Couch to 5K Club

ugh, not a jogger vs runner debate. running is running regardless of speed.

so what's a short burst? 1 mile? 1/4 mile? running at full tilt isn't healthy and you'll burn out pretty quick trying to sustain that kind of speed. distance first, speed second. the idea of c25k is to build your body up to be able to run 5k period.

take a look through race results and you'll see that 15mph is nowhere near the average. the top male racers in my area are around 12mph for a 5k (3.1mile) race...and if you're doing c25k on a treadmill, most don't even go to 15mph. mine tops out at 10.
for me, 33 minutes is towards the end of the pack but pretty damn good for someone who'd never run in their lives before last august.

I was asking how people are measuring their distances, if they're including the 5 minute warmup/ 5 minute cooldown or just the intervals, using a pedometer, etc. I've never included my warmup/cooldown so I'm curious...I use either my treadmill readout or nike + if I'm outside.
 
daybyday said:
ugh, not a jogger vs runner debate. running is running regardless of speed.
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I wasn't debating, just clarifying my use of terms.

daybyday said:
so what's a short burst? 1 mile? 1/4 mile? running at full tilt isn't healthy and you'll burn out pretty quick trying to sustain that kind of speed. distance first, speed second. the idea of c25k is to build your body up to be able to run 5k period.
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I honestly don't know much about this but runners I know are always telling me speed first, distance second. If it was distance first, shouldn't the strategy be to simply walk fast continuously and gradually increase your speed to the point of being able to run at pace? Continued below.

daybyday said:
take a look through race results and you'll see that 15mph is nowhere near the average. the top male racers in my area are around 12mph for a 5k (3.1mile) race...and if you're doing c25k on a treadmill, most don't even go to 15mph. mine tops out at 10.
for me, 33 minutes is towards the end of the pack but pretty damn good for someone who'd never run in their lives before last august.
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Which race results? Where?

Also, I did clarify that I'm not talking about a sustainable pace. Obviously (given the same level of fitness) you are going to be able to run faster during the run portion of 60s run/90s walk intervals than you are going to be able to running for the entire duration. This is the foundation of my argument.

daybyday said:
I was asking how people are measuring their distances, if they're including the 5 minute warmup/ 5 minute cooldown or just the intervals, using a pedometer, etc. I've never included my warmup/cooldown so I'm curious...I use either my treadmill readout or nike + if I'm outside.
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Oh. I just assumed you would read up and notice that, in my case at least, the information is already available in previous posts.

I do not include the warmup or cooldown. (That is a good question, though.) I use a stopwatch to time my intervals and run a fixed route I then use Google maps to calculate the length of. I'm quite certain of the distance, as I have driven it and it does register as 5 clicks.
 
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[Focus];405993 said:
First off, as with all things fitness, what you can do is only relative to what you used to be able to do. So it ain't nothin', daisee. Good on you for being more concerned with how fast you used to be able to run. :)
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Thanks! :)

Its easy to get caught up in a what I can do vs. what others can do, but like you said, the only thing relative is what I used to be able to do! That was a long, confusing sentence, but I know you are smart enough to understand what I meant! :) I have to remind myself of how far I have come, and that is a long way! Thanks for reiterating that to me! :D
 
Finished week one today with 1.81 miles. I'm excited for week two. More jogging. hehe

Good luck everybody.
 
[Focus];406045 said:
I wasn't debating, just clarifying my use of terms.
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there's no difference. running is running. slow or fast.

[Focus];406045 said:
I honestly don't know much about this but runners I know are always telling me speed first, distance second. If it was distance first, shouldn't the strategy be to simply walk fast continuously and gradually increase your speed to the point of being able to run at pace? Continued below.
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no offense but it sounds like they don't know what they're talking about. do some reading about increasing speed, please. speed comes with increased distance. the walk/run method is basically what you're describing. you are gradually increasing the length of time (or distance) you can run and decreasing the length of time you walk...and by increasing distance, you increase speed. not interval speed, sustained speed.

[Focus];406045 said:
Which race results? Where?

Also, I did clarify that I'm not talking about a sustainable pace. Obviously (given the same level of fitness) you are going to be able to run faster during the run portion of 60s run/90s walk intervals than you are going to be able to running for the entire duration. This is the foundation of my argument.
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wherever. find some stats. look up some local race results. yes, you would run intervals faster. I based my questioning on experience with other beginner runners.
 
I include both the distance walked for my warm-up and cool down when counting my mileage. It's all part of the process to me.

What I am doing is walking 3.5-4.0 the first 5 minutes (I start at the lower and move up mid way) and then jog at 7.0mph for the 60 second bursts and then yesterday, I finished out my last jog at 8.0mph just to shock my body.

