Week 4 trouble

[TheAnon]

Hi everyone.

A few months ago I tried C25K and made it to week 7 with no problem. Unfortunately because I was finishing my master's I had no time to spare and ended up not finishing the program.

I decided to try it again now that all of that is over.

I'm sad to say I am stuck on week 4. I manage successfully to run the 3 minutes, the 5 minutes and, at a lot of cost, the second 3 minutes. I don't feel out of breath per se. I feel like I could finish but my legs hurt a lot by the time I finish the second 3 minutes. My calves feel incredibly hard and painful all the way down to my ankles. Today, for instance, I had to stop and focus on walking. I had to really think about every step I took to make sure I made it home. I was in so much pain, my legs felt like dead weights and if I didn't force myself to lock my knees with each step I am sure they would completely give out and I'd end up on the pavement.

Anyone experienced something like this? The first time around it all went so smoothly this is very new and unexpected. I bought better sneakers and I drink plenty. The difference is because I was very sedentary for a long period of time in a row I'm heavier (not obese) but I'm eating healthier and counting my calories.

 

So, any advice or input would be greatly appreciated. At this point I'm a little afraid of attempting running again because the pain is awful.

[Bodie]

Hi TheAnon

 

There's nothing more frustrating than being willing but not able to complete a stage.  I wonder if it is worth trying the stage again on grass?  A softer surface might just help get you round without you being in agony.  Regardless of what you plan to do I'd make sure you take a few days off to recover, what you're going through sounds awful.

 

Keep us all posted on your progress and good luck!

[TheAnon]

Thanks for dropping me a message Bodie.

Because the pain disappears an hour or so after I finish running I have no idea if my runs are going to be bad or not unless I go and try it out.

So I got brave and tried to run today. I ditched my new kayanos and grabbed my old sneakers to see if it would make a difference.

I managed to finish the whole thing, but I still had to push through the pain. However, it wasn't as bad as the other times. It was bad, but not as excruciating to the point I had to stop because my legs were giving out. When I stop running the sharp pain and the throbbing gets worse for a while until it eventually stops.

Now, I'm happy I finished week 4 day 1. Gonna make sure I take 2 days off before w4d2 and then I'll take the old sneakers out again, see if there's any improvement again.

 

Thanks again for the message!

[TheAnon]

Today I completed w4d2 with minimal pain. Don't know if it's a coincidence or not but I've added bananas to my diet.

[torus_ot]

Potassium (bananas)  is always good against muscles cramps.

[Bodie]

Minimal pain, eh, sounds like things are getting better for you.  Excellent!  Hopefully the next run you will have no pain at all.

 

Also, I didn't know that about bananas, I'll be sure not to cut them outta my diet!

 

Good luck.

[Rose_Sicoli]

Do you have a burning pain, and do your feet go numb?

[TheAnon]

No it wasn't a burning pain and my feet didn't go numb. It was a sharp pain but it's entirely gone now finished week 4

[TheAnon]

Today I finished week 6 day 3 and I haven't had any more leg pain problems. I have to say, even though this is the 2nd time I attempt C25K and the second time running week 6, I fell for the post week 5 overconfidence bliss. I knew week 6 would be hard and still I found myself being slapped in the face. Day 1 was horrible. Day 2 was more tolerable, but still hard, and day 3 was just hard and boring. I had spotify on shuffle and all the songs it played were those songs I'm really tired of already. So I found myself aware of every single second and actually stating internally how bored I was. I always run the same routes because of lack of better options where I live and so I couldn't entertain myself with the scenery either. I did win the mental battle and kept saying I was going to do it, that if I could run 20 minutes I most definitely could run 22. I told myself I'm no quitter and I'm not ruining all the progresses I made.

 

Now I'm moving on to week 7 I'm going to point out the changes I've noticed.

 

My heart doesn't skyrocket anymore on the first minute of a run. My average heartrate during a run has decreased by 30 beats.

 

I can run comfortably for longer.

 

I've lost quite a few inches, especially on my stomach.

 

My jeans are looser, as well as the awful skin tight running pants.

 

I notice muscles on my quads and calves. I swear I'm obsessed with them and always take the opportunity to look at them on bathroom breaks.

 

I'm a lot more conscious about what I eat. I've started dieting and exercising on the same day and I'm more and more in tune with my body. I don't need to eat as much, don't feel hunger and 95% of this time haven't experienced cravings. If anything I've noticed I'm repulsed by bad food now. Back when I was overeating while writing my dissertation I'd down pizza and chocolate like an animal. It was my comfort during a time when I barely did anything other than type and edit. Now I don't even want to think about greasy pizzas. I have indulged in a little bit of chocolate now and then but since I am counting my calories that never set me back.

 

I am drinking a lot more water. I'm not kidding when I say I used to go days with only one glass of water in between them . Now I drink 1 to 1.5 liters every day. Major improvement for me!

 

My skin is so smooth! I'm sure it's mostly because of the water I'm drinking but my skin feels great to the touch and I notice less cellulitis too.

 

Climbing my building's stairs is easy peasy now. I actually run them all the way to my apartment.

 

I've lost 8 pounds. I'll give credit to water consumption and food choices to this loss. I know this will stabilise now because there's not a whole lot more to lose but there's that for motivation!

 

I'm less anxious, happier and I'm sure I'm on my way to becoming mentally stronger. I think running will really give me a lesson about fighting and pushing through hurdles with the chin held high.

