cendorly

Great work Mandy! Keep moving forward and if you have to repeat Week 3, it's no big deal. I just restarted D1 of Week 3 today so we're all in this together! Keep up the great work!

As someone who's done several 5ks (walking most of them, and doing whatever week/day of the app I was on the day of the 5k), here's my advice. Between now and your 5k, keep doing the app 3 days a week. If you want, do another week of something else (weights, swimming, bicycling, but no running). Resist the urge to run every day because then you'll put yourself at a higher risk for injury (or burnout) and you won't be able to do the 5k. The week of the 5k, do your normal C25k routine. Do not do anything the day before the 5k. Let that be a rest day. Eat normally the day before, and try to get a good night sleep. Have a light breakfast. Trust me, you don't want to go to iHop and have eggs and bacon before the 5k. ;p The day of the race, relax and just take in the accomplishment - that you're DOING a 5k. Don't worry too much about the time, and think of it as just another training run. The presence of other people will get you super motivated and I think you'll find you're going to do better than you think. If you are a slow runner/jogger, start toward the back of the pack, and stay toward the side of the route to let the faster runners go by you. Enjoy the scenery of the race, the feeling of being part of something wonderful for you and your health. Let us know how it goes!

I run on a paved trail through a park. I find its more like running an actual 5k. As for the hip pain, definitely stretching before (and after) will help, and perhaps slowing down the jogging portion a little. Make sure you are following proper form - back straight, tuck your core (abs and belly) in, try not to take strides that are too long. If needed, take smaller steps.

At this point, don't worry if you're running/jogging properly or not. Listen to your body - does anything hurt when you start jogging? If not, then you're doing it fine. Are you moving forward when jogging (even if only a little?) Then you're doing it right. As you progress, you will find your natural stride and speed. What worked for me was jogging in place for a bit, then just putting one foot in front of the other once I had a good rhythm going. Keep at it - you can do it!

Good for both of you! Keep up the great work and before you know it, this will be a full-blown (healthy) addiction!

The short version of my long missive is this: Even if you take time off, whether it's a week or month, DO NOT give up on yourself! Your body WILL and CAN recover and you didn't lose as much ground as you might think! Here's what happened to me...February was a rough month for me...really rough. First, I had emergency gallbladder surgery at the end of January. I thought no biggie, I'll be back to the C25k App in a week and can do the 5k I signed up for way back when that was coming up in 2 weeks. WRONG! LOL Recovery from gallbladder surgery took longer than I expected. To make matters worse, about a week after surgery, I came down with the worst cold/flu known to man that kept me in bed for days. We won't even talk about the pain of coughing/sneezing while recovering from surgery. So, 2 weeks, no training and there was NO way I was making that 5k on Valentines' day. Bummer. I really, really wanted that medal. Okay, recovered from the surgery and thought great! I can get back to training. The universe had other plans for me. I was hit with the worst stomach bug known to man that lasted for about 3 days then took another 3 days to get my strength back and get back to a normal diet. I couldn't even leave the house, let alone the bathroom. On top of that, my work schedule was thrown into chaos where I had a crazy schedule and there was a lengthy spell of cold weather (like 40-50 degrees, when it's normally 60-70 during the day). So, another 2 weeks of no training. Now it's March 1st. No more flu, no more stomach bugs, full recovery from surgery and warm, spring like weather. PLUS, I had a 5k scheduled for the first weekend in March and another the second weekend in March. I signed up for these in January thinking I'd be more than ready. HA! Fortunately, I had a week off from work so I could really get outside and get back to training. That's just what I did. Before my month break, I finished Week 3 of C25k. After my break I knew there was NO WAY I could move onto Week 4, and even thinking about redoing week 3 was out of the question since I barely finished it the first time. So...my first time out after a month, I went back to week 2. It was harder than I expected, but by Day 2 I was feeling better about it. Fast forward to the day of the 5k. It was also Day 3 of Week 2 for me. My goal going into this 5k was to have a 50-55 minute time. I didn't expect much since I was struggling all week with the runs/walks. The last 5k I did at the beginning of January, I had a 47 minute time, doing the week 2 routine. I figured matching or coming close to that time was out of the question, since I only had a week to "retrain". Well, wonders NEVER cease. First, it was FREEZING the morning of the 5k. Keep in mind, I live in a warm state where the average annual temperature is 75ish and summers get up to 80's and 90s. So to me, anything less than 60 or 65 degrees is COLD, like 2 layers of pants, hat and gloves cold. Second, I only got 5 hours of sleep because I just was not tired the night before. So the morning of the 5k, it was a "balmy" 40 degrees and I was dragging like I just partied all night. FUN!! (NOT!!!) Nevertheless, I was motivated to do this - I wanted my medal darn it!! I was tired of looking at the same 3 medals hanging up, I wanted, no I NEEDED more!! So, the starting gun goes off for the 5k and I hit start on Wk2 D3 of C25k. My music starts playing and the lady starts talking. I told myself okay, you can do this, it's "only" an hour. You know you can easily do 2 miles in 35 minutes, walk the last mile if you have to. Long story short, I finished in 49 minutes and some seconds - OMG!!! Better than expected and only 2 minutes over my personal best!!! I did Wk2D3 and when I got to the 5 minute cool down, I just stopped the app and using my watch, tried jogging every 2 minutes for about 90 seconds. The way the course was designed, I couldn't see the finish line until I rounded the last corner. All throughout the course I didn't think I was doing great on time since I was among about 20 other walkers/stragglers. When I came around that corner and saw the finish line clock say 48 minutes I was ecstatic!! I ran full out for the last few hundred feet (probably only about 30 seconds) because the clock already turned 49 minutes and there was NO way I was going to let it hit 50 minutes before I crossed the finish line almost tripping because I started crying from happiness. My body was screaming WHAT did you just do? I was achey from the waist down, but, I didn't care - I GOT MY FINISHER'S MEDAL! A hot shower and a relaxing afternoon later, I feel great. Aches and pains are gone and my plan now is to take a day off to rest then hit the ground running (pun intended ) with Week 3 Day 1. The next 5k is in 7 days and this time I want to meet (and hopefully beat) my best time of 47 minutes. The motto of the story is NEVER give up. NEVER think because you missed a week, or two, or four, you lost everything you did. You DID NOT! Keep going, one foot in front of the other, one step back and TWO steps forward will get you to the finish line! I know, I've done it!

