iamnataliemarie

Immediately after my 1st day of week 7 I got flu symptoms. Sore achy throat especially. I dont feel like it was something i had coming on already because I am eating healthier than ever, and I had just been sick all of december, and I rarely get sick. It was a very long run for what I'm used to and I was very exhausted, so I don't know if the heavy breathing brought it on or what but it's been 2 days and my throat still feels terrible.

It's a wonderful feeling! I totally feel you on the dieting part. I've been not eating after 6 pm and doing my runs at night which has helped me lose about 8 lbs so far and I also just finished week 5. Very exciting. Congrats!

WOW Kurisu HUGE congratulations!

What a great feeling! congrats!

Hi everyone, I am quite shocked and ecstatic because I remember just 2 weeks ago struggling with the 3 minute jogs, then just last week getting my butt kicked by the 5 minite jogs and just 2 days ago stressing over 8 minutes! Somehow the 20 minute jog felt easier than many of my previous workouts and I'm not sure why, maybe the fact that I did it at almost 2 am when the air is cool and breezy (I live in Miami). For 2 weeks I've been dreading this day and having major doubts, but today I tried not to even think about it and just got out there with my boyfriend and my dog who have been doing the program with me (doggy loves it). I focused extensively on my breathing and spent a good few minutes doing stretches right before the jog. Any of you who haven't done it yet, please don't be afraid or discouraged, I am not in good shape (yet) and if I could do it on my first try so can you. 5 weeks completed on schedule! woo hoo!

Yeah week 4 is where it starts to really kick your butt. At least for me, but what matters is that you're not giving up. I just did day 2 of week 5 yesterday and I can't believe what I have achieved in such little time. You will push through, your mind will push through. Have you checked out zen lab's advice for proper breathing? I think it has helped me tremendously.

I was just like you, and the first day of week 4 really did kick my butt but it wasn't impossible and it felt wonderful afterwarcz. I did all three without skipping a beat. Now I'm onto the dreaded week 5, sheesh A week and a half ago 3 minutes seemed hard. It's amazing how your body really does push through for you.

What a great story and here I am whining about virtual trophies Thank you for being so non judgemental. I'm excited for you to get your medals as well. Pleasr share when you do so we could celebrate with you.

Good for you, hopefully you learn to love it and borderline need it like i do lately. Congrats on taking the leap.

Hi everyone, I should be happy I completed 4 straight weeks without skipping a beat but instead I'm feeling disappointed over something so petty. All week I was looking forward to completing my last run and receive the little trophy screen everyone keeps talking about, but before I could take a look at it I pressed something and it cancelled the screen. I wanted to take a screenshot of it and share it on my social media but I can't now. I tried resetting it and checking it again but it didn't work. Zen labs pleeaaseeee reset my workout and give me a chance to get the little trophy/award screen again

I am running so slow my dog is pretty much just walking next to me when we go out to do our run. My goal is to build endurance as Trish mentioned and once I can run 30 min straight I will focus on the speed. So don't let that discourage you. I am almost done with week 4 and it seems like just yesterday I was struggling with the 1 minute runs.

Congrats! I can't wait for my halfway trophy screen

I totally agree, I just finished week 4 day 2 and tomorrow will be day 3 so I have the weekend to rest and heal before week 5. Week 4 seems like a huge jump from week 3 so I don't blame you for repeating it at all. If I weren't so hard headed I would repeat it as well. I haven't even looked at what week 5 entails for fear of getting discouraged. I'm just gonna get out there on Monday, not even look at the program and hit start lol I think our minds get the best of us sometimes.

Wow you've improved so much already. I wish I knew all this information about speed and distance. Since I'm running outside (that way my dog gets some exercise too and I kill 2 birds with one stone), I don't really keep track of all this info. I'm going to download an app that can maybe provide this info as it would be interesting to know. Can't wait to hear more of your progress as time goes by. My plan is to get used to running more minutes for now which will build endurance, and once I can jog the full 30 minutes I will start working on my speed. Maybe it'll be easier that way. I am jogging so slow right now it's almost embarrassing because my dog is next to me just walking slightly faster than normal lol. He's so bored he starts to take off a bit faster and I have to pull him back. Thanks for the post!

