Couch to 5k - any good?

[browno]

Despite a day of being busy working on my cars, I've managed not to shirk my commitment, and have been out on my normal loop again - I managed it in 33.20 at 15:02/mile - only a fraction quicker than Thursday, but it did feel a little better (the cold, damp air wasn't good for my chest tonight though - I'm coughing like mad now...)

[JakesterUK]

Good luck to you chap and keep up the effort, do you have a link for the couch to 5k challenge as the more I read the more I fancy giving it a go...

[browno]

Hi jakester, thanks for the encouragement - the link is:
http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/c25k/Pages/couch-to-5k-...

[SirBlade]

browno said:

Thanks for the encouragement Bing - it's great to hear of other people's experiences to show that it is possible to stick with these things and feel much improved at the end, it's definitely good to hear your tales to keep me motivated!

I'm needing plenty of motivation this week, as I think I must have pushed a bit hard on Monday, or my trainers are even less suitable than I thought (a decent pair of Nike jobs that I bought a few years back for the gym, but haven't used much). I felt fine after the run, but since Tuesday morning have had very painful shins. They had eased quite a bit yesterday, but then I went for a short walk at lunchtime (10mins, no more), and they were really sore again last night. As a result I've not been out for another go since, and am getting impatient.

I guess I need to listen to my body and wait until it's fixed itself, but I don't want to undo the progress I've made so far... I think I'm going to go to the local specialist running shop and get some new running shoes tonight, to keep the motivation up, and hopefully work towards being able to do a bit more without pain. Any advice for anything else I shoudl be doing other than taking it steady and sorting the shoes?

I'm sorry to hear about this.
I did say you were too heavy, and I did advise you to walk.

Having said that, I'm happy to see you are very committed.

Best of luck with the slower, gentler approach, it will work for you!!
don't worry, before you know it, you'll be running 5km easily.

For the shin splints, 5 minute warm up, then lots of stretching, etc.
Ensure you have professional quality shoe inserts (orthotics)

[SirBlade]

okgo said:

8 months?

Bloody hell man! Incredible!

49 mins is FAST too.

That is quick. AT my fittest, I could only do 10km in 60 minutes.

[SirBlade]

browno said:

Despite a day of being busy working on my cars, I've managed not to shirk my commitment, and have been out on my normal loop again - I managed it in 33.20 at 15:02/mile - only a fraction quicker than Thursday, but it did feel a little better (the cold, damp air wasn't good for my chest tonight though - I'm coughing like mad now...)

Please don't focus on time, just do the distance, at your own pace. It is not about speed.

[okgo]

SirBlade said:

That is quick. AT my fittest, I could only do 10km in 60 minutes.

I used to live with a chap who ran 10-15 miles every other night, incredibly fit runner. And I think his pb was 48 mins, so its very impressive.

[Silver993tt]

okgo said:

I used to live with a chap who ran 10-15 miles every other night, incredibly fit runner. And I think his pb was 48 mins, so its very impressive.

Really? I don't consider myself very fit but I manage 2-3 6km runs per week with some weeks none at all due to business travel. I managed 10km in 47m 30 sec. My colleague manages 10km in 43min and he just does occasionaly running but is 10 years younger than me!

[okgo]

You know, I'm starting to think it was 38 mins as like you say I think I can do it in around 50 mins.

[browno]

Some more good sensible advice again from you all - keep it coming, it should keep me on track!

I know I keep posting times - and that's not because I'm racing myself, but I want to be able to look back and see the improvement as I (hopefully) get fitter and lose the weight. I'm trying to stick to the podcasts, but push so I'm tired but not hurting - my plan this time is to build slowly, as I feel I can do week one okay, so do that for 2 weeks, then move to week 2 again for 2 weeks and see if that slow building approach works out. From the 3 runs I've done so far, it has felt like my new shoes have made a big difference, I can feel that there is less shock being transmitted through them, so hopefully that should keep me going well too...

I went out again last night, but this time with my brother, and tried a different, flatter route. we did again a mix of running and walking, but were judging for ourselves, rather than using the podcast (and probably ended up doing more running as a result). we did 2.56miles in 34:46 at an average of 13:34/mile - which looks a lot quicker, but looking at the data on runkeeper, it looks like we were simply doing more running, not at a higher pace.

I think I might try this route again next time I'm out, and see how I go with the podcast on...

[MadMullah]

man i tried this yesterday for the first time

half way through the first lesson i had to stop. i was just shattered. got really bad back pain which i think has come from bad posture whilst running

one run i ran with my eyes closed (it was a open field) suddenly i was year 8 again and it was cross country PE

[browno]

MadMullah said:

man i tried this yesterday for the first time

half way through the first lesson i had to stop. i was just shattered. got really bad back pain which i think has come from bad posture whilst running

one run i ran with my eyes closed (it was a open field) suddenly i was year 8 again and it was cross country PE

I found it pretty nasty at first too - I think it's important to take your runs very steady and not try too hard to go quick. At some points I've found myself running at a pace where I'd be better off walking, or having to miss a running section or go back to walking early because I've felt really knackered and I think if I tried to push through each time, I'd probably end up doing myself (even more) damage. So from my beginner's knowledge, I would say listen to your body and don't push too hard - the improvement will come (even if you need to just stick on week one until you feel ready to move on).

