Why do you run and what made you start? - Couch to 5K
Why do you run and what made you start?
I've always suffered from PMS and get depressed quite easily. My doc suggested exercise and I attempted to start running last Summer. Didn't go too well.
This is my third attempt at starting to run, and I've made it to week 7 now!
I mostly run to try and finally get fit (I've never done exercise before), but there's also hoping for a bit of weight loss, improved mood and to find a form of exercise that I enjoy!
Congratulations on getting to W7, you are so close! Running really does improve your mood and when I feel grumpy and or due on it really has helped me. I hope it works for you too 
I run because being able to do 5k has been on my bucket list for too long! Once I've done it, I have no ambition to go further but I shall continue with the distance until I think I'm going as fast as I can. I like to exercise alone because it's time to myself so I choose activities which are not really very sociable (no-one expects you to talk while you're running or swimming!)
Like you it's been on my list for a long time and now I'm doing it I wonder why I didn't do it sooner.. Exercise for me is a solitary pursuit and it's a relaxing feeling to be on your own doing something just for you. It also allows you to feel smug when you get back
I have started this as 17 weeks ago my dog got ran over and died, I have been so low in mood without him and also have stopped going out each day for my walk (that I did with him) I felt I needed to go out again but going for a walk seemed wrong without my boy, so a friend told me about the couch to 5k so thought i would give it a go. I originally only downloaded the first 3 weeks as I didn't think I would get further than that before I lost interest. I am now on week 6 part 3 (tomorrow) it has really helped me with losing my dog and has got me off the couch!!
Aww that is so sad. I can empathise with how you must be feeling. If you have a pet they become a huge part of your life and a bereavement is always difficult. It is inspiring to see how you are motivating yourself in a positive way and reaching W6 is a tremendous achievement. Good luck with the rest of the program
thank you, now on week 8 run 3 so getting there
You know peggy-jean this may just be the best reason for starting C25K I have ever heard. Well done for making something positive from a sad situation and well done to that ingenious friend for suggesting it.
I've no idea really - when I started I wondered if I'd been knocked senseless. I've always been active and enjoy hillwalking, backpacking and mountain biking. Then one evening I was sitting here at my computer reading the news pages when an article about the Olympics featured a picture of a woman running. Not shuffling along, but really striding out and smiling. I thought 'That looks fun, I'd like to do that'. So I did. Or to be more accurate I tried to. I put on my trail shoes and set off into the woods. I didn't have a watch with me, but thought I was doing 'run for 1min, walk for 5mins'. I really struggled but kept on with it for 5k (I had my hiking GPS with me).
I went back the next night and this time took a watch and timed myself. What I thought had been 1 mins run was only 30secs!
I mentioned my 'run' on FB and one of my friends said "That sounds like Couch to 5k" which I had never heard of. So I googled it and found this site. During the two nights trying to stride out like a 'proper' runner, my inner thigh muscles (which are not used much in hiking) were in agony, But I borrowed my son's mp3 player and tried the podcasts. The first two of week one were hard because of the sore muscles, but by adopting a slow shuffle this has got better.
So now nearing the end of week 2 I still don't know why I run, but I just know I really enjoy it!
Your initial foray into the cult known as running sounded very much like mine but you ran a lot further!! Getting the first few weeks out of the way was the hardest for me and then the running bug caught me and now I'm nearly at graduation - If I can do it anyone can. Good luck with the rest of the program
I joined the gym, mainly to use the pool & part of joining was an induction which put me in the gym on the treadmill. for a few weeks afterwards I tried to run & couldnt manage more than 1min 40seconds before I gave up so looked online & came across this. I loved the fact that it was a podcast that you didnt have to have a fancy iphone,etc for & that laura told you when to run & stop. also, seeing that it came from the NHS site gave me confidence that I wouldnt keel over
3 minutes solid running was amazing & made me feel as if I could do anything. running still makes me feel like that, well, afterwards anyway & I also dont feel guilty if I have a glass of wine or some chocolate now.
