My C25K experience

W6D1 - I seem to be getting away from the schedule a bit. Instead of the prescribed run I did 12.5 on, 2 off, then 14 on. This trail had a little bit more elevation change than my previous loop.

I picked up the pace in the last 5 minutes or so and it felt really good. I believe I could have gone quite a bit longer.

It was a really pretty evening to run through the woods!
 
W6D2 - Last run before the gun run 5K. I really wish I had started earlier to get the full 9 weeks in, but I'm very pleased with the progress.

Today I ran 22 minutes straight with no breaks. I probably could have run longer, but the trail ended and I didn't want to push it before the 5K.

It really struck me about halfway through that my body was telling me to stop, but I had a choice to ignore it and just keep going. That was an interesting concept at the time.

After the run I sat on a bench with no shirt and let the rain fall on my back. That was nice.
 
So, I’ll ask the obvious question. Do you think this program was “right” for you?

I have always struggled with running and have followed this thread closely. It time I “do something” more than the hiking.
 
Tim said:
Do you think this program was “right” for you?
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Short answer would be yes.

I think the program did exactly what it claimed to do and that is to take someone who has no running experience and build endurance steadily while preventing injury.

Each week felt moderately challenging in the moment while the following week looked daunting. Once that daunting week arrived it somehow seemed manageable. I saw very consistent improvement each and every week.

I’m still in the honeymoon phase with running but I’ve gone from being someone who hated running to someone who looks forward to it, misses it when they aren’t doing it, and wants to continue doing it as long as I can.
 
Oh,….super glad I started in the fall with cooler weather. I don’t think I could have asked for better weather over the past 6 weeks. Don’t wait until the middle of summer to start.
 
I’m holed up chilling for the night and was perusing the internet when I figured I see if there was any sage pre-5k advice out there.

“Poop before the race, not during it.”

Duly noted! 😄
 
I suppose I can call last night W6D3 -> More detailed description of the match below:

Night Ops ***AAR***

Who’s going to The Gun Run Night Ops ar @VOD Tactical this weekend? Looks like it’s gonna be moist for the RO and NV guys Friday. White Light/Saturday should be good to go.
carolinafirearmsforum.com carolinafirearmsforum.com

The event was pretty grueling for me at times. I believe my fitness level is far better than it was at the beginning of this experiment, but I was still unprepared for the elevation change and soft ground. Just the fact that all of the muscle aches are in new spots is telling me that I hadn’t trained those areas.

I believe the course was just under 3 miles, and I “ran” it in about 50 minutes. That includes carrying cinder blocks for a bit, climbing and descending a muddy ridiculous hill, listening to stage instructions, and trying not to be lost at night in the woods. I am absolutely thrilled with that time.

I’m glad my next run isn’t until Tuesday because I certainly need a little more recovery time, but I am excited to get back to the trail!
 
W7D1 - Cold, dark, raining, and the trails were a mess. I got in 26 minutes with a one minute break thrown in when I felt a little queasy.
 
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W7D2 - The last run didn’t feel all that great, I really think I was still worn out from the gun run. Today felt pretty good and I did 26 minutes straight.

I also picked up a new toy Monday and now have 2 runs worth of data. Very interesting, more on that to come later.

65C58C40-AB93-4E55-A6EE-B727651EF465.jpeg
 
W7D3 - Still slow as molasses but I did a personal best of 2.5 miles in 33.5 minutes. I did have to take about a minute walk in there somewhere. Running for 32 minutes is about 31 minutes longer than I could do 2 months ago, so woohoo.

Since this is a gun forum I'll share my running partner. She's good to go with 158gr LSWC over 4.2gr of W231. 👍

IMG_20221120_170137999.jpg
 
W8D1 - still slow but went 43 minutes with (2) 2 minutes breaks mixed in. I had a slight twinge in my foot before I started and now it just plain hurts after the run.

I'll post up some of the data I'm getting off of the Garmin but my heart rate steadily climbs up to 180 where I have to take a break. I seem to exist above 160 most of the run. I'm not sure how to deal with that yet.

The foot also worries me a little.
 
Frack N Cylons said:
The foot also worries me a little.
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Feet need to heal completely. I'd recommend pausing the runs until you're 100% pain free for a couple days. Otherwise that's gonna linger forever.
 
Frack N Cylons said:
I'll post up some of the data I'm getting off of the Garmin but my heart rate steadily climbs up to 180 where I have to take a break. I seem to exist above 160 most of the run. I'm not sure how to deal with that yet.
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The simplest solution is to set an alarm and just slow down when you hit your limit. HR will vary depending on many obvious factors such as speed, weight, incline, temperature, humidity, etc. but also on less obvious factors such as sleep, recovery from previous workouts, stress, etc.

