Couch to 5K: Week 7: The Toxic Twelve and a Half
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- Опубліковано 10 лют 2025
- I'm working my way through the NHS/BBC sponsored "Couch to 5K" challenge taking me from no running to 30 minutes of running 3 times a week in just 9 weeks. This is week 7 where I tackle regular 25 minute runs. In this vlog I discuss how far a marathon is in metres, whether high heels are any good for running up hills and manage to get lost in the woods. Will I manage to do a 5K run in just 9 weeks? Stick with me to find out!
Hi Andy, completed week 6 this morning & I can honestly say that I couldn't have done this without you. I love your honesty & it's so encouraging to follow your journey. My aim was to get myself fit by my 50th birthday next February, I'm well on the way! Thanks so much Andy & keep posting your progress
Hi Nikki. So pleased to hear how well you're doing! That's fantastic progress. You're getting to the business end of the programme now. You'll soon graduate and then there will be no stopping you. Thanks for your kind workds, but it's down to all your hard work that you've got to where you are now and you should feel rightly chuffed with yourself. Good for you! All the best for the final weeks!! 😀 Andy
Hi Andy .... I have just completed week 7 and like you I can’t believe it ! I struggled to do 5 mins a few weeks ago. Thank you for your videos and your great motivation. I have found that the first 5 mins are the worst but get into a steady rhythm and you can carry on for the 20 mins. I’ve realised it’s mental more than physical.
Hi Mark. You're so right about it being a mental challenge. As you nail the fitness side, the mental part of it becomes the biggest hurdle. There are these voices telling you you can't possibly do it, but you most definitely can!! Thanks for your kind words. I have videos for the entire C25K programme and then on towards 10K and beyond. Yikes! All the best, keep running! Andy.
Hi, Andy! I always watch your videos before start a new week. I’m on week 7 now, run 2. As you said, the distance is not important, but the time. I feel so proud of myself after week 5 run 3. I feel like a badass 😅.
Thanks for sharing your experiences!
Hi Sabrina. Congratulations on getting to week 7!! The end is in sight! Make sure you have that future goal in place ready for when you graduate C25K (because you definitely will) that's the mistake I made. Thanks so much for watching and for your kind comments. The running videos will take a break this week, but there may be a short follow up the week after! Regards, Andy
Thanks for all the videos Andy! This is my favorite C25K series by far, the videos are entertaining and really motivational! :)
W7D2 coming up, I'm hoping the runs will feel less like torture soon!
Hi Lauren. Thank you for your kind words. Congratulations on making week 7! There's no doubt that things ramp up significantly in the latter stages of C25K. I remember thinking it had suddenly got more difficult, however looking back I can see that the previous weeks had built fitness and stamina and it had become more of a mental challenge by week 7.
The best advice I can offer, for what it's worth, is to pace yourself and don't go too fast.
You've made it this far because you CAN do it and you can definitely make the end of the programme, you just need to keep reminding yourself how well you've done to get to where you are. You can do it, for sure, and you'll soon have the satisfaction of becoming a C25K graduate!!
Keep running and thanks so much for watching and sending your kind feedback.
Regards
Andy
Now about to start week 7, I've found your videos quite helpful and a good insight into how to tackle couch to 5K each week so many thanks, fingers crossed i make it to the 30 minutes!
Hi @99hammy99 I'm pleased you're finding the videos quite helpful - always good to hear. You're at the business end of C25K now and having made it to the end of week 6 you can definitely do it. The last 3 weeks may seem hard, however you've now got a good base in place in build on and you CAN do it! Have confidence, stay focussed and you'll soon be a C25K graduate! Thanks for watching and taking the time to send your feedback. All the best, Andy.
Love to watch your videos on running! Great to see someone with the same experiences. I'm about to start week 7 - after the 20 min run I feel like I can make it OK week 9. This system definitely seems to work!
