First off, i wanted to thank you for all your posts, i've read loads of them and its given me the courage to start and continue to follow this Couch to 5K Program.
You see, I'm the guy who from time to time has thought of getting healthier, someday. Maybe even joining a gym and attending it regularly.
So, here is quick(ish) overview about where I am today.
About a year ago (Jan 2019) a couple of friends started posting their journey of getting fitter / healthier on social media.
From time to time I would provide moral support, by commenting " well done" or clicking like.
It was at the start of summers that I could see the results of their healthier lifestyle and the thought would linger in my head that perhaps I too might start to get healthier.
Towards the end of summers having spent most of August on a road trip around California, eating more than my weight in Ice Cream and fast food, something switched in my head from I might, to I will.
I signed up to a gym, went through the induction and continued to visit, several times a week, avoiding the running machines like the plague.
As a youngster, I avoided long-distance running at all cost... I hated cross country running at school.
I was the boy at the back of the run, gripping my asthma inhaler and holding my side from a "stitch" brought on by seeing the start line and telling the teacher all the reasons why I couldn't run, and i genuinely believed my reasons.
So, mid october of 2019, having settled into a routine at the Gym, I thought I would try running. Being an all or nothing kind of a person, I randomly pressed buttons on the running machine and set of for 5k run.. quikly reduced it to 2k run after about a minute of running, and finished running after 2 minutes and covering just a few hundred meters. I simply was trying to do too much, too soon.
I discovered the Couch TO 5K app and started to follow week by week the program. By week 4, I'm running a full 5 minutes at a time (16 mins in total with walks in-between).
I take a look at the forum, and someone suggests that if running indoors, you should set the running machines incline to 1.0 to simulate road and 1.5 to simulate running on grass. I'm not sure if its nonsense or not, but decided to set myself a challenge and set the incline to 1.0
Week 5, starts ok, with my new incline set, I run 3x 5 mins was a bit of a challenge, but did it..
The same for the second run 2 x 8 Mins.. and then i get to run 3, week 5.. 20 minutes of continious running. I honestly thought i had skipped a week in the program.
I'm sure its psycological, I could only manage running 10 mins then had to go back to walking for two minutes and then run for the final 8. I felt disappointed with myself.
Over Christmas the healthy eating went out the window, as did visits to the Gym.
New year, new start, I returned to eating healthier and the Gym. I re-run week 4 and then re-run week 5.
This morning, and probably for the first time, I ran for a continious 20 minutes, no stopping, no walking.. just running. I am trully amazed that the little boy with the asthma inhaler was able to run, enjoyed it and was beaming when the run was over.
So, a days rest tomorrow and then onto the beginning of week 6!!! (no spoilers please with the length of runs to come in the remaining weeks)
Couch to 5k week 5 R1
Just completed my week 9 of couch to 5k
Anyone struggling with week 6?
Couch to 5K week 6 run 3
Week 5 Run 3 COMPLETE!! I'm a Runner!
