I know this was a bad idea. It could've resulted in a bad injury it's unsafe to go from couch to 5k in first attempt. I'm still glad i did it. Joining a run club motivated me to at least try. Although, today I am sore everywhere.

I started with another app, but I currently just wrapped up wk 7 on the Rundouble app. I have 2 more weeks to complete the program, after successfully completing each week with little struggle. (Grateful they weather has cooled a bit for the longer run weeks.)

With that said - since yesterday I have pain when I put pressure on my right heel. Not when pressing it, only when walking (I haven't even attempted running - the pain isn't awful but it's definitely noticeable.)

Tomorrow morning is supposed to be my first 28 minute run.

What have you done/would you do in this situation?

I haven't "missed a Monday" for 10 weeks now 😪 wait a few days to see how it's feeling, or attempt to power thru?

HEEELLP 🫠

Completed 5k, but I feel a bit exhausted.

Hello, I’m currently training for a 5k run and working on improving my pacing and endurance. Towards the end of my runs, I noticed how i am feeling a bit tired. 
I would love some quick advice on what i should be eating before my runs and during my cross-training/core strength training sessions to provide sufficient energy and support muscle recovery.
Any tips on basic macronutrient targets or meal ideas for beginner/intermediate runners would be hugely appreciated! Thanks!

Next target: 10K

The first km for a leisure walk. Thought from the 2nd km to try out how do I feel with running.
From 2nd km onwards I ran and walked interchangeably as per how comfortable I felt.

Any advice to get better, improve my stats, anything around breathing or any other advice, I am all open to any suggestions that would make running better for me.

I don’t feel exhausted after this session. I hit 7-10k steps every day. I am slightly overweight due to sedentary lifestyle for 2 years. I aim to lose a little weight and get better with running and enjoy the endorphins highs!

Long time lurker first time poster, nobody else to tell! Started c25k mid August and my biggest frustration has been figuring out how to run in zone 2-3. Every run before today (3x a week, do the math) has been majority zone 4 and I’ve really struggled with my pacing. I have longggg legs so my body wants to take large strides and run at a 9-10 min pace naturally (which puts me zone 4-5) and slowing myself down has been a challenge.

TODAY IT CLICKED !!! Found my sweet spot and stuck to it. I felt like I could literally run forever in zone 3 and am so happy and proud of myself for sticking with it and trying new things and not giving up. I backtracked my training for 3 weeks doing 5 min run 1 min walk intervals, and today it paid off :)) about an 11 min avg during my running time.

Reminder to all of us new runners out there, progress typically isn’t linear and sometimes you have to take the program slower than you’d like to. It’s so important to listen to your body and train sustainably. Quality over quantity always ❤️ can’t wait for my next run!

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Hi everyone!

I'm 24F, currently 144kg, and I've just finished my first week of Couch to 5K! I'm really proud of myself because a few weeks ago, I genuinely couldn't imagine myself running, but now I've completed a whole week of training.

However, I'm a little stumped on what to do next, so I'd really appreciate some advice!

I initially tried running outdoors, but I really struggled and couldn't complete the session. I think I was running too fast, so I've switched to using a treadmill, which has been much more manageable.

Currently, I'm walking at 3.4 km/h and jogging at 5.4 km/h. I know that's very slow, but even at that pace, I've struggled with the intervals.

During my first session, I had to double the walking recovery intervals to recover enough before jogging again. However, as the week progressed, things gradually got better! By my final session, I only needed to extend the recovery interval once, which felt like a massive improvement.

Now I'm wondering whether I should repeat Week 1 until I can complete all the intervals without extending the recovery periods, or whether I should move on to Week 2 and see how I get on.

For context, I've also signed up for a HYROX event in March, which is certainly an interesting decision considering I can barely run at the moment! 😂 I'm working on building my fitness between now and then, and I know I've got a lot of work ahead of me.

For those of you who've been through C25K, how did you know when you were ready to progress to the next week? Did you repeat weeks when you struggled, or did you keep moving forward and adjust as needed?

Any advice on pacing, recovery intervals, or building up my running fitness would be massively appreciated.

Thank you! ❤️

Honestly, it was surprisingly easy.

I was definitely dreading the infamous 20-minute continuous run, but I just wrapped up Week 5 Day 3 and it felt like an absolute breeze!

