<p>A lot of the advice on beginning running tends to ignore how much extra weight people are carrying. I weigh about 20% more than I did when I ran a marathon 30 years ago. That extra weight and the advanced age makes a huge difference in what I can do when I first decide its time to get off the couch. </p>
<p>But the key is simply regularity in the exercise, and slowly and gradually upping the work level. What I’ve done when the spirit moves me to burn calories is to go the track, and walk 1/4 lap, then jog 1/4 lap, and alternate that for about two miles or so. That ends up taking maybe 24 minutes at my advancing age. After a week or two, you can extend the running fraction and contract the walking fraction…although I think its better to lower the pace and extend the overall distance as soon as you feel you are up to it. You should be able to work up to slowly jogging two miles within a couple of months. Once you get there, you’re now at the point where you can do some real work if you’re motivated. If you can’t jog two miles (thats roughly for 20-26 minutes) then you’re in the “remedial” category and you have to take it slowly.</p>
<p>PS: that calculator is pretty tough. To get above a “local” rating, a 30 year old has to run a sub 3 hour marathon.</p>
<p>Back to the original question. I started RunningMate’s 5K101, which is a Cto5K program. It has eight different weeks of podcasts, but between the big jumps, the guy added supplemental programs. So after week 4, there is a program called week 4.2 and after week 7 there is a program called 7.2. If I was nervous about the jump to a longer run, I just did the supplement program an extra day. I started the week of Halloween and just finished two of three of my 30 minute runs. He has a Facebook page too. </p>
<p>I picked this one because the reviews on iTunes were pretty favorable.</p>
<p>Don’t get discouraged, OP. I keep saying, I can’t compare my self to anyone else (relatives who run 8 miles without blinking an eye, husband who rode bike for 5000 miles in 2011 and did a sprint triathlon, daughter who has a 9 minute mile pace 4 months after hip surgery), but I CAN use these people for inspiration. Just stop comparing and just get inspired.</p>
<p>Oh, and about the dogs, no way could I handle the dog and running. The running took all my focus, but the separate walks I now take with the dogs are faster and more fun.</p>
<p>The other dirty little secret is that you really don’t run to get in shape. Instead, you have to be in shape to run. At least, if you don’t want to end up injured.</p>
<p>If someone is really coming off the couch, overweight, and not having exercised in … uihh … a long time. I would recommend a much more comprehensive approach to exericse that includes building up to a 5K walk at a brisk pace, preferably with some good hills along the way.</p>
<p>The major message should be you need to get off the couch and do cardio exercise at least 3x/week. It can be running (outside or treadmill), elliptical (best for arthritic joints, as much lower stress), biking or walking. </p>
<p>For effective cardio and fat-burning, you need to get your heartrate up for a minimum of 18 minutes. My 83yo mother heads to the mall in the winter and walks around for an hour (no shopping, just walking). </p>
<p>Females over 40 should also add strength-training to combat osteoporosis. More reps, vs heavier weight, is the way to go. Doing 3 circuits of shoulder presses, squats w dumbbells, bicep curls, ab crunches would be good.</p>
<p>I started running in my mid-30s, quite after a few years and am back to it after gaining and losing 75 pounds. I am not quite back to the performance of my mid-30s in a few areas but my 5K times are pretty close. I’m a tennis player (more interval-type stuff than distance) that runs though in the off-season, I’m more of a runner that plays tennis. So you can improve on your youth if your youth times weren’t great.</p>
<p>Everyone, male and female, old and young should be doing regular strength, core, and mobility/flexibility exercises including lifting heavy enough to be challenging to complete 6 to 8 reps.</p>
<p>This applies to runners as much as, if not more than, anyone else as running is a highly repetitive activity that tends to result, over the long haul, in flexibility and strength imbalances of the sort that contribute to injuries.</p>
<p>Well…I loaded some music from Itunes into Google Music and downloaded to my phone, but C25K doesn’t seem to see it. It always says “External Music” and I can’t find a setting to change it. I do have the free version and I’m googling to try and find out if this is just a limitation. If anyone knows please enlighten me!!!</p>
<p>If you’re already using iTunes, I think that it’s just easier to get an iPod.</p>
<p>I bought an iPod about 18 months ago (to replace an older model) and I’d say that it’s been a major contributor to my running improvements and weight-loss. I paired the iPhone with Sennheiser Adidas bar-type headphones with music controls (volume, pause, resume, next-song, previous song) on the headphone wire and I’ve gotten a lot of enjoyment running with music.</p>
<p>I use an old iPod touch (cast off from one of my kids), and downloaded the programs as podcasts. I didn’t pay anything for the RunningMate program, just downloaded them for free from the iTunes store. I don’t know anything about Google music, so very sorry.</p>