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Fat to Fit - Time for change? Me, too!
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Thought id say hello in here, have been reading this thread for the past hour or so! im pretty new to running, though am 37. Im currently doing the c25k plan and am just through week 2 without issue so far, loving running!
Matty just saw your reply to my thread, thanks for that, im going to try a long run with this week of c25k , just to do a bit of continuous running, as you said if its too hard ill not do it again!
Welcome along
Make yourself comfy and keep us updated with your progress!
No worries on the reply! I'm a big advocate of "Give it a go".
Cheers, i'm the same i like to give things a go. I may try a slow run Sunday, but then start the following weeks C25k plan on the Tuesday rather than the Monday, so i'm still not doing back to back days and see what happens...at this stage my slow runs will be the smallest notch up from a walk anyway!
I'm also going to try a 5k park run after week 4 of the C25k (halfway) the local one to me usually has people still finishing after 50mins which i can pretty much do by walking so hopefully i wont finish last...but it'll give me some experience of what to expect and keeps me motivated.
Well thats the theory anyway!
Hi folks & congrats on everyone's achievements!
Im still bunged up but did a cross trainer session on sat then finished week 3 of c25k on sun, was a tough run as had a hellish gale & that really hurt my already blocked nose lol! So starting week 4 tomorrow & I can't wait to get going properly again, chuffed about that as with any other exercise I've gotten fed up & stopped so running definitely seems the way for me
Since I've been using my fitness pal(off & on for months) I've lost 19lbs altogether, 10 of that since starting c25k whoop!!
Ross - that's a good idea. Keep a rest day in there after every run. if my math is right then that also means that you can do a longer run every other weekend? Which lessens the risk and impact further
Pegasus - Excellent work! Can't believe you had a gale Sunday, it was glorious down here!
Did 40miNHS in HR zone 3 'steady pace'. It was one of those runs that just felt effortless. Did one of my usual routes at a faster pace than usual (8.37m/m) at a lower average HR. So all in all a successful session!
No gale today & sunshine!! So I've just done wk4 day1 of c25k & it was hard going, I know the hills on my route are supposed to be good for progress but today I could have seen them far enough
.............knackered!
However I'll plod on as I can't wait for my ample arse to stop giggling about when I run lol
Matty, so jealous of your "effortless" run I can't wait for that moment!
Good work! And don't worry, it will come eventualy, just got to keep at it!
I found that from week 4 onwards, in spite of it getting tougher the improvements were greater if that makes sense. Basically by doing more you get more out, now you've got your basics out of the way in the first three weeks. It won't feel any easier though
Pegasus well done, just getting through each day of the c25k is awesome, you are ahead of me on it, im doing week 2 day 2 tonight (got a bit confused and thought i was further ahead!)
How are you finding the increases in time (it seems to increase a fair bit from week 4 onwards)
Thanks guys the help & encouragement on here really is fab! Yes Matty I can see how the longer runs will see improvement & now it's going to get tough but I do like a challenge
Ross today was tough but I don't think it was helped by a 9 day break with a virus plus my route is very hilly, according to runkeeper it's 205ft climb at one plus I repeat it on the way back! On the plus side although harder I went my furthest today so that's an improvement in itself. When I started & looked through the programme I thought I'd never manage 2mins let alone 5mins so there is hope & like Matty says just keep at it! Next one Friday, let's see how it goes
thats a decent climb, though if you can do it on that hilly course you can do it most places!
Ive just done my week 2 day 2 and have been left rather unsatisfied, it was 5 min warm up walk, then 1.5 min run and 2 min walk X4 , then 1 min run and 1 min walk X2 , finished with a 5 min walk and stretching.
i followed it to the letter and barely broke a sweat (im overweight by at least 2 stone so im not what you would class fit) , checking my pace on the running parts it was just under 9 minute miles, so not quick, but im not sure i should be going much faster doing this plan. I literally finished and could have done it again, is this what the plan is going for? the run i did was all off road too, so not on road and certainly not flat
I'll do day 3 on Friday and may do a slow longer run on sunday, but im thinking if i can comfortably run for 15-20 mins on that i may be better off with another plan, possibly the bupa 10k beginners plan as it starts off around those times.
Im unsure, alot of questions at the moment
Ones things for sure i love running though, even after getting covered in mud and subjecting my legs to an ice bath!
