I am doing W1 until I can do all the jogs so probably until Christmas if today was anything to go by!
Only managed the first jog, then 3 more at 40 seconds and walked the rest. Pitiful but Lannoda Truffe - I can confirm both feet were off the ground at the same time during my jog bit so thanks for clarifying 😊
Will I ever manage all the jogs??? X
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Michelle2023
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I am starting from 3 stone overweight with a deep seated hatred of exercise having done none in over 30 years so on that basis well done me for even leaving the house never mind attempting any jog at all 😁
I was also 3 stone overweight and couldn't run away if a lion was chasing me 11 weeks ago.
I'm now only two stone overweight, I can run 25 minutes non stop (I'm on week 7 now) - it ain't pretty and it ain't fast, but I am doing it, albeit with some repeated runs/weeks.
I nearly packed it all in at the end of week 3 because my calves were so painful, but with the help and support of some fabulous people on this forum I dug deep and carried on.
You can do this - one run at a time. Take it steady and slow, ask for help and support if you have a bit of a wobble and you'll come through 💪🏃💪
That’s brilliant to hear. My calves were killing me today for the first time.
11 weeks and now you are running for 25 mins is so inspiring 😊
This forum is a lifesaver and I’m feeling the love and support and need it very much as I live on my own bar the dog and I can be a bit negative and hard on myself 😬 x
52 here now. I'd never run at all, not even in school, before March last year. Yes, I'd occasionally sprint for a bus, but then I'd spend the next ten minutes recovering from it.
My first attempts at C25K were not successful, but I started again at the end of last June and graduated just under a year ago.
I halted the growth of and eventually totally lost the beer belly I was starting to develop. I'm now back at the weight I was in my twenties. Exercise alone won't do that. You've got to combine it with cutting out the naughty snacks.
If you find you can't do all of the run sections of Week 1, do as many as you can, but when you can't, do those sections at a fast walk instead. You can't tick them off until you've done all of them at a jog, but you're still getting some intensity change between the intervals.
3 years ago I was 21 stone and got out of breath running a bath (I exaggerate but slightly). Started C25k in May 2020. Just got back from an hour’s run, having set a new personal best for 10k this morning, now just over 13 stone 4 and 11lbs away from halving my bodyweight from when I was at my biggest. If I can do it…!
Your post tells me 100% that you will graduate. You are willing to repeat until Christmas, and more than that, when you didn’t make it to the end of a run interval you could have hit stop... but no, you kept trying.
Running is all about the start lines, keep crossing them and you will succeed in anything you do. It is a mental game, and your post says to me that you are mentally strong.
Great effort... it will all come together sooner than you think.
Ooh thank you. Yes subconsciously I must have decided to keep going until I can do all the jogs in W1. I did nearly give up today, even turned back before half time and got back to the house but kept on going the other way past it for the full 30 mins 😇 x
Yes you will do this! You are clearly determined and by posting your thoughts and achievements (which you may think are small but they are huge!) you will get enormous support and encouragement from this forum. Very well done so far, keep going, we are all with you!!! x
My wife had never run in her life and managed it. I was really pleased for her. I’ve graduated twice and will do so again later this year when they get rid of those bloody cows on my running track. Good luck. we all know just what an excellent app this is. None of us thought that we could do it but we proved ourselves wrong.
I was overweight when I started too, and am over 60. A year on I have lost weight but still not completed c25k as have had several breaks for knee pain and hip pain along the way. Looking up stuff about Japanese slow jogging really helped me to appreciate how slowly it is okay to go. I have never believed I can be a runner and still struggle with that but I’ve started enjoying what I do do and that is progress so keep going
Thanks for that and sorry to hear of your injuries.
I know what you mean, I too looked up Japanese slow running as to me running was moving really fast and all I saw was skinny ladies in perfect Lycra outfits looking amazing with swishy ponytails all dashing along. I actually think my jog is slower than my walk but my head is now up and both feet are simultaneously off the ground so it’s definitely a jog 🤩 x
Firstly, welcome to the big world of running, and to what is probably the friendliest forum anywhere! I am so pleased that you have started C25K, and yes, it can be a tricky scamp at times, but we have all been where you are, and we have all had wobbles and struggles along the way.The simple mantra of slow and steady is so apt. It really is impossible to run too slowly, and there are no prizes for rushing. Also, the name C25K is a little inaccurate as the real goal is to be running for 30 mins, and not for 5K. I believe that only about 10-15% of graduates actually manage the 5K at W9R3, and that really doesn't matter one jot. Being out there doing it is what really counts. As others will have said, run at a pace where you can/could hold a conversation - if you can't, then slow down. You can, after all, run on the spot!
Stay safe, run S L O W L Y and whatever you do, do keep us informed as to how you are getting on. We really are interested and will always offer any support and answer any questions you have.
One last thing, a lady on here posted that she had graduated after I think it was 29 weeks. So there really is no rush.
Okay: here's my story. Exactly one year ago, I was 20 stone - so probably more than twice the weight I should be. I'm nearly 70 and I've been overweight all my life. Then I looked at my dog.
About eight months before, I took her to the vet for her usual checkup to get a new prescription. She has arthritis because of congenital skeletal problems so keeping her fit is a constant juggle between exercise and rest. The vet looked at her and said "she could lose a couple of kilos". Now I should add that she's a very lanky Labradoodle and to most people, even then, she looked a good weight and considerably fitter than most of the dogs we see in the park. But with some help from a vet nurse I did the measurements and over the next four months took her weight down by 2.5kg (about 10% of her bodyweight). On the next visit to the vet for a meds review, he said "she's perfect, and she doesn't need any painkillers any longer". I can't tell you what an impression that made on me.
