscles and core, and improve your general fitness. A long walk, cycling (or exercise bike), rowing machine are all possibilities and you could mix them or stick to whatever suits you, although lots of walking is probably a good idea so you get used to being on your feet for longer.

Don't forget to get some decent running shoes (get a gait analysis) and I hope you enjoy your running journey. Maybe you'll get the running bug and train for running for longer periods continually in the future, but at this point I honestly don't think it would be your best option.

Wishing you well!

[benmoo21 in reply to runningnearbeirut]

Thank you so much! I'm taking that all onboard ☺

[Catbutler]

The marathon this year sounds like a step too far given where you are now. Have you thought about a walking challenge instead to raise money for your friend. I did a 50k action challenge last year which was tough but doable with some training. At least then you would be with other walkers rather than walking when others are running.