As a result of consistent thrice weekly running, I’ve improved my cardiovascular fitness, strength and stamina.
But I’ve also become more attuned to my body’s requirements and demands, and realised I am much more physically and mentally capable than I think I am.
What about you? What has starting/graduating/going beyond C25K given you? ☀️
Increased fitness, improved body confidence (in the sense of caring much less about what other people think) and the realisation that I'm capable of much more, physically, than I ever thought possible. Also a new way to spend money! 😱
I don't think I can improve on that! I concur with it totally.
What it has prevented for me is an expanding waistline and the potential health dangers of increasing visceral fat.
Do you actively manage your diet nowster ? Or not overly worry too much?
I don't worry too much. All I've done is cut out the snacking on biscuits and similar treats.
I now monitor my weight to make sure I eat and drink enough and don't lose any more!
Ooh ok, I certainly am not snacking as much anymore! I read that long distance running (eg 10K +) is good for preventing any sneaking weight alongside a reasonable diet
Yes, I lost weight in two chunks.
At the height of the first lockdown my weight got up to 82kg through a combination of snacking and inactivity.
The initial 5kg went from becoming regularly active with running. I was impressed when it stayed off over Christmas 2020.
I stayed about 76kg from December 2020 to March 2021. I was happy at this weight, and I thought it was where I'd stay.
Then the weight started to come off again once I was regularly doing longer distance runs. Particularly when I was up to doing 90 minutes once a week.
I think this was a metabolic adaptation to the longer runs, possibly switching to burning fat once the glycogen was getting used up. (This is one reason why I nowadays try to run a half marathon distance once each month.)
I seem to have plateaued at about 69kg (average). This is a great weight for me, and I'd not been this weight for over twenty years. My day-to-day weight can vary by as much as 1kg either way, depending on time of day, whether or not I've just run or eaten and how well hydrated I am.
That’s brilliant to hear! Did you have a ‘moment’ when you realised you were more physically capable than you thought possible, or was it a realisation one day?
Not really a "moment" dreamrun , more a gradual recognition.
Once I'd completed C25K and gone on to 5k, I realised that I'd get bored very quickly if I kept on churning out the same distance, same route all the time.
So I started the Magic Plan to get to 10k, which felt like a huge achievement. Then I found myself adding distance on, because I love exploring the forest tracks, hills and countryside round here, and I just kept going further.
A bit later a major local running event got moved to a date that I could do and I decided I'd have a crack at it. What I'm currently running is nowhere near what I was capable of a few months ago, as I'm coming back from injury. But for me, the key is self-belief, as per my profile!
Very inspiring words. I often doubt myself in the face of the next challenge, eg bridge to 10K. But I will heed your words of self belief and look at others successes for encouragement ☺️
Thanks. It's odd, really, because I've never set myself running goals thinking "of course I can do this." It's been more like "I've no proof that I can't do this, so I might as well have a go." Then once I've got into it, it becomes "I've started, so I'll finish."
You need luck as well though; if fate decides against you (one woman had to be stretchered out of the forest after a bad fall during the trail event) there's not a lot you can do other than accept it as gracefully as possible (not my strongest point) and give it another go if and when you choose.
😆
It’s helped reorder my very disordered brain
That’s good to hear. I just had a sneak peak at your stats too - v impressive!
Ah thank you, although you should see my list of injuries 😂
If you’re still running you’re still winning! 😂
When I first read the heading of this post, I immediately thought of "What have the Romans ever done for us?" 😆
I’m amazed by the programme even though I knew it had been tried & tested by an awful lot of peeps 😃!
I’m amazed that only 2 months ago, I would walk 1.5 minutes & run 1 minute & here I am now running 28 minutes.
And I’ve had gaps when I wasn’t motivated enough (12 days one time early on) & regularly I ran only every 5 days!
I now love it.
I now look forward to my next run & I go 3 x a week.
I really want to run tomorrow, but we are told there’s a big storm coming with torrential rain. Do you run in the rain?
