Just joined and wanted to introduce myself. I'm on my second week of C25K and I'm feeling positive. I did manage to fall over on my first run this week but I had a good run with my quickest KM, mile and longest run today.
I'm an English teacher who just was getting stressed and wanted to feel like I was looking after myself so am using the summer holidays to do this. My step mum has encouraged me and I will be doing my first park run this weekend!
Does anyone have any advice? I'm still struggling with my breathing and when counting as advised I find I get myself confused and light headed. The main thing that makes me slow down is my breathing! My pace is still embarrassingly slow for my age so I'd like to get on top of breathing before I get to the longer runs of the course!
Thank you!
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RavenGirl458
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Congratulations on starting C25K by completing week 1, sorry about your fall, do you really think it is wise to run your first 5k Parkrun this week? yes you can walk/run it, most people don't run a parkrun until they have completed at the earliest run 3 of week 5, doing a parkrun now would mean walking most of it, by all means do it more for the experience if nothing else.
I wasn't sure but I figure the experience will help. I've mainly been going by myself and I did some running with colleagues during term time so if I end up walking a lot of it, so it will be! I am at 3.44 km at the moment so it will be just under 2k left to try and pace myself (roughly) once my app finishes!
Well done on starting!! My advice wld be use the warm up during the park run and then run the programme and then do the warm down.
Then walk the rest. Once you have a few more weeks in your legs, you might mix the rest with walking and running but it’s early days and you don’t want to risk injury. It will be a great motivator. Enjoy it!
Great for getting started, you think your going slow I bet you can slow down even more which will help with your breathing. Make sure you drink plenty water 7 days a week not just on run days. Enjoy your park run as long as you stick to your walk run intervals . Good luck 😊
Thank you! Yeah I do need to get better about drinking. I just don't think about it and at term time I barely get time. Need to get into the habit! I'll try and slow down a bit more, particularly if I'm feeling I'm struggling. Getting a Garmin was a blessing and a curse!
At this stage try not to focus on pace or distance, just follow the programme nice and slow🐌🐌
I also struggle with drinking enough, what has helped me is taking a bottle of water to work. I drink half on the way there, and half on the way home (500mls that I wouldn't normally have had!)
I have got a larger mug for my tea, it's not much, but for me, this is an easy way to get a few more mls.
Good luck with your parkrun, make sure you stick to the run walk intervals!!!
I’m a little confused here, more so after reading the replies above.
3.44km in week 2, so 7.5 minutes running and 8 minutes of walking would be anything but slow. Are you running a week 2 run or something else?
You did some previous recent running... if you’re saying that that is at 3.44k how long does that take? You may be better suited dropping into the plan on a later week to suit your abilities.
As for parkrun... it’s great... they welcome everyone from walkers to Olympic champions, so they’re used to C25kers. The best advice I could give to anyone on plan is to go and stick to the run you should be on, and if you can’t do that then don’t go yet.
Too much too soon is the route to months off running with an injury... if you’re on a plan, any plan, the best thing to do is to stick to it.
A week 2 run. That distance is also counting the warming up and down walks too. The running before was only a 15 min run about a mile I think after work. I'm going to do the plan for week 2 and walk the rest of it I think unless I feel a burst at the end. Does this help? If it helps I sometimes seem to run too fast looking at my Garmin statistics so it's not always right. I seem to be average 10mins/km including the walking
Cool... you had me very worried there! Ok... pace is a difficult thing to compare with someone else... it’s all about you. Slow down so you can breathe easily and speak in full sentences... if you don’t feel you can move your legs slower, move them less and shorten your stride. Pace for you right now doesn’t matter... from a stamina building perspective slower is better anyway. So long as both feet leave the ground at the same time, no matter how briefly, you are running. Pace is something to work on after this plan... if you want to.
One of the best moments of my journey to fitness was my first parkrun, it was there I learned about C25K. I ran precisely zero steps of it. It was a two lap course and the run had sub 20 minute runners... they lapped me really soon... and 9/10 of them told me “well done” “keep going” or similar as they passed me. I finished just a second in front of the tailwalker who’s job it is to finish last and get assistance for anyone in difficulty. Every Marshall had got back to the start/finish by the time I got there... lots of runners had waited because parkrun is all about the last finisher for some... and I got a bigger cheer over the line than whoever finished first that day... they would have come home to about 6 people being there. In that moment I knew I had to become a parkrunner. When I’m at my home run it can be torrential rain, I wait to bring that last runner home... sometimes I walk back and run in with them. It’s the best bit of parkrun. So, yeah... go... walk your warmup... do your run... then walk again... sure you may want to run over that line, but don’t do it from too far out... maybe 100m would be good, 200 at a push. Enjoy it if you go.
