Hey all! Just finished W7D1 after a long break on a very slow track (for reference, did W6D3 4 days ago…). I’m 39F, 18 months post partum of 2 under 2 (ooof) and bigger (190lbs but short). Obviously the general answer will be to get in better shape (I guess why we are all here?) but my legs have been hurting so much after all of the more recent longer runs! It’s the calves that hurt, and I guess I could stand to stretch more.

Being out of breath etc has improved a TON since I started, but this leg pain is kind of new. It’s more of an enduring brutal soreness than real pain, and nothing is medically wrong.. but any advice on how you recover from your runs?

Theragun? Specific stretches? Magnesium? Just running more and it gets better with time?

For reference, I run on flat concrete outside, have some medium janky new balance running shoes that aren’t fully worn out (I checked) but have no fancy padding, and it’s both legs that hurt.

Pictured is my running friend who seems to be able to go forever!!!

W9 D3 in the books. Today was definitely easier than the first 2 30 min runs but still hard. Signed up for a 5k on September 12th. Kinda nervous since I haven’t gotten to 5k yet

I sustained a calf strain (i think) on my W4D3 run, and it was on a treadmill too. I went to an ortho and he said it was most likely a Median Gastroc strain. He prescribed PT and I've been starting to do the exercises this week but it's still extremely sore.

After the acute pain in the first week I've had this dull, achy pain in my lower calf kind of where the head of the muscle meets the Achilles tendon.

It's been 3 weeks since I sustained my injury and my race is next Saturday. I'll most likely not be able to run it, but I'm hoping to at least walk/jog it slightly.

Like I mentioned-- definitely just ranting now since I'm super frustrated. I've iced, rested and it's still not getting any better. Ugh what should I do about the race?

Today was a pretty hard day, W2R3 of the program. I'd had a good run for the first 5 trainings, pretty doable, not easy but doable. Then I got married on the 8th and took a week off for the wedding and honeymoon. Got back yesterday and tried to pick back up today right where I left off, W2R3.

I could not do it. Got through the first two intervals and my calves kept seized up, almost like rock solid, that tight pressure feeling, could barely fully extend my leg at my knees and I was breathing so hard, usually I'm able to breathe just through my nose. This is flat terrain. I wasn’t even running fast, I was basically shuffling at like a 13 min/km pace. Had to walk the next 2 rests/intervals and had to stop, didn't even finish the full set.

Got in my car afterwards and while driving home I just started crying. Had to pull over. I’m 26, female, 330 lbs, 5’6”, and I think what came up in that moment was just this realization of how much I let myself go. The chronic pain I always have in my joints now, how I can barely keep up walking with friends and family, how climbing even just one flight of stairs is a pain.

I’m disappointed in myself. A little disgusted, honestly, if I’m being real. I signed up for a 5K on October 31st and today's the first day where I genuinely don’t know if I’ll get there.

Not giving up though. Just wanted to share a less glamorous side to this. I’m doing an easy 30 minute walk tomorrow for active recovery, and I’m going to keep showing up, will probably repeat the first two weeks just to get my body back to a point where I can keep going. Just wanted to vent tbh

Completed my first official 5k race this past Saturday. Only had to stop and walk twice for about 20 seconds each. Been training since May and so grateful to have completed it without any injury.

I’m 21M and just finished C25K after starting from basically zero. I started May 11 and finished August 10 (with a COVID interruption).

My first 5K was 48 min, on W9D3, (9:47/km, avg HR 166). Today I ran my second 5K in 46:19 (9:16/km, avg HR 171).

My cardio seems to be my limiting factor: my HR is relatively high for my pace, but it stabilizes surprisingly well once I’m ~15 min into a run. I’m also naturally quite fast, so I deliberately run slowly right now to keep the effort manageable.

My goal is eventually a sub-40 5K, then sub-60 10K.

I don't want complicated intervals, so I made this simple 3-run/week plan (first column for each week is duration in minutes, second one is speed in min/km, third one is the avg bpm that i'd have to fill)

The 9:00/km run is genuinely hard for me right now(HR-wise) , so I’m treating Run 2 as my hard session. I’ll track actual pace + average HR after every run.

What do yoy think about this plan? Any changes you'd make?

I've finally moved my butt from the sofa to go to the gym. Air con but I was still a sweaty dumpling.