makes you feel so much healthier & love it now that I can say that I run places outside, as opposed to running in the corner of my sewing room on our treadmill
I loved the idea of the podcast too, the less technology the better!! I was like you too, in that seeing it came from the NHS gave me confidence. Hearing from a graduate (the hallowed many) like yourself who has continued to run & enjoy it inspires me for the future when I loose the pod casts and venture out on my own. Thanks
I've run before and not got very far - so when I found the Podcasts, I felt I might do better with a properly constructed set of exercises.. So far (I'm on week 5) they've been brilliant - I can see I'm improving week by week...
I hoped to lose a little weight, and I have, 7 lbs last week.. (Less this week I think) - and I feel mentally better as well... Someone really should shout about C25K an awful lot more, it must be doing a lot to improve peoples health at a cost of next to nothing...
Seeing the results, and seeing them so quickly, is a great motivator. You will see a huge change in yourself when you reach W5R3 and you should feel rightly proud of yourself Plus the weight loss of 7lbs!!! Congratulations!
I think C25K should be given to schools and advertised on TV. The NHS is always knocked but this program is fantastic!!
I had avoided running for decades. I had got fit a few years ago (swimming walking, gym classes) but then got lazy and very very overweight to the point where my ankles hurt and my dog walks were suffering.
I turned 50 last year & decided enough was enough, joined Weightwatchers . I lost about lost 3 stone of the 5.5 stone I needed to lose by Xmas. WW has a really good website with message boards on and I noticed dozens and dozens of posts from fellow WW-ers who had started and succeeded at this programme whilst losing tons of weight so figured I would try.
Best thing I have ever done! I wish I had done it (or some version) 30 years ago. I have lost just short of 5 stone now and because I run I have a different attitude to food. I genuinely believe that running has helped me finally get the right attitude to food.
I totally agree about the attitude to food. Before I started c25k, it was so easy to stuff whatever was handy and not think about the nutrients or the calories very much. Now I am working hard to eat a balanced diet, so I can successfully run. Vegetables, salads and sensible amounts of protein/carbs/fats have never been so appealing! 
I'm getting to that stage - slowly! Before C25K I was super fussy with food, living mainly off unhealthy things but maintaining a reasonable weight (thank goodness for a good metabolism) but since starting running I have managed to incorporate some greens. I have even started wanting fruit over chocolate! What is happening to me???
I got diagnosed with sleep apnea. Basically you stop breathing when you're asleep and wake up meaning you're knackered all the time even after 8 hours sleep as you never get into a deep sleep. I had a particularly bad attach which prompted me to go to the doctors. Dr said it was because I'm obese! Never thought I was obese but I'm just over on the BMI. So major change of diet and as much exercise as possible for the future!
I'd had some health problems earlier in the year and realised my weight had crept up so my BMI was in the obese range. I'd started dieting with some success using the Myfitnesspal app but had got stuck. I'd done RfL about 5 times before doing 5k in about 45min and tried the training programme but on reflection never really got into the running thing. Not sure how I found the C25k site but as I'd signed up for Race for Life again this year it seemed a good way to train.
I liked the little video clip of Laura and once I got the Podcasts working (could get them on an ipod but not a HTC Wildfire phone) really enjoyed the structure from the programme. Now I try to run twice a week when I come home from work and again at the weekend. I look forward to it but don;t always enjoy it at the time!
I've now lost 11kg and wish another 3kg or so to go to my target weight. I've also dropped 2 dress sizes. Even though I lost most of the weight before Christmas it's only been since I started running that people have said how good I'm looking which is really nice.
I'm determined not to lose the progress I've made but am worried about keeping it up over winter. However having this site helps and I'll keep blogging as I'm sure others will have the same issue and we can support each other.
