F22, On week 2 of the C25K. I was meant to do my 3rd run today, but couldnt due to extreme knee pain.

What I've done so far is Week 1: 5min brisk walk warm up, 1min run, 1.5min walk - 8x. Then 5 min brisk walk to warm down Week 2: Same warm up, 1.5min run, 2min walk also 8x. Same warm down

TL;DR: Pushed myself too hard and ignored knee pain which now means I can't run for even 20 seconds without stopping due to pain. Any tips?

Long story for those who want it... First two times I ran I had a dog with me, a neighbours dog. She often runs with her ownet, but it was early morning and she wasnt used to running with me. Sometimes shed stop to pee etc and stare angrily at me lol..! So shed begrudgingly go at a very slow pace meaning I had to go slow too.

3rd time I ran I ran alone and oh my god. It felt SO GOOD! I was so sad to have to rest one day!

The first run of week 2 goes great! No issues..Theeen I wake up with knee pain in both legs the next day. I wait 2 days, pains basically gone, I run again with slight pain that then goes away as I run. Pain returns next day worse than ever.

Today I tried running to complete week 2. I had to stop after less than 20 seconds due to the pain and I walked home. applied a cold towel to the left knee that hurts most - even worse than the other day. Its better now, but worse than before I tried to run. Shouldve rested today and the pain probably wouldve been fully gone by tomorrow had I not forced myself to run just to stick to the program.

What I think I did wrong: I pushed myself too much. It's great I really have started to enjoy running, finally finding an exercise I WANT to do and not force myself to. But when I didn't have a tired dog to slow me down, I ran faster than I shouldve without realising. Because I was enjoying it so much, I'd get so into the music and the nice feeling that I'd basically sprint for a bit. I shouldve gone sloww as I did at the start with the doggo, honestly.

Also I need to get better shoes. I only have acess to running on asphalt. I don't got a lot of money (broke student) so I may only be able to get better shoes in 2 months, at the earliest...If you got tips for where to find cheap but good shoes, pls lemme know lol.

I'm gonna rest tomorrow, but keep walking (Long as it doesnt hurt) and do some leg exercises to strenghten my muscles.

I am a true couch potato, so I injured my knee in 1 and a half weeks already..Before this I was walking maaybe 1k steps a day...One of the issues of online school. If it still hurts, even slightly, I've learnt my lesson and will not run until pain is fully gone.

If it matters, I am at a healthy weight, but was barely moving at all before.

Please give me other tips! This is what I'm doing based off of random google searches. Or is it bad enough to warrant going to the doctor?

I’m on week 3. I started on week 2 but took things easy and never pushed myself. I’m 30 and slim, eat well but have become extremely sedentary since lockdown as I’ve been wfh ever since.

I finished week 3 day one earlier today and both my knees are fucked. I am literally hobbling around like an OAP.

This actually happened years ago when I first tried running, but I wasn’t following any program and was definitely pushing myself too hard. Ended up with severe shin splints, perhaps even hairline fractures? Either way, I was barely able to get up the stairs to my flat. Embarrassing for a 26 year old.

I don’t know why this is happening. I stretched before the run, I was at a very light jog, and my previous runs went fine. I have proper shoes (puma nitro 2s) too.

I really don’t want to stop now as I don’t want to lose the progress I’ve made. Only a week, I know, but I genuinely love running and look forward to it.

I’m hoping a day of rest will make it go away but I have a strong feeling I’ll probably feel even worse come tomorrow.

Why has this happened?

Hi! I recently decided to start running, and I’ll do my first C25K run tomorrow evening (currently waiting for some needed items to be delivered before starting). I have a few questions:

1. Anyone else with asthma that started C25K? How did you manage your asthma? Mine is exercise induced, so I am very worried but still determined.

2. It’s getting into the colder months - what would you recommend I buy to not get too cold but also not overheat? I currently don’t have any appropriate cold weather exercise gear, and I don’t know where to start.

3. Are there any YouTube videos you would recommend for pre and post running stretches?

Please offer any advice that you wish you would have been given before starting! Thank you. 🙏🏻

Prior to early October, I had never run in my life. I’ve lost 75 lbs in the last year, and decided I might as well use my newfound fitness for something useful and started C25K. About halfway through the plan I kind of fell in love with it and signed up for a half marathon in June!

