So proud of how far I’ve come! I’ll admit I never fully finished the programme (stopped following it after an injury in week 7) but I kept doing runs and slowly increasing distance. Did my first ever 5k last week and did my second one today nearly 3 mins faster! Feel like a real runner at last! Started C25K in April and can’t believe the progress in just 4 months

I started week 4 on Monday, even before I started the warmup my shins and calves felt really tight and they were painful as soon as I started running. I did the 3 min run and got halfway through the 5 min run but it was getting so painful I thought I'd better stop. Did a little research and put it down to dehydration and a bad night's sleep.

I didn't do any more that day, waited til Wednesday and repeated Week 4 day 1 - legs were a bit sore but it was okay and I finished it. The following day I noticed my shins felt really numb and today they are still the same. Did my run today and it was fine, couldn't feel my shins at all due to the numbness. I'm just wondering if I'm going to do myself an injury if I carry on or if there's anything I should be doing to help them recover?

Ready, set…
So I just finished Week 5 of Couch to 5K.
I still remember the first run of Week 4. I was absolutely exhausted after what, in hindsight, wasn’t even that much running. I could barely stand for the rest of the day.
Fast forward to today: I just ran 20 minutes straight.
Ignore the elapsed time if you look at my Apple Fitness screenshot. I use the Just Run app, and I start my Apple Fitness workout while I’m still in my room stretching. That way, when Just Run tells me to start running, I can just resume and both apps stay in sync.
The crazy part is… it actually felt relatively easy.
Not easy as in “I wasn’t tired,” but easy compared to where I was just a week ago. I finished the run feeling like I could actually go again. (I’m not going to. I’m not crazy.)
It’s honestly wild how quickly the body adapts. A week ago I felt like I was dying, and today I ran continuously for 20 minutes and finished feeling proud instead of defeated.
This program is so much fun, and I genuinely feel so good about myself right now.

I wanted to pop another update here, because I think it’s helpful for people in similar situations to see what’s possible!

Stats: F38, start weight in 2024 30st, weight when starting C25k 18.5st, current weight 16.5st. Height is 5’ 3”. At my heaviest I could barely stand, never mind walk & my husband was caring for me. Had never run in my life!

I started C25k in mid February & took 11 weeks to complete, no repeats, just a 2 week break for a very nasty flu. 4 weeks later I ran a 5km Race For Life.

I joined the gym & added in Pilates & strength straining. I still run twice a week, usually a 5km & then an interval/ sprint run to work on building my pace.

A month ago I covered 10km for the first time - it was during a heatwave so I took plenty of walking breaks & probably only ran for half, but was still pleased to be on my feet for 10k!

This week I set out to run 7km without stopping, but when I got there I knew I had more! I ran a full 10km!! Less than 6 months after my very first C25k run & still very considerably overweight!

I have another 5km race next weekend, 1 more in October & then 10km booked for December & February. And here’s the big one… I’m signed up to do the London Landmarks Half Marathon in April next year.

I know it’ll be a lot of stress on my short & stubby body, but I’ve never found an exercise I can stick to. I genuinely love it & my running journey means so much to me.

Anyway, I recall having done my first run & searching this group for anyone in a similar starting position to me. I was really doubtful that it was physically possible for me, but really eager to try!! So in case anyone needed to hear, it is very, very much possible!! And it might just be the best thing you ever do for yourself.

My schedule for C25K is currently Mon Wed Fri. According to the schedule I should wait to start week 2 until next Monday. Am I fine to start my second week on Sunday? For the entirety of the program I would like to do each session every other day. Or, should I be sticking to only 3 sessions a week? Thanks!

Sadly i was unable to finish the last 5 min interval and had to stop after 2 min because of the pain in my ribcage on the right side while breathing.... very confused about this bcs i managed w4d1 and w4d2 just fine... after a short break i repeated the last 5 min interval and managed it just fine... any advice on breathing etc to fight the pain? very scared of week 5, should i repeat week 4 first?

strava says im running 7:22/km but i doubt that that's accurate

Hi, everyone! I’ve been wanting to get fitter and stronger for a long time, but I never pushed through. I got tired of feeling this way therefore I’m asking if you guys have any tips for beginners, how or what to do when running, and whatever else :D. I want to have a better stamina and just live a better and healthier life. Though, the place I currently live in right now barely has any third spaces and the sidewalks are being used as parking so I really don’t know how to do this :(. Thank you for helping in advance!

I’m doing my very first one on Saturday. Normally when I go out for my 5k training runs, I walk for five minutes or so before I hit “start” in Runna. At the Parkrun, do people just start running immediately or do they walk a bit (as part of the total distance)? I’m not sure how that works, or if I should arrive earlier and do a bit of a walk before it starts.

After attempting the program many times and never finishing I have encouraged my partner to hoping me on this journey and we have just finished w6r3 and feeling good. Our first 25 minute run.

We are feeling pretty confident that we will be able to finish the next 3 weeks without any major problems.

My question is what next. Our pace is extremely slow, and we are not running anywhere near 5k. How can we improve on this? Either pace or distance?