I'd tried running a few years ago, I enjoyed it but the group I went with were a bit intermittent and it sort of fizzled out. I started going to the gym and doing yoga last August and lost almost 2 stone. I downloaded the podcasts ages before I actually plucked up the courage to start the program. I announced what I was doing on Facebook so I would feel I had to persevere ! That worked well - I got support and encouragement from school friends I haven't seen for almost 30 years
One of the reasons I started exercising was that, after repeated visits to the doctors with aches and pains, one of the doctors decided to try and treat me for fibromyalgia and prescribed a combination of Tramadol and Citalopram - that made a lot of difference, so I did a bit of research into fibromyalgia and found that exercise should be beneficial. I was also very unhappy with my weight so I had two good reasons for starting to exercise.
While I really enjoy the gym and yoga, running gives me something more - I find the first 10-15 minutes tough but I usually start to enjoy it after that (even when doing running-up-step sessions at running club tonight - that was tough!).
I rarely ask myself why I'm doing this, even when it is difficult. I deal so much better with stress and I've found a determination (stubbornness?) that I didn't know I had. I'm slow but being at the back of the pack doesn't worry me too much - I'm just glad to be doing it and I'm going to keep working at it.
This program is amazing and does so much more for you than just building physical fitness. It's improved me - I'm still the same person, but a happier, more positive version - and I love hearing about other people going through the same experience and recognising the same sense of joy and achievement as hurdles are overcome and targets met.
This post articulated so much of my feelings about running especially 'I'm still the same person, but a happier, more positive version'. And this part really resonated with me 'I rarely ask myself why I'm doing this, even when it is difficult. I deal so much better with stress and I've found a determination (stubbornness?) that I didn't know I had. I'm slow but being at the back of the pack doesn't worry me too much - I'm just glad to be doing it and I'm going to keep working at it.' I am stubborn now, I have grit to keep going for the whole run and anyone who has that is a runner in my eyes!
Something switched inside me. I went to slimming world, my starting weigh in was 21st 9. Two days later i went to the doctor to see if it was ok for me to start up the programme.
That was twenty weeks ago, i am now 69 pounds lighter, i graduated the programme, it felt amazing. I decided to try and up my speed and started to do sprint intervals, this ended up jigging my back out.
I am now back, though with still a tender back. My aim is to do 5k in 30 mins. If injury doesnt finish me off i reckon i can manage it within the next month.
Wow!! What an achievement. Good luck for your next target I'm sure you can reach it if you have come this far you can certainly do whatever you put your mind to
Inspirational - well done [:)]
I started this to loose weight...I had done a swim training and lost a stoen...so it was like the next step...but now I like the buzz of exercise....LOL the weight has stayed the same for 5 weeks...but I feel fitter
Congratulations on the weight loss and also on the buzz from exercise, that feeling is worth all the effort running takes
I had been looking to get fit & lose some weight & was doing the 30day shred,on their support forum people kept mentioning c25k,I had no idea what that was,googled it & thought about it for a week before deciding to give it a whirl,that was 6 weeks ago.
I had turned fifty, flabby and had completely lost the bounce in my step. My twin sister suggested us looking at the C25K website. I downloaded the first podcast and then left it for some time. I finally went out and tried it because it seemed like an easy, natural and cheap way to get my youth back (let me dream on, please). 9 weeks later and I feel so much fitter and healthier and happier about myself. I can't believe how such a short space of time can result in such a dramatic change. Running changes your life!
Youth is how you feel so as a graduate I don' think you need to dream on. Just remember people so much younger for you can't do what you do. I agree running really does change your life
I joined Weightwatchers two years ago and it mentioned diet combined with exercise as being an excellent combination. I then Googled for some running programme to catch my eye (money being tight going to gym was just not an option) and found the original C25K site with different versions of the programme - i.e. for treadmills etc. I think it was there I found the link to the NHS version with Laura. I persisted with the NHS version to week 3, but then reverted to Robert Ullrey's podcasts because the music suited me better. A few people in my village also got going on C25K and at one stage about 7 people were doing it at the same time. After I lost some fitness over winter I decided to redo C25K earlier this year and found it as good as the first time.
