First day out its all new c25k....

[justtom]

Hello a little about myself i am 46 yr old male,6'1 and overweight by at least 70lbs my weight this morning was at 267lbs and i have not ran in a good 25-27 years.Back in my youth i would run around the lake (4 1/2 miles) daily plus just all around active biking,baseball,frisbee,Sunday morning football etc. Then i would say i started to get lazy in my late teens early twenty's,drive everywhere,eat poorly,took up smoking cigarettes and Marijuana, along with drinking alcohol which led to my Alcoholism.Fast forward 2 years ago i had plantar fascia release surgery on both feet and still have not fully recovered and just last April i had my Gallbladder removed by open surgery it was to bad to remove it Laparoscopic I really put on the pounds during the recovery time from both operations.But i am proud to say that it will be Two years this September that i have not touched Alcohol or Cigarettes 100% Sober and smoke free i quit them both the same day.Did i say i smoked two packs a day and drank a Least 12 beers a day as well.It was a Hell separating myself from them but I made it with the support of my two Daughters,at that time just 16 and 9 years old.I have also just recently after much reading and researching online became 100% pure Vegetarian i have been for 5 month now and fell great along with losing 20 lbs in that time frame.So that's a little about me and where i am heading. I found this program (c25k) just two days ago surfing the web and thought to my self i am going to give it a try,that should be fun and help with the weight loss,So i went ahead yesterday and downloaded the whole 9 week program put it in its own special folder on my desktop and transferred week one to my trusty sidekick Android phone.Then at 5:30 am today i woke up fed the dog and cats then said to myself lets do it and off i went down the block to the park and started the program,And i am here to say i made it thru day one (Barely) i was about to quit three times and thought i was going to Die gasping for air and my legs felt so heavy thru the last two sets but i am here alive and well telling about it.I do have very sore quads and it hurts to walk but other than that im looking forward to Wednesday and doing day two i think tomorrow on my day off im just going to go for a long walk or break out the bike i bought last year that has been sitting in the shed and does not see much use (is that ok ?) any advise for my off days from the program.Thanks for getting to know a little about me.Looking forward to any and all advise you can share and a start of some new cyber friends .Have a great Day.

justtom

[zee11 Graduate]

well done for getting started i have really enjoyed it. have just done wk7 r3 and in a million years if u said to me i would be running non stop for 25 mins i would of laughed. i think you shud rest on yr days off maybe go for a walk as u will need to rest your legs before the next stage.have you just started wk 1 the 90 second run? the runs do get longer and u will need the rests in between . i know it can be tempting to get the bike out but i would take 1 day ata time dont want be doing yourself a injury or not being able to do the next stage because of leg ache.

[doggymum Graduate]

Welcome!

This is a great community and you will find you can get lots of helpful info here.

Well done for making through your 1st podcast. I found week 1 the hardest of them all as I LOVED my sofa! But persevere, the benefits are amazing. I just started week 5 this morning and back on my first 'run' I never thought I'd get through the 1st week.

Remember to pace yourself, the only person who will EVER think you can't do it is you. A lot of the 'trials' are mental challenges as much as physical but if you feel any pain or twinges make sure you are fully rested before starting the next podcast. As much as you want to progress you don't want any setbacks from ignoring your body.

Come on here, share your ups and downs and the community will carry you along. Most of all, just have fun

Congratulations on all your other milestones too

[justtom]

Thank you zee and doggymum yes Zee it was my first run of week one.And boy am i really feeling it now.My oldest daughter is laughing at me saying Dad you cant be serious you barely ran how can you be that sore and week ? my response was go put 70 lbs of extra weight in a backpack throw that over you shoulder and take the podcast down the park and give it try O and stick a cotton ball up each nostril so you get the effect of me smoking all those years then report back Dear.She just looked at me and said No im good do you have $10.00 i can borrow im short funds.

[happierswimming Graduate]

Congratulations and welcome to the programme. what a great start you've made and a real role model for your girls. By all means exercise on your "rest" days. If you've got dogs and are already walking them about an hour a day, you've got a good base to start from (and if you aren't, well now you know what to do!) Cycling is wonderful exercise because it's not weight-bearing and swimming is also a great way to reduce wear and tear on the joints. Just do them in moderation for a few weeks. Cycle and walk flat routes and build up gently over the weeks. I hope the girls will soon join in and support you in all of your activities, meanwhile this is one sure place where you will get lots of encouragement

[tilly1 Graduate]

Hi justtom, well done for taking the biggest step, getting started! I have just finished W5 and ran for 20 mins non-stop, no way would I have expected to be able to do that 5 weeks ago. But I did. And you will be able to as well Agree with the others, certainly some gently exercise on your "rest" days is fine, walking those dogs etc, but don't go mad at the beginning

Good luck with your C25K journey and keep us updated

[Grammadog1947 Graduate]

Hi justtom! With your sense of humor you will fit right in here! How about taking your dog with you on your runs? Many of us do. Rest days...erm....are for resting. They give your body a chance to relax and repair itself. Some stretching or upper body strength exercises (runners really DO need a strong upper body...it helps with correct running form) and any NON weight bearing exercise (swimming comes to mind) works, too. I am currently mending from a real bout of runners knee...which I blame on riding my bicycle on my "rest" days (don't do as I do, do as I say...lol). While biking is technically NOT a weight bearing exercise, there is that torqueing the knee thing going on with each revolution of the pedals. You really don't want to get your knees torqued off at you.

Do make sure to go to a sweatshop or physio SOON to have your gait analyzed and purchase GOOD running shoes.

And most importantly...keep coming back...we want to hear all about your victories AND your .... well, the inevitable day when nothing feels good. We've all had them.

Good running to you and enjoy!

[keepntabs Graduate]

Good going, justtom. If one of your goals is to lose weight, then you should add strength training to your fitness plan, and can do those exercises on your off days. Building up muscle will speed up your weight loss, because muscle burns fats even when you are not exercising. No need to buy fancy exercise equipment or join a gym, just do regular calisthenics like push-ups, sit-ups, leg squats, leg lunges, jumping jacks, etc. You should start off very slow doing about 15-20 minutes of exercise, and short 10 minute walk. Be sure to stretch before and after exercising.

You may also need to change your eating habits to ensure that you are properly fueling your body by eating the right kinds and right amount of food at the right time. You are already on this path by becoming a vegetarian, and I recommend that you continue your research on weight loss eating. The NHS site has a lot of information about this, and so does webmd.com.

Keep up the great work. Your life story provides the reassurance to others that it is never too late to make a change to better one's self.

[justtom]

Thank you everyone for the Big Welcome and your kind words of encouragement.Its my first day off and im just going to take it easy i figured some good body stretches,and a afternoon walk around the park,then probably a walk again with the wife and dog after dinner,I sure am very sore in the quads hope there not as sore tomorrow or i cant picture my self making it thru day two that's why im going to just take it very easy today and try to run thru the pain tomorrow.Enjoy and have a great Day.

JUSTTOM