A good morning to you all. I’m a 66 year old. I will be going down to the gym later this morning to do my second run. The first one was a little difficult, but I feel I coped with it. I know it will be a challenge however, I do feel motivated and really look forwards to reaching 30 minutes and running 5k. Who knows what’s next, would love to do 10k one day !
Good luck to you all !
you can do this. I’m 64 and have just completed my first run of week 9. When I began I could not run for 30 seconds. I also wish to be able to run a 10k eventually and complete a park run. Us oldies can do this. Plus side we probably have a bit more time available as kids are grown up! Good luck x
Thanks Flybe for your encouraging words. I’m really glad to have found this forum and feel I will get motivation from the many posts on here. I used to be a member of a gym while I was a postie, but after walking 12 miles a day on my round, I always felt too tired to go to the gym. I had to take medical retirement at 63 because of my knees, but now I have lots of time on my hands, I have more energy and have decided to take the plunge and now trying to get fit once more. Hoping for luck today, as I’ve had this terrible cough and trying to shake it off ! Well done on your progress, you’ve almost cracked it ! 😊👍
Welcome to the forum! There’s a brilliant little guide to the programme here with lots of helpful hints and tips. Well worth a read. Most important is keeping it slow and steady at a pace where you can talk in full sentences without gasping. Most of us go too fast!healthunlocked.com/couchto5....
Really good luck with your next run. We’re all ready to cheer you on! 🏃♀️ 🏃♀️ 🏃♀️
ps: you might know this already but most people don’t cover 5k in 30 minutes during c25k. The aim is to run for 30 minutes continuously, three times and then you’re a graduate. After a little while sticking at that time, many people build up slowly to 5k. You don’t need to worry about how far you’re going. It’s all about time!
Thank you for the tips MissUnderstanding ! I am keeping it slow and steady on the treadmill, walking at a 5km pace and running my minute at 6km per hour. Does this sound ok ?
Glad you’re keeping it steady! The actual numbers don’t really matter-it’s how you feel. Can you speak in full sentences out loud without gasping? That’s the best test. On some days, you might be going faster. On other days it might mean slowing down. It will change throughout the programme as you get fitter and the run sections get longer. You don’t have to keep to the same pace for the whole run interval either-if you feel yourself starting to get out of breath, slowing down is the right thing to do. This will become second nature to you as you get more experienced!
There's no set speed but for comparison, I did up to week 5 in the gym with a speed of 4km/h and 6km/h. So sounds right to me 
Many thanks Ardenk it’s good to hear I’m doing it right ! 😊👍
It’s only right if 6km/hr means you can hold a conversation at the same time. Sorry to bang on about this but that really is the only thing that matters. It’s a bad habit to get into to think you’ve got one speed you should be running at for all of every run. It’s so important to adjust for how you’re feeling at a particular moment on a particular run. I think this is one of the potential disadvantages of being on a treadmill compared with outside where slowing down doesn’t involve pushing buttons!
Hope that’s helpful. I did my whole c25k too fast and I really wish I’d paid more heed to the excellent advice I had from many people here about going on breathing rather than speed!
Havn’t tried talking yet ! People might think I’m mad talking to myself on the treadmill haha ! Although I think I’m running slow enough to talk. Once I get further into the program, I will venture out of the gym and brave the outside world ! One of the reasons I am using the gym is because in my previous attempts at running I have been unfortunate to have picked up the dreaded shin splints, probably at my silly attempts of trying to do too much too soon. This time I will follow the program religiously though. I don’t want to get injured like before ! 😊👍 x
I pretend I’m on the phone!!
Injury free is the mantra - No PAIN No PAIN! And counter intuitively slow for longer ( ie stamina and endurance ) is the key to ultimately finding your pace. This is true, and the way C25K gets you to 30 minutes of running, as it is also for athletes and runners. They put in the long slow miles to achieve their fast short runs. That's where the science comes in and the excellent HU guides the mentors give. Remember your pace is about you, your body, your age. At the end of C25K you will be amazed, and you should be able to measure your cardiovascular health gains just by knowing your body on each run, always thinking there are good runs ( all runs!!!!) and better runs, NEVER ( in the voice of Ian Paisley) bad runs!!!!!!! It's an attitude thing! 😁😁😉
Thank you Chinkoflight for the tip ! I will definitely be taking it slow, but steady. The speed can come later, I definitely don’t want shin splints like previously ! 😊👍
Welcome from us, a great thing to start, enjoy your running journey
Thank you WillowandSola ! 😊👍
Thank you ! 😊👍
Stay motivated PompeyMike56. I started C25k in August, I was 66 too. I finished it at the beginning of November and turned 67 Monday. Since completing it I've done 2 parkruns and run 5k regularly. Stay focused, listen to your body and the advice here. Good luck with what is a life changing choice and as a great runner on these forums said regularly, keep running, keep smiling 😁
Good morning to you OldManRunning. You have done great, and I’d like to say a big well done for your achievements ! I’m hoping to do exactly what you have done, I shall give it my all ! Thank you 😊👍
Good morning, I just want to a big well done to wanting to look after yourself and join the running club. I am on week 7 and I have to say I always have to motivate myself to get out there but once I’m there and at the finishing line , I just feel absolutely great. You can do this, let us know once you are done at the gym.
Good morning Mezzysu, and thank you for your kind words of encouragement ! Week 1 run 3 for me tomorrow. Yesterday’s run went ok, and I’m feeling good about things. Congratulations on your progress, you are doing great ! Not too long for you now at all. 😊👍
Keep going, it does get easier. I started running at 66 during lockdown and I am now 68 and still going although I have had a few knee injuries recently so I will have to start cautiously again. (knee injuries not related to running). I love it and so will you. Slow and steady is my advice
well done on your first run. There are loads of us doing, or who have completed C25K who are in our sixties or beyond. You can do this. Just remember there is no such thing as too slow😂. Also set your sights on completing the course by running for 30 minutes as opposed to running 5K in 30 minutes. Many (most?) of us don’t achieve this by week 9. For example, I was running around 3.5K in 30 minutes when I finished week9. Good luck, cut yourself some slack and enjoy👍
Hi - I'm on C25K second time around, as I got to the end of it last time and life got in the way and I stopped for a couple of months. Hey ho!!! The one thing I've found that helps is that you can always repeat runs or previous weeks if you want to - you don't have to keep moving forward if life is getting in the way or a cough or the weather. It is better to move forward slowly through the program than get to the end of it and not have built up a routine that will cope with life throwing random events at you. This time around, I am not as fit as last time maybe, but I know that I will keep going through the winter and have enough motivation to find a new plan once the structure of C25K has finished. I have realised that I want to be running long-term and to do that I need something more flexible than a rigid routine. Good luck with your journey, keep posting 😊
Welcome PompeyMike56! Listen to these people, their advice is brilliant. Slow is the BEST!
Keep us posted and good luck! 🤓🏃
In pain! Week 2 Run 1
Week 2 run 1 & 2 shin pain
Week 2 run 1, advice on running outside 
Bridge-to-10K: Week 1 Run 2
Week 2 Run 1 Slipping and sliding