Hi Harriet. I'm glad that you've enjoyed the videos. I totally agree with you that once you get the 20 minute run under your belt then it suddenly seems possible to do more! I wish you well with the remaining weeks. You don't need any advice from me to make it as you've done brilliantly to get to the end of week 6, but I suppose if I had to suggest anything then it's not to go too fast in the remaining runs, and don't be afraid to slow down a bit if you feel that you need to. You've got this! All the best, Andy
Ohhhh my. I can do this! I’m pumped to get this week done and look back and feel accomplished! (Inner voice: eeek) 🤣
Go for it Danielle. You're doing so well. Keep going!!! You can do it! 😀🏃♀️
Thanks for these vids man. I'm starting week2 tomorrow and it's great to see how it progresses. I'm hoping to time the 5k with my 50th Birthday at the end of March. I also quit smoking on day 1 of the program after 35 years of dedicated puffing. So, im very grateful for your human videos 👌👌😊
Wow. Congratulations Vincent. That's wonderful news. I'm sure you'll see tremendous benefits from both quitting ciggies and starting running. I wish you every success with both! Take it steadily, don't go too fast and you'll be amazed at how you progress. It can be hard at times, but try to look at the positives and always think ahead. You CAN do it! All the very best! Andy
Bleeding hell what a difference a couple of days makes. I did my run 2 this morning and felt great, in fact i was that confident i ran for 30mins instead of the 25mins +5 walk.
Great news, Chis! You're making such good progress!! 😀
Great videos Andy. Been good to compare with my own runs as I've progressed through the weeks. Completed week 7 run 1 today.
Hi David. So pleased to hear that the videos are helping. Congratulations on making it to week 7. Things are really hotting up now but you can graduate for sure. You've built up the stamina you need to crack those longer runs. It's such an achievement to get to the end. Best advice I can offer is to have a new challenge ready for when you finish C25K. I have videos that go beyond the programme up to 10K and then on after that! Good luck!! Andy.
@@TheRamblyChannel Cheers Andy. I'll check out your videos once week 9 is completed.
You're just great! You've inspired me to do this myself so thank you :)
Hi @G P That's so kind of you. I wish you every success with C25K. It's such a good programme. Try to take it steadily, don't go too fast (especially when you first start out) and if things don't go according to plan don't take it to heart, just go out and try again. It's so rewarding as you reach various goals and begin to realise that you really can do it! Thank you for taking the time to send your comment. I'm so pleased that the videos have helped in some small way. All the very best. Regards, Andy.
@@TheRamblyChannel thank you for your tips :) I'm also trying to loose 8 stone too so I don't know if I'm going to be able to do it in 9 weeks but I'm going to try my hardest. I'll be watching videos of you soon of you doing a marathon! Good look on your journey
@@gp6437 Hi @G P Although C25K is a 9-week programme, there's no particular reason why you need to tackle it in that timeframe. You could repeat runs, or whole weeks. Just do what feels right for you and you will soon start to see what were impossible targets previously become attainable. I'm not sure about a marathon!!! Hahaha. Perhaps one day?! Thanks so much for watching and I wish you every success in your endeavours. All the very best, Andy.
I completed my week 7, run 1 today, and it was horrible! just glad to get it over and done with. My only problem is my breathing, I seem to be out of breath within 5 mins.
Ironocially after the cool down i ran for 3 mins to the bus stop no qualms!!
It can be mind-over-matter to a certain extent or it just could be that it wasn't your day. Please don't be too downhearted and have another crack at it soon. If you need to repeat some earlier runs in the programme or just slow down a bit then do that. Whatever you need to get there! Good luck!!
well done you. I've just done my second run of week 7.
Good for you. Rosie! If I learned anything doing Couch To 5K it was to trust the programme and don't go too fast! I wish you well for your remaining runs. :)
Hi Andy brilliant videos mate very motivating. I having trouble with heavy legs im quite fit on the breathing side but feel really heavy when running, any tips ?
