omtigger

Hi everyone! I just finished Week 4 of the C25K app. I am having an amazing journey! I used to run in high school but haven't since then, and I'm 42 now. I have also smoked since I was a teenager. I got the app to help me improve my cardiovascular health and see the benefits of quitting smoking faster. I also could lose a few pounds. I have been absolutely AMAZED since I started using the app. I could barely run for a minute without thinking I would have a heart attack, but now I am running in 3 and 5 minute stretches! Each week I am so scared to start the next week's workouts, but each time my body has surprised me and I've been able to do it. That's where I am now, LOL... I am scared to try Week 5, which seems like such a huge step up from Week 4. But I'm going to give it a shot tomorrow and see what I can do. I feel like I have progressed a lot faster than I expected to. And I am so grateful I found this program!

Shelby and Aro, I can find that info in the app (I'm using Android) by going to the day I worked out on the bottom (for example, Week 4 Day 2) and then tapping the big circle in the middle. One tap gives me calories, and a second tap gives me distance. Hope that helps!

Hey Momma Chef! I'm also using the program to help me get my middle-aged body into better shape. How has your program been going so far?

I live in Arizona so I can definitely relate to the heat problem. I am not a morning person, so I run at night in my neighborhood, which is luckily very safe. If you have to run in the heat, make sure you are very well-hydrated before you begin, and also that you have eaten. Bring water with you when you run as well, and pay close attention to how you're feeling: any dizziness, unusual shortness of breath, nausea, or sudden exhaustion should prompt you to immediately stop.

I am so glad to see this topic! I was really disheartened by the breathing information I've been reading, about taking deep diaphragmatic breaths and so forth. On Week 1 Day 1, I was jogging for the first time in over 20 years, and had quit smoking a few days prior, and I was really excited to be able to breathe at all. I did adjust my posture to open up my core and chest, but mostly what has helped is a) doing the program consistently, every other day and more time elapsed since my last cigarette. I still get really out of breath sometimes, especially on hills, but I feel better with every workout I complete, so I am now making more of an effort to try to take deeper, calmer breaths whenever I can. I'm just so grateful to see that I'm not the only one who is out of breath sometimes!