Running in the rain is, in my opinion, the absolute best
Summer rain is my favourite! 🌦
I thought I was odd liking running in the rain! My favourite is probably fine drizzle but a good downpour is good also fun
Completely agree, I love running in the rain. Don't know why but I really like it! 🙂🏃♀️🏃♀️🌧️
I did a HM in the rain today, I agree, it is a strange thing to enjoy, but there you go...
Huge well done - 28 minutes is fab! You must be so proud of yourself. I like how you can look back on the programme and see how far you’ve come. I do run in the rain, in every condition other than ice/snow as I’m a road runner. best of luck for week 9 😊
Thank you Thank you
Thank you!
To think a couple / few months ago I was running for one minute at a time, now 28!
I'll run in the rain. I won't, however, run in a thunderstorm. Round here it's either open countryside or forest, and I've seen what lightning strikes can do to trees and, sadly, a horse.
I will not set out if it's heavily raining or rain is expected -- especially in winter.
However, if I'm caught in rain it doesn't bother me (once I'm running) other than to spot up my glasses.
Tomorrow is a wash-out in the forecast. I'm taking it as a rest day.
Snow isn't a problem as it just blows off you. Hail is not usually a problem if it's not too heavy. Sleet and rain when the temperature is close to freezing is less nice.
Summer rain showers are refreshing to run in.
Well, it continues to help me believe that my ageing body is strong and trustworthy. It has given me freedom of a new kind. I've always been super independent, but every long run is, to me, an adventure. It allows me to feel childlike - splashing through puddles and running in the rain. It's so much more than about the exercise! I started cto5k just for the hell of it! I sort of still run for the hell of it!
My life back!
It's meant that I haven't smoked for a month and that I am determined to keep it that way. It's meant that I can walk further without being out of breath and aching all the time. It's meant that my confidence is growing and that I'm starting to believe in myself again. It's meant that I'm getting healthier and stronger, both physically and mentally.
Win, win!
I've just thought of an extra thing. My running time is "me time".
It's just me, my thoughts, and usually an entertaining or instructive podcast. It's unlike any other part of my day.
It gets me out of the house, away from the laptop screen and into the fresh air several times of the week.
As per my user name, it has given 'me time' back. So far I like the sense of achievement & excitement to see my progress after every run. I dont really like watching telly, so it has given me something more productive to do with whatever free time I have (I work 1.5 jobs so free time is limited). I will be happy if the side affect is improvement in overall health 😁
If it wasn’t for C25K I would not be doing what I do now! Probably shouldn’t put this though, as a I don’t ‘run’ anymore! I do high intensity training twice a week , which as the name suggests, is hard work lol!
I also do Muay Thai( Thai boxing) every week too.
I’m m know much much fitter, a lot stronger, a year tomorrow since I stopped smoking, and generally all round happier. None of this would have happened without the plan.
So all of you starting out, and struggling at times, keep with it, it could take you places you never thought possible!
I haven't lost weight but my clothes fit better. Running helps me to get rid of excess energy, and especially during lockdown, it kept me sane!
It's given me a new confidence and sense of achievement which has been,and still is, more important as I go into my 8th decade. I'm feeling stronger in myself, I love the simplicity of it and the freedom it brings.
What a fabulous question and I have loved the replies. Yes it has given me a fitter stronger body, yes I am more confident in my ability and very proud of getting out there and doing it!The best part is the me-time as others have said listening to podcasts,music and also how it helps me cope when times have lately been really difficult.
