I have been thinking about doing couch to 5k for months now but today I finally downloaded the first podcast and I just did it.
The first run after 5 minutes of brisk walking was terrible! Then the next few runs alternated between being surprisingly easy and horrifyingly exhausting. I wasn't even running fast and when I walked I couldn't manage a "brisk" walk, more of a slow panting stagger!
I keep seeing all these people saying "I'm a fat 50 year old man who hasn't done any exercise for 30 years and I am surprised how easy it is!"... But I'm a normal-weight, 21 year old girl and I felt like I was about to collapse or have a heart attack for most of that podcast... I know I have never exercised much but I didn't think it would be that hard : ( When I finally finished I looked in a mirror and my entire face and chest was bright red.
I can't believe I have to do this two more times this week if I want to keep up with the program. I feel like just giving up because my body doesn't seem cut out for it. On the other hand it makes me think I should try harder because maybe I can train my body to become stronger. I feel like my heart is not working as well as it should be at my age : ( I did feel really happy when she said "you've run for 8 minutes in total!" but after the whole ordeal I'm in a pretty negative mood right now. *Sigh*
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bekahland
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I think more people felt like you than found it easy. I thought I would die,
The first two weeks were terrible and the others were really hard. I am still like a boiled beetroot at the end of a run. I am over fifty, overweight and female. I graduated a few weeks ago. If you just persevere and follow the plan, taking it slow and easy you will surprise yourself. Don't give up, just keep blogging and get lots of support from everyone here. It is a really well thought out plan
Aw stick with it, sounds like a similar experience to my 1st run and I have exercised in the past and am 40+. I've now just started week 4 and I'm so pleased that I have made it this far, and have impressed myself at my willpower to get up early and complete it before work. It is a fantastic feeling knowing that I have improved each week, I am determined to complete the sessions and run for 30 mins. You have done well to finally motivate yourself to start today, keep it up and you will start to enjoy it!! Good luck x
I too have done w1d1 yesterday. I didn't find it as tricky as you though but certainly not a walk in the park!
Perhaps look at what you have been doing the last couple of days and what you have eaten, it can affect your fitness. I knew a couple of days in advance that I was going and made sure I was mentally prepared too.
Think of it this way, you have done more than most. Just try again in a couple of days and you may surprise yourself. Good luck and don't give up!
I feel your pain, but don't give in. My first run......I felt like my lungs were going to collapse (I have Asthma) and soo many stitches! I was of the same mind set - "sod this, not doing that again", but I now I feel good about it going into Week 2. Keep going. Slowly, slowly catchy Monkey x
Remember that if you've not done a lot of exercise recently, your body is probably wondering what the hell is happening! But over time it'll get more and more used to it. I'm a size 10 and was pretty fit when I started, but running for a minute was sheer hell!
It won't be easy (I'm on 2nd week of B210K and I still don't find running 'easy'), but it will get easiER. Just keep going!
Ditto from me too! I was absolutely knackered after the first run! I thought I was averagely fit! How wrong was I? But I found that by around week 3 or 4 my recovery time after each run was so much faster and it started to get easier to cope with. Don't worry about speed just keep going, no matter how slow! Look at it from this point of view: You're going a whole load faster than you would be if you were sitting on that couch! Keep it up! You can do it!
Hi You have done brilliantly! Lots of people don't manage W1R1 on their first attempt so you have done really. I was power walking 4 miles a day and it was still a struggle for me, those 60 seconds seem to last for hours.
Slow down. I had similar problem that was easily resolved by slowing down to a pace that was comfortable to me. Just faster than walking but still "running".
The worst and only session, which I found difficult was the first session of week one. Advice. Don’t run. Just gently jog. Don’t use more energy than you need to.
I’m nearly 69 and the last time I had run was as a teenager across a netball court. Today I ran for 25 minutes. If I can do it, you can.
Eat healthily. Drink lots of water and wear good running shoes. I know you’ll be fine.
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