I've never heard of Robert Ullrey's version but I think however you do it, it is still an achievement. Congratulations on completing it the first time & for having the determination to do it the second time
My mum died 4 weeks ago from lung and heart diease. They were self inflicted by smoking, diet and lack of exercise. After the funeral I looked at my kids and realised if I didn't change my ways they were going to be stood were I was in a few years. I haven't smoked for years but diet and exercise were lacking in my life. A friend was doing C25K and I thought hell there's somewhere I can start. I've just started week 2 and the diet is starting week 1. I already feel like I'm getting the control back in my life.
You have my full sympathy for the loss of your Mum. I hope you are managing to cope with this sadness and that running is a way of channeling that emotion into something positive. Good luck & best wishes.
I thought running was stupid, pointless and looked like so much effort, I just didn't get it. I wanted to get fit and healthy, I looked for some ideas on the net. next morning I was up at 7am (I am not a morning person), with podcast 1.
I am the fittest I have been in years, and love it.
It's amazing how once you start running you enjoy it. I used to snigger at the joggers too but now I leap (or roll) out of bed and go for a run!
I loved cross country at school, disliked netball! Started Couch25k to get in shape for my wedding in March. I find I love the feeling of being free and switching off a lot of the time! I prefer to exercise on my own, no teams for me thank you! I graduated back in Feb, then returned to running again recently as it just makes me feel so happy and I know it's doing me good as well.( also put on half a stone) 
apparently it's 'contentment 'when you're newly married! The times I haven't wanted to go out, but always nearly skipping when I return, full of contentment and energy, that's why I keep at it, and I get down if I don't go. I've tried yoga and Pilates, but running is the best exercise for me Also you can't beat running round a park instead of doing a dvd in your living room, just not the same.
Exactly how I feel - sometimes you might not want to go but when it's done you just feel great. I love running in the fresh air too, just blows all the cobwebs away
Need to tone up - also great de-stresser and on my bucket list.
I was diagnosed with coeliac disease last year. This means I can't eat wheat, rye or barley. So I couldn't eat normal unhealthy foods such as cakes. I thought this was an oppurtunity to get healthy and get my weight down. Went on a Tesco diet and took off almost 2stone to get to a reasonable weight(although not my ideal weight). Then I thought I'd better do something in the way of exercise to keep the weight stable. Hence I came across C25k. I'm also looking at other things, football training and yoga, to keep it going.
I did it for the challenge, I had depression a while back & exercise is good to boost the serotonin, plus it's 'feel good' to achieve those goals. So far it's hitting the spot.
I hated running at school and always thought of myself as 'not a runner', until a couple of years ago. I'm not sure what really sparked it, but one day I found myself thinking 'I'd like to be able to run'. Around that time, I met a new friend who has always been a runner, and also I watched Eddie Izzard's 'Marathon Man', so maybe one or both of these things inspired me. However, it wasn't until I happened across c25k a month ago (just before going on holiday) that I finally found a potentially viable way of achieving my goal. I read lots of posts on here from people just like me (non-runners, overweight, didn't believe they could do it, etc) and thought 'just maybe, I can do this'. The nine week program seemed impossibly quick to get off the couch and run for 30 minutes, but it also meant that if it worked, I'd see results fast.
I'm starting week 5 tomorrow and I've fallen in love with running. Running, and fitting it into my life, is my priority now. Whereas before it was easy to just stay on the couch instead of exercising on any given day, I now have a run day/rest day schedule that I don't want to miss, and am eating better than ever before to give my body the nutrients and weight loss it needs to be happy and healthier. Running, and the prospect of running for longer (doing parkruns and/or running in the woods/countryside, etc) really inspires me. I think finding a community of people who run for fun and fitness and face the same trials and dilemmas as me has also made a huge difference. Once, I thought of 'runners' as an athletic elite that you had to join as a child/young adult and to whom racing was everything, and that I could never be. Now, I realise there are all types of runners, and the only losers are the ones who stay on the couch and don't even try.
