Is Couch to 5K a great way to get you started on running?
I’m being honest here, I hate running, but want to love it (after all it is free and so good for you.) I am OUT OF SHAPE AND PROBABLY CANNOT MAKE IT AROUND THE BLOCK!!! My awesome running friend who runs about 10 miles every other day suggested couch to 5k. Does anyone have any other suggestions??? Any help would be appreciated!!!
Couch to 5k is great! I couldnt even run a minute when I started it.
I recommend Jeff Galloway’s 5k plan. He suggests the run/walk method
Lots of apps out there. I like gipis and runmeter. Just find one that works for you
Just get out there and keep going!! Try the run walk run method. Took me about 3 months to really be able to run and not walk more then 3 miles …but I was super out of shape and overweight! Lol once you build up your cardio it’s awesome! Also do cross training on off days, really helps!
C25k was a great way to start! Its awesome when you go from being unable to even jog the 30 seconds to jogging for 4 mins. Such a feeling of accomplishment:) good luck to ya! I used a free one and it was just fine:)
Could be circuit training, or just working out in something other then running. I do the Jillian Michaels Body revolution when I don’t run. She does HIIT High Intensity Training which is AMAZING at building up your cardio, really helped me alot. Look for her videos, they are good.
One step at a time!!! I used to hate running too but if you set a goal (like a race) and keep the training up (some days will be easy others hard) you will be amazed at your improvements and it will grow on you!!! I love it now but I have to constantly be training for a race to keep me motivated. Good luck you have an awesome team here to help you get through it!!! We don’t judge 😉
I’m not the best runner but I love the saying “your lapping everyone sitting on the couch” just take your time and listen to your body. You got this!!
Jeff Galloway has some great plans!!!
I never used couch to 5k but I know many have and like it. Also, the Jeff Galloway run/walk method is also a good way to east into running and make it much more bearable.
Find a safe place you enjoy being at, running buddy and/or music. 🙂
I am doing run for God. It is more than the C25k. It has a study with it and that is even more powerful. Everybody has great suggestions on here, you must decide what you want, set your goal and run your race ! You can do it! You go Girl! We believe in you!
I did the couch to 5k. Have about 70lbs to lose. I liked it. Getting the time for it was hard at first but I hung in there. I only did it for 3 weeks before my first run. But it worked! I kicked ass at the race.
Just want to encourage u! I was there once and now I am signed up for a marathon! U got this!
We all start somewhere. Just take it slow. I started with run 1 minute, walk one minute. And trust me, that one minute of “running” was not very fast! You can do it! I’ve heard great things about the couch to 5k program.
I hated running too, but I’m looking forward to my solo 9 miler tomorrow. Its taken me almost a year to actually look forward to a solo long run but it happened. I have a solid group of running friends that have changed my life, and couldn’t have gotten to where I’m at without them. So keep your running friend close, and I’m sure you will meet more people along the way. Good luck on your adventure!
I have the same love / hate relationship with running.
I say stick with it and run your first 5k and then you will have the bug and really enjoy it! The after party at the races are always fun!
You have to start some where.. start out walking and try one of the plans suggested here to get a routine going. I did not start out loving the run… I started running in 1993 to lose weight before going into the military. It was hard at 1st but over time I accquired a taste for the runner’s high..many years later I got married,had a baby, got lazy, had some injuries 4 years ago so I took a few years off from running and working out. I gained quite a bit of weight so I decided a few years ago to get my ass moving and running again.. The start was tough but I kept going and pushing… the weight came off slowly and I’m still losing. Over time I have rediscovered my love for running now I truly love the run and cherish each one that I do now pain free.. my speed is returning too and that’s a huge plus for me!!. Give it a try and overtime I hope that you learn to love the run too. Good luck to you.
I didn’t use a program but hear they are fantastic! For me, I was already doing a 4 mile walk so one day decided to “try” to run a block. Then each time, I tried a little more until I was up to 1/4, then 1/2 mile distances. It took time for me to build up to a mile straight. If you have someone to go with you, I’d highly suggest it! Or maybe sign up for a local 5k a little ways out and have that be your motivation:-) Good luck!!
most of my “running” is walking & so that’s where I’d start…. It’s truly a journey….
I have had a lot of friends who were never runners before and “hated” exercise find success with Couch to 5K!
You can start with an attitude adjustment. If it’s as easy as you sound like you want it to be, more people would be fitter than what they are. It’s gonna hurt and you’ll be out of your comfort zone but if you stick with it, you’ll succeed. Otherwise it’s back to the couch and a bucket of ice cream.
Admitting is a great start!!! not many will get pass that.
I don’t love running, never had the runner’s high (yet), but I love how I feel when I’m done, love how my body has changed, and love that I’m able to do something at the age of 41 that I could never do when I was younger. I did C25K last August, and am now training for my first 1/2 marathon.
Haha she said running is ‘free’….
Race fees, shoes, garmins, outfits, fuel, armbands, earbuds, etc. Lol
Running may be costly in the gear but it is so worth it in how I feel everytime I see myself in the mirror. Everytime I walk to the mailbox , the park with my son everytime I just get up and do something.
You could try listening to an audiobook or something like Zombies, Run! while you’re running… it stops you from thinking “Ugh I hate this and I want to die” every 2 minutes.
I finally started to love running when I realized you don’t have to go as hard as you can every run, but it’s ok to walk sometimes and go at a conversational pace most of the time 🙂
Start slow. End strong. It’s your sport! Have fun with it.