1. Completely ignoring Laura's instructions about speed. As I was 72 I felt that when I met young fast runners I had to up the pace to avoid looking stupid. How stupid was that!
2. Running in my walking (hiking) shoes thinking that they would be equally as good as running shoes as they take me across lots of rough and wet terrain. They were not!
Result:- during wk3 r1 I developed a pain in my knee which steadily worsened. I tried to ignore it, took plenty of painkillers but to no avail and was diagnosed as having injured a ligament in my knee. Treatment - 6 wks rest. Attempt at c25k abandoned.
This was last November. I started again in January, having had gait analysis etc at a proper running shoe shop and coming out of there £115 poorer (ouch) but clutching a pair of proper running shoes and resolving never to disregard Laura's run instructions again.
This 2nd attempt has been 100% successful so far, with not a twinge in sight. I am on wk9 now and have recently done 2 parkruns following the excellent advice about parkrunning I was given on this forum.
Did any of the rest of you who are well on into c25k make mistakes in the early days? We'd all love to hear about them and after all we might help those coming along behind us to avoid the horrible disappointment of having to give up.
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Yes, my mistake was going too fast which I didn't realise I was but I kept having trouble with breathing or getting breathless and I was always told to slow down which eventually worked . Also thinking that I definitely had to complete c25k in 9 weeks then I realised it was going to take me longer but when I completed c25k I was so happy and didn't care that it actually took me 17 weeks . 😊
Wow... you’ve nailed it since your comeback... great job.
Mistakes... yup... I may have made some.
Despite coming on here the night before run one... I knew best... the 16 year old athlete was back, after a 30 year break and he was gonna smash run one. Wow! It nearly killed me... I nearly stopped, but luckily I’m too stubborn... almost had to crawl over the finish line. Lesson learned 46 is not the new 16
Then... I’ve done my run... and I find myself on a beach on my rest day. A few sprints wouldn’t hurt... used to do this all the time. Sprint not too bad, but fast turns in dry sand did hurt... twisted knee, and I’m out for a couple of weeks.
Just after graduation I’m walking on the hills... and there’s some lovely scree down a hill that just needed surfing... and off I went... I was going fast... then I was down, ankle in so much pain. Luckily I didn’t break or tear anything. Nearly a month off.
My mistakes have a common theme, so one of my mantras now is “I’m not a teenager any more”
Edit: I forgot one... I work in miles. My first 5k attempt was a glorious run, loved every step... it wasn’t until cooldown and stretches were done that I worked out that I should have loved some more steps... I was 0.11 miles short.
I loved hearing the 'I'm not a teenager any more' problem. I guess loads of us (including myself) still have the inner teenager surfacing from time to time and causing running mayhem.
Oooh!! You’re a hero/ine... thanks for sharing - both your pitfalls and your triumphs. WHAT an achievement this time round. Super incredible... it seems it’s never too late to learn... anything, really. And that feels like a very good thing indeed.
Thank you. Yes, the c25k has given me more enjoyment than I would have thought possible. Running (jogging haha) along listening to my music is just magic.
On week 9 now - well done .... I'll look out for your graduation sticker soon!!! - on my first run I struggled... the advice as 'go slower'... I didn't believe that was possible... but it is if you do a shufflejog thing... which is DEAD slow LOL
I had a very specific one: trying to run too soon after having blood taken. (Exactly like being a blood donor except I have to do it for my own health not other people's). I knew not to run for 24 hours afterwards but probably should have left it 48. What I didn't know was that although you can run after a day or two, your performance level (for which read speed) will be below par for up to three weeks.
If you're a blood donor you need to know that. After you give blood everything in your blood gets back to normal within a day or so EXCEPT, it turns out, red blood cells. It's two or three weeks until you have your usual number of those, and they are what carry oxygen to your muscles. It doesn't matter at all in everyday life but when you undertake strenuous exercise you find you're less effective than usual.
Doing Couch to 5k, my mistake was running the next day, taking the 24 hours literally, instead of leaving it two days. Some people might manage after 24 hours but not me.
A few months later was the other type of mistake. I had set a PB at parkrun on Saturday and given blood on the Wednesday. On the next Saturday, I set out on parkrun planning to run at a moderate pace but after the first k I looked at my watch and saw I was on for another PB so I went for it - but I didn't have the resources, specifically the red blood cells, to sustain that and I ended up walking bits in the last 2k.
I thought that was just dehydration but now I know it was more than that. The article I read said that it you are training for an actual race - not a parkrun but something competitive where you really want to go for a fast time - and you happen to a blood donor, you should plan your blood donation for after your target race, not while you're in serious training for the target race and certainly not for the last few weeks before it.
That's a very thought provoking post. I've never thought about the blood/oxygen aspect. I'm past the age of being a blood donor now, but I bet lots of people on here are blood donors. Thank you
Well done for coming back to it after the knee problems etc - and for splashing out on the running shoes. How are they?? Do they make the running better? ( I run in old trainers and am thinking of getting something proper now it looks like I'm hooked)
My early mistakes: running at dawn (which my head wanted to do) when my body seems to prefer afternoons,
And running without breakfast. Now I have small amount of Porridge. Unless it's the afternoon of course, then I'm ok to go
Well, after my knee incident, I really swear by my 'proper' running shoes. I'll never know whether on attempt 2 it was just taking it more slowly that did the trick, but other runners that I have spoken to do say that shoes are the most important running accessory that you can buy. Shame they are so expensive though
Once you know the kind you need and your running size look for previous years designs. I buy old styles from Start Fitness online at a fraction of their original price. 👍😁
My worst mistakes? Rather mundane. Wearing too many layers, which resulted in overheating ... Running after too much beer and too little sleep the night before .... Not taking a dump before run ( that was worst).
