couch to 5K

[jlyfshParticipant]

i’ve decided to get healthier recently and i’ve been working out more and walking/’jogging’ (i am definitely NOT a runner). i decided to give the couch to 5K a try. there is a 5K in October that I want to try and ‘jog’ (it’s a walk/run so I won’t be the only person not running! although there is also a half marathon going on so that i will feel sufficiently insufficient and have lots of people to look up to. or at the back of.). Any long term runners have any tips for a newbie?

thanks!

[MackenzieLeeParticipant]

I’m not very knowledgeable about running for beginners because i’ve been running for most of my life but i’ll take a stab at some advice.

1. Consistency: Try to run on a consistent schedule. Even if you can’t do exactly what the schedule says for the day because of the time/weather etc., make sure to fit in some sort of run

2. Don’t start out too fast. I know this is my biggest issue. I get all excited that i’m running and doing what i’m supposed to that I start at a pace I can’t keep up and end up out of steam very quickly. Start out slow so you can keep a steady pace.

3. Find some things to think about while running. It makes running more enjoyable if you have some things to ponder over. Sometimes I plan out the things i want to think about before I go on a run. It can turn out being a really good time to brainstorm ideas or think about life problems

Hope that helps!!!

[painted_ladyParticipant]

Hey! One of the things that has helped me out most – I’m slowly trying to get back into running – has been to start out in small increments, interspersed with walking, then to decrease the length of walk breaks and increase the run times very, very gradually. As in, going for 30 minutes total, and at first, run 2 minutes, walk 3, then in a few weeks up it to running 3, walking 3, then running 3, walking 2, etc. I have a chronic foot injury, which has before stopped me cold when it flares up, but these days, I just take a couple days’ break and then scale back a couple of increments when I come back. It seems to help a lot, and I’m still making progress.

[scattolParticipant]

I do cycling so it’s not directly applicable but I did the couch to athlete recently. I’ve had luck with books in this series. I don’t know if the running one is good but it might be worth a try: http://www.amazon.com/Running-Past-Ageless-Athlete-Series/dp/0880117052 I would expect them to give you hints on training schedules and frequencies and difficulty. I would think it useful even if you aren’t that old.

Remember that not all parts of your body adapt to training at the same speed and that can lead to injuries so gradually ramp up the effort. Muscles can be ready to push but the joints just might not! That will hurt (and joints hurt for a while so be good to them)

The trick is frequency (at least 3 times a week) and modulating the effort such that regularly you are stretching your workout but not so much it results into injuries. Your body will adapt quickly to training but it will still take months for appreciable improvement. They won’t be subtle but it will take perseverance.

I don’t know if 5k is reasonable in the time you are looking at (it might be a bit much). That said CNN trained couch potatoes for triathlon so it just might be within reach: http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/fit.nation/index.html

In a matter of about 2 years I managed to get from the couch to now cycling readily doing 2h a day, multiple times a week at 50% faster speed than when I started. Amateur triathletes (those that have full time jobs and run sunday races, not olympic ones) can easily train 10 to 15h per week. Frankly that’s an awful lot but I get passed by them on occasion and they are machines. You need to look up training regiment for running but if you get to 3 to 4h a week of exercise, my guess is that you will be doing great.

Good luck

[scattolParticipant]

Oh, that book running book apparently isn’t targeted at the beginning runner. Looks like this one might be http://www.amazon.com/Runners-World-Complete-Womens-Running/dp/1594867585/ref=pd_rhf_cr_s_cp_5 but honestly go brick and mortar to look at something in person.

PBS also did a couch potato to Marathon experiment (yes you can train a couch potato to successfully run the boston marathon from what I remember). You can watch it here: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/marathon-challenge.html

[jlyfshParticipant]

thanks for the tips guys! i wasn’t exactly a couch potato before starting it, i had been walking on the treadmill 5 days a week so it was a little easier. although i’m not going to lie ‘walking’ on the treadmill is far different than jogging!

and MackenzieLee I have had to stop myself multiple times from going too fast. which yeah I never thought would be a problem. I think in my head I have it that faster is better, but yeah not so much!

I’ll definitely check that book out, thank you!

And paintedlady you pretty much summed up the premise of c25k. I’m on week three where I”m still in the run 60 sec, walk 90 sec with a 5 min warm-up and cool down. Next week starts the longer ‘jogs’. I’m scared!