I am no longer in the shape I used to be, but I was a sprinter in high school, and I'm thinking 15mph is more likened to a sprinters pace than a 5K or higher. That's a 4 minute mile if it can be maintained and well, maintaining that speed for a 5K seems to be a bit of a stretch (I'm not saying it can't be done).. I am trying to search the olympic speed results and have found one guy who set a record with 12:44 which is just beyond a 4minute mile for the 5K. So I guess the best conditioned athletes can do it.

At any rate, I won't be in that kind of condition for a really REALLY long time if ever.


Hope my answers helped you out daybyday. I normally count the full 30 minutes as my 5K time.


Edited to add: I have done HIIT intervals with my treadmill which only goes to 12mph and right now, I can only sustain that for about 20 seconds, so there definitely is no way I can go as quickly as Focus can. WAY2GO on your 3 miles in 20 minutes though. Seems like you are doing a great job.

BTW, I watched this awesome program yesterday on the Discovery Channel (I think). It was about the Human body (Beyond Limits maybe) and muscles and showed how muscles work in coordination with each other for certain athletes ie.sprinters, marathon runners and also for people in crisis. I really recommend this for anyone because it does provide a lot of great information if you can catch it on the television.
 
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photocrazed said:
& Congrats Tyly for finishing up week 7! WOOT. Are you using the whole week, or are you finishing early and starting the next week very soon after?
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Thanks!

I don't use the whole week. I do give myself about 1 day in between runs (usually, unless the weather is too perfect not to run), and then I start the next week right after.
 
Okay - confession time: I've been hiding because I haven't done ANY exercise since Wednesday 2/27 - YIKES! :blush5: I planned on Thursday as an off day, but Friday and the weekend just got away from me. I often feel like I am best to not have any "totally off" day because this seems to happen to me. Yell at me if you want - I deserve it - I need the motivation please!

Also, based on my heart condition that I posted about earlier, I think I am going to go ahead and repeat week one. I don't mind being behind everyone else - this isn't a race - it's about me getting healthy. (BTW - I have a cardiologist appointment Friday and I think he's going to be VERY happy with the progress I've made since my last appointment!)

I'm making it my mission to stay on track this week. Here's my plan for the week:

Mon - Week 1, Day 3
Tue - 30 mins at 3.0 - exercise ball workout
Wed - Repeat Week 1, Day 3
Thu - 30 mins at 3.0 - exercise ball workout
Fri - Repeat Week 1, Day 3
Sat - Off (Going to a wedding - will be dancing though, I'm sure!)
Sun - Repeat Week 1, Day 3
Mon - 30 mins at 3.0 - exercise ball workout

Will move ahead to week 2 starting Tue 3/10

On a side note, (since no one ever visits my diary) - as of yesterday, I am "officially" down 20.6 lbs! I crossed the 20 lb threshold!! Go me!
 
TrkrGrl83 said:
Okay - confession time: I've been hiding because I haven't done ANY exercise since Wednesday 2/27 - YIKES! :blush5: I planned on Thursday as an off day, but Friday and the weekend just got away from me. I often feel like I am best to not have any "totally off" day because this seems to happen to me. Yell at me if you want - I deserve it - I need the motivation please!

Also, based on my heart condition that I posted about earlier, I think I am going to go ahead and repeat week one. I don't mind being behind everyone else - this isn't a race - it's about me getting healthy. (BTW - I have a cardiologist appointment Friday and I think he's going to be VERY happy with the progress I've made since my last appointment!)

I'm making it my mission to stay on track this week. Here's my plan for the week:

Mon - Week 1, Day 3
Tue - 30 mins at 3.0 - exercise ball workout
Wed - Repeat Week 1, Day 3
Thu - 30 mins at 3.0 - exercise ball workout
Fri - Repeat Week 1, Day 3
Sat - Off (Going to a wedding - will be dancing though, I'm sure!)
Sun - Repeat Week 1, Day 3
Mon - 30 mins at 3.0 - exercise ball workout

Will move ahead to week 2 starting Tue 3/10

On a side note, (since no one ever visits my diary) - as of yesterday, I am "officially" down 20.6 lbs! I crossed the 20 lb threshold!! Go me!
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Congrats on the 20.6 lbs weight loss. I'm sorry I haven't been around this weekend to really visit diaries much. I can't wait until I hit the 20 lb mark!! GO Jamie!

As far as repeating Week 1, I think it's a great idea to get you where you want to be without pushing you so hard you might injure yourself etc. Especially having a heart condition - way to look out for your overall health!

As for not working out since 2/27, I honestly did the same thing with my C25K plan and didn't run or anything since Wednesday as well other than shopping =) Until Yesterday, so you aren't doing bad at all!

Just keep coming back for more and make adjustments where you need to. =)
 
photocrazed said:
Congrats on the 20.6 lbs weight loss. I'm sorry I haven't been around this weekend to really visit diaries much. I can't wait until I hit the 20 lb mark!! GO Jamie!

As far as repeating Week 1, I think it's a great idea to get you where you want to be without pushing you so hard you might injure yourself etc. Especially having a heart condition - way to look out for your overall health!