Ross
Ross - I'd try having a crack at week 4 first and see how you get on with that. Its a bit of a jump forward but a controlled jump. 9m/m is quick! I'd have been delighted with that when I started, mine were well over 11m/m and my comfortable pace is only just below 9m/m so thats encouraging
They key is to not over do it. Though you may feel great and that you are fit enough to go further/faster, the impact running has on your body is often greater than the cardiovascular effect you feel. By gradually increasing mileage and intensity you greatly reduce the risk of injury.
Yeah, thanks i agree completely (i just get frustrated!) will see how the rest of week 2 goes and week 3
Hi there, have just started reading this thread and I must say its given me some inspiration. I'm in my late fifties, overweight (11st & only 5ft 2ins tall) and hideously unfit! I started a running programme 6 weeks ago but unfortunately sustained a knee injury after only 3 sessions. I am keen to start easing back into running as I want to increase my fitness levels and lose weight but my husband is telling me that the knee injury I had was due to the fact that " I'm too heavy to run" ( his words!!). Any training advice or tips would be very much appreciated.
Hi Elaine, and welcome!
I got started by using the Couch to 5k program. if you google it or search "C25K" in your phones app store you'll find it. Basically its a program designed to get you running and starts off with walking and running in very short intervals, and then increases the distance.
I would strongly recommend it! You can fit the sessions in around your own life and it has a proven track record.
My top tip is, when running to begin with, run slow, at a speed you can hold a conversation at. Running, when combined with a sensible healthy diet can be a great combination and I have found combining both together to be the only effective way to lose weight. Only time will tell if it continues and I can keep it off!
Morning all, been a few weeks since I've been on here so thought I'd drop in and update. My running has been going well, a regular three runs per week thanks to my Jantastic schedule, culminating in a really enjoyable 9 miles cross country on the North Downs Way last Sunday morning. Very muddy but loads of fun!
Been structuring my runs as one general steady run, one quality session (hills, intervals or tempo on a three week rotation) and one long run per week, all towards two half marathons I've got at the end of March. This week I'll be up to 10 miles on the long run so 13.1 in four weeks time shouldn't be too much of a shock to the system! I'm doing the Water of Life Half on March 23rd and then the Paddock Wood Half the following weekend, in truth I could of done with a longer break between them but they're the "W" and "P" of my A-Z Half Marathon Challenge so got to take them when I can!
The weight seems to have stabilised at 85kg since Christmas so need to push on again if I'm going to shift that last bit to get to my target of 80kg.
Sounds like there's been some great work going on here recently, (wonderfully led by Matty!) and great to have some newcomers on board, so welcome!
Have a wonderful weekend of running everyone!
Nice to hear from you Stevie, glad everything is going well! Your plan looks nicely balanced and sounds like you are having a lot of fun! 5 kilos is nothing you can smash that when you put your mind to it
Nice idea for a half marathon challenge!
I had a tasty hill session tonight, 3 reps each of the two biggest hills in town! There is a 3rd not too far away but doing 3 reps of that too made it a 10 mile route and with 22 to do on sunday I thought better of it!
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/448373167
Weigh day tomorrow - hoping for 2lbs+!
Matty, Fair play, that's a great effort to get dwo nfrom that weight. Much respect! You got me thinking about my BMI! At the moment I stand at 17st with a BMI of 33.4. For me to be 'healthy' at BMI 24.9 I need to get down to 12st 8. Which, imo, is a pretty big challenge to set myself!
I think I need to take the diet a bit more seriously, which means NO MORE HOT WING CHALLENGES
Ross, Im the same with regards to the C25K app. I found the first 3 weeks fairly easy but then week 4 and 5 started to challenge me. So much so that im starting back on week 4 again as I had a break out from it!
Pegasus, Congrats on the weight loss! Eveyones losing it except me haha!
Stevie, good luck with the half marathons mate.
Two runs to report:
C210K Week 4:Part 2 - I cheated on this one. For the 5 minute cooldown walk at the end, I still felt fine sop I ran home lol.
C210K Week 4 Part 3 - Ditto lol!
Week 5 starts again tmrw
Have a good weekend all.
Well done on the C25K week four runs, i did the same withe the week 2 ones and jogged home on the 5 min walk parts,, tut tut what rule breakers
Today im supposed to be doing week 2 day 3, but im going to start week 3 instead, i figure skipping one day is better than skipping a week, we'll see if its the right move....
to get into the healthy BMI range i need to get to 13st 3 , so 2.5 stone is needed to come off, not easy but hopefully the running/dieting that im doing now should start to make inroads into that
Ross
Well done everyone on the runs! Sadly I've put ON a 1lb this week but prob due to not enough exercise compared to my other weeks, bugger!