I don't have arthritis, remarkably. But the weight was disabling me, and she'd made me realise that. So last August I invested in a set of electronic scales and a Fitbit. I thought about how much extra I was consuming and made some changes - not huge ones, but enough.
I've lost over five stone, or 30kgs or 70lbs. I'm nowhere near finished yet, and as I got fitter I realised that just walking the dog, particularly walking a dog whose exercise limits are very finite, wasn't enough to change what the Fitbit was reporting in terms of fitness. I remember being so terrified about opening the cardio fitness report on the Fitbit that it took three weeks before I could persuade myself to do it! To my surprise, I was classified as "good to very good for my age" (that is down to walking the dog for a couple of hours a day, I'm quite sure).
I started C25K to see whether I could. I was honestly doubtful: the most I'd run for was a bus and that was rare! I told myself it didn't matter if it was a ridiculous fantasy because no-one would know. The first couple of weeks I found places I could jog out of sight - in the park when there was no-one around, or on little used paths nearby. I thought I looked ridiculous and people would laugh.
Tomorrow I'll start on Week 7. I did the 25min run two days ago. Fitbit tells me that my cardio rating is now "excellent". I can walk up the ridiculous hills in my town without stopping - hills that I would avoid like the plague and would often get in the car rather than walk up them. I'm still easily four stone overweight, and that's a work in progress, so each of these small wins is huge for me. I remember the first time a "proper runner" waved to me as I slogged round the park: I thought "Wow, this person thinks I'm another runner!".
So why have I told you this? Because I know exactly how you feel, I really do. It sounds to me as if you're punishing yourself for failing, but you're not failing: you've started on a journey which is just as much a mental test as anything else. Accept what you can do and don't beat yourself up, and keep going. It will come. Keep going!
My inspiration! (A black dog with a goofy grin looks at the camera)
You're definitely an inspiration. Absolutely gorgeous dog 😍I too am in a rut of not finding walking my dog enough exercise, but I also don't have the motivation (at the moment) to go out on my own but am also too slow to go out with anyone else so stuck in that vicious circle.
Tigger1306 the motivation will suddenly come to you as it did me. A near neighbour is also doing C25K but I’ve seen her running past me so no way could I join her.
I think it’s good going out on your own, you have no pressure on you and I talk to myself along the way. Mainly to know I still can talk 🤣
Keep the faith and everything else will come, I’m barely moving I’m so slow but I’m out there, that’s the hardest bit.
You are brill and thanks for sharing. This is my dog’s preferred location. For a Dalmatian she hates going out as she is scared of everything but the sofa!! That’s why I go out without her, she’d want to go home after 10 minutes. Mind you so do i 🤣 x
Morning, Dairyfarmgirl - good onya for keeping going, girl. I seem to be stuck in W5R3, but I don’t mind as that’s already a PB for me! You know what we runners say - keep on running!!
I am sitting here reading this laughing ... So many of us appear to be running in places where we will not be seen!.. I wonder how many of those people we think are experienced good runners are blagging it when they run pass us and then collapse on the floor fighting for breathe ?..
Yes.I firmly believe that if you actually survive Day One, and your Physician doesn't advise you not to go on...you definitely can reach 5k. Maybe not in 30 minutes - only about ten percent manage that - but definitely attainable.
Read the begginer posts of Graduates - some, including my own, make it sound like "Stranger than Fiction" we ever made it even half way through
As a friend of mine once said however "Fiction has rules, reality is oft batcrap insane"
Take it dlow, steady and keep it enjoyable on at least SOME level and you too will see 'Graduate"beside your name
Good on you, don’t lose heart, I’m doing the same as you, and I will probably be on week one until way past Xmas, I’m not even jogging yet, I’m up to walking and then walking faster on the jog bits, I’ve just managed w1 r1 and boy was it hard.
Just grit your teeth and look for the smallest of improvements, ignore any set backs (they will happen) and don’t push to hard and injure yourself. Will be looking forwards to your posts.👏
Hi Dairy farm girl. I think you're doing great. Most of us struggle a bit, but its like making any change.... Hard. Thing is you've taken the first step. The programme is brilliant and I'm sure you'll get there step by step until you become addicted. Keep posting and running.John
Hi Michelle2023 @ well done for getting out there and starting the programme. I started in February, the most I could run for was 1 burst of 45 secs, actually more like a slog than a burst. I hadn’t ran for 30 yrs plus, and have had both hips replaced. I am 58 and have 2st to loose. It took me ages to get to finish WK2, that was in April when the gyms opened again. I then started running on a treadmill. I graduated about a month ago, so if I can do it anyone can. Like fellow runners have said, keep going at your own pace, it’s hard but achievable. Good luck😊
If they are and you are still struggling then just try to get to the stage of doing a brisk walk for 30 minutes then try week 1 again .
As already stated , you are starting from wherever your fitness level is at the moment so don't be too hard on yourself because you are trying to improve and it will take time .
I started at age 63 and had never run before in my life 14 or 15 months on I can now run 14k
When I started I found week 1 tough and probably couldn't run for a buss if I had to !
Stick with it , you will get all the help and support from this forum , just keep going and posting about your sessions.
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