Today, I went out and did my first full 5k outside without any walking and I feel like HIM. It was honestly such an amazing feeling to look back at where I was a year ago versus where I am today and I’m so excited to start ramping up my training over the next few months as I get ready for the half marathon!

So grateful I found this plan and this community, I’ve been so inspired by some of the posts on here, and now hopefully I can contribute a little bit of that positive energy:)

I know it’s very slow but as someone who is still 60-70lb over weight, i think speed will come s as the weight goes down.

W1D2 done.. Pace was a little slow than D1..but glad I stuck with it.

I started doing 3 workouts per week each lasting about 30 minutes. I just start running, and once I get tired I start walking until I recover. Is it possible to improve that way without measuring time and distance? I tried c25k program for a bit with an app that counts the time in each lap, but would prefer to disconnect my phone to enjoy nature as long as I stick to that 30 minute minimum. I've been doing that for about 2 months and I feel I'm progressing rather slow, though I can generally run longer without needing a break. Usually the first 15 minutes I can run with small walk breaks, but the rest of workout I feel too tired to keep up that same pace and go with much longer breaks and shorter runs. I mean health is more important for me than completing a certain distance, but it would be also nice to participate in some of the group runs in my city. I'm also 10kg overweight so maybe that plays a role.

Should i be running 2.75miles in 28mins? Is this supposed to include the walk time thats added into the app as well? I ran 3.37km (not including walking) which is 2.094 miles in 28mins. Should i be trying to meet that pace or focus on running for 28mins only or continue running past the time until i meet the miles?

Does anyone have any good strategy tips or mindset tips for running faster?

At this rate i wont be close to running 5km by the end of the app! (I have 2 runs left!)

I get very disheartened because i cant keep up with my boyfriend. And my overall pace isnt that good

More like weak 3, because this was too damn easy...

Okay, let me shut up because I'm certain week 4 or 5 will be one I have to repeat, maybe even twice lol. I wasn't sure about the 2x3 minute jogging portions but they were a lot easier than I was expecting. My power song's Gonna Fly Now from Rocky which I play at the end to finish strong. And that song is just about 3 minutes so it was perfect for that 3 minute run. All that was missing was snow, some chickens for me to chase and try and catch and 72 steps for me to run up at the end. I don't like cold, I definitely can't catch chickens and running up 72 steps would suck.

But yeah, week 3 was supringly awesome. And not intentionally, but my pace improved. I'm still slow, but I finished day 3 @ 14:35/m and day 1 was 15:21. And in my head I felt slower, so I expected the number to go up not down. That was definitely a nice lil' suprise.

For the record: I'm 50 and OUT OF SHAPE and prior to this I was doing absolutely nothing physical. So if I can do it, anyone of you can do it.

Thank you for the push @Renaissance album 😭

I've been thinking about starting the couch to 5k for a while now and recently my girlfriend has gotten into running. She's at a healthy weight herself but I've been so proud of her progress and seeing her so proud with herself has injected me with motivation. If anyone out there has been thinking of starting the C25K or are currently doing it I'd love to keep in contact with you guys and motivate each other with a group chat or something along those lines.

I am getting towards the end of the program, and I have been running 2 days a week instead of 3, but have been strength training 4 days a week 😊 What program do you recomend when I finish that would work with running 2 days a week? I would like to increase to 10K runs and increase pace.

Hi everyone, I recently stumbled upon this group. Very informative!

I started running (without using that app/program y'all are using) 5d/wk, about 8 weeks ago. In the beginning I was aiming to complete just one mile and challenged myself to stay consistent.

Then eventually, I was able to finish 2 miles within 30 mins and now finally, yesterday I finished my first 3.11 miles (5km) in about 42 mins. I plan to continue this, and declare every Friday - a 5k Friday! On other weekdays I just plan to keep it to 1-2miles for general cardio fitness since I don't workout otherwise.

For my next step, I'm thinking of slowly beginning to run outdoors, perhaps 0.5 miles at a time. But needing water and exposure to elements scares me. (Location: Northern California)

1. Water - How do y'all carry water when you run? Do you use one of those pouches/backpacks with straws? I seem to breathe often with my mouth when I run so I'm in constant need of sipping some water during my runs.

2. Elements - I feel like I won't be able to run unless is absolutely perfect weather outside. Cold winds can cause dryness producing watery eyes and nose for me. Any tips on overcoming this?