Thanks Jeshi, sorry to hear about your shin splints, they are awful aren't they? I haven't really gotten them again since week 2 so I'm crossing my fingers, icing and some stretches really helped. And I agree about running form, I read some pointers on Zen Labs blog 2 days ago that I incorporated into my runs today 1)stomach breathing 2) shoulders down. I believe it really helped with today's run which i was excited for and dreading at the same time. But I definitely felt wonderful afterwards and for the rest of the day. I am less nervous about the third run of the 4th week which will be tomorrow and excited to get the "trophy" lol

Glad you finally made the leap to a healthier person. I am myself on the same journey. I gained 40 lbs in the last 2 years. I would like to lose 35 of those. I am on week 4 now and loving it, even though I hated it in the start. Keep going, pace yourself, start off slower and I found that disciplining myself to not eat after 6 pm has helped me shed 5 pounds in these 4 weeks without any other diet change. I also do my runs at night so that might help. Drink tons of water to control appetite and don't give up.

Rooting for you! I just started a few weeks ago and am addicted!

I like going for my run in the evening but I want to lose weight, so what I've been doing is not eating after 6, doing my jog around 7 pm and fasting the rest of the night until morning. So during all those hours of not eating my body is burning calories rapidly even while I sleep. I've lost 5 lbs in 4 weeks without any major dietary changes except for not eating at night. If I actually started to watch what I eat more, I would lose twice that.

Even if you're feeling fine i suggest you do mon, wed fri. Then rest on the weekends because even if your lungs and heart can take it, running for the first time is tough on your bones and you can get shin splits and things like that. When you run your body tears your bones and shin down and rebuilds them with fresh stronger ones, so every time you give it a day or 2 of rest you give your body time to rebuild the bones and you come back with stronger ones risking a lot less injury. Trust me I learned this the very hard way. I am young and in decent shape. Never thought it would happen to me and it did, and it's an on going thing. I usually just walk a couple of miles on the days off because I still love to get out there. And do some light strengthening exercises such as 4-5 push ups, some squats and lunges, etc.

Maybe if you sign up for a 5k marathon, a mud run or laser run or foam run, etc in your area it will motivate you to keep going. That is exactly what motivated me to start and motivates me to complete it.

Hi everyone, Not sure why I got into running but I've been trying to do so all summer with countless failures and colossal mistakes, until I finally discovered this app which was exactly what I needed to make progress the right way. So now I am on week 4 and although I've had hiccups along the way (shin splints and knee pain) I've learned to overcome those and I now LOVE running. Week 4 was definitely the first real challenge and I was nervous about going through with it, I toyed with the idea of repeating week 3 but I pushed myself and got the first run finished and it feels fantastic. My goal is to do all 8 weeks without repeating any of the weeks. I want to follow the program to the letter but I completely understand people who feel the need to repeat. I am by no means in shape, I am 5'2" and weigh 155 lbs and have been a serious couch potato my whole life, not to mention I'm a web designer and do nothing but sit in front of my computer for hours on end daily. I would love to lose 35 lbs, and running along with some minor dietary improvements (basically not eating after 6 and doing my runs at night) have already helped me lose 5 lbs in these few weeks. I have very full legs so I'm sure once I lose weight my issues with shin splints and knee pain will subside. I will occasionally post my progress on weight loss and running and hope to encourage those just starting out or thinking about starting out. Thank you C25K! PS: I bought Asics Gel Quantum 360 running shoes and they are superb. Totally recommend this sneaker for pretty much every runner as they have gel cushioning throughout the entire sole.

I am the same way, hated it the first 2 weeks. By week 3 I was addicted and now I just started week 4. It was so intimidating and I was doubting myself for the first time in this program but even though it really kicked my butt I totally completed it and I feel great about myself. I think I can even start calling myself "outdoorsy" for the first time in my life!

Hi Brittney, I am now on week 4. In my experience I was almost like you but I continued even when I regretted it the moment I stepped outside lol. However I am glad I did because by the start of week 3 I couldn't wait to go out and do my run. It's becoming kind of addicting for me. So I would say make it a priority to stick it out for the first 2 weeks and see how you feel by then. I'm sure you'll brain will shift from hating it to loving it by then. Best wishes.