Not going to lie, it was tough. I missed lunch and drank too much coffee so I was apprehensive. My legs were aching, my chest was pounding and I was blowing hard by the end of it, but I DID IT and I am really happy about it.
It's the most rough I have felt after the cool down walk since the very start but I guess that is to be expected. I am over the mental barrier that I can't build stamina and run. I felt a little light headed for a while which was unsettling, but that subsided after 10 mins or so when home. Again, I can't expect to run FOR TWENTY MINUTES NON STOP and feel perfectly fine after just 5 weeks from being completely unfit.
Onto week 6...
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Congratulations on completing run 3 of week 5, that is a milestone run with C25K, onwards and upwards to week 6 run 1 but be careful about that run as it catches out some people with the interval walks and runs after the non stop 20 minutes of W5R3 which you have just ran 🏃🏾 ✅
should I not expect discomfort though - if I ran much slower I’d be going back in time. It feels logical that after a sedentary job and the end of my footballing days 20 years ago this is going to be a huge shock to my system.
NO! You should NOT expect discomfort. If that was the case, how else would complete beginners manage it? They'd give up after Week 1.
This is NOT football training. This is NOT British Army/Marines Fitness School.
Herein lies your issue ... You come from a background of playing professional football. You know what takes to get there and stay there - you were fit as butcher's dog. Training was HARD. You got fit and stayed fit by training HARD. You were shouted at. You shouted at each other. The philosophy of 'no pain, no gain' ruled.
You background, your work ethic re: exercising means you're going to go at it full beans, cos there's no other way as far as you're concerned.
Couch to 5k was originally designed by Josh Clark for his 50+ something sedentary mother to enable her to get a bit fitter and run a 5k.
You've probably never trained 'easy' - well ... it exists and works very veyr well. Especially for newcomers to exercise ... those that have been on the couch since schooldays.
I started C25K back in 2015 after not having run for 20+ years. I took it very easy. The idea is to build to a base of fitness that sees you running (JOGGING!) for 30 mins. From there you can build distance and speed if you want. It's foundation course if you like.
"I ran much slower I’d be going back in time"
You won't be - you'd be moving forward, but slower than you'd like or want, but unaware of the benefits of taking it easy to build fitness.
" It feels logical that after a sedentary job and the end of my footballing days 20 years ago this is going to be a huge shock to my system."
It may seem logical but it literally doesn't have to be a shock. If you ease yourself into it and take it slowly, then it literally won't be a shock. You'll be running (JOGGING) 30 minutes and feeling great. From there you do what you like.
If I told you how elite endurance runners did most of their training you'd very surprised - about 80% of their time is spent running very very slowly compared to their race pace. That's done for very good reasons.
We post this video to struggling beginners all the time - it's very popular and has opened their eyes as to how to get past their problems with going too fast. You will probably laugh at it ... but the science behind it is well known and established. And Prof Tanaka (RIP) was a very fast marathon runner:
I'm sure all of the above goes against the grain for you and I've no doubt you will continue in the same vein. Beware injury! ... Almost all running injuries are sustained by beginners ...
"I can't expect to run FOR TWENTY MINUTES NON STOP and feel perfectly fine after just 5 weeks from being completely unfit."
I completely disagree. You CAN expect to ***JOG*** for 20 mins non-stop and feel perfectly fine after 5 weeks from being completely unfit.
How? By doing simply following the program , doing C25K at a conversational easy pace at which you feel very comfortable and virtually never out of breath. And you do that by JOGGING and forgetting about distance and trying to reach 5k in 30 minutes.
The physical state you were in 5 weeks is completely irrelevant.
One of my favourite pieces of advice from my hero, Coach Bennett of NRC fame is…”no pain, no pain”! No pain, no gain is wrong. You shouldn’t be in any discomfort. Running is not punishment! It’s counter intuitive but you’ll be fitter and better at running by going slowly. Plus, it’s much nicer to run in a way that means you can also breathe at the same time! Take it from me who learned the hard way, at some point you won’t be able to keep increasing the distance and time you run for without slowing down to that conversational pace so you’re miles better practising it now.
Welcome and well done to you for doing this...BUT. as some of the advice below states... you are moving too quickly!
Lots of mistakes before the run too.. running on empty? No fuel... a car would not do that, why should you> Hydration and healthy eating regime are essential if you want to run.
So, please do check out, again the pinned post of How to Run C25K... and if there is any repeat of legs aching, chest pounding then stop.
We never run through pain... ever.
We, many of us, have all been younger, fitter, healthier, lighter etc. I used to, in my youth run for my County... Speed running. I broke records... for the 800 metres, could I do that now ? Nope
But, at 72, I can run 5K in just over 30 minutes... and 10K in just over 1hr and 10.... I enjoy every run I make and have fun!
So... the message here is, very well done for completing so far, time now to ease back... and follow the next weeks slowly and steadily... Enjoyment and not Endurance... and you will reach the nine week mark having achieved so much, injury free and enjoyably
On you go... slowly... you will be all the fitter for it
"I actually wrote the program with my mom in mind. She was 50, didn’t exercise, always hated it, but wanted to do something for her health. And I couldn’t have been more pleased when the program worked for her."
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Week 5 Run 3 Complete 
Week 5 Run 3 complete!!!
Week 5 run 3 completed!!
Week 5 Run 3 - not completed!
WEEK 5 RUN 3 COMPLETE!!!😃🥳