3. Speed - With traffic lights, pedestrians/pets etc how do you manage to run and maintain speed/heart rate at the same time? Since this is my only workout, my fitness tracker alerts me if my heart rate falls below 138bpm so I try to keep it slightly above that mark when I run. And I only let it dip "between" laps.

Sorry for the long post, thanks in advance!

Edit: I'm 34 M

I am over the moon right now. Just ran for 30 minutes straight. I’m in my mid 30s and always said to myself I hate running and just couldn’t do it. My pace is only around 14 or 15 minutes miles but I’ll work on that later.

I started running last spring because I was feeling so out of shape and it was showing then I had to take a break during the summer but I am coming back now stronger than ever!! My goal is to be able to do a 5k but the weather and the cold might push this into the next spring but that is OK.

So I have been playing tennis since I was 7. I played college tennis, had regular strength and conditioning since I was 9, and now that I am ‘retired’ I mostly lift. I was never good at running long distances, but I was pretty fast doing sprints and moved pretty good on court. I have been trying to get into running and just today I ran my first 5k in 36 minutes.

While I am proud of myself for pushing through I feel kind of disappointed that I couldn’t do it in a shorter time? I mean, I am not a total beginner, played sports for 16 years, would run occasionally so I just thought my time is pretty bad for someone who is generally fit. My heart rate was also pretty high, it reached 190 in the last kilometer that was ran in a 7:00min pace. What advice would you give to me? Is this just a matter of consistency or am I just not meant to be running long distances?

When I was younger I would do strength and conditioning with a coach 3/4 times a week, and we would always run for at least 40 minutes. I was always among the last ones in the group, having to stop all the time to rest, even though I was at my physical shape and was very fast on the tennis court, so it makes me think that I am just inherently bad at running.

The warm up and cool down is accounted for here which makes me believe I didn’t run the whole 2.25 miles during the actual run?

I’m so excited to share that I’ve just completed Week 7 of the C25K program. I’ve tried starting this program multiple times in the past but never managed to stick with it until now. This week, I ran for 25 minutes straight, and it feels amazing! Just had to share this milestone with the community—feeling proud and motivated to keep going.

I graduated and feels great but feeling kinda boring to just run. I know it’s one of champagne problems but thought I would get some thoughts from fellow runners…

I finish the program next Thursday and have my 5k race on Sunday. Any advice on a good warmup routine? I googled a bit and a lot of the advice is to jog for 20 minutes, do strides, jump around, etc — but as someone who will have never run longer than 30 minutes in a day, these seem like they would eat up all my energy before the race.

Should I just approach it like a normal training run with a 5-10 min walking warmup and some stretching? Or any other tips?

Hi all,

I've been in and out of couch to 5k plenty of times in the last two years. Thing is - I absolutely hate cardio exercises, but I'm at a point in my life where I have seen the physical impact low cardiovascular health has on people and I'm trying my best to avoid that.

I love lifting weights, but I have quite a lot of fat on me and I would say my cardio health is really low. I am just about obese on the BMI scale, but I definitely have some muscle mass. Running will prove difficult for me.

I don't want to give up lifting weights, as it is one thing I consistently find myself in the gym for. And making the move over to just cardio will mean I will eventually get bored and just quit going altogether.

I cannot go to the gym on Wednesday's due to some personal commitments.

I do an upper body day on Monday and Thursday, and a Lower/legs day on Tuesdays and Fridays. Would I be able to progress on C25K by only doing running days on Tuesday's and Friday's? So although the program requires 3 running days, I would only do 2? I know it's going against the tried and tested method - but wanted to see what everyone else thought of this?

I finished the program today but modified it to fit my life! I could only comfortably fit in 2 runs per week into my schedule so did that and it took me about 14 weeks but so worth it.

It still worked for me and I easily ran 30 minutes today :)

Let's brag a little. What did you accomplish this week?

And I ended up actually being right! I wish I had gone for the run even earlier in the day. That’s a good lesson learned though.

The last couple weeks felt like such a slog and my running pace was much slower than I thought it’d be by this point (kept getting slower with the longer runs) but I just finished Wk8 D3 and set pace PRs for 1k, 1 mile, and 2 mile!

I wasn’t trying to PR, just stay at a comfortable pace and I shocked myself when I checked my watch a mile in and saw I was at a 10:40/mile pace. My last 5 runs have been at about an 11:45-12:30 pace so it was crazy to me but things just felt good today.

Run slow to run fast is real — I’m feeling good about my goal to hit a sub 35m 5k next weekend!