New to this ..

Hi, I'm female 34 year old who is un-fit but not over weight, I use to smoke but gave up 3 years ago and I don't drink. I haven't run since I was about 15 at school (so basically about 20 years ago).

I started couch to 5k last week to get fit but then in a moment of madness signed up for a race ;/

Tomorrow is my week 2 day 2 run. I'm finding the start of each week v hard but managed to complete each one so far.

The end of the week 1 the run was better/took less effort but the new run in week 2 was really hard again. This increase was v small compared to later weeks so I'm v worried about that!

I'm quite scared also now though as I'm set to do this race for life 5k in mid July/10 weeks from now and 2 weeks ago I couldn't run for 60 seconds!

I'm not running fast in the run bits, only about 4.5 mph but that is really all I can do atm. I'm not bothered about speed I just want to be able to run the whole race regardless of time.

Also a bit worried as today (a rest day) I went on a 5 mile walk but my legs/feet are v tired and achy now and I feel like perhaps rest day is meant to be a full rest, not just not running?

I've put my feet up all evening and hope they have recovered by tomorrow to run.

thanks for any words of advice.

Tiff

 

Comments

  • I don't think it would really matter unless you were really going some on the walk. I kept up 5 miles of dog walking on C25K running days. Just keep at it and make sure you stretch. You'll do it!

  • booktrunkbooktrunk ✭✭✭

    You'll probably feel tired for the first six weeks or so image 

    don't to carried away with the running and stick to 3 times a week, it's fine to do other exercises / walking in between, just don't be to ambitious, relax, keep on plodding and you will easily complete your 5k easily.

    the real key is not going to fast in your early run/walks image 

  •  stick to the schedule and just try and enjoy the good feeling you get after you finish the run....you will feel achy and tired.just your body getting used to it......

    keep at it and good luck

  • Thanks for the words of support.

    I went ahead and did week 2 run 2 just now. It wasn't what I'd call a good run, I'm not v happy about my progress image

    I was struggling ALOT but managed to hold on and complete it... just.

    By the second to last repetition I was feeling very nauseous and like my legs were going to give way.

    That soon went away once I finished but it did feel even harder than any other day, which doesn't make much sense, unless the long walk on yesterdays rest day really was too much for me when I'm meant to rest.

    The other mistake might have been only eating 2 small slices of brown toast then running 30 mins later.. (that's all I've eaten since waking up as I've not had lunch yet).

    Maybe my body simply didn't have the energy for this run which is exactly what it felt like?

    I'm determined to stick with this though.. I've no idea how I'm going to make it atm.

     

     

     

  • What do you guys think about the non responders thing?

    Do you believe in that? I really hope if its true I'm not one of them. I'd be gutted if I thought no matter how determined I am I can't get fitter.

  • skottyskotty ✭✭✭
    TiffanyJane wrote (see)

    What do you guys think about the non responders thing?

     

    no such thing.

  • No such thing - train well and eat well and you'll get fitter

     SNB

  • Do you have a link or somewhere you read that or somewhere that disproves it?

    I'm only worried as it seems to have been the case about 10% non responders do exist in several peer reviewed scientific papers.

    There was a BBC horizon program about it a year or 2 ago.. there's a genetic test for it now that can predict if you will a non responder.

  • skottyskotty ✭✭✭

    I haven't read anything on it for a while but as I understood it you can be a non responder in terms of losing fat through exercise.

    as you are not overweight this shouldn't be an issue.

    nothing i read suggested you wouldn't get fitter if you exercise.

     

     

  • booktrunkbooktrunk ✭✭✭

    Errrr it will never have no effect, it's just it has more effect quicker for some...

    The fact your muscles ache proves it must be doing something image

  • I don't need to lose weight and my insulin is fine so I'm not wanting to improve those right now.

    The only non responder measure I was worried about is the cardio improvement.

    These papers said 10-15% of test subjects didn't improve at all with cardio measure (vo2max I think).

    Regardless I'm very determined to continue and hope I get fitter!

  • Haha thank you booktrunk. Yes I'm fine with progressing slower than average or anything like that, I'm not in a rush, I was merely quite concerned at the ZERO cardio improvement after closing monitored long term exercise plans of some people.

    I hope the studies were flawed or incorrect in some way but then now they have this genetic test which seems to confirm this.

  • Tiffany, it WILL get easier. Well, not necessarily easier, but more comfortable. Plodding on is about all you can do at this stage. You've shown you're committed to it, and I assume you're raising some money at RfL, so you're doing yourself and someone else good. As everyone has already said, the trick is not to overdo it and not to raise your mileage/effort too much each week. You'll be fine.

  • booktrunkbooktrunk ✭✭✭

    You almost need to be injured at some point to appreciate how you have improved, as you improve, you don't really think you are doing that great, then say you have a week out injured where you have done nothing, and then first run back you go x distance no trouble at all, and it's only then that you look back and actually realise how far you've come.

    I find keeping stats really useful, mainly because you won't believe you are the same person if you keep it up image It's amazing how far you can go, just by starting out on c25k and plodding along image

  • Thank you. I'm going to read up on when and what to eat before my runs as I've been winging it with no knowledge on this and eating right must help.

     

     

  • booktrunkbooktrunk ✭✭✭

    Tiffany: A normal balanced diet shout be fine for the amount of running you are doing.

    When you are running 40 miles a week then maybe it needs a lot more thinking but pretty much anything you eat now to compensate for running will actually contain more calories then you burn off, so you could well end up gaining weight if you start adding things,

    Maybe treat yourself to something like a banana or another bit of fruit an hour before going out but that's it, maybe a few nuts, but seriously not a lot, otherwise you end up gaining more then you loose.

  • thanks an hour before is good advice I think. Today I had 2 small pieces of toast but only left it 30 mins before running so I guess I hadn't digested them fully by then.

    I'm not trying to lose any weight, despite my embarrassing lack of fitness I've never been over weight (I've always walked a fair bit but I guess that never got my heart fit!).

    I'll follow your banana advice image I really don't want to feel like I'm going to vomit again and have to keep running.

  • the first mile of all my runs still feels hard but then i seem to get into my stride........i would slow down if its really hard for you but don't give up..completing the sessions will show improvements

     

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