On the plus side just back from wk4 day2 of c25k, felt stronger today so went further & did my circuit of 2.78m for the first time, still walk/running but once the app finished I did more running, completed in 39mins so chuffed with that despite the weight gain
. Cross trainer for me tomorrow then run on Sunday morning, I'm thinking I need a gps watch, is the garmin 210 any good as on offer at sweatshop atm?
great stuff pegasus!
On the garmin front i was also looking at the 210, however i went for the 220 in the end, its alot better looking, fitting and more features than the 210. Im not sure what the sweatshop price is on the 210, but amazon has the 220 for £174.99 which is a fair bit less than most other places
Ah ok I'll have to look at the 220 also then, the 210 is £90 at sweatshop until end of today, just googled the 220 does look nicer & comes in lilac.....nice, better get saving then thanks Ross.
90 is a good price for the 210, may be worth going with that if its that cheap. My friend has a 210 , i tried it and it wasnt as comfortable to wear as the 220, but will do everything you need.
The other thing i like about the 220 is thats its seriously waterproof, whereas the older garmins wernt as good
Well done folks!
I use the 220 and I love it! I have no other experiences to compare it with - It may be the 210 will do the same job - but its lightweight looks good and gives me all the stats and alerts I need. My favourite feature though is Scheduled Workouts - I set the workouts up online, send them to my watch and then when I'm on my run my watch tells me what pace to run and when! Brilliant investment.
Lost 1lb this week. I am slightly disappointed, as I worked hard this week. But a loss is still a loss and on the back of 2 x 3lb weight losses it was bound to stumble at some point. Hopefully I can recover back to 2lb a week next week.
I'll compare both & see what I think, I'm never going to be doing marathon training so just a simple one will probably do for my needs, thanks for the help though.
Don't be disappointed Matty as you've lost half a stone in 3wks which is no mean feat
Yeah i echo what pegasus says, any week you loose weight is a good week, its not easy, especially when you've lost so much, keep it up!
I just did week 3 day 1 of C25k and feel great, i ran the first 1.5 super slow to make sure i wasn't over doing it, but cruised through the 2 , 2.5 min run sections. for the last 5 min walk i jogged half and walked half. Felt great at the end, better than week 2 for sure as i didnt feel like i was getting alot.
Oh...lastly im DEFINITELY going to do a long/slow run on Sunday now, simply if for nothing else the fact that i've done 9.9 miles this week! 0.1 more of a mile and i may not have bothered
You are both right of course
I was just hoping for a bit more. Any loss is a good thing though 
Ross - thats great news! Good news about the longer run too. Just keep it good and slow.
Pegasus - Be careful what you wish for - there was a day not too long ago when I aid "I'll never do a marathon'! But in fairness £90 is a great price for the features you get.
Well another weekend's running has passed - how did we all do?
I did some more parkrun tourism on Saturday with an easy 5k round Killerton near exeter, and ran an extra 3k a the end as a cool down as my plan needed me to do 50mins.
Then came the big boy on sunday. 22miles. The conditions were OK, not sunny, bit overcast, no rain. Nice bit of cooling wind. Up until 18 miles I was feeling pretty good and then it started getting a bit tougher. But pleasingly my mile splits were still quite consistent with each other!
When I got home though it felt awful. It felt like i'd been hit by a car. I just needed to lie down for a bit and be quiet, I was too tired to even talk. Utterly exhausting. Only 3 more super long runs to go then I cant aper and start getting some energy back for Paris.
Well done Matty, thats a beast of a long run, not too surprised you felt bad at the end.
Well my weekend didnt go to plan, the good news - i spent 1.5 hours at sweatshop getting my gait done and then spending a fortune on some new trainers. The reason i did this? well 5 years ago i had some issues with my posterior tibial tendon, ended up having a repair surgery on it. I started to notice last week my shoes didnt feel hugely supportive and have started to get a little ankle ache, as such i didnt want to take any risks.
I've ended up with some brooks glycerin 11's , hugely cushioned/supportive and feel much better than what i had, i skipped doing a long run and have put off todays C25K session until tomorrow.
Well done Matty that's a hell of a run!!
Ross hoping the new trainers sort out the ankle pain for you
So I cancelled my run yesterday as it was gale force winds here but did a session on the x trainer instead. Today I ran with my mum, she's been inspired by my running so we started her c25k today, felt easy for me(good!) & was a nice change running in the town, really chuffed for her as running is something she's wanted to do. So the plan is to run with her twice a week & do my stage of c25k twice a week plus my x trainer. It will take me a wee bit longer to complete the course but it felt good to run with mum this morning!