For a 5k run I'm planning to do on April 27, I downloaded a c25k app to my phone (Couch to 5k). A forum was available with it (https://forums.zenlabsfitness.com/ if you're interested. It's rather slow most of the time), so I joined in, resurrecting a few threads (most of the threads had zero replies; it's no wonder people didn't go back). Soon after, someone else joined who posted a lot, then a few other posters joined in. Anyway, I made a post there today (broke it down into several posts so it would be easier to read or skip over), and I want to repeat it here.
Here is a cut and paste with minimal fixing:
I think I've been doing this program for over 12 weeks. It's kind of difficult to know for sure, because I restarted week 1 a couple of times. And I don't think I joined the forum until I had run for a week, but I'm not sure. It looks like 12 weeks since I joined the forum though.
Anyway, here's my review of the c25k program. Not this app, because it is simply following the program.
It seems to me that it goes far too fast for someone who is inactive, as far as running goes. I've been working out with weights for 2 years. Now, when I started the weights I was really weak, but now I'm stronger than most women my age. So I wasn't exactly totally inactive when I started the c25k program.
At this point the c25k program and I are parting ways. I don't regret using the c25k app, and I don't regret paying for it. It really has helped me. It has helped me not give up during those first few days and weeks, and I've met some people on here who really encouraged me. For that reason, I'm really glad that I had it.
If I was going to make a c25k program, I would make it more realistic. I think the person who created the program has no idea what it's like to have never run. Nor do they have a clue about how difficult it is to run if a person is very much overweight.
I mean, if a person is running with a 50 lb pack on their back, or 100 or 200, they might have a clue. People who are very much overweight are actually getting a whole lot more of a workout than someone who appears to be in shape, and I really admire overweight people who stick with the program, because it is not easy at all. You don't get enough credit for how hard you work and for what you do every time you do some kind of exercise program. You should be treated with admiration and love and I don't think that happens often enough.
The schedule I would choose would be more like this:
Week 1 - Run 30 seconds walk 1 and 1/2 minutes
Week 2 - Run 1 minute walk 1 and 1/2 minutes
Week 3 - Run 1 and 1/2 minutes walk 2 minutes
Week 4 - Run 2 minutes walk 2 and 1/2 minutes
Week 5 - Run 2 and 1/2 minutes walk 3 minutes
Week 6 - Run 3 minutes walk 3 minutes
Week 7- Run 3 and 1/2 minutes walk 3 minutes
Week 8 - Run 4 minutes walk 3 minutes
Week 9 - Run 4 and 1/2 minutes walk 3 minutes
Week 10 - Run 5 minutes walk 3 minutes
Week 11 - run 6 minutes walk 3 minutes
Week 12- Run 7 Minutes walk for 3 minutes
Week 13 - Run 8 minutes walk 3 or 4 minutes
Week 14 - Run 9 Minutes walk 3 or 4 minutes
Week 15 - Run 10 minutes walk 3 or 4 minutes
I would try that and see if it worked, and if it did I would continue in that manner, adding only one minute per week, unless by the time I got to 10 minutes, I could add two or three minutes a week.
Being able to run 10 minutes at a shot would still give a person decent 5K pace.
