Starting My C25K Adventure - Looking for Advice

[Babbs 14,681]

@@Babbs Sounds like the numbers are MPH if that's the "speed" stting. The treadmill is likely also showing you distance and time as separate displays. So it should show a running total of the distance you've gone so far and how many minutes you've been going.

4.3-4.5 MPH is a perfectly adequate speed to start with. I only do 5 MPH and plan to work on my speed after I've finished C25k and can actually "run" for 30 straight minutes. Remember, despite the name, Couch to 5k doesn't necessarily get you running 5k non-stop by the end of the 9th week, it just gets you running for 30 minutes non-stop. In order to actually run a full 5k in under 30 minutes, you'd have to be going faster than 6 MPH, which most of us don't actually go that fast.

Hmmmm, I don't know if I could do 5 MPH 20 minutes straight without DYING, lol

[JamieLogical 8,727]

Hmmmm, I don't know if I could do 5 MPH 20 minutes straight without DYING, lol

Heh! Well, you work your way up to it, just like you are doing now going 4.5 MPH. I mean, at the start of C25k none of us can even IMAGINE being able to run for 30 minutes straight at ANY speed, but we manage to do it by the end! My plan is to kind of "redo" C25k once I finish this first round and increase the speed of my "running" parts to 6.0 so I can maybe get to that 30 minute 5k time eventually. One thing I've observed too is that it's hard to find your "natural" speed on a treadmill. When I run outside, I tend to naturally run a bit faster than the 5.0 MPH that I set on the treadmill. But if I do try to bump the speed on the treadmill up, I can't maintain that constant faster pace for the whole time yet.

[joatsaint 2,814]

I only jog outside. I don't know if I could handle the boredom of a treadmill. :-P I need something to keep my eyes busy, and TV just doesn't do it for me.

20-22 minutes non stop is an incredible NSV, Congratulations!!!

Guys I have a question.....

Are you running on a treadmill? I've been confused about how to register my speed on the treadmill. It gives me numbers, but it gives them to me at like the 2 mile mark and I'm not sure if it's telling me that's my mile time or what? Sorry, kind of silly I know...

I'm not very tall (just barely 5'5") so I'm only running at like a 4.3 -4.5 speed on the treadmill. I'm trying to work my way up to 5...so are those numbers MPH?

I'm new to all this, and haven't really concentrated on speed or anything. Just have been proud of myself that I can run 20-22 minutes non stop....that seems to be about a mile and three quarters distance registering on the treadmill. Slow, I know, but I'm still pretty proud

[Babbs 14,681]

@@joatsaint

Thank you so much I'm pretty proud of how far I've come, too.

I am someone who has always HATED running (hated any exercise, really) my whole life. Now at almost 48 years old, I have fallen in love with it

Who would of thunk it??

[joatsaint 2,814]

What do you mean, "at almost 48"? I AM 48!!! LOL I'm still working on the "falling in love" with jogging part. Right now we only tolerate each other. :-p

@@joatsaint

Thank you so much I'm pretty proud of how far I've come, too.

I am someone who has always HATED running (hated any exercise, really) my whole life. Now at almost 48 years old, I have fallen in love with it

Who would of thunk it??

[joatsaint 2,814]

Week 8 Workout 2 is done! I really didn't feel up to it, but I did it anyway. It's all about the Grind.

[sharedmedia=videos:videos:46]

[joatsaint 2,814]

Week 8 Day 3 is over and done! Finished the C25K program, but I'm not done with jogging. I still want to work my way up to jogging a full 5K without stopping. I'm able to complete 2.1 to 2.3 miles right now in 30 minutes. That's approximately a 13 min. mile. My next goal is to reach 43 minutes of non-stop jogging, that SHOULD get me to my goal of running a 5K (3.1 miles).

[sharedmedia=videos:videos:48]

[Babbs 14,681]

I ran 2.85 miles today! I'm hoping by next week to do the full 3.1. Then I wil start working on my speed.

I ran the 2.85 in 36 minutes. Sloooow. But I'm proud

[JamieLogical 8,727]

I am scheduled for my first 5k (well, first in recent history) on Saturday morning and i'm pretty nervous as I haven't run since the week before last. I was out of town on vacation all last week, and despite my intention to go to the gym there and run at least once or twice, I never actually did so. Tonight I'm scheduled to finish up Week 8 of C25k with my last 28 minute run and then on Thursday I hope to get a 30 minute run in before Saturday's race. I know I won't be able to run the full 5k non-stop on Saturday, but I want to try to run as much as possible and finish in under 40 minutes. We'll see!

[Babbs 14,681]

@@JamieLogical

Yay! So excited for you! Take pics and let us know how it goes!

You're braver than I am I have a WLS friend from Boise (Jenn1) who keeps trying to get me to bite the bullet and just schedule one to run. I'm being a chicken, lol. I keep telling her I want to get to goal and improve me speed. We will see!

Good Luck!