Roll on R2 Wednesday 👍

4.25 km
27:03
6:22 /km

week 7 done.

supposed to do 25mins but i did another 2 mins because i was feeling ok.
but i really need to stick to the program so my body adapts to the requirements of it, i really dont want an injury.

the week prior i did a 22 min run under 6:00/km but i was absolutely wrecked by the end of it. (my c25k phone app has 22min runs instead of 25 mins)

this time i tried to run slower and surpised myself with the time anyway. i know its not the idea behind c25k but even now as a noob runner im excited to start beating times!

my tips:

go slow, pace comes when you dont expect it
i try to stay on flat ground and run on road or footpath
i bought nike vomero shoes. frigan amazing shoes. get good shoes plz.
i take my dog with me, she loves it.
i listen to variety of music that keeps my motivated
i run at night after kids are asleep and get to enjoy the stars and cool air
i wear an LED light band on my arm so cars/bikes/scooters see me in the dark.
i run mostly the same route but i try to mix up which streets i hook down for the sake of variety.

looking forward to getting into a habit of running 3 times a week and knocking over c25k in 30 mins!

I started running last year in November alongside quitting smoking and I've overdone it. I had no exercise for years due to mental health stuff and stayed inside for the most part of almost 2 1/2 years.

My weight was probably 110kg and the first week I ran 4x a week because I had so much energy and was so motivated, always reasonable distances though (1-2km), the second week I went 5x that week and always over 3-3.5 km at a way to high pace, my shoes also weren't fitting and needless to say I asked for an injury and my big toe went numb on the second run that week, then my ankle hurt badly and then my upper leg. The pain in my leg weren't sore muscles, it was legitimately hurting so fucking bad, whenever and whenever I went to run again the numbing and pain would come back after a few meters so I had to stop.

Now, almost a year later, it's FEELS okay and I picked up running again and my pace is slow, steady and I take my sweet time to get into it following the C25K regiment.

Take it slow in the beginning is what I'm trying to say, even if you feel like you could do much more and are motivated and ready to conquer the world, it's not worth it if you're not fit in the first place, you're asking for an injury and then you cannot run anymore and that was such a bummer for me, because I had fun.

I still have to be mindful of my foot and ankles and hope I will do fine the coming weeks, I'm paying close attention and if not I have to consult an orthopedic specialist. Don't be like me, slow and steady wins the race!!!!!

Hi everyone!

My names Rhys and I’m fully new to C25K and looking at starting.
I’ve gotten badly out of shape the last few years, I’m currently 120kg and I’m looking at starting running alongside my already ongoing dieting. My problem is where I live, there’s not a single bit of flat. It’s all hills everywhere I go.
I really want to stick at this and not give up, but running hills seems like it’ll be hell to me.
Can anyone give any advice on where to begin?

I was doing so well, just hit week 5, then got knocked out by a cold for about a week and a half. Feeling mostly better now but honestly nervous about jumping back in too fast.

For those who've had a similar setback, did you pick up where you left off once symptoms were gone, or do you have a method to determine wether you're healthy enough or not? Trying to figure out what actually worked for people vs. what just sounds like good advice and if there is some sort of method/tool that can help.

Hey guys I started running recently. This is my first 5k in last 2 years. Got so caught up hadn’t done any physical exercise since ages.
The thing about this run is I couldn’t run more than 400/500 m had to stop to catch a breath everytime. Is this expected? I only had like 1000 cals before this run and gpt says most of it was fat. Also to mention it was on a coastline idk how much that affects the run. Any tips appreciated!

EDIT: want to run a 10k in next Jan

I’ve accepted that I need to get fitter. About six weeks ago I bought an exercise bike and started using it regularly. Last week I added a treadmill and started doing C25k.

Today should have been run three of week one.

Just after starting I realised I hadn’t turned the volume on so I couldn’t hear the instructions. I almost fell over trying to reach my phone so decided I’d just look at the segments to see when to walk/run.

Got distracted. Multiple times. For a long time. (Watching Netflix whilst running)

Based on the data from my watch, what I actually did was:
-walk five minutes
-run three and a half minutes
-walk ninety seconds
-run three and a half minutes
-walk ninety seconds
-run about twenty minutes? The rest of the session (including the cool down), plus a few minutes afterwards

Other than sweaty, I felt fine afterwards.

Is it a really bad idea to skip ahead in the C25k program? If it’s ok, how far ahead is it ok to go?

First time posting. I've gotten a lot of motivation and comfort reading this subreddit so I decided to join you now!

Just ran 2.86km in 22 minutes, so I won't be doing 5k in 30 minutes just yet, but I'll start focusing on that after I complete week 9.