Also, everyone said to me to go to a specialist shop and get some proper shoes fitted, which definitely feel a lot better to me than the old gym trainers I was using - they cost me £70, but people spend that per month in gym membership, so I guess it's not too bad an investment.

Don't be disheartened at this stage, but at the same time, don't push too hard and things will improve. I get the feeling it's a long road to go from the fat bloke I am at the moment to something resembling a decent level of fitness, but I'm working on it slowly and trying to notice the changes I see.

Post up your progress as you go on - it'll be good to compare notes. There are some folks that are far more knowledgeable than me on here, and they have some great experiences to help keep us motivated too.

[MadMullah]

oh definately i'm not quitting. i can feel my body losing the fat - so i aint no quitter fool! *L*

its been so long since i've done any running so i knew i'd end up like that. i gave myself a 30 mins window to get some runs in. trouble is i hate doing it on the streets and the local park is all damp now from the rain. might do my runs at night.

[stevieb]

browno, My wife is doing this at the moment and is enjoying it. I have tried doing it at the gym, but found it hard going. I tried doing it for a week, but ended up stopping and resorting back to my 40 minutes on the cross trainer and 20 minutes on the bike.

I really need to get my backside in gear and start with the weight loss programme. But running has always been my worst enemy!

[browno]

I've ended up with a slightly longer than planned gap after my last run, but thought I'd leave a bit of a gap as my legs were definitely tired after last time. I went out again tonight and tried the alternative route that I tried with my brother, but this time with the podcast. It felt good being a flatter course than my other loop, and as a result I felt like I could sustain my runs better. The route was 2.21 miles and took me 31:33 at an average of 14:16/mile.

Next run will be Wednesday...

[browno]

Well - I'm back after another gap. I've not been out for a bit due to business travel and having a cold which has stuck on my chest for a fortnight.

I got out at last again tonight and did the first stage 2 run, which felt good. Over my loop, I did 2.21 miles in 31.49, averaging 14.23/mile.

I'm travelling next week, so am determined to run more this week and get at least 1 or 2 runs in while I am away.

The good news is that despite my tardiness, the weight is slowly coming off - I'm now down to 17st 4lbs - so that's encouraging!

[browno]

I've had a little gap between updates, but have done a couple more runs.

I was on business in the US last week, and didn't have much time to run, but did manage a single early morning session on the treadmill - in 32.31, I did 2.23 miles at 14.35/mile - which isn't bad considering it was in the world's smallest exercise room which was massively hot and stuffy!

I've been out again tonight, and managed my loop of 2.22 miles in 31.23 at 14.08/mile (so my treadmill pace was pretty much matching the road) - tonight felt good and I wasn't too done in at the end, so I think it might be finally time to move to week 3 at the next run...

[browno]

Well, I'm here again, and this time have completed 2 more runs - the first two of week 3! A funny one this week - shorter overall, but some of the runs have doubled to 3 minutes, which sounds short, but was a challenge on run 1! For the first run, I did 1.73 miles in 26.59 at 15.38/mile - I was worried about the longer run and maybe took it a bit too steady!

Run 2 was tonight and felt much better - 1.82 miles in 26.20 at 14.26/mile. It felt much better tonight and although I was out of breath after 3 minutes, was much more comfortable.

One more run left on week 3, which will be late in the week, then it's the challenge of week 4, which is apparently quite a step up!

[browno]

Well, I'm back again - having spent most of the weekend grafting in the garden and chasing round an energetic toddler, I couldn't face another run!

I went out tonight, and all was going well until I had a problem I've had a couple of times - I was running along happily until a bug flew straight into the back of my throat, which then caused me to gag and almost throw up! I can't seem to get enough volume of air in through my nose to keep me going comfortably while running at the minute - so tend to inhale through my mouth, which is obviously the cause of the problem - the question is how do I solve it? Anyone got any thoughts - or should I just be enjoying the extra calories!

As I said, tonight felt much better and I managed to have a good go at my normal route (and would have been better still without the fly!) - but did 2.22 miles in 31.37 at 14.14/mile - with this podcast being shorter in duration, I ended up walking quite a way at the end of my loop, and at the end of the podcast, my pace was under 13 minutes/mile.

I'm happy that I can manage this run ok now, and have done my three goes - so next time out it's time to step up to week 4...

[CunningPlan]

If you're a well built 6' guy then it's worth remembering the plan will be harder for you than a skinny guy.

The usual rule applied is that you shouldn't push so hard that you can't talk, which usually means you can nose inhale and mouth exhale, which is a useful technique for combatting the stitch too.

I found that as my fitness grew, breathing came easier and easier too.