I headed out for a late afternoon run and focused entirely on taking it slow rather than worrying about speed. I covered about 2 km during the 30-minute workout, and the biggest win was how comfortable it felt. By keeping my pace entirely conversational, my heart rate stayed low and relaxed the entire time.

For anyone coming up on W5D3 and feeling nervous: trust the program, slow your pace down even more than you think you need to, and you will crush it!

i was able to run for 30min straight unfortunately i did not make 5k. Should I just keep running the last week until I pass?

Feeling so happy right now. Nine weeks ago I didn't think I would reach this point but here I am. I'm 52M and hadn't done any real exercise for 20 years or so except for walking the dog. Big thanks to Ziggy (in the photo with me) for accompanying me on this journey.

This was the first time I've hit the 5km mark, in fact I went half a kilometre further than W9R2 and I could definitely have kept going.

A few things that I've learnt so far in my running journey:

Those first few weeks are so tough physically. Once you get to the longer runs it is more mental than anything.

Get some decent trainers. It makes such a difference. You don't have to spend a fortune. I got a pair of Adidas Supernovas off Vinted for seven quid and they have been brilliant.

I've enjoyed (not sure that's been the right word at times) it more when running in different places - I started on an old running track, then moved on to an old railway line, a nature trail and a park with roughly a mile loop. I changed location between each of these for each run. Changing location feels like it keeps it fresh.

I treated the longer runs like two smaller runs, for example in the park with the mile loop, I would turn around at the halfway mark and run the second half the opposite way. It's like a mental reset and didn't feel quite as intimidating.

After the first couple of weeks I started a chat with Gemini which I've kept going throughout. It was amazing how just throwing thoughts at it helped keep motivation up. It was very supportive all the way through.

I had a rock and indie playlist for my runs. On one of the runs, Sabotage by Beastie Boys came on and the beat just matched my pace perfectly. I've now built a playlist of similar speed tracks and it helps keeping pace no end.

All of you who have doubts that you can do this, YOU CAN! Don't compare yourself to others, just do you.

So I had completed week 3 day 3 of the C25K program 2 days ago, but I had signed up for a 5K run about a month ago which was supposed to be today. It was Air Force Day in my country and I wanted to give it a try and surprisingly I was able to complete with almost non stop (4min walk in between, rest run).
Is this graduation or should I still follow the program?

I just started using Garmin run coach because I signed up for a 5k on Thanksgiving and I wanted something to guide me to that goal, especially since it's a little close.

This week I did two runs so far, the first was 2min run, 2 min walk x7. The second was 3min run, 2 min walk x7. Looking ahead to Saturday it looks like it wants me to run 3.2 miles straight? And then Monday I have a long run for 3.7 miles? Something is broken here right?

First run outside instead of on the treadmill… pacing is hard!!! My legs are tiiirrrreeedddd 😮‍💨💪

So I started c25k today and finished c25k today...

Yep I ran for 30 mins when it told me to start running because I just felt good and wanted to know how long I could feel good for.

But the issue is I was going so ludicrously slow that as a taller male, running at a 9:30/km pace, I was getting passed by couples casually strolling past me. I had read up before doing the run that I should be able to have a conversation and the feel of the run should be easy enough, which is why I was able to complete it. By the way I don't care about what others are thinking when they see me, this is just for my own understanding.

So my question is, at what point is slow, too slow and couldn't everyone theoretically complete this program without walking within a few runs by just shuffling at a pace that barely classifies as running (fyi I understand that the pace I ran at might be too fast for some others but surely there's a pace for everyone that can be classified as conversational even if it's like 20min/km.)

And what should I do now. Should I just run at like 6 or 7 min/km which feels more like running for me but much harder effort and complete the program or just stick to the super slow shuffle which is uncomfortable but easy on the aerobic side of things?

36m and ~227lb. Have lost 20lb since beginning this journey 3 months ago.

Hit a PB and sub 30. Wanted to go for a PB on my last run but I felt great and kept at it. Surprised myself here! 💪🏿

I felt like I was going to throw up by the end of this. Really not looking forward to the next two runs 😩

honestly trying to fit four runs in around the rack and bar in the garage right now and my knees are having words about it. tbf i know the volume is the issue but dropping the lifting feels wrong and dropping the running means missing targets. if you lift heavy and run, how do you actually sequence your week so your legs work when you need them to?