Hi Wayne. Glad you're enjoying the videos! Heavy legs can be caused by a few different things. You may simply be going too fast so slowing down a bit may help. The footwear you have can make a difference, so if you're sticking with running and can find a suitable shop that's open then getting a gait analysis done and the ideal running shoes can be a bonus. It might sound strange, but lack of sleep is something else that comes up with this kind of problem. We're probably all not getting enough of that!! Not sure if that helps, but I do hope you stick with it and keep going. The rewards are well worth it. You might just find that more time and training sorts things out without having to do anything else! Regards Andy.
I start week 7 tomorrow!
Good luck! There's light at the end of the tunnel now. You're doing great! Keep at it :)
Im starting to get a bit concerned that im running dreadfully slowly. I completed my 1st run of week 7 tonight and did 3km in the 25 mins. Looking at comments on this and other channels its appears that everyone else is running faster than me at this stage 😬
Hi Andrew. Please don't worry about speed, it really doesn't matter at all. It's easy to feel you're too slow - I always think I'm too slow - but in the grand scheme of things you need to think about what works for you and the journey you're on. The most important thing is that you're getting out there, you're putting in the km's and every step you make will be building stamina and working towards the goal of week 9. Perhaps eventually you will get a little faster. Perhaps you won't. It shouldn't concern you. Just enjoy where you are and take all the little victories along the way as a well deserved pat on the back. You can do it. You will do it. Week 9 is close. When you get there, make sure you have some new goal to keep you motivated. I have plenty of videos on the channel talking about that kind of thing. Very best of luck!! And thanks for watching. Cheers!
Many thanks for your reply and words of encouragement..it's appreciated. Your channel has been great for inspiration week by week 👍🏼
Somehow survived the first six weeks, despite my back going to the point I could bately walk at the start of week 6...Now, for week 7 🆘️😣 I think I'll give the stilettos a miss. Tap shoes will be much more appropriate.
It's such an up and down challenge. One moment you'll think you've got it cracked and the next you'll feel as if you can't do it. It's mind games!! However you can definitely do it!! If you need to rest your back for a while, do that and then re-start the programme. You can always re-do a couple of runs (no need to go back too far). You have already built up a very good level of stamina so you've got the capacity to rest up for a bit.
@The Rambly Channel Well, after completing week 7, I saw a physio due to a bad back & was advised against running. So I'm walking instead for now, but it has really mucked up c25k, I'm not sure when, if or how I'll be able to start again...It's a disc problem.
Where abouts are you based? I'm in Poole and the beaches in your videos look vaguely familiar!
Hi David-R-D I'm not a million miles away from you! We're lucky to live in such a great part of the world! Andy.
@@TheRamblyChannel that we are!
In 25 minutes i am doing 2 miles - i need to try and improve my time.
Hi Rosie. I wouldn't worry about the distance too much. It's the time that's important. At the end of the programme I was doing 4K in 30 minutes which is about two and a half miles so you're probably doing about the same pace as me. Now that I've finished the programme, I'm slowly building up the pace to try to get to 5K in around 30 minutes, but I imagine that'll take me a few weeks to get to.
Keep going! You've got this! :)
Andy
26miles = 42km =42,000 metres
Thanks, Chris. Me not doing the maths was my poor attempt at a joke. 😜
I understand why you didn’t but I like the recordings during the run
Thanks @misfit I don't do that very often. I did it in a run a couple of weeks ago and plan to include some in-run chatting during my video on 1 July if all goes to plan! 😀 Thanks for watching!
@@TheRamblyChannel It differentiates your vids from others’. I am a long way behind so may take me a while to get there. It helps see form if you can actually see someone running.
Another thing, i just found out today that my c25k app is assuming i want to do a 10km next. Eg week 9!!!???
Wow?! That's odd. 10K isn't C25K surely? Is the app broken?! 🤪