Female in 40s, attempting C25K for the fifth time I think. Each time I fail for various reasons and have never got past week 4. This time I’m DETERMINED to get through the programme as I want so bad to be able to run a 5K in my lifetime. And hopefully gain a love for running and maybe continue short runs with the family. Nothing major.

I finally got through week 4 last week and it was definitely manageable. My kids and spouse celebrated and made a joke how I finally got past week 4. This week is now week 5 and I’m mentally ready and know my lungs and legs can do it.

The only issue is I have developed a really sore lower back and neck this past week. I have been seen medically before and had scans and know I have general degenerative discs in my back and neck. They are achey from time to time but manageable. It would seem the running may possibly have flared things up. I am working at stretching and strengthening in the background as I know I have a weak core, and am pulled into an anterior pelvic tilt which doesn’t help the back. I know I have very tight hips and shoulders. I’m working at those things but they won’t change over night.

So my question is, do I persevere with week 5 this week? If I stop/discontinue I’ll be so sad and will find it hard to try again. Do I give up forever? Has anyone been in this situation before? Are there any practical tips? I am running VERY slow and the ground I will choose this week will be flat. I have good footwear. Is there anything else?

Been almost I month since I last updated on my progress.

Thought I would share how I decided to continue when I got sick in case it helps others who get sick as well.

I had just finished W6 R3 when I started feeling sick, I decided to stop running for a bit until I felt better.

When I started back up I did W4 R1, then W5 R1 then all of week 6 again, however when I did W6 R3 I wasn't able to run non-stop so I decided to do it one more time to make sure I could run the full time.

W7 R1 went pretty good, my heart rate average was the same as W6 R3, it was a warm day as well so I felt really good about it, very excited to be working back up again and can't wait to hit W9

Heya, Ive never posted here before but i was worried about a change in my jogging/running recently. Im 23M, roughly 90kg and trying to lose weight for surgery.

Ive been doing C25K since the start of August, and have been doing it 3 times a week since i've started. I was not fit before starting so i had to start with mild jogging. But my stamina improved and i slowly got faster overtime. Not quite full running but definitely faster jogging.

Within the past week i decided to join a run club who said they were beginner friendly, however they were way too quick for me to keep up with. Lots of them had been running for years and were very fit. They had to keep stopping for me to catch up. Luckily someone would slow down to help me along, whilst the others sprinted out of view.

During those runs I went far quicker then my usual speed, and had to make multiple stops. I figured the intensity was too high and did my 3rd run solo and at my usual pace (I usually have a day of rest between runs. I also found the second group run far harder then the first? In my mind i thought the second run would be easier)

When i did my solo run, even at my slowest i had to keep stopping. I could barely manage 5 minutes before i felt completely drained even though i could do 25 minutes before.

It felt like whatever stamina I gained was just reset. Im worried I've ruined whatever progress I've made. Im sure the answer is probably to get some rest but what if it makes it harder for me to start running again?

Should i stop going to the group sessions?

Any advice would be great, thank you!