 

I still don't love running. I can't wait until I can run for an hour non stop, but at the same time can't imagine the day I'll reach that point. I wonder if you guys have gone from running boredom to running love and running for m 1+ hours? I hope so! I really want runToday I finished week 6 day 3 and I haven't had any more leg pain problems. I have to say, even though this is the 2nd time I attempt C25K and the second time running week 6, I fell for the post week 5 overconfidence bliss. I knew week 6 would be hard and still I found myself being slapped in the face. Day 1 was horrible. Day 2 was more tolerable, but still hard, and day 3 was just hard and boring. I had spotify on shuffle and all the songs it played were those songs I'm really tired of already. So I found myself aware of every single second and actually stating internally how bored I was. I always run the same routes because of lack of better options where I live and so I couldn't entertain myself with the scenery either. I did win the mental battle and kept saying I was going to do it, that if I could run 20 minutes I most definitely could run 22. I told myself I'm no quitter and I'm not ruining all the progresses I made.

 

Now I'm moving on to week 7 I'm going to point out the changes I've noticed.

 

My heart doesn't skyrocket anymore on the first minute of a run. My average heartrate during a run has decreased by 30 beats.

 

I can run comfortably for longer.

 

I've lost quite a few inches, especially on my stomach.

 

My jeans are looser, as well as the awful skin tight running pants.

 

I notice muscles on my quads and calves. I swear I'm obsessed with them and always take the opportunity to look at them on bathroom breaks.

 

I'm a lot more conscious about what I eat. I've started dieting and exercising on the same day and I'm more and more in tune with my body. I don't need to eat as much, don't feel hunger and 95% of this time haven't experienced cravings. If anything I've noticed I'm repulsed by bad food now. Back when I was overeating while writing my dissertation I'd down pizza and chocolate like an animal. It was my comfort during a time when I barely did anything other than type and edit. Now I don't even want to think about greasy pizzas. I have indulged in a little bit of chocolate now and then but since I am counting my calories that never set me back.

 

I am drinking a lot more water. I'm not kidding when I say I used to go days with only one glass of water. Now I drink 1 to 1.5 liters every day. Major improvement for me!

 

My skin is so smooth! I'm sure it's mostly because of the water I'm drinking but my skin feels great to the touch and I notice less cellulitis too.

 

Climbing my building's stairs is easy peasy now. I actually run them all the way to my apartment.

 

I've lost 8 pounds. I'll give credit to water consumption and food choices to this loss. I know this will stabilise now because there's not a whole lot more to lose but there's that for motivation!

 

I'm less anxious, happier and I'm sure I'm on my way to becoming mentally stronger. I think running will really give me a lesson about fighting and pushing through hurdles with the chin held high.

 

I still don't love running. I can't wait until I can run for an hour non stop, but at the same time can't imagine the day I'll reach that point. I wonder if you guys have gone from running boredom to running love and running for 1+ hours? I hope so! I really want running to become an important and satisfying part of my life.

 

Hope everyone is persevering! Happy runs!

[TheAnon]

Sorry for double post in the same post. Can't get this app to work well on my phone

[Bodie]

That's an interesting read, it's great that you're still going despite the boredom - you don't have long till you're finished up!  I started using the RockMyRun app around Week 2 and haven't looked back!  It's a free app and I think it was recommended via zenlabs.  It's got a huge range of tunes that can be matched to your running pace and it definitely helps keep me going through the run.  I'm now on Week 7 and am enjoying the course much more than I thought I would.  The ramp up to no walking makes a difference but I'm coping fine.  In fact yesterday I run through the cool down so I guess I couldn't have been struggling too much

 

One thing I am wondering is how much liquids people are consuming as they do their run.  I suspect I'm not taking enough but I dread making myself bloated as I go around.  It's the same with food, I always run in the evening and don't eat dinner until after I've completed the run.  

 

One thing is for sure - I'll be jumping up to the 10k program after this one finishes....I'm getting the bug

[TheAnon]

That's an interesting read, it's great that you're still going despite the boredom - you don't have long till you're finished up!  I started using the RockMyRun app around Week 2 and haven't looked back!  It's a free app and I think it was recommended via zenlabs.  It's got a huge range of tunes that can be matched to your running pace and it definitely helps keep me going through the run.  I'm now on Week 7 and am enjoying the course much more than I thought I would.  The ramp up to no walking makes a difference but I'm coping fine.  In fact yesterday I run through the cool down so I guess I couldn't have been struggling too much

 

One thing I am wondering is how much liquids people are consuming as they do their run.  I suspect I'm not taking enough but I dread making myself bloated as I go around.  It's the same with food, I always run in the evening and don't eat dinner until after I've completed the run.  

 

One thing is for sure - I'll be jumping up to the 10k program after this one finishes....I'm getting the bug

During the run? I don't drink anything during my run. I usually run at night so I drink throughout the day and stop eating and drinking 3 hours prior to the run so I'm sure I am not tired during my run and also that all the bathroom breaks are pretty much dunzo by the time I step out. 

 

So cool that you're taking the c210k challenge! I am also joining in. Already purchased the app. I'm slightly worried though because from week 8 to week 9 it feels like such a massive jump! Do you feel confident about it? I need to read people's reviews  

 

Today I'm supposed to run week 8 day 2 but I'm so not feeling like it! It's too windy outside :s I like running in the rain, but today is not only raining but the wind is very strong. It's putting me off a bit. Week 8 day 1 was done in similar conditions so I know I can do it, but... I'm really having one of those days when I don't feel like venturing into the cold night, lol. 

 

Hope everyone is doing well!

[blayne]

Hardest part is making yourself get out there and do it.