Ditto to what Daltron said above. I have had to do 2/9 of my run/walks so far without music and it really makes it harder for me. everyone is different but it makes the time pass more quickly and the audible cues will become more important as you progress and the transitions become more complex and confusing. I guess you could always write a cheat sheet on your hand in permanent marker!!!

Nice to have more company in this thread. Anyone want to chime in on what the hardest week was/is for them? I just Iinished W3 so I don't have any experience yet beyond that. i would say that W1 was the hardest for me so far. My body WAS NOT used to moving in this manner!

Agree with Daltron and nutsnseeds! Can't imagine doing this without an application to cue you when to walk or run....I had a hard enough time just trying to jog the allotted time let alone if I would have had to look at a watch & try and keep track of all that. Not saying it isn't possible but for me it would have been a real challenge..esp running outside...That said maybe if you are doing it inside on a treadmill it might be less difficult.

BTW--welcome to this thread and to C25K!!!! You are gonna love it!!

Hmm..I've had rough days here and there throughout the various weeks but as far which entire week did I struggle with the most? I would have to say Week 1 was the hardest for me too..if you can imagine that?!! I would have never guessed that jogging 60sec intervals could be more difficult than jogging 20 min straight..but it really was. I think it's because I went from doing absolutely nothing to trying to jog 60sec..which I had never done before..ever. But after you get that Week 1 under your belt (uhhem..it took me 3 tries) you have a base to build on and you keep getting better & stronger!!

LOL! I'm on my second week of "Week 1" so I can totally relate. I know from previous experience (I tried doing this program once a few years ago) that, even though I know I need to keep pushing myself a bit, if each gradual step is *too* difficult then I will dread doing it and won't keep it up. I have never been great at cardio, and occasionally get unhappy High-School-gym-class flashbacks if I don't make my workouts something to look forward to, rather than a chore.

I honestly don't care if it takes me double or triple the time to learn to run a whole 5k if it means I am not hating it and killing myself in the process! My goal is a fit & healthy lifestyle; I don't intend to give up once I hit 5k - I would love to do 10 or 20 k eventually (*looks off into the distance, dreamily*)

Hey there! I just found this thread! I started the couch to 5K last month. Had to "Restart" after a vacation break and I am now on week 2 day 2.

I am up against an inner voice that has told me for years that I could never be a runner, my weight, asthma, and a high altitude (mile high!), but I'll tell you what, getting through week 1 was pretty easy and I found that to be an amazing boost of confidence. Week 2 is a bit more of a challenge. And I looked ahead and I am kind of a little bit frightened by week 3. But I'm going to give it my best shot next week!

I am planning to run a 5K August 31. (fingers crossed)


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oops! I just read some of the other posts that said week 1 was hardest, and I feel like a total a** for saying it was easy. But I would just like to add that I was doing other cardio before this which may be why. So far, I do think week 2 is harder for me.

Thank you all so much for the info! I'm going to get a little mp3 player this weekend and dowload something from the websites you mentioned! Thanks again! Wish me luck!!!! I'll check back in after W1D1 and let you know how it went!

Have a great weekend everyone!
Kristy~

Hi everyone! I don't post much on here, but I finished W2D2 yesterday and am loving it. It's hard and I sweat buckets, but I just totally love it.

Great news singergirl - I think you will be happy got the mp3 player. Welcome Elizabeth and congrats on week 2. You totally love it? Can't say I have yet found the magic in jogging. i don't love it by any means. i would much rather be walking or swimming or doing fitness tapes or pilates or playing tennis. I am giving this the ol college try to see what it does for my body.

Welcome Pinkclouds and Daltron - so nice to have a crew here.

I actually thought week 3 was pretty do-able. I start week 4 tomorrow and that has me a bit concerned. It is a big jump from week 3. In week 3 it is a total of 9 minutes of jogging out of 28 in 4 chunks of jogging. Week 4 jumps from 9 minutes to 16!!!! yikes. My left ankle is a little sore. We'll see how it feels tomorrow. If it is not 100% I might just repeat another week 3 day rather than set myself up for failure.

I finished W2D2 today! I'm a little out of synch because I should have done it two days ago. But I hope to finish W2 by Monday night. I find that first 90 seconds is tough, but after that I find my groove. I am starting to like running and I'm noticing that when I take walks with my dog now on the alternating days I actually want to run instead.

I DID IT!!! I didn't have the mp3 player yet, but I wanted to start this morning and I have survived W1D1. I might not be able to move tomorrow, but I got through today! Thank you for all of your support!

Congrats Singergirl! I found I was sore for the first week but fine after that.

I finished W4D1 today - lots more running but I find that once I get going it is pretty do-able. I do move at a snail's pace though. Probably slower than most walk but that's OK - I will work on speed once I have endurance.

How many days a week do you guys run? I've read 5 or 6 and 3. What have you all found works best for you?

Hi I am so glad to find all you determined runners. I began the C25K last week and I do 3/5 days. Tue, Thu, Sat! The first week was very easy...that was a surprise to me...I am concerned for this week though b/c the numbers flip from 60/90 to 90/60!!!! I have been working out and I did have 1.5 weeks of cardio n strength before I started this program.
I did a similiar program in 08 and was able to complete the 3 miles in 23 minutes..but believe me it took some work and I focused on the jogging time alloted before I did the speed....unfortunately I pushed myself to hard and ended up w/ an injury in my left foot...which caused me lots of trips to the doc/physical therapist/ foot specialist and special inserts and now my foot is healed..no more inserts and Im ready to this again without the extra push! Lesson learned: if it hurts- go slow...take care of the problem before it turns into a BIG one.

For me jogging builds confidence, releases the feel good endorphines, and most importantly gets all this extra weight off!

I been using a stop watch on my phone...does anyone know what app I can get for a a blackberry....Im sure this would help!

Oh yeah I am comtemplating signing up for a 5k in Sept! My biggest fear is injury before the time comess....but maybe I can walk it if I have too...idk

tomorrow is w2d1!!!!! Again Im so glad there are others here that are doing the same program!

Hey everyone! Wow--don't check in here for a few days and see what happens--all kinds of new faces! It's GREAT to have ya!!! Definitely going to stop back in when I have more time than my 5 min work break..but just wanted to say HI, WELCOME, and GREAT JOB to everyone!

Oh and I did W6D2 this morning!! From here on out there are no more walk/run intervals..it's warmup-long run-cooldown. YIKES!!

Have a great Monday everyone! Chat with you soon!

I am trying to stick to three days a week because the podcast I listen to says it's important to rest in between days and not burn yourself out by trying too much too soon. BUT I am starting to WANT to run everyday! Ofcourse by "run" I really mean run/walk. But it's a great feeling!

Yikes is right!!!
I am not worthy!