NHS Couch to 5k - Fitness Phobes Anonymous

My knee just kept clicking. It was fine while I was running, but when I was back home and I sat down, after a few hours it would ache quite a bit. Sometimes Id find it hard to walk.

My doctor thought that I'd basically started so quickly that my body had no time to develop more strength or muscle around the knee. I used to go to the gym and run on the treadmill and that was fine, and that was mainly because the weights helped my knee strengthen.

Eventually he just said that I needed to slow it down and build knee strength.

I have a couple of questions:
- Do people only do this every other day? I was really planning on doing it 5 or 6 times a week (I'd stick to the same week podcast-wise) because I don't do any other form of exercise (apart from walking up to campus, but that doesn't count does it? ).
- On a similar note, what other exercises are you all combining with C25K? My main aim is to "tone" up and get fitter, rather than to lose weight (okay, I'd like to lose maybe half a stone but I figured that would come with the exercise and a healthier diet - I don't plan on dieting, but I do need to stop snacking as much!). Trouble is, I know the best place to do weights etc would be at the gym but I can't afford a gym membership. I've been told that press ups/sit ups/squats aren't actually any good for you so I'm running (there I go again!) out of ideas.
- Has anybody got any good suggestions for trainers (but not too expensive)? I'm going to stick with my Reeboks for the first few weeks but I know I will eventually need a decent pair if I'm going to keep this up. Plus the consultant said that if I am going to run, I need to get a good pair of trainers so my knee doesn't take quite as much impact when I'm plodding along.
- Do you really notice a change in your ability to complete the first and third runs each week? I noticed this one only had me running for 8 minutes and I thought that wasn't really enough to see a change in fitness.

If you've had a knee injury you'll need the days off inbetween. Also, the body improves fitness better when you give it time to recover, it's called super compensation theory or something like that! That and if you go everyday it becomes bit of a chore and not so enjoyable. I would say starting off stick to a day off inbetween runs at least, maybe once you've done it a bit more you can add in extra runs- the best way is just to listen to how your body feels really. You'll soon know if it's too much.

In terms of 'toning' up, you also have to consider your diet. If you're eating habits aren't good then exercise won't help- even snacking is probably adding more calories and fat than you realise. If you keep a food log then you notice just how much you're actually eating! (This is what I did, it's very surpising!)

If you're eating is fine, then yes weights are the way forward. I personally go to the gym and only pay £10 a month, but if you can't afford that then you could invest in some dumbells as a one off payment? Or use household things! Heavy tins and jars might help. And things like squats, press ups etc are all going to help build up your strength, so don't discount them. I still come home and do squats, lunges, press ups and sit ups after shorter runs. At the gym I tend to cross train as alternative cardio and then use the resistance machines and free weights.

I've taken up running a lot more seriously, so bought some decent trainers (£70) and got my gait analysed. If you go to a proper running shop you can normally have this done for free and you're not obliged to buy anything. You can then go to somewhere cheaper like sports direct and tell them what kind of support you need and pick up an OK pair for about £30 or so.

And finally, in terms of the change in fitness? I started off like you, I'm now running a 6 miler in 2 weeks time, and a half marathon in a few months. So stick with it, it's worth it!

Also make sure to keep an eye on your knee! Soon as I started upping my mileage my knee didn't like it.

Good luck!

I have a couple of questions:
- Do people only do this every other day? I was really planning on doing it 5 or 6 times a week (I'd stick to the same week podcast-wise) because I don't do any other form of exercise (apart from walking up to campus, but that doesn't count does it? ).
- On a similar note, what other exercises are you all combining with C25K? My main aim is to "tone" up and get fitter, rather than to lose weight (okay, I'd like to lose maybe half a stone but I figured that would come with the exercise and a healthier diet - I don't plan on dieting, but I do need to stop snacking as much!). Trouble is, I know the best place to do weights etc would be at the gym but I can't afford a gym membership. I've been told that press ups/sit ups/squats aren't actually any good for you so I'm running (there I go again!) out of ideas.
- Has anybody got any good suggestions for trainers (but not too expensive)? I'm going to stick with my Reeboks for the first few weeks but I know I will eventually need a decent pair if I'm going to keep this up. Plus the consultant said that if I am going to run, I need to get a good pair of trainers so my knee doesn't take quite as much impact when I'm plodding along.
- Do you really notice a change in your ability to complete the first and third runs each week? I noticed this one only had me running for 8 minutes and I thought that wasn't really enough to see a change in fitness.

