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DarcDiscordia, You just told the story of half the people around here.

What it's really about is: it's your decision.

To start running you need only your own resolve to do just that.
I did first two weeks in my jeans and old shoes. When it started snowing I added a pair of longjohns, and a few more shirts under my hoodie (my winter overcoat is non-breathing, so I sweated too much wearing it while running). Only further into it I pulled some old track-pants (charity shops, man (and I'll assume you're one, until told being wrong)) and recently I bought the cheapest running shoes in the sporting goods store (still working fine).

Couch to 5k is the program especially for people like you (and me too). It starts really easy on you. One minute of slow-paced run, practically everyone can do it, its secret is repeating it with a time for catching a breath in between. A whole run takes about half an our, three times a week, so It's probably less than you spend weekly sitting on the toilet. And the initial stamina gain seems really amazing, you should at least try it, to see it working. I noticed first effects after just the first week. And I'm slowly loosing weight without a drastic diet change. As long as you watch for muscles pulled, and joints overworked you cannot go wrong.

You're your own coach, so you can repeat a week if you want, and nobody will be mad at you if you take a week brake for some reason, as long as you keep your mind on it, and continue it afterwards. I always feel additionally compelled after such a break. And even not ascending in the week ladder, doing the same set again and again you still improve, so sooner or later you will be able to rise up. I did week 4 three times, or so, and am doing week 5 for the second time now.

You just start. Do the first day, just around the block, or something like that, and see what it's doing for you.

Althamus wrote:

George wrote:I'm planning to start on monday! but do i lose weight? cause i don't want to because i actually need to go up in weight a little bit more.. get some muscels

Eat a lot of protein and eat healthily and you shouldn't lose weight. I also need to gain weight, and a while back, went walking for 8 hours a day, 6 days a week for work, and gained quite a bit of weight overall during the period (incidently, weighing the most I have ever weighed in my life )

Thanks for the advice! ill keep that in mid, i will eat more and healty

NL-=3 wrote:

George wrote:I'm planning to start on monday! but do i lose weight? cause i don't want to because i actually need to go up in weight a little bit more.. get some muscels

It's all up to you if want to lose weight. If your already eating healthy and are at a good weight, then I think you will gain weight. (Because of the muscles weight.)

I'm just a little bit under the weight, but i will eat protein and healthy food. That way i will go up a little :p

I got the same feeling about excercising while playing Emi's route as many of you, but back then it was winter and cold, plus I'd been eating way too much chocolate over christmas break to feel like doing anything, so overtime I forgot all about it. But today I found this thread and read through it, and I have to admit that somewhere around page 5 I felt like Emi herself was standing in front of me, looking angry and dissapointed. So I'll start with the couch to 5K- thing tomorrow, and see how it goes. With luck (and determination most of all) I'll be able to run 5K by midsummer

As a side note, DarcDiscordia, if your goal is to lose weight, exercise is not really a very effective way to accomplish that goal. Exercise is essential to an overall healthy lifestyle, and has many benefits, but for weight loss specifically, diet and portion control are much more important factors.

Also, it's considerably easier to run/walk/exercise when you're not obese. Unfortunate, but true. I'm not trying to discourage you from starting the Couch to 5k program - if you feel like doing it, by all means, do it! - just saying it might be wiser to focus on diet and weight loss first and worry about exercise later on. That's what I did, about 1.5 years ago. I've lost 150 pounds since then and, overall, it was surprisingly easy to do so.

WHOOOOOOO just got back from my run today, I got my inspiration back.
I was feeling pretty sluggish and tired for the first half, but then all of the sudden I started singing Eye of the Tiger in my head and it all went away. I was PUMPED, I started smiling, it was great. funny how that song works


Then I realized that the finish line for the 5k in my town (in just a little over a week now!) is at a building on top of a small hill. I plan to do the rocky thing (you know what I'm talking about) at the top. Maybe I can get my picture in the local paper or something

haven't decided whether or not to yell "YO EMI! I DID IT!"


Also I did some pushups today, WOW I can feel myself getting stronger. I did them all in good form, time to move on to day 2
Godddddddd I'm feeling great today

DarcDiscordia wrote:I just can't seem to push through the mental blocks because, at the end of the day, I've never liked running, never liked being out of breath and exhausted, because it reminds me just how pathetic my body is. I don't even have an excuse like Hisao did- my heart's fine, I've never been laid up in the hospital, I don't have to worry about cute girls barreling into me and killing me- I've just been obese all my life and never did anything about it.