As for not working out since 2/27, I honestly did the same thing with my C25K plan and didn't run or anything since Wednesday as well other than shopping =) Until Yesterday, so you aren't doing bad at all!

Just keep coming back for more and make adjustments where you need to. =)
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Tasha, you made me feel better! Thanks buddy!

And I know you visit my diary! I should have mentioned you! You're one of the only ones though! :(
 
TrkrGrl83 said:
Tasha, you made me feel better! Thanks buddy!

And I know you visit my diary! I should have mentioned you! You're one of the only ones though! :(
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There are so many people on the forums that it's hard to continue adding more and more people to visit and respond to without sitting in front of the pc all day, which I sometimes end up doing. But, I'm going to be doing my best to focus on all of the people within the C25K journey! Because we are a team!!!

I just need to make sure I dont' forget anyone. hehe.
 
Hey everybody. I have officially gotten thru Week 1 days 1 and 2. I will be doing Day 3 on Tuesday. I really like doing it. I haven't gotten the podcast yet, so I've just been monitoring the time on the treadmill. I'm excited to finish week 1 and move onto week 2.

Hope everyone is having a Happy Happy Monday, lol!

-Sam
 
Week 2 Day 1
Made it through Week 2 Day 1. 2.47 miles and 30 minutes

warm up
1st 90 second run @ 6.5mph
2 min walk 4.0
2nd 90 second run @ 6.8mph
2 min walk 4.0
3rd 90 second run @ 7.0mph
2 min walk 4.0
4th 90 second run @ 7.3mph
2 min walk 4.0
5th 90 second run @ 7.0mph
2 min walk 4.0
6th 90 second run @ 7.3mph
cool down

I didn't want that to be the end of my cardio so I continued beyond the cool down for about 15 minutes at 4.0-4.2 and then started doing some interval running. I'd run at 6.5 for 2-2.20 minutes and then walk to catch breath at least a minute, sometimes more and then run and did this for about 5 times.

Total time today 65 minutes 5.20 miles
 
TrkrGrl83 said:
Okay - confession time: I've been hiding because I haven't done ANY exercise since Wednesday 2/27 - YIKES! :blush5: I planned on Thursday as an off day, but Friday and the weekend just got away from me. I often feel like I am best to not have any "totally off" day because this seems to happen to me. Yell at me if you want - I deserve it - I need the motivation please!

Also, based on my heart condition that I posted about earlier, I think I am going to go ahead and repeat week one. I don't mind being behind everyone else - this isn't a race - it's about me getting healthy. (BTW - I have a cardiologist appointment Friday and I think he's going to be VERY happy with the progress I've made since my last appointment!)

I'm making it my mission to stay on track this week. Here's my plan for the week:

Mon - Week 1, Day 3
Tue - 30 mins at 3.0 - exercise ball workout
Wed - Repeat Week 1, Day 3
Thu - 30 mins at 3.0 - exercise ball workout
Fri - Repeat Week 1, Day 3
Sat - Off (Going to a wedding - will be dancing though, I'm sure!)
Sun - Repeat Week 1, Day 3
Mon - 30 mins at 3.0 - exercise ball workout

Will move ahead to week 2 starting Tue 3/10

On a side note, (since no one ever visits my diary) - as of yesterday, I am "officially" down 20.6 lbs! I crossed the 20 lb threshold!! Go me!
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Hey, it's ok to repeats weeks. At least you're not giving up right?! :D Get back out there and run girl! :)

PS: Awesome job on your weight loss!!
 
sammyboy24 said:
Hey everybody. I have officially gotten thru Week 1 days 1 and 2. I will be doing Day 3 on Tuesday. I really like doing it. I haven't gotten the podcast yet, so I've just been monitoring the time on the treadmill. I'm excited to finish week 1 and move onto week 2.

Hope everyone is having a Happy Happy Monday, lol!

-Sam
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I do the same Sam. I keep track of time with the treadmill. I have an I-Pod, but my I-Pod and I don't get along all the time. :)
 
Good morning everyone! Just checking in and staying accountable.

Last night I finished the Week 1 Day 3 workout with 2.03 miles in 30 minutes. I was thinking and you know what? I think am going to go ahead and move on to Week 2 on Wednesday. I actually saw an improvement in my stamina (and a little better form already), so why not give it a try? If it's too hard, I'll back down to the Week 1 workout.

Tonight is just my light walking night...no jogging for me.

So how'd everyone do last night?
 
Man, I am totally ticked off.

I just redrove the route that I have been running, and I discovered that it isn't .8 miles like I thought. It's actually only .6 miles! GRRR.

I know that doesn't sound like too huge of a difference, but it's a huge difference to me!

I run the route 3 times, so when I thought I was running 2.4 miles, I was actually only running 1.8. I have more work to do than I thought. How depressing.

:(
 
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