Hello from week 4 - can I stay here, please?!

Hello everyone,

I'm new to the forum but I'm amazed to say that already I'm at week 4, with R3 on the horizon tomorrow. I genuinely thought I was going to die after the first 60-second run of W1, R1! I'm your classic last-one-to-be-picked-in-PE person; sports shops and gyms bring me out in a cold sweat. But for some reason - mainly the C25k app and reading the encouraging, kind and helpful comments on this forum - I now actively enjoy going out for a run (or slow jog, rather - I'm set to full snail).

I'd like to get some opinions about when to stick on a week and when to move on. I have osteopenia (hence taking up C25k). I'm worried that I might be damaging my bones if I keep pushing on with longer and longer runs. Is it ok to stick at week 4 for a while - a month, say - or should I just power on with the programme and get on with week 5?

I haven't experienced any pain so far, apart from some hip/knee niggles in week 1 and the shame of being overtaken by people who seem to be running incredibly slowly. But I'm over that, thanks to reading this forum and knowing I'm not alone!

[Shelley2310 Graduate]

Hi and welcome to the friendliest forum ever. You done amazing to get to the end of week 4. You can repeat weeks as often as you want to. But if you managed to do all the runs in a week I would say move on as the programme works and you are ready for the next week. It’s the gremlins in our heads that tell us otherwise. The hardest part of the programme is battling and kicking the gremlins out of the way (well that’s what I’ve found). The end of week 5 is an amazing week. I also thought I was going to die on the first run of w1. I’ve always hated any form of exercise (even wrote my own notes to get out of pe at school). You can do this, happy running 🏃‍♀️

[Hidden in reply to Shelley2310]

Thanks Shelley2310! I normally avoid forums like the plague, so it's very unusual for me even to read one let alone post It's nice to know there are lots of sympathetic people out there. For me the main gremlin in the first week was about how I looked. I don't mean clothes and stuff (although that too, a little - a cloak of invisibility would have been nice), just that 'proper' runners would see me and call me out as a fraud. That gremlin is thoroughly squished!

[IannodaTruffe Mentor]

Welcome to the forum and well done on getting started

This guide to the plan is essential reading healthunlocked.com/couchto5... and includes a link to a post about mental approach.

The general recommendation is that if you complete a week, you are ready to move on.

If you have physical issues which mean it is sensible to progress more slowly, then that is fine, but we are not necessarily the best people to advise on health issues. Your GP can give medical advice.....we cannot.

Enjoy your journey.

[Hidden in reply to IannodaTruffe]

Thanks IannodaTruffe, and thanks for your great posts for beginners which have been massively helpful in getting me this far! Will speak to my GP for non-gremlin-related things.

[Granspeed Graduate]

Hi and welcome. 😊 Good to have you with us! Specialist bone advice had best come from your doctor, but for help with the running, you can’t do better than the mentors on here. Do read the welcome post from IannodaTruffe - it’s full of outward links to loads of good info. Enjoy becoming a runner. 👏🏼👍

[Hidden in reply to Granspeed]

Thanks Granspeed! This forum is such a great addition to the app