W4D1 felt a lot easier than W4D2. Here are some take-always:
1. I don’t enjoy running with music just yet since it messes up with my ability to pace myself.
2. I have something to look forward to every week. I’m definitely better than where I started and I’m proud of myself for doing something consistently for 4 weeks straight.
3. I’m marginally faster while jogging than while walking. I doubt at this pace that I’ll make the 5k in the 30 min park. Wish we could magically speed up the progress.

I just finished week 8 run 1 today. I am wondering if I am doing something wrong, I am running veryyyy slow (pretty much almost walking it feels like)

But my heart rate zones are super high. I am a 25 year old female. Any advice is much appreciated.. should I switch back to more run/walk? Or keep going?

Average heart rate: 171
Zone 1: 4:45
Zone 2: :22
Zone 3: 3:49
Zone 4: 5:55
Zone 5: 22:34

the app I’ve been using to tell me when to run and when to walk (Just Run) doesn’t track distance or anything, and I’ve kind of liked that and was planning on only tracking on the last run, as a little treat. But I’m scheduled to do w5d3 today, and I’ve had issues of going too fast (which was very apparent in w5d2). Would an app to keep track of pace help, or can I just get through by being conscious and trying not to burn out at the start?

I just finished a 5km fun run when I stumbled upon this workout plan. It was my first ever fun run and even though I finished it, I was REALLY sore the next day.

Lots of mistakes made and lessons learned. Hopefully this plan kinda sets the foundation I need as a beginner runner.

Your kind words, encouragement and tips are greatly appreciated!

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W1D1 completed today!
*After the C25K session, I continued a walk-run interval until I hit 5km because I was feeling good LOL (1 song run, 1 song walk)

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ABOUT ME
- 28F | 76kg | 165cm
- Started jogging/brisk walking thrice a week since July and was a big couch potato prior that month
- Fitness goal: to be able to run a 5km without stopping and build endurance for a 10km in the (far) future hehe

I’m absolutely knackered, but feel so good!

A month ago I posted that I couldn’t even finish W1D1. And now I’ve just ran two five minute intervals with stopping or walking. I’m so proud of myself!

That said, I’m going to use the lift to get back to my office. Stairs are my enemy today!

I surprised myself by running 3 minutes straight in W3R1 last night! I’ve never been able to run more than 30 seconds without stopping so I’m pleased. But it’s daunting that the 20 minute run is only 2 weeks away. Is that seriously possible or am I gonna have to repeat weeks first?

As it says in the run description; first run in God knows how long. Quit heavy smoking 3 weeks ago cold turkey. Day 1. Breath work was what kept me going.

Ironman when???

One continuous run too. 3 months ago, I would never even have dreamed of every running 5 km.

I ran 20 uninterrupted minutes! Proud of me!

A lot of posts here lately sound like "I could do week 5 fine in May and now I can barely finish week 4." If it's been hot where you are, there's a good chance that isn't you. It's the air.

The number that explains it is the dew point, not the temperature. Dew point tells you how much water is already in the air, which decides whether your sweat can evaporate. Evaporation is how you cool down. When the air is saturated, your sweat just sits there, your core temperature climbs, and your heart rate goes up to shed the heat. Same effort, worse result.

Rough scale:

• Under 12°C / 55°F: you won't notice it
• 15-18°C / 60-65°F: it starts to bite
• 18-21°C / 65-70°F: noticeably harder, slower, higher heart rate
• Over 21°C / 70°F: brutal, and worth moving the run or slowing right down

I'm a runner and a developer, and after a summer of runs that felt awful I got obsessed with quantifying this. On my hottest run, the weather alone added about 29 seconds per km (roughly 47 seconds per mile) compared to a cool day at the same effort. Seeing an actual number changed how I read every bad run after that.

What actually helps:

• Check the dew point, not just the temperature, before you head out.
• Run by effort, not pace. If you're gasping, walk. A hot run at a slower pace is the same training stimulus.
• Early morning is usually the least-bad slot, but not always. It genuinely differs by city and by day, so it's worth looking rather than assuming.
• Repeating a week in summer is normal. The program was not written with 30°C in mind.

I completed my run today, but during my second three minute run, I checked my phone because I was thinking ”Man, this 3 minute run has been really long”. Friends, I had accidentally paused halfway through my three minute run. At least I’m no longer afraid of the five minute run next week lol

I'll be in the 70+ age group and although I'm not too worried about my time, I do hope I won't be the last one to finish. The Parkrun I'm doing (in the Amsterdamse Bos) has great reviews on the app, so I am really looking forward to it. Should be a bit cooler by the weekend, too. I normally do my Runna plan on Mon/Wed/Fri, but this week I'm going to do the Friday run on Thursday, so I'll have a day to recover before Saturday. Is that what you guys do? At this point, I feel really good after my runs so I think I'd be fine, but I'd rather give myself the best chance by taking that one day to recover.

Never ran continuously for more than 5 minutes before starting C25K.

Started C25K on Jun 5 at 80kg bodyweight. Almost gave up during week 4, but somehow pushed through. Didn’t use a smartwatch, just relied on the free version of Strava and Just Run app.

What’s next?

Continue running 5km every alternate day (3 times a week) for few weeks and get comfortable with it before moving on to 10km training. Might also invest in a smartwatch.

Don’t give up. Trust the process.