Some days lately I’m exhausted mentally and physically but I still find a spot to put those glorious running shoes on and head out for a run and boy does it make you feel good !! I’m nearly at my 1st runniversary I may have a celebration 🥳
Hi,I’ve been consistently running for over a year now and I think I can sum up running for me in one word: Freedom
Thank you
Confidence in body and mind Inspiration to explore and play
Better appreciation for both Nature and mankind
Better appreciation for my own body and physical abilities
Courage to try new things and push my own boundaries
A new and extremely effective tool for mental and physical health
A renewed sense of what it is to be proud of myself and what I can achieve
A new community both on and offline
There is probably more but that's the easy ones 👍🏻🤣
Hi i get the same,plus a new life I was work with overtime added on top. Home drinking a couch potato ( severe back pain). All gone well 1tramadol at night i wasn’t giving in and living on pain killers. Life right now buzzing full of confidence,weight loss amazing.the couch to 5k the best thing that’s happened to me
Running has given me a sense of purpose. No matter how bad the day could be, you get out and run, you are in control. When you come back, everything is better. To me, that is the best thing about running , apart from fitness and health, running shapes the way you see life.
There's all the physical benefits that others have said, my cardiovascular fitness is so much better than it was and I've lost a small amount of weight as well. I think though that the biggest change is more mental. I feel more resilient and capable of coping with more of what life throws at me than before. That doesn't mean that I don't have difficult days but they are easier to deal with now.
I would say all of the above but it has also greatly improved my balance. I’m 63 and already a number of friends have suffered through falls etc. I can happily bounce on one leg for two minutes then repeat with the opposite. Sounds a bit daft when I tell folk but it’s actually a major indicator of how good I feel.
Hey me too, last summer we ran downhill through woods jumping tree roots in a place I used to gingerly walk down holding onto anything i could to feel safe, I always think every run is a run away from a fall and a zimmer frame 😀
In 'just one thing', Michael Moseley recommends practising standing on one leg with your eyes closed as a way of improving balance. I started at less than 10seconds and can now do 2 minutes.
I use the timer on the electric toothbrush as a guide. Initially it was standing still on one leg but as my balance improved I can now bounce and move about. Looks bizarre as you might imagine! 😂
With your eyes closed? Wow that is impressive 😊👍
Chaffing? 🤣🤣🤣
I love the fact that it's given me a whole new community of 'running buddies' some of whom I have met and probably never will. It's introduced me to Parkrun last July and I'm now totally addicted to my Saturday mornings!! Plus it's given me ' me time' as I run alone and so I find it the time when I can really relax. Finally , it's made me appreciate everything around me, as I live rurally, so when I run during the day I see the brown hares and deer, and i realise how lucky I am.😄🏃♀️
I've discovered an activity that I really enjoy. I've learned in just under 3 years, to build from C25K to the point where I run 4 times a week, covering up to 50k weekly.
I've lost 19kg and, finally, after 15 years I've now been off anti-depressants for over 18 months.
The physical and mental health benefits have been massive. I also have a drawer full lycra which I never saw coming.
Good question and good replies. Its helped me find my mojo which had gone awol.
Its helped me silence the gremlins in my head who tell me I can't.
Its helped me take a lunch break which I used to work through
Its helped me feel better about myself
Its helped me loose 4 stone in weight (yes running was much harder then)
Its helped me find me again and helped me like me again.
I'm much healthier in mind, body and spirit.
Thank you c25k and community.
Running has changed the way I think about my body. When I joined this forum I was almost obsessed with my knees, that they were likely to let me down and give me pain, that I'll probably need knee surgery, that they were lumpy, you name it.Now, nearly a year on, there is no way I'd choose the name 'Oldbadknees' 
Firstly, my Garmin has very kindly knocked 15 years off my age so I'm officially under 50 so definitely not old 😂😂
Secondly, I feel guilty for accusing my knees of being bad. They aren't bad, they were injured in a motorcycle accident when I was in my 20s. I'm so lucky that I'm alive, let alone able to walk. It's actually miraculous that I survived at all, having been thrown over a car at 50 mph and walked away. I always knew this but learning to run has made me believe it.
Before I started running I was fixated on my appearance and my short chubby legs with their knobbly knees. Now I am in awe of what they can do. Plus, they are starting to lose their chubbiness a little, not that I care any more about that!
Running has taught me that we can achieve a lot more than we think and that the mental side is as important as the physical. If I was going to choose my name now it would be something very different and a lot more positive.
What songs do you run to?
What do you carry when you run?
What do you listen to when you run?
What days do you run?