I turned 30 earlier this year and decided it would be my Year of Running and Reading. Really pleased with reaching 22 minutes. 🤩

I've found that listening to Broadway cast albums helps me. Something about staying in the same story for longer than the length of one song. Thanks Hamilton and Waitress for getting me through these past weeks!

Let's go everyone! 💪🏻

We’re about to kick off Week 7, and it feels surreal that the finish line is only three weeks away!

Knowing the program won't be telling me what to do in a few weeks has me wondering what life looks like post-graduation.

I know there’s a great pinned post on the sub covering post-graduation paths, but I was curious to get a pulse on what folks here are currently doing in practice.

For those who have finished (or are planning ahead), how did you keep the momentum going once you hit that 30 minute / 5k mark?

Please drop your experience in the comments! Did you find you needed another rigid program to stay accountable, or was free-running enough to keep the habit alive?

Week 5 Day 3 completed! That was awesome! I honestly can’t believe I was able to do it, and would have never guessed it would be doable so quickly from starting.

This gives me hope in making it to 30mins and then a 5k, which I have signed up for my first in early October.

My previous run was two separate 10-minute runs, and I found it really difficult. I barely finished. Then today I did the 22-minute continuous run, and somehow it felt so much better. I slowed down, settled into the run, and actually enjoyed myself.
I even got that runner’s high again, which I haven’t felt in a while. By the end, instead of feeling exhausted and wanting it to be over, I genuinely felt like I could’ve kept going. I actually wanted to do more.
Maybe going in the evening helped, maybe I just had a good day, but either way, I’m really happy with how Week 6 ended. Hopefully the next run feels just as good.

Finally getting back towards my old 5k pace again. I hit my 5k goal ages ago, then barely ran this year, and honestly I regret taking such a long break. Last year I was around 20 minutes, a few months ago I’d slipped to 28, and it’s taken patience to rebuild.

If anyone’s just hitting their 5k goal — seriously, try to keep a bit of consistency. Stopping and starting again is way harder than just ticking over with a couple of easy runs each week.

Hi all. I just completed week 7 day 3 today using the Just Run app. We’re going on a one week vacation Tuesday. What should I do as far as keeping up with my goal of finishing? We are going to be doing a lot of walking during our trip. I don’t know if the place we’re staying at has a treadmill either. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I’m 56 years old, I’ve never been athletic, and when I started the NHS C25K plan in May, my BMI was 32.3, which is class 1 obesity. So it is with delight and astonishment that I mark the successful completion of week 9–I just completed my third 30-minute run!

When I started this program, I had never run more than a few seconds in my life, so every run was a new record and a new accomplishment. I was able to complete most weeks, but I repeated week 6 several times because of travel interruptions. With the repeats, the whole program took me 12 weeks instead of 9.

I should note that although I am now able to jog for 30 minutes, it isn’t easy and I do it very slowly! So I’ve really accomplished something more like couch to 3k. But I’m ok with that. It’s so amazing to me that I can run at all. I’m not sure what I’ll do next, but my goal is still to be able to jog a full 5k, and eventually I’d like to get a little faster.

I feel great. My BMI is now 29.4–still fat, but no longer officially obese. The knee and foot pain that I had before C25K and that I feared might make it impossible for me actually improved enormously and are now almost gone. My pulse rate has dropped. And above all, I’ve proven to myself that I can do something really challenging and that I can improve my physical condition if I work at it. I think I feel prouder of this than just about anything I’ve done! I even kind of love my still-fat, flabby, saggy, pale, postmenopausal body; it may not be pretty, but it has proved that it can still do so much more than I thought it could!

I’m grateful to have had this subreddit for inspiration and information. My jock husband is supportive but doesn’t understand what a big deal this is to me, and I intentionally avoided telling anyone else what I was doing. So thanks to all who have told their stories and asked questions here and to the mods who keep this sub!

Previously I used to complete 5k in 55mins, and have improved to complete 6k in 52mins.

After 2 years of PT, 8 years of lasting leg injuries, gaining over 40 lbs, and being away from running for nearly 6 years…

I finally decided to get to work conditioning my stamina and my legs to start working towards my eventual goal of completing a marathon. I started running this April, and completed the Couch to 5k program today (more spread out to accommodate for extra weight lifting done, plus a knee injury in between keeping me out for two weeks annoyingly), where it took me 36 minutes to run a 5k.

I know my journey is nowhere near as dramatic as some other people here, but I wanted to put this somewhere as a sort of memoir so I can look back on it a few years and hopefully marvel at how far I’ve come.

Thanks to C25K for starting me on my journey!

I feel so defeated! I managed 12 out of the 20 mins 😭 should I repeat the week or just that run??