I really like HR-based training as opposed to schedules based only on time/speed/distance, which can't take all the variables into account.
 
MrBitey said:
The simplest solution is to set an alarm and just slow down when you hit your limit. HR will vary depending on many obvious factors such as speed, weight, incline, temperature, humidity, etc. but also on less obvious factors such as sleep, recovery from previous workouts, stress, etc.

I really like HR-based training as opposed to schedules based only on time/speed/distance, which can't take all the variables into account.
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That’s a good idea. I’m still a newbie, but I’m starting to learn about zone 2 training and understanding why running at my maximum heart rate might be counter productive.
 
Twenty years ago I came across a couple of books that changed my approach to running. One was by Jeff Galloway (in reality, probably some combination of Runner's World articles and his books), and the other was a heart rate based training approach, probably this one: Amazon product ASIN 1891369849
Lots of good wisdom in both approaches and they can and should be combined, especially for non-elite athletes (although there are claims that both approaches are used successfully for elite athletes).

Bottom line is that you'll do better by listening to your body, and occasionally pushing yourself (when not injured and properly recovered). HR is a great diagnostic tool to guide your workouts in real time vs. some published workout schedule.

Tim said:
Feet need to heal completely. I'd recommend pausing the runs until you're 100% pain free for a couple days. Otherwise that's gonna linger forever.
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Also agree with Tim that recovery should take priority, especially over plans for a race or training schedule milestone. You may be able to push through, but you'll pay down the road or just fail later with worse outcomes. There's always another race. That said, I've found that I can often recover and hit my goal by cutting back total mileage, more time stretching, doing PT exercises, etc. But that's after many years of running and learning what works. Early on, rest is probably best advice for injuries.
 
Frack N Cylons said:
W8D1 - still slow but went 43 minutes with (2) 2 minutes breaks mixed in. I had a slight twinge in my foot before I started and now it just plain hurts after the run.

I'll post up some of the data I'm getting off of the Garmin but my heart rate steadily climbs up to 180 where I have to take a break. I seem to exist above 160 most of the run. I'm not sure how to deal with that yet.

The foot also worries me a little.
Click to expand...

The question is, are you hurt, or are you injured? If you are having some pain, try a NSAID and ice and drive on. If it lingers you may be injured, and need a break.
 
MrBitey said:
The simplest solution is to set an alarm and just slow down when you hit your limit. HR will vary depending on many obvious factors such as speed, weight, incline, temperature, humidity, etc. but also on less obvious factors such as sleep, recovery from previous workouts, stress, etc.

I really like HR-based training as opposed to schedules based only on time/speed/distance, which can't take all the variables into account.
Click to expand...

I have posted videos on this sub regarding zone training. The majority of your running should be at relative low HR to build a foundation. This guy (Taylor Starch) used to be the strength and conditioning coach for Oregon football, now works with Air Force special operations.









 
I wanted to give the foot a full 2 weeks but I couldn’t take it anymore and went for a run after a 10 day rest. It’s been pain free for 2 or 3 days now. I took it easy on the run and broke it up with breaks, but I did feel a small sensation in the same area as before.No pain walking at the moment. If it worsens, I’ll reevaluate.

I think I’ve got the bug at this point, and I’m going to continue on this journey. I realize I’m not a special snowflake, so I’ll be posting in the “Where my runner at?” thread from here on out. I’m thrilled with my results thus far and I appreciate the information and advice ya’ll gave along the way. 🍻

Where my runners at?

I had to look up HIIT workouts. Once I did, it became obvious why I had never heard of them before. It also became obvious that I was not ever going to be involved in them, either.
carolinafirearmsforum.com carolinafirearmsforum.com
 
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I came back and read through this thread one year later. I’m very glad I documented my early efforts here, it was interesting to relive them.

Running has been an overwhelmingly positive experience. I’ve dropped somewhere around 30 pounds and have quit drinking, mostly to support my running efforts. My mental health is in a much better state than this time last year as well. This adventure has so many goals to achieve and personal records to break, it’s just a wonderful thing to pursue.

With the slow ramp up of C25K and a couple of setbacks due to injury and illness, I was able to clear a recorded 264 miles over the past year. These days, I’m running 3.5 to 4 miles, three times a week and I’m working on stretching that distance out. My pace is sloooowly getting better, but it IS getting better. The majority of this is trail running.

Let’s see if I can break 500 miles over the next year.
 
Just awesome. I’ve been really working on my fitness the last two years (started October 2021) training for backpacking trips I take with my kids. I still have about 40-50 pounds I want to lose. I’ve been waiting to get to a target weight before adding running to my regimen. Trying to be gentler to my already damaged knees. I want to train up to a half marathon.

Anywho, your documentation in this thread is good information for me and very encouraging. Thank you.
 
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