Don't be afraid to run in the daylight, on a sidewalk around your neighborhood, or anywhere! Just think of how much inspiration and motivation you are giving to anyone who is watching. Either that or you're making them feel guilty because YOU are out there running and they're not! LOL At least that's what I tell myself... Daylight, not daylight, it doesn't matter. What matters is you're doing it and for that - awesome!

Congratulations Ricky on making it! You already did the hardest part - starting. Keep us posted on your progress and before you know it you'll be doing 5ks!

Congratulations! The remaining km's will come before you know it. Keep at it!

Great job! When's the next 5k?

I was doing this today, checking my phone ever few seconds seeing how long I had left until I walked. I'll have to try leaving my phone in my pocket next time.

Congratulations on finishing Week 3 Day 1!! I Just finished Day 2 of Week 3 so I know what it feels like. Onto the next day of Week 3!! You can do it.

Chinebo, don't feel like you HAVE to move onto Week 3 just because you finished Week 2. Repeat Week 2, feel more comfortable doing the 90 second jogs. There's nothing wrong with that. Next, think of it differently. True, 3 minutes IS a lifetime...when you're jogging. BUT don't think of it that way. Find that really hyper or motivational song and just let yourself get lost in the lyrics while jogging. When you think about it, 3 minutes is about the length of a song. How fast do our favorite songs go by? What I learned from this program is that by the time you move to the next week, if you listened to your body before progressing, you ARE ready (even if your brain says otherwise). When I say listen to your body, really listen. How was Week 2 for you? You mentioned it was a real struggle. That's fine, I struggled so much in Week 1 I had to repeat it. So, repeat Week 2 until you feel more comfortable doing 90 seconds of jogging. If you have to stay at Week 2 for 3, 4 or 5 weeks, so what? At least you're still making progress which is better than giving up. Nobody will know what week you're on, they'll only see you out there working on yourself, getting yourself in shape, and YOU will feel so much better regardless of what you do (except QUIT) I'm not far behind you, since I just finished Day 2 of Week 3. Here's my progress so far. When I started Week 1, I thought NO WAY am I going to jog for 90 seconds. I remember W1 D1 was brutal and I barely finished! But I pushed myself through it. By W1 D3 I was making it through with a little less difficulty, but not as "easy" as I would like. So, I repeated Week 1 again. Then I moved onto week 2. As expected, it was a little tough, but not impossible. I wasn't completely comfortable at the 90 second intervals by the end of Week 2, but it wasn't killing me. Then I figured just for the HECK of it I'd try Week 3. What's the worst that happens? I can't do the 3 minute jog and I walk it. Big deal... Again, to my surprise, I did W3 D1. It was HARD but I DID IT!!! Then...I had a week off due to really bad weather and I refused to go to the gym (spoiled by the outdoors now). So I told myself congratulations on a belated holiday gift of not having to work out for a week (and I didn't, except for some weight training one day). LOL This past Saturday I went out for the first time in a week. It felt SO GOOD to be back out there waking/jogging. I wasn't sure what to do, try W3 D1 again, go back to Week 2...I told myself I did ONE day of Week 3, I'm NOT going backwards. Again, what's the worst that happens? Halfway through that 3 minute interval I need to start walking? So what... I did all of Wk3 D1 without much difficulty, actually it was not as hard as I thought, probably due to that week rest. Then today, I went out and did Wk3 D2 again. OMG what happened!!!??? LOL It was hard, and I had to keep telling myself keep jogging, keep jogging. My calves were burning and I was feeling it. But, I didn't want to quit and I made it ALL the way through D2 of Week 3 AND I even tacked on an extra 90 seconds of jogging during the 5 minute cool down because I was on the far end of the track and knew I had another 1/2 mile to go to reach my car and by that time I just wanted to get to my car as fast as I could so I thought if I jog I'll get there faster.... LOL Warped thinking, I know... After finishing a few weeks of the program, here's the INTERESTING part I noticed. Each of the times I did the intervals, I was "good" through the first part that was the same as the previous week. For example, when I did the 3 minute jogging intervals, the first half (90 seconds) flew by and felt pretty easy. In other words, it didn't even feel like 90 seconds and I wasn't struggling. The second half of a 3 minute interval, now that's another story! Like I said in another post (Thank's Shannon for the mention!) believe in yourself! There's nothing holding you back from scaling it down if you start a Week and realize you can't jog for the full 90 seconds, or 3 minutes or 5 minutes. Just try it and see what happens. That's the beauty of this program, it's not like you're solidly committed to doing an interval if you try and just can't. Just stop jogging and start walking until the next jogging interval comes around. If you can't jog, then you know you can take it back a week and next time, try again. Take it from me, I NEVER thought I'd be out jogging, EVER..But....here I am doing it and enjoying myself at the same time! "What would you attempt to do if you knew you COULD NOT fail?" - Robert H. Schuller