One of the best things about exercising (especially following a program like couch to 5k) is that you can see progress; you can feel your body becoming less and less pathetic by the day. Personally I've been obese all my life too and never done anything about it until now. Trust me, it's impossible to feel pathetic when you're completing the workouts.
And while diet is more important than exercising for losing weight, it's even better to do both at the same time. I started when I was about 325 and I've lost like 30 pounds since then.

also running is cool because you don't really need any special equipment or place to do it (I just run on the sidewalks and paths around my house), it's just a natural thing. I encourage you to try week 1 day 1 and see how it goes

after some additional research, I found that running on asphalt and concrete is actually hard on you. I found this baseball park in a local school that's never in use in the morning. I asked the groundskeeper, and from the outfield to the marble, it's about a 400m circle. I figure that's as good as any track, right? I'll test it out tomorrow. plus, it's a 10-minute walk from home, so there's my warmup and cooldown. where do you guys run anyway?

hyugafan wrote:where do you guys run anyway?

I just run along the main road near my apartment complex. It just happens to have a nice wide sidewalk. Unfortunately for me, the apartment complex itself is up a steep hill off the main road, which is an awful awful way to start/end a run. I think I am actually, starting today, going to start just walking down and back up the hill, as a warmup/cooldown (so far, I have just skipped the warmup/cooldown periods) because anticipating the uphill conclusion makes me hold back so much on the rest of the run as I try to conserve energy for the end.

I just finished Week 5 Day 2 properly. That's what I get for being lazy to just LOOK on the running routine. I thought the entire week was about the same exercise.
TOMORROW is the big day, now.

hyugafan wrote:after some additional research, I found that running on asphalt and concrete is actually hard on you. I found this baseball park in a local school that's never in use in the morning. I asked the groundskeeper, and from the outfield to the marble, it's about a 400m circle. I figure that's as good as any track, right? I'll test it out tomorrow. plus, it's a 10-minute walk from home, so there's my warmup and cooldown. where do you guys run anyway?

I run on a 40x20 concrete soccer field and I don't see anything wrong with it.
In fact, I got way more tired when I ran at my hometown's track. It was made out of a very soft sand and was designed for running, so I really think it's about your personal preference.

hyugafan wrote:where do you guys run anyway?

I run here. This is approximately in the middle of the patch commonly called The Pipeline around here. End to end, it's about 2.15 km. It gets muddy after rain in some parts, but it's an awesome place.

Feels good to be up and working out again. Been sick for a week with a fever so I decided to take the week off and regain my strength.

However a month of no strength training makes my muscles sores and want to kill me. xD

Oh well, happy training everyone.

I just got back from week 1 day 3, and my goodness this stuff is actually working. I was flying through the running portions.

Experience thus far:
Day 1 - wheezing wreck.
Day 2 - unpleasant, but doable.
Day 3 - energized and ready for more.

*Your results may vary, but will probably still be good. Try it!

Kilo wrote: I thought the entire week was about the same exercise. TOMORROW is the big day, now.

Good luck! I'd be interested to hear how that goes. I have been looking at that square on the chart with some apprehension, but I'll trust that the previous squares will build me up to it.

Mirrormn wrote:As a side note, DarcDiscordia, if your goal is to lose weight, exercise is not really a very effective way to accomplish that goal. Exercise is essential to an overall healthy lifestyle, and has many benefits, but for weight loss specifically, diet and portion control are much more important factors.

Also, it's considerably easier to run/walk/exercise when you're not obese. Unfortunate, but true. I'm not trying to discourage you from starting the Couch to 5k program - if you feel like doing it, by all means, do it! - just saying it might be wiser to focus on diet and weight loss first and worry about exercise later on. That's what I did, about 1.5 years ago. I've lost 150 pounds since then and, overall, it was surprisingly easy to do so.

That's actually what I've been doing. I started dieting back in November, and since then I've lost... I think nearly 40 pounds, I haven't weighed myself recently since I don't have a scale available anymore. The problem is back when I started, I was working 40 hours a week, every week, in a fairly physical job, which really helped burn the calories. The past two months I've been lucky to get 16 hours a week. That's why I'm trying to focus more on actual exercise- now that I'm not getting paid for enough of it, it's hard finding the motivation. Plus it's way easier to eat healthy when I'm working a lot- it's easier to avoid the temptation to eat something unhealthy when I've got work to distract me.

hyugafan wrote: where do you guys run anyway?

I just run a nice 3km trough my town. It's all stone roads, but it's just a nice route to run.

Walrusfella wrote:I just got back from week 1 day 3, and my goodness this stuff is actually working. I was flying through the running portions.

Experience thus far:
Day 1 - wheezing wreck.
Day 2 - unpleasant, but doable.
Day 3 - energized and ready for more.

*Your results may vary, but will probably still be good. Try it!

I had about the same result the first week, but day 3 was actually horrible for me. :p
Day 1 was really the day where I was pumped to do the last to runs.

FissionXMailed wrote:Feels good to be up and working out again. Been sick for a week with a fever so I decided to take the week off and regain my strength.

However a month of no strength training makes my muscles sores and want to kill me. xD

Oh well, happy training everyone.

Rest is important too! Don't do what I did and run with a cold, haha.