So now (and in the future) I run to make me smile, to exercise, and to enjoy some 'me' time. I run to improve my health and get to a sensible weight, and I do that so that I will be around for my family for as long as I can. I run because I now know how Forest Gump felt one day! I have a picture of a runner in my mind, and I want that runner to be me.
Fast approaching 50 and suddenly have loads of niggly health problems - I've never been ill before and took health for granted. Now I have osteopaenia, high cholesterol, glucose intolernace, hay fever induced asthma! - Despite a relatively healthy life (vegetarian for 30 years, never eaten junk food or fizzy drinks, never smoked, do yoga).
Thought running would be good for my weak bones, get me fit, reduce cholesterol and as a bonus help me loose a few pounds.
Struggling to get past week 4 but I'm not giving up...
I actually started on a cold day on a naturist beach in France last summer, just to keep warm. I realised I enjoyed running on the beach and that I could do it again when I got home (albeit with some clothes on). Then I started C25K in January this year. I wanted to lose weight. I'd crept up to 12 and half stone which was too much (it's started to come off now and I'm at 11st11lbs). I also wanted, immediately after retirement (I'm now 62), to do something 'different' and more physical, to improve my fitness. It's working; I ran 10K this morning. I'm loving it (and keeping my clothes on).
That's what I like about this site - everybody started in a slightly different way but we all are about achieving the same thing. Good thing to keep your clothes on England - don't think our 'summer' would be conducive to anything else! Got to love the British weather!!
Hated running at school, but always wished I liked it - just because it's such an easy way to exercise without taking up too much time and always felt slightly jealous seeing runners go past wishing I could do that. Got plantar fasciitis last autumn due to walking too much and in the wrong shoes (plus I already have a dodgy achilles, which can set it off). Did some research and invested in some trainers to help. Then I did some more research which revealed that you should replace them every 300 - 400 miles or so and realised that would mean my 70 quid trainers would only last about 2 months, which seemed like a complete waste and there was no way I could afford a new pair every couple of months. So, I decided I might as well give this running business a go and use them the way they are meant to, especially as I used to do a lot of cycling, but haven't got the time anymore, so dog walking is pretty much the only exercise I get. Found this site, downloaded the podcasts and the rest is history 
Arghh the dreaded flat feet, I suffer from them too - self inflicted by wearing to many stupid shoes!! It is annoying that you have to replace shoes so quickly isn't it? I buy from the junior range which makes them £35 instead of £70, yay!
Funnily enough, mine aren't even flat...but walking about 10 miles a day in wellies clearly proved to much for them! The shoes were already reduced by about 30 quid, so it could have been much worse, but I might have to give the junior range a go...got lots of kiddie trainers for everyday wear, so it might work for running, although I will be a the top of the size range I suspect!
I am the top size if the range but they are still comfy - never thought I would be so pleased to have 'diddy' feet lol!
PS 10 miles a day! You must be super fit!
I too hated running at school but always persevered with it. My teacher would always give me a 15 minute head start and like clock work I was still 15 minutes behind everyone else.
I was diagnosed with PCOS and the doctors have advised that I need to lose weight to get rid of the symptoms but it will be twice as difficult for me to lose the weight. I did lose 3 stones last year with the help of a personal trainer but after leaving the personal trainer (couldn't afford it) I managed to put it all back on and now I am 7 stones overweight.
I was hoping that by taking up running I could shed those excess 7 stones, get fit and manage the PCOS!