Thank you for your advice

I'm living on just over £20 per week at the moment and I can't really cut back any more (I rarely go out and buy the cheapest food!). I know there's a PureGym (£11pm membership) in my university city but it's quite a long way away from where I live so I'd have to get a bus pass too. So unless Student Finance England suddenly decide to give me a decent amount of money, I guess a gym membership isn't really sustainable. That said, I'm hoping to be given a bit of money by my grandparents next month so I might invest in some dumbbells. What weight would you suggest?

I think my basic diet is OK. I usually eat 5 portions of fruit/veg per day - it's just that I have a huge appetite and perhaps I don't snack on quite the right things to curb it. So I'll cut those out and replace them with healthier options. But the food log is a good suggestion, thank you

Just a couple more questions: how long is it since you started C25K? I'd love to be able to do 6 miles one day (although doing 5k at the moment feels like a dream!). And how do you support your knee (other than wearing decent trainers)? I'm only 18 I don't really want to be having surgery just yet!!

Yeah, I was the same food wise. Had to cut out the little things!

Weights...it's dependant on you really. And the difficult thing is the cheaper ones are normally no more than 1.5-2kg, which after a while won't be doing a lot. Might be better off asking someone who lifts more often- there is a lifting thread somewhere i think.

I started C25K maybe, end of January-beginning of Feb. I've actually not completed it as i found I could run further and longer than it suggested anyway, but then this might also be why my knee plays up! I'm wearing a knee support currently, and obviously warm up and stretch and cool down and stretch, and I also ice it afterwards. Saying this, today it's not so good, so I might have to go see a physio myself! I'm sure your consultant can give you better advice. I'd say the main thing is just to pace yourself and try not to do too much even if you feel you can, I think my main issue has been doing too much too soon before my knee was strong enough to manage it

Haha, my knee has just started playing up too. Will definitely need to get back to the physio soon. Good luck with your 6 mile run

Have you found seeing the physio has helped? I'm kind of putting it off but it doesn't seem to be getting any better so thought it might be a good idea. I just don't want to be told not to run because I can't afford to take time off training

And thanks

Well, the physio gave me some exercises to do and showed me how best to support my knee. If I'm honest, I didn't really take the exercises seriously because I never really planned on running enough to aggravate it so I can't tell you how effective they were on me. However I have heard from a couple of people who were given the same advice for the same injury (it's a pretty common one so physios are pretty well acquainted with the best treatment) and they say that it has helped to strengthen the muscles surrounding the knee which in turn takes away the pressure on the knee every time you push down on the floor when you run. I'd suggest going, particularly if you're serious about running: it can't do any harm.

Also, if you're young, the doctor is likely to push you through the hospital system a lot quicker than if you're older. Essentially when you get older you just have to accept that your knees are going to get a bit dodgy, but when you're young, they do everything they can to save it. I found that I got an MRI amazingly quickly in comparison to other people who suffered the same, or worse, injuries than mine. They might suggest getting an arthroscopy but my physio advised against that. He said that if you follow the exercise regime (*cough*) then you should be able to strengthen your muscles yourself without having to have a surgeon mess around with your cartilage. If you do end up having an operation, he said, your knee will feel better for a few years but the decline when you get older will be much quicker than if you tried to strengthen it yourself.

This is all assuming you have the same injury as me though - it sounds like it, but obviously I'm no doctor, so definitely get it checked out sooner rather than later. I think I'm going to go back because my knee has started clicking again. Grr.

Oh, me posting again! Well, even if this turns into a one (wo)man blog, I'll keep posting anyway... to keep me motivated if nothing else!

I've just got back from W1R2. It actually felt harder at the beginning than W1R1. I don't think I was pushing myself any harder but perhaps I hadn't fully recovered from Monday. Nevertheless, I did it!

Need to get back into running.
Quit over winter because of bad weather and depression. Still been doing other forms of exercise though, I just really enjoy running.

I could probably jump in at around week 4 or something I guess.

I didn't follow the NHS plan before, I just did 6 mins running, 2 mins walking (x3) then 8 mins running, 2 mins walking (x3), then 9 and 1, 10 and 1, 15 and 2, then the full 30.

I think I'll have to just see how long I can run for without a rest to reassess my fitness levels before I start making plans.

Hey just wondering where abouts did you run? I'd love to run around the broad/Earlham Park but i'm petrified of dogs lol and running down Earlham road/The Avenues is so uninspiring.

My God, after doing W1R1 yesterday and feeling all the better for it, I ache like hell this morning.

I just ran around the lake 3 times

It measures a mile exactly so it was perfect for seeing how fast I was going and everything.
It did get boring after a while, but I listen to audiobooks when I run and just zone out. I often had to check my watch to see which lap I was on .

It's 1.6 miles to Aldi from UEA (and pretty much a straight line, if you google map it you'll see how easy it is). It's got a couple of uphills and downhills, but that just adds to the interest .