Thank you, I really want to go to feel that motivation. It's why I joined here, running can feel a bit lonely and demoralising without others! Hey, at least I know I'll get a PB for my first 5k!
You could go every week and set PB after PB on the plan! Most weeks would allow that to happen, the odd week is actually shorter than the previous one.
Anyone who gets out of bed to cover 5k on a morning is a walking victory in my book.
Welcome to the forum and well done on getting started.
This guide to the plan is essential reading healthunlocked.com/couchto5... and includes advice on pacing and breathing. Your speed will pick up in time but for the time being the correct pace for C25K is one at which you can speak clear ungasping sentences as you run.
We recommend that if you want to do parkrun that you stick to your C25K programmed workout and walk the remainder just to avoid doing too much too soon.
Don't compare yourself to others........ you are where you are.
Okay thank you. My plan is to walk after my run has finished. Unless I feel a burst to jog over the finish. I want to go this weekend because my stepmum and dad aren't local and I want to go with someone I know at first to show me it's not too bad! I get a bit anxious at these types of things. I probably won't go again until a few weeks time by myself!
I don't sweat my breathing. I know I will have to at some point, but my body has been managing it all alone for many years (asthma notwithstanding) and I don't run fast so I figure I will just let nature take it's course.
I certainly didn't even consider it on week 2
maybe you are running a lot faster than I did, in which case it probably is important, but if you are running slowly and can hold a conversation (or sing along to your songs if you are alone) then your natural breathing will probably be enough at this stage
Well done for starting c25k. Definitely listen to the advice from IannodaTruffe as the mentors really know what they are talking about. Just do your 5 minute walk and c25k run at parkrun, don’t try running it all. Have fun.
Welcome! You made a great decision Raven, C25K is an amazing journey and this is a great community for support. Parkrun is also awesome... I'm sure you'll love it.
OK, breathing... Now, you should be able to have a conversation when you're running, this is EASY pace, and it's important to run slower than what you're actually capable of, we're building your endurance not tearing you apart. So don't even think about how fast you're going, just relax and take it slow, you can't go too slow, so if you're struggling with your breathing, slow down.
I know it's not easy, and If I said I didn't collapse in an exhausted heap after week one, I'd be lying. But I found that pace, and it made the whole experience so much more enjoyable. Speed will come.
Anyway, enjoy it! And let us all know how you're getting on. 😃👊
I also had breathing problems and it getting me down. A friend said I was over thinking it and making things worse. I tried to run a bit more relaxed and enjoyed the scene around me, sang along in my head to tunes on.my headphones and soon no more breathing issues. Try to relax. It will come good believe me.
Nice one! Well done for getting going. Re your breathing, I tried to do what the coach on the app said but like you I got confused and a bit dizzy, however, I soon found my own pattern, I couldn't tell you what it is because I only do it when I run 😂. But , it suits me and I can last my runs. Google 'toxic ten' a graduate on here told me about it, really interesting but I cannot remember everything but basically that first 10 mins breathing wise is usually the worst because your body is wondering what the heck is going on, after that it gets easier, and it really does! Here's to many more enjoyable runs for you ! X
Loads of useful input and if you heed the suggestion of doing your next C25K run and walking the rest, then making the most of the opportunity to have company on your first Parkrun outing just to get over those organisation/experience learning hurdles seems worthwhile.
My tip is to ditch all measurements of distance and pace. You'll breath easier without and you've a lifetime of running after completing the programme to play with that fun. Time and time and time again we have people carrying this unnecessary weight with them - it's rare for it to be a force for good during C25K itself.
Hi, happy hols! Glad you’ve started C25K and are posting. Try not to over think this. It doesn’t matter how slowly you jog/run. You need to give yourself chance to follow the program and it’s amazing how our bodies adapt. There is lots of support and advice here. Maybe look at “slow running technique” which others here know about. Good luck moving forwards and enjoy the stress free season! 🙂
Don’t worry about the time at all, all you need to focus on is building your stamina to run for longer without stopping, everything else will come in due course.
Hi I'm starting week 2 tomorrow and was wondering when to go to a Parkrun too . So thanks for asking for advice about this . Think I will wait until I'm doing week 3 .
Okay so I did it! I completed my first 5K and ended up getting a fastest mile and fastest K when I wasn't really focused on it. I finished my normal run half way through. Ended up doing week 3 run 1 but I'll have to do it again. Struggled with that last 3 minute run as it came up on a hill. I probably won't do another 5K until I'm further along the programme.
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I'll take a bottle with me to the park run as well (maybe keep another in the car) 
First post-to say thanks 
W9R2 done, just one more to go
Advice - struggling to run
Journey to 10k.....just a quickie ;)
Just hi