I have managed to complete W2, although I have not downloaded the pod cast (no internet at home to do that) but I am hoping by reading the insipirational stories/blogs on this site that I can get there rather that give up half way. I am running with a friend now which is keeping me on the straight and narrow and a little closer to me achieving my goal!
Hopefully one day I will be blogging here to tell you all that I can finally run, running has become part of my life and I have shed those 7 stones.
Congratulations on starting the program, it is a brilliant way to get fit and lose weight. 
I entered a duathlon and then realized it was a proper race, not participant only! I need to be able to run 3.9km in a decent time by Oct 7. The cycling part is pretty easy, but i've always found the running hard and always given up and just walked it. Not this time! I'm panicking a bit about not being able to do it as it's only a couple of months away, but running every day (cleared it with my dr and do 2weeks of c25k in 1week) and cycling at weekends is getting me there. After week 9 I start to alternate between running one day and cycling the next, then doing the run/bike/run at weekends.
I was a bit demoralized at finding I only run about 2.6km in 25mins, but hope with some new shoes and a new route that will improve over the next few weeks.
Thank you. I'm nervous as hell, to put it politely! The race is run/bike/run - 3.9km/20km3.9km. Having a rest day today as I bruised my thigh yesterday. I rode into the driveway, put my right foot on the ground and got my left stuck in the pedal straps!! I didn't quite end up of the floor, but got a good bash from the saddle. A good excuse for a lie in, if nothing else.
I am only in week one, but I decided to start because I was starting to feel really unfit and unhealthy. A few years ago I managed to slim down from a size 16 to a size 8. I exercised, walked the 3 miles to work and back every day and ate healthily. I felt great, and, if I say so myself, I looked pretty good too! Slim, toned, clear skin....
And then someone close to me became terminally ill. I gave up work to care for them for the next couple of years. During this time, through stress, I lost more weight, and I was too skinny, a size 6 was too big and I had to buy clothes from the childrens section.
After the person I was caring for passed away, I knew I had to build up, and started eating more, and less healthily. Started smoking more. And of course I was then out of work too, and not a carer any more. And over the last couple of years my weight has crept up-up-up and I am a size 12 again. And bloated, And spotty. The PCOS, which I have always had, but was barely noticeable when I was fitter, gives me symptoms again now. I feel unhealthy. I wheeze if I run for a bus. And I just don't feel good.
Now I am training for a new career, which is really positive, and it is great to be doing something and meeting people, and getting my brain working. So now seemed like a good time to try to get fit again, and hopefully start to feel better in myself, and get my body working too.
My boyfriend is doing the c25k with me and I hope we will both see the benefits.
and that is why I have started running.
I'm mid 40s, very overweight and was making excuses not to do my most favourite activity of wild camping because I didn't think I had the energy and stamina any more to carry a full backpack a few miles into the moor. It's only been just over a week and I can already feel the difference when walking.... :o)
Wild camping sounds interesting - I love regular camping, don't think I would be brave enough to go 'wild'. Stick with the program & you will see such a difference, you will be carrying not only your own backpack but everyone elses too by week 9!
I started running originally to maintain the 35 pound weight loss (from New Year 2011 to July 2011) that I worked so hard to do last year. Now been within a pound or two of my original goal weight for a year (YAY!). Last September I thought I'd better do something to maintain the loss, tone up and be a little bit fitter. I'd still like to lose half a stone to help with the joint impact of the running, but I think my body likes me as I am now because it stubbornly refuses to go any lower.
I love running, 30-60 minutes of "me time"; music on loud, brain set to "wander mode" and feeling the weather on my face, whatever it may be. I also learned not to worry about rain, hail or gale force breezes! I hope I can continue to run three times a week for a very long time; also I've run in a few events and have a couple more coming up. I run on my own so it's quite nice to go out with others even if I am usually at the back of the pack!
CaroleC
Question of the Week: Why did you start to run?
What does running do for YOU?
What songs do you run to?
What do you wear running?
What days do you run?
