r/C25K

Stats: 38F / 17st down from 30st in 2 years / 5 ft 3 / previously unable to walk much or care for myself / never ran a yard in my entire life.

3rd post in here, 1st was asking if this was even possible at my weight, 2nd was to say it looked like it was possible & now my 3rd, I’m here to tell you it absolutely is. I thought I’d perhaps need to repeat weeks or runs & was dreading that 1st 20 min run - but I’ve stuck to the plan entirely & haven’t had any repeats or days off. Completed week 8 run 1 last night & I’m honestly obsessed. I also added on extra walking to take me to the 5km distance! I completed it in 49 mins. I’ve signed up for race for life in June & my goal is 45 mins so I’m positive I’ll reach that by then.

I’ve also set a goal to complete a half marathon for my 40th birthday in march 2028!

A few tips if anyone is interested… get a gait analysis & persevere with finding the right shoe - they make the world of difference. It’s useless taking shoe recommendations from others or shopping by what looks nice. Look for brands like Brooks & Hoka who allow you to test & return the shoes worn if they’re not right. Plenty of strength exercises & stretches for glutes, hamstrings, quads & core - they’ll support your knees! If you run hot like me strip down - shorts, a vest! Whatever you need to stay cool, even in the rain! You’ll dry off. Enjoy it!! Smile & sing & cry & celebrate. This is a wonderful achievement!

I shall be back in 5 runs time to let you know I’ve completed it!

After my last run on Wednesday my knees were suddenly very painful and stiff, so much that it was difficult to walk. I was nearly limping on Thursday and decided not to risk starting week 3 as planned yesterday. Luckily I was able to get an appointment with a physio this morning.

So the bad news is she's strongly recommended I take a week off running (pretty much what I expected), but the good news - no real injury, I've just put strain on my muscles and tendons from doing a little too much too fast. I've been given some daily exercises to do this week and hopefully I'll be able to restart soon.

I'm a little disappointed as I was hoping to go straight through the programme and celebrate my C25k graduation the same week as my birthday (love it when dates line up in satisfying ways), but...oh well! I want to do this right and since the physio gave me something else to focus on in the meantime, I feel less like I'm on hiatus and more like I'm doing a bit of extra credit ;D

I can run 25 minutes one day but we I try again a few days later I can’t get past 15 minutes. Then after a few days of rest I can get back to 25.

How do I get past this?