Running: overwhelmed or in a fitness funk? Aaaaah~

[SocialPath]

So, yeah. Issues. I just read the 'beginner's guide to running' and 'how to not suck at running' articles and now I'm like...ugh. I really like running, and want to be able to do it again (right now, I'm not sure I can run for a solid 60 seconds), but after reading those articles, I'm feeling really discouraged. Am I too heavy to run? Is it going to be a problem that I only have access to treadmills and pavement to run on? Is the C25K program still good for a beginner like me, or does it 'leave too much out'? The one thing in my favor is that I do know how to place my feet with running (on the balls of my feet first, with my heel/ankles helping kind of like natural springs). I guess the purpose of this post is either a confidence check, or a fact check.

I'm also kind of feeling like I'm in a bit of a fitness funk tonight, like maybe yesterday's workout didn't...work? I'm only sore in my shoulders from the inclined pushups (WOO, still excited!), but only barely. Shouldn't I be feeling a workout more the day after?

Ok, whining/rant concluded. Thoughts? Support?

[silverpeacock]

I started running a few weeks ago. I just went out and did it. I counted every step I ran, and could only make it 250 steps, then I walked for 500 to catch my breath. I did 5-6 reps of that, and every time I was out, I added 10 steps running, and took away 10 steps walking. I know a bunch of people who have done the c25k program, and loved it. It wasn't for me, so I made up my own (see above).

As for the not sore part, well, I can't help you there... I'd trade you in a heartbeat, I'm so sore from bench presses...

[SocialPath]

I think the program will be ok (have to wait until I get my shoes around the 1st), but we'll see then. As far as the workouts go, I just don't know if I'm pushing myself enough. I want to try to get in shape as fast a healthily possible w/o burnout, and I've got a stubborn fast food gut that I'm kind of ashamed of and excited to kill!

[maegs]

C25K was a bit slow for me (I didn't feel like it was pushing me enough), so I just ran as far as I could, then walked until I felt better, then ran again, then walked a bit. Every time I would try to either go further in the same amount of time or spend more time running. Now I can do a 5k without stopping in just under 40 minutes, and I'm trying to get faster by running a bit faster than before and walking if(when!) I need to.

I found that at first I was really sore (I was doing Starting Strength though, ie heavy weight training). Now though, I'm hardly ever sore the next day, and if I am it's usually in my shoulders after I do overhead press & power cleans on the same day. I think there's another thread around here somewhere on the same topic, and IIRC, the consensus was that if you're improving/seeing results don't worry about if you're sore or not.

[spatzcat]

I found couch to 5k a little slow as well, but not at first. I stuck with it for about 4 weeks or so, then i just did what I felt comfortable with. I ran my first 5k non-stop around 6 weeks i think. Now I am just chasing the 'under 30 minutes goal'. One of these dam days.

[Jcannon98188]

I used to run all the time, longest being 6 miles in 57 minutes. Then I got real bad shin splints and haven't been able to since

[Kuiken]

Couch to 5k was a little slow for me as well, but I had been running before that so I wasn't really starting from the couch. Just remember that the running portion doesn't have to be a flat out 5min/mile speed-it can be as slow or as fast as you're comfortable with. I know a few runners who used the program to build up enough stamina to run a 5k distance and then went back and did the program again using low/high speeds for the walking/running splits. And with the proper shoes, pavement or treadmill shouldn't be an issue-just realize that treadmill =/= running outdoors. The treadmill pulls you along while outdoor running your have to push yourself (along with the variations in terrain, inclines, etc...). But I'm not an expert or anything-so please take all of this with a grain of salt and when in doubt, ask your doctor!

For the soreness, I read somewhere that women usually get sore the day of their workout while men are sore the next day (I was reading something on over training)-I'm not sure how true this is but it might explain your lack of soreness later? Either way-like the other posters said-look for improvements to judge whether or not you're pushing yourself hard enough. It might be a little increase (maybe just one extra rep), but there still needs to be some change. And you might only have been sore in your shoulders because that was the weakest part you worked out-you're whole body is probably not on the same fitness level, so some parts might complain more than others (when I started the Angry Birds workout, I easily completed 100 squats, but struggled to finish 5 pushups!).

And EVERYONE get into a fitness funk now and then-I read a post the other day where Spezzy was complaining about her workout being a total fail that day. The forum is here to cheer you on, so whine a bit just be sure to also post your woots so we can cheer you on as well!

[Thilde]

Hang in there. As the song goes, mama said there'll be days like this, and we all have them. I get into a funk about my fitness plan sometimes too. I tried C25k a couple times and the progression just wasn't right for me. 4 months ago I started a Galloway 5k training plan for beginners, which advocates running and walking like C25k but in different increments. I couldn't run more than 15 seconds when I started it, and now I can run for 5+ minutes without a walk break if I want to. I completed this plan no problem and in the process I got my treadmill mile time down from 19+ minutes/mi when I started to my old 5k time of 13:39min/mi. I still run/walk in increments, even if the walking is a few seconds, mostly because it keeps my brain engaged (I get bored so easily with running nonstop). I am a fan of the midfoot strike, instead of a heel strike, so I think it's great that you're running on the mid to front portion of your feet instead of landing each step jarringly on your heels. I run on a treadmill or on a weird quarter-mile loop I've devised around my house, that includes some gravel road, a fruit orchard, and a good portion of my grassy yard. I think the fact that you actually have access to both a treadmill and asphalt is great...you can do a lot of workout variations on these two, and you can get a feel for what doing a real road race might be like (if you're planning to do races). I don't think where you run matters as much as just continuing to try. If you have concerns about running at your current weight and you're really worried about it, I'd say talk to your doctor...but honestly, I tend to think that, barring any specific medical conditions or risk factors, if you listen to your body, work on having good form, and familiarize yourself with basic but crucial warmup/cooldown techniques, you can run.