ExRx.net

Hey all,
Yesterday I stumbled upon a running program entitled "Couch to 5K" or C25K for short. Their site contains the program, and a bunch of other really nice stories, tidbits (LOVE the section on why people drop out), etc. I researched reviews, and problems with the program, and have found nothing but good things people say about it.

I have been running about every other day for the past month or so via a program I found on exrx, which in "10 weeks" would make me run 20 minutes nonstop. I was decently along in that ("Week 5," jog 3 minutes, walk 1 minute 5 times), so I decided to jump in on this C25K program on the beginning of week 4. I had the first day yesterday, and it felt great, I'm thinking of sticking with it.

Does anyone here have knowledge/experience/criticism of this program? It's always good to see other people's opinions on things

_________________

Both running programs seem similar, the http://exrx.net/Aerobic/JogWalkProgram.html on and c25k. C25k may be focusing on more on 5K runs, so if that is your goal, you may want to use that more. Just make sure you are monitoring your body for any type of running injuries such as shin splints and the like, as they will pretty much bring you to a dead stop. If you do develop any running injuries, stop what you are doing, rest them until they pain is gone away and in the mean time, research through the www/here to figure out proper running technique if you haven't already.

Also, what type of terrain are you running on? What type of shoes are you using? What type of terrain will you be running on during the 5K?

Partially unrelated, I have eyed your BW while skimming the random crap thread and if you want to do cardio to accelerate fat loss, I would keep walking in mind. It's a criminally underrated activity and much much less harsh on your joints than running.

Padded/cushioned shoes won't make much difference. Actually, there's been some controversy about padded running shoes in the last few years as statistics indicate they have done nothing to reduce injury rate among regular runners.

Back to the point, you can walk more frequently than you can run (while avoiding repetitive stress injuries) and this will offset the fact that you will burn less calories than running for the same amount of time. As a bonus, walking will burn a greater percentage of fat than running.

An endorsement of walking: http://gubernatrix.co.uk/2010/09/benefits-of-walking/

_________________
I don't know where the blind could lead the sightless
but I'd still like to witness

I'm not a fan of running either. It's unessecary damage to the body that you don't need. Your heart and lungs will respond to any and all demands for oxygen from the muscles. There's nothing magical about running. Like Mark said, you can use walking as the volume exercise. As you lose weight and walking becomes earsier, you can put on a backpack. For a more intense workout that gets the heart beat up further, you can do metabolically challenging workouts in the gym. I like the "Cardio Strength Training" book by Robert Dos Remedios,but we have a lot of resources bookmarked in the sticky about complexes.

Mark, I have to disagree on ths point.
"walking will burn a greater percentage of fat than running."

Running will burn more calories than walking and burn more fat in total for the same distance travelled. As well, the higher the intensity, the longer the afterburn effect of the exercise. The percentage thing is a red herring.

_________________
Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.~Hippocrates
Strength is the adaptation that leads to all other adaptations that you really care about - Charles Staley
_________________
Thanks TimD

The irony in that is I just love running

_________________
I don't know where the blind could lead the sightless
but I'd still like to witness

Thanks for the responses,

For running, my goal is to just basically get in shape and yes possibly actually run a 5K. In terms of fat loss, I should probably be more focused on it, but I really just want to improve the relationship between running and I =P.

Also, I've said it in the past to friends as a joke, that I would run a 5K, or imagine me running a 5K etc., and it would be cool to actually do it.

Jmoss- as of right now, I'm running on a treadmill and occasionally running outside (at 5 am...). After this week, my internship is over and I'll be back home and be running outside for a week. I know it's probably best on the knees and such for me to run on a track, and there's a nice one on my campus I'll begin running on when I get back for the semester, in ~1.5 weeks.
Shoes - I have some decently cheap (~$60) running shoes from new balance, they feel pretty good.
Actual 5K - the terrain, if I so chose to compete, I'm pretty sure is a mix of grass and concrete, I'm pretty sure more on the grass side. If I actually try to go for it I'll run the trail a couple of times beforehand.

_________________

Noticed this just now. That's only applicable if you can run for the same distance that you can walk, and most people can walk for a much longer time than they can run in a day, and are generally able to walk more frequently than is safe to run per week, so racking up distance is easier if you're committed to it.

Of course there is a point after which the runner has developed enough endurance and speed in his legs, that the walking guy will have to put together a freaking amount of hours to make things even. This isn't usually a problem true beginners have to deal with, they have zilch endurance and even doing 10 or 15 minutes straight is unthinkable and if they can, they're usually in shambles afterwards.

(this is for untrained individuals, people who do strength train will have much better performance right off the bat)

For overweight people there are still other options to be considered before switching to full fledged running, anyway.

_________________
I don't know where the blind could lead the sightless
but I'd still like to witness