[scattolParticipant]

I’ve just watched it again, you should start with the Nova episode.

You don’t have to aim at the marathon, especially since you don’t have a team following you, but there is proof that given time and effort you should be able to get there

[CopaParticipant]

I haven’t done Cto5K, but I have several friends who have (which is where I picked up such a spiffy acronym for it) and have thought about doing it myself since I do 30-60 minutes on the elliptical about 5-6x/week and think it’d be way cooler to say something like, “I ran a 5K this morning.” That said, I think the most important thing (from what friends have said) is to “listen to your body.” One friend who started was very thin but very out of shape and said she had to customize the program to suit her out-of-shape needs. She wound up taking an extra 2 or 3 weeks to get to the point where she was running 5K without stopping. A different friend of mine who did it was overweight when she began but had better endurance because she already exercised regularly. She took 1 week off the schedule. So, I guess the big thing I gleaned asking these friends about their experience is that the program really works, but don’t push yourself if your body is “telling” you not to. If I ever get around to the program (which I might when it cools down around here because I’d want to run outside), I’ll get back to ya!

[jlyfshParticipant]

thanks scattol! the pbs special was really cool! i’m not sure i’ll ever run a marathon or even a half marathon, i’ll be happy with a 5k. i really just want to prove to myself that i can do this. and keep up the momentum after too! so who knows, maybe i will aim for a half marathon eventually.

i’ve been asking my friend who is a triathlete (she’s crazy, she has run the boston marathon 3 times now!) for some tips too. i feel kind of silly asking her for advice because she’s on such a different playing field than me.

and yeah my knees are definitely not happy. they are much angry than they were even a few years ago!

i think i’m going to repeat the run from today again, it didn’t go as well as i would have liked. oh well!

[jlyfshParticipant]

i also found the idea that you can be an ideal weight be over fat really interesting. the whole thing was just really interesting! i love pbs.

[jlyfshParticipant]

i finally finished the whole pbs thing and i totally cried at the end. thanks for sharing that!!! it really is inspiring.

[kerrycontraryParticipant]

I did couch to 5k last fall and it was really great (and I need to start it up again soon!). I’m not overweight but I was out of shape, and I always wanted to be a runner. My boyfriend runs a lot as well as lifts weights, so he’s really in shape. I didn’t want to be the only out of shape person in our group of friends. I think it’s a great program because it starts out slow enough but you can push yourself to run an extra 30 seconds if you are feeling more energetic. I think it really worked and even though I wasn’t losing a lot of weight, I could see my body getting tighter and smaller.

[bethanyParticipant]

I’ve been running since I was 15, so I can’t really comment much about just starting out, but a few pieces of advice for you:

1- Running is 90% mental. If you think you can’t do it, you’re going to be right. So set reasonable goals for yourself. Don’t take on too much at once. Remember that even if you can only run for 1 full minute that 1 minute of running is better than no minutes of running.

2- Every day is going to be different. Say you run a half mile on Monday, and it feels great, you might think you should be able to go even further the next time you run. That’s not necessarily the case, and it;s ok! Some days are good. Some days are bad. I’ve been running for 16 years, and yesterday I had a REALLY bad day. I just wasn’t feeling it, and I had to walk the last quarter mile to my house. It happens to the best of us!

[jlyfshParticipant]

Thanks, bethany! My firend said something similar. That each race/run was it’s own challenge. And that some days a 5K might be easy for her and the next day it could be a challenge. I’m up to 5 minutes of ‘jogging’ I don’t feel like I go fast enough to call it running, haha. Which is crazy for me!

They talked about the mental part of it a lot in the documentary scattol suggested. I think I’ve now shared that show with everyone I know, haha. I’m obsessed with it. I wish there were more of them!

[MaterialsGirlParticipant]

Bethany is completely right. Most of the battle is getting the mental strength to just get out there. Try your local running store (not sure if you have a Fleet Feet or other local running store), but they will have ‘fun runs’ most every night of the week. Some nights are dedicated to women only, so you’ll be certain to find a buddy at your pace. Making the run a time when you can catch up with friends really helps the long runs go by quickly. We often hit up the farmers market afterwards on Saturdays. Start the day off right!

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