Hello! New member here and thought I'd give a bit of background and some inspiration to others... If you would have told me 6 months ago I'd be doing 5ks, and actually jogging, I would have thought you insane! Well, maybe I'm the crazy one! LOL I'm 45 and about 100 lbs overweight. Bad knees, former smoker, sedentary day job, and definitely NOT a runner. I HATED exercise, especially walking/running (BORING!!!) It all started because of a 5k obstacle course race I really wanted to do about 2 months ago. I knew I could do the obstacles, but running 3 miles, NO WAY!! I tried jogging a few times and all my fat jiggled, my knees started hurting, and I could not breathe. So okay, I figured I'd walk it. BUT, I wasn't even sure I could WALK 5k. So I started out a month before the event walking and sure enough, I was able to walk 5k. Came the day of the race and I walked it and did the obstacles, had a ton of fun and got my finisher's medal. By now, I was HOOKED! I wanted to do more 5ks! I was all about the bling and the excitement of doing something I never thought I could do. So I registered for a few more and kept walking them, but I really wanted to TRY to build up my strength and endurance to run them. I'm fortunate to live in a warm State where I can get out side at the local park and run around the trail (which is a 1 mile loop). So I started Week 1 in the beginning of December. Week 1 Day 1 was BRUTAL. I could barely jog for a minute, let alone keep up the intervals, but I pushed myself through. By the end of Week 1, I knew I wasn't ready to move onto Week 2. So, I did Week 1 again, and it got a little easier. Then moved onto Week 2. The first day was difficult, but I stuck it out. Week 2 day 2 was still hard, but doable. BUT a funny thing happened, I noticed I could breeze through the first minute without feeling tired and only at the last 30 seconds was I feeling it. WOW!! You mean I built up my endurance to jog for a minute without really feeling it? AWESOME! I finished Week 2 and repeated the first 2 days again. Then I had another 5k just a week ago. I did Week 2 day 3 during the 5k and when the session was done, I kept my music on and finished the 5, using my watch to time the walk/jog intervals. I did my BEST time yet (shaved off 10 minutes). This plan was REALLY working, I was really jogging, even if only for 2 minutes at a time! So...Monday this week I walked 3 miles (briskly, since I was with a friend) instead of going back to the plan. Today I decided "what if I try Week 3?? How far could I get? Well, the first rep of 3 min jogging wasn't bad. The second rep of 3 minute jogging nearly killed me. I had to start walking about 2 minutes in, which I did until the 90 second jogging interval. I finished it, and I'm proud of it! I know the next time I get out there I would be able to do both 3 minute reps jogging. Other "funny" things are happening to me too! When I start the 5 minute warm up walk, I don't want to walk, I want to start jogging! My fat isn't jiggling as much (so far I lost 10 lbs, need to really get better with the diet now). My balance seems to have improved. My knees don't hurt AT ALL and most of all, I'm jogging and enjoying it!! I look forward to "workout days" when I can just put the music on, zone out, and follow the trail for 30 minutes doing whatever the lady in my phone tells me to do. Most of all, I'm really jogging for more than 30 seconds at a time - WOOHOO!! The motto of my story is....BELIEVE in yourself! If you can't jog for 60 seconds in Week 1, so what? Jog for 30 seconds and walk the rest until the next interval. KEEP DOING IT - you WILL Get better. This app is really the BEST thing since sliced bread.