These 2 replies have just made me really laugh out loud. We all nod our heads sagely about beginning our runs too fast, but there are other very important matters to be considered too ......
I too used to run too fast in the beginning. I’d twice attempted C25k and failed in the early weeks before I found this forum and followed the ‘slow and steady’ drumbeat, lol.
Thank you for posting. The same themes come up again and again don't they. Trouble is that at the time that fast run seems like the right thing to do, and our bodies often don't rebel until sometime later.
I didn’t buy trainers because I knew I wouldn’t stick to the plan and didn’t want to waste my money. Haven’t owned a pair of trainers for years. Hurt my knee running in walking boots, went and spent LOTS of money on trainers, completed C25k, did Ju-Ju’s B210k all in cut off jeans and a T-shirt. Then I did a sponsored 10km to raise money for Canal & River Trust and the weather forecast was terrible. I couldn’t change the run time to suit the weather like I usually do so went and bought running gear. That started a Lycra habit which has also cost me a fair bit of money. So, just 2 mistakes really: running in walking boots; thinking running is free. There is a cost in running shoes and Lycra, but you can still run on a budget 😀🏃♀️👍
Running in your walking boots sounds a little worse (if that were possible) than me running in my walking shoes, but like you I wasn't sure I'd carry on with this running malarkey. When I bought my running shoes I bought ones that were completely black so that if the worst came to the worst I could wear them going round Tesco ... and I do.
The right gear to run is essential in many ways and is worth the money - it’s still cheaper than a gym or other organised fitness group and you can do it in your own time and not when it’s organised. Keep on going 🎉
I absolutely agree. I think i've said in reply to someone else that I spurned all the fluorescent running shoes and went for plain black just so that I could wear them in Tescos, and I definitely do which makes them not such an extravagant expense.
Ooh yes, every step is indeed an 'ouch' - but of course we don't stop and do the run another day, we just keep ouching along so we can get another run under our belt.
Yes! I only just finished W3R3, but during W1, I blew out my knees due to wearing the wrong shoes. During W2, I broke down and went for a gait analysis. With my (expensive) new shoes combined with an orthotic, I am now off and running with no discomfort at all! My other mistake was also starting out too fast, but forcing myself into an easy comfortable pace has made a huge difference. I will be 77 in two weeks, and at first I thought that at my age, running for 60 seconds would probably kill me. However, not only did running *not* spell my demise, but I'm feeling younger and better than I have in decades. Eagerly awaiting week 4.
That's lovely to hear your reply; i thought I was the oldest on here (birthday the same as Dolly Parton; Feb 1946 in case anyone's wondering). How strange - or maybe not - that your mistakes were identical to mine. That knee pain was one of the worst pains I have ever experienced so, like you' I am loving my running shoes. Sending lots of good vibes to you for the runs ahead.
It always amazes beginners (and I am still one) that you can run somewhat slower than your natural walking pace. And that this gives you all the physical benefits of running fast without the stress.
So the very first time after graduating from C25K, I go out and against all advice choose a route that has a 2Km downhill section (and 4Km up, but much gentler), and end up near the bottom holding my knee, in agony and then hobbling the 2Km home. Turns out I have osteoarthritis, and had, thanks to Laura, never noticed.
Downhill is so much harder than up. I'll take even a steep up any day over a harsh down!! There's a knack to it that you only learn after it's hurt 👎👎😕
Best advice i got here at Wk2 R1 was to look at Japanese Slow Running. Someone sent me a link to a video (you can get it on the tube thingy) and it revolutionised everything for me. Yes its slower than walking in terms of distance but it sure helps you to keep going.
The other thing i liked on the app was imagining someone can see me over a hedge. They shouldnt be able to tell whether im walking or running.
Those concepts made it all more do-able for the ordinary unfit person. ME!!
You have taken the words right out of my mouth. I love that Japanese Slow Running technique (someone put a link to it on here last week). Also I have used the imaginary hedge vision to stop me from rushing. It is hard though, especially when lithe slim young runners come towards you, or maybe overtake you
Too fast too soon. I started on my own for a few runs before I was introduced to c25k and that was only because of the pain in my hips from just going out running all out from nothing.
Pushing too hard following graduation too soon brought me to a halt fast, I could barely walk a mile let alone run just from upping the distance way too fast.
Becoming a team with your body is important, paying attention to what it's telling you and acting on it. 👍😁
That's a very cautionary tale. I'm doing wk9, run2 tomorrow and am already thinking of what to do 'afterwards'. My thought has been to increase my speed, but you've given me something to think about.
Didn’t warm up ankles / Achilles enough. Didn’t get proper running shoes ( ancient trainers) until after hurst my Achilles in Week 4. Missed first 2 of week 1 as thought it too easy having been a consistent walker. Kept running in week 3 as app jammed ( not my fault but should have stopped to check much sooner). Still nursing tender ankle in second attempt but holding up so far as I approach End if W4.
Interesting that there are a couple of themes coming through which are common to lots of these posts :- the wrong shoes and not listening to what our bodies are trying to tell us. Thanks for posting ...... yet more food for thought for all of us.
On week 9 run 2 now and enjoying the c25k.. biggest mistake... daughter decides she wants to start the app when I'm on week 6... was running with her on my days off for week before really struggling on week 7... rest days are important as well as slow and steady.. well done on all your achievements..
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W6R3 & I'm feeling great!
Advice on shoes?
Running Shoe Shop near Ipswich
First run back after surgery. Third minute in and horrible knee pain :(
