I am on my second cycle of C25K. I graduated in the first in lockdown but have not run much since so have started again at wk 1 and finding it just as hard as ever.
I wonder about the 5 min WU at the start. I am not sure its any use. I find the first spell of running very hard but the second and following easier and complete the session feeling quite good.
It seems the 5 min walk at the start does not prepare me at all. Years ago when I played football before kickoff we would run around and do short sprints and some stretching. This seemed to help and appeared to reduce the likelihood of injuries. 5 mins of walking does not get the heart beat up or stretch the muscles.
Am I missing something?
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sdu60
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Hello and welcome back. I graduated from this fabulous programme this year and yes I would follow the programme to the letter. There's a link somewhere (scroll down to the bottom of the page, it's probably there) about how to do C25K which is full of wonderful information. When I did those warm up walks, I did them quite briskly. This for me, got me moving and started to increase my heart rate ready for the running. You're probably finding the first run hard because your body isn't ready yet for that extra exertion, so take it really slowly. As the weeks progress, it's also advised to do warm up 'dynamic stretches' too before leaving the house, again to get the muscles moving and the heart rate increasing. Remember, slowly does it, this is a slow jog, not a sprint. You should run by feel, at nice pace where you could happily hold a conversation without feeling out of breath. And importantly, run for joy. Good luck, and happy running 🏃♀️ 😊
Good morning sdu60. I will just talk about my personal experience as a 71 year old runner who has been running for 5 years, rather than try to speak as any expert on the subject! You say that you find the first 1k running very hard; that suggests to me that your first 1k is (as it is with me) in reality an important second stage of your warm up. I use a Nike Run Club app to help with my running. On long runs the instruction is to take the first 1k really slow, and in intervals, which are short bursts of higher pace, I am told to run a slow 1k, then stop and do some stretches, before getting into the higher pace. So the notion of a slow start is ingrained in we amateur runners from the start. So, back to the warm up walk. I do this for at least 5 minutes before every run. It does raise my heart rate a bit relative to my resting rate, but as importantly, it warms up my muscles before starting to run. If I ran straight from the off, or did stretches without a warm up, I would be asking for muscle pulls. So, your warm up walk plus a steady start to your runs sound right to me. Some people do some dynamic exercises…running on the spot, trying to kick yourself up the backside stuff AFTER the warm up walk, but I would not not even think of dropping my warm up walk.
🍏 Welcome back & hopefully we can encourage and help you so you enjoy your second stint! Good advice given already but just to add that the 5 min warm up is essential to the success of the program.
Although I do dynamic warm ups & Static post run stretching plus a bit of strength & flex in between I still do a 5 min warm up walk before all my runs.
Advice from the NHS
Warming up increases your heart rate and therefore your blood flow. This enables more oxygen to reach your muscles.
A warm-up walk also activates and primes the connections between your nerve and muscles, which improves the efficiency of movement.
Take a look at this post to see how we encourage more of what you suggest on this forum too! Please keep posting and let us know how you are progressing!
Many of us do use that five minute walk but we also do other prep work too, before we even begin that.. Annieapple has given you great advice... and there is so much on the Strength and Flex site to support the pre run preparation.
I am warmed up before I even leave the house.. with my short but regular routine. The five minute walk for me is a really brisk last exercise before the run starts.
The warm down walk at the end to and a few more post run stretches...many of us would consider essential to keep our running bodies healthy.
So my advice.. keep that walk in and add some other exercise in too! !
The word “ brisk” springs to mind - your walk needs to get the heart going and make for a smooth transition from the walk to the run x same goes for cool down afterwards ! I found by doing both I didn’t need to do any stretches until the last 4 weeks of the prog x good luck
I have just graduated this month and always do a 5 minute stretching video that I found on the internet, from James Dunne, Sports Rehab Therapist - youtube.com/watch?v=sfF4f-Q... and then do my 5 minute walk to warm up. I usually end up walking more than 5 minutes back at the end, depending how far away from home I stop running. I then, when I get home do another warm down stretch video, again with James Dunne - youtube.com/watch?v=GerCJ1g...
Touch wood, I haven't had any injuries by doing this also !!
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Warm up / warm down 
Confused about warm up / stretches 
Don't run cold 🥶 warm up 👍
Warm Up
