Hi,
I’m really new to running and always thought I wasn’t ‘built’ for it. Just wanted to throw this out there I am overweight with a fitness level of zero and have found the last two runs really hard (the second more than the first strangely enough) but I just can’t see how I am ever going to run more than 60 seconds, I find it really hard. I do it and power through. Is it normal to be struggling so much I mean it’s only 60 seconds of running?!?
You can do it. Just remember to go really really slow. I started last June and wanted to vomit at the end of week 1 run 1. I'm in my 50s and never run before. I have even done a couple of 10ks now. Just follow the plan and repeat a run if you need. You will surprise yourself. Good luck x
Welcome to the forum and well done on getting started.
I would bet my life you are going too fast........ everybody does. Can you speak aloud, clear, ungasping sentences as you run?.........if not, you are going too fast.
This guide to the plan is essential reading healthunlocked.com/couchto5...
and includes advice on minimising impact, stretching after every run, hydration and strengthening exercises, all of which will help.
Enjoy your journey.
Thank you
60 seconds is a long time!! I started 5 weeks ago and never thought I would get past the first run..:but I did! I am 56 and hadn’t run since school 😳. But it was ok ...I had to practise the breathing a bit but I couldn’t believe I did week 1! You can do it!!’ Go very slow and breathe well...I feel my calves getting tight and say relax legs relax! Honestly you can do it. I didn’t discover this forum till about week 3 and they are so amazing! Every question is already there and they are so supportive! Everybody has done this and it works!!! I am now on week 5! It’s insane but I love it! And can’t actually believe I have got this far! Every week I think ok let’s see how it goes, I can always do the week again if need be but I have never had to as I have been able to do it! Everyone who knows me is stunned! But it becomes addictive and you feel so great after each run! Pleas keep going!! I am on week 5 run 2 tomorrow and I am so excited!!’ I can do this and so can you!!
That's how I did it too, AH21MM... I went into each week thinking, I can always repeat it - but apart from repeating one week, very early on after 3 weeks off with an ankle injury, I never did have to repeat! Everyone who knows me is stunned that I did this too! So am I! Ha ha! xx
Fantastic! You must be so thrilled ...yes I too am still a bit disbelieving that I am doing it! Did the 2 8 min runs today and loved it!!! Slightly worried about the 20 min one which is next but hey, I’m going to give it my best shot! x
Well done! I felt the same about suddenly jumping to 20 minutes but, I kept thinking, it's only four minutes longer than the 16 I did last week. Doing that first 20 minute run gave me the best feeling of the entire programme! Even when I finished the whole thing! You'll be fine. Let me know how you do? 
xx
Just take your time and take it easy. I pushed myself too much in W4 and then took six weeks to recover from both muscle and impact injuries. A further thought is that if you are finding W1 a struggle....don't worry about it, just repeat W1 runs until the 1 minute flies by before moving on to the next week.
There's tons of advice here on just about every problem you are likely to encounter.
But I repeat. Especially in the early stages, don't push yourself too hard. It takes time for your stamina and strength to grow.
Good to see you’ve found loads of advice here so I’ll only say go slow and enjoy the progress you will make
60 seconds is a veerey loong time Calla39! But it will get better. Many of us start out like you - over weight and under fit. You may not lose any weight during the programme but you will feel so much fitter at the end! Each run will prepare you for the next one. Just remember to take it really slowly and stay well hydrated. Don’t go off too fast - it’ll knacker you and you won’t get far. Slow it right down so that you can speak as you go along. You can always go a bit slower - I regularly got passed by walkers when I started out!And if you do all this then I guarantee you will run more than 60 seconds!
As a fellow overweight runner, all I would add is to make sure you have good shoes. I googled shoes for overweight runners and switched to a proper pair in week 3 and it did make a difference. I realised I am (still) running carrying the equivalent of a sack of potatoes and was surprised I didn’t lose weight during the programme, rather what seemed to happen is my leg muscles built up to carry it.
Yes it’s normal! I was exactly the same! Firstly, slow down. It’s just a very slow jog. In week 3 you’re told if you were going past a hedge, the person behind it should not be able to tell that you were running. Just take it slow. Second, remember you can repeat weeks. I repeated weeks over and over until my fitness built up. It has taken me 6 months to complete 6 weeks of the programme and only now am I onto week 7. Any run is better than no run so just repeat and repeat and don’t give up! I’ve lost 2 stone and can now run for 25 full minutes and you will too. Just take your time and enjoy it. Good luck!
Thank you so much xx
I completely identify. I can't even walk 5k never have in my.life so didn't think I could do it either. I've managed to get to week two and what I do is jog at the same speed I'm walking- I don't go faster I just kind of change the way im moving so I'm pretty slow . Heartbeat goes quite high too but it does recover. I can't see me ever being able to.jog more than 90 secs but we'll see!
You will jmozz, you will!
I was 121kg last July (the crew made me promise to always stand dead amidships for fear of capsize). Then on Christmas Day just gone I ran a half-marathon.It's about not giving up your vision, going at the pace your body dictates and, critically, enjoying the feeling you always get on completing that day's run. Someone much wiser than me once wrote on here that "comparison is the thief of joy" and that single phrase lifted such a (sadly metaphorical!) weight off of me. Good luck - you're a runner now!👍🏴☠️
It’s difficult at the start but it’s also amazing how the programme gradually eases you in to doing more and your body responds to it. I’m overweight too, so a I know how you feel. I started last October and graduated in December. Those first couple of weeks were a slog but it will get better. Also if one week is tricky, just repeat it until you feel ready to move onto the next. A few tips you may feel useful. Just stick to flat areas, doesn’t matter if you are going back any forth on the same bit of path. I did this and it helped. Also keep it very slow when you run. A gently jog basically.
Good luck and well done for making a start! 💪🏻🙌🏻
Hello! I turned 50 this year and had never run before. In fact, I didn't think I could run! I was unfit and overweight and then working from home during the first lockdown in March was adding to it! I started doing C25K and thought, that first week, I'd never do it! That first run, I had to walk for the last 10 seconds of a couple of the 60 second segments! But I carried on and (after an ankle injury) finally finished it and, as Maz1103 says, totally surprised myself! I have tried to keep up the running since, and was trying to do 3 runs a week for 20 minutes each time. Although, after a bout of tonsilitis, Christmas and bad weather, I haven't been running quite so often, or for as long but I am building my time up again. But, almost every time I do run, I think back to that first week and marvel at the fact that I can actually run 2 - 3 kms in one go! I've also lost a stone (slowly, but surely!) and can go upstairs without puffing! Oh, and each run is so different! I found that all the way through C25K, there seems to be no real reason why that is! But keep going, you can do it! xx
Hi. I can't offer any real advice as I'm even newer than you are, but I can offer my solidarity and support as we do this together. To paraphrase, 'I'll show you mine if you show me yours' in that I will happily compare notes with you as we do this to the bitter end... which will be on a glorious Spring day.Do feel free at any time to shout at me, cry on my shoulder or generally use me as a sounding board. I can't offer advice, but my offer of support is genuine.
First run in over 2 weeks☹️🤒
Running in the rain...me! What's going on? Wk1 Run 2 done :)
Week 3 run 2 over whoop whoop
Over confident - week 7, run 2?
WK1 Run 1 not as I hoped
