First off: Ilene, you do not look fat! You look amazing. Helen, another half! You are amazing. Steph, that is a great time for a 1st 5K! Woo, hoo! Ali, 4 weeks to go, where has the time gone? Hope you are feeling great. Greenrunner, take care of those shins. Run, SusanB, run! I'd kill for 5mph right now. Did I miss anybody? Such an amazing group of runners here.

OK, I did my tri this weekend. Olympic distance, that's 1.5K swim, 40K bike, 10K run. I was still sick, hacking and wheezing, and the race was at altitude, over 6000 ft, and it basically turned into a death march complete with hallucinations of snakes at one point. I couldn't run a step, except for vanity's sake at the finish line. But I did in fact finish it. Here are some pictures, and even though my time was really bad, I feel compelled to point out that it wasn't as bad as the clock would indicate. There was also a half-iron distance race on the same course that day.

Anne

P.S. Talk about looking fat! Those 15 sure do show.

Anne, Great job on the tri under less than ideal circumstances. I live at sea level or a very few metres above that. Just walking at over 6000 ft would probably tire me out.

Helen, congrats on the new pb, even if it wasn't quite as fast as you hoped. It'll just be all the easier to beat next time. (I know how you feel, a bad side stitch at about 16km added at least a minute to my time during my last half. It was so frustrating.)

Steph, great job on your first 5k!

Ilene, you so do not look fat in your pic!

I'm actually attempting to follow a training program for the marathon, and I have, gulp, speed work on the schedule for this afternoon. Hope I survive it.

I had a good 4 mile easy run on the treadmill this morning which really got rid of the last of the soreness from my legs. I was only intending to struggle to 5k then realised that I was feeling better with every step I took so carried on for a bit.

My marathon schedule doesn't have speedwork on it, although I keep on feeling like I should do some anyway. But somehow I can never quite motivate myself

Ilene - you look like a runner! And certainly not fat.

Anne - great job on the tri, esp at 6000' We spent the last 2 weeks of April in S. Utah, most of the time above 5000' I got a killer headache the night we spent near 9000' and all of the hiking was more of an effort than here where we're at, oh about 30' above sea level!

Can I join the thread?

I'm very amazed with all of you and you're running! Congratulations on all the 5 and 10k's and the tri, it's truly impressive!

I'm not so much a runner as a wanna be runner. I signed up for a training program for a marathon in October, and over a month later I'm still sticking with it so I'm proud.

Well, the speed work just did not happen. It was 27C/80F without taking humidity into account out there and sunny. Which makes it by far the hottest day of the year so far. I was running just after noon. So just running was more than difficult enough for me. I ran about 11k total, but ended up doing a walk/run the last 3 since I do not do heat well at all. I think I'll try and get up early tomorrow morning and run then. If I'm feeling up to it, I'll get the speed work in then. I now remember why I used to get up about 5:30am to run last summer.

OK. It is time I quit lurking and hold myself accountable by posting. I probably won't be a consistant poster since I will be really busy with work, but I promise to drop in from time to time. Your posts have been really motivational to read.

My running is going well and here it is...Your the first people I am telling (big committment)...I am going to run a Marathon in October. My training officially starts next week. Unfortunately due to work constraints I will HAVE to get up in the mornings which is my downfall. But I know I can do it. I planned some weekly rewards to help get me going in the beginning. I'm pretty excited and am going to start practicing by getting up this week for my runs.

Keep up the good work everyone!

SJ

On week 5 day 2 of c25k today. My last training run went amazing. I was so excited the first two running intervals were cake...although on the third I was feeling pretty tired for the last min and a half. I cannot believe how far I have progessed. And I have switched to running everything outside, which I never thought I would be able to do. The only thing that is bumming me out lately is the heat....it is so hard to run in the hot.

iowasteph - congrats on your first race!!! I am on week 5 of the c25k program...good to see it works.

yp1 - sounds like an eventful race...great that you battled through the blister, legs giving out and your dodgy knee...once again you are an inspiration lol.

anne - wow is all I can say...

amber - ofcourse you can join I am a baby runner myself...

skinnyjeans - Good luck with your training.

Today was my first shot at the 2k I measured earlier this week. 14 minutes 19. It's hot and I walked .... some

I need to find the instructions for my watch so I can use the stopwatch function.

I did about 6.5 miles this morning. My blister plaster moved during the run so it reformed a bit and I've been limping round for the rest of the day, but I've treated it again this evening so hopefully it will start to heal again. Plus my new trainers are on their way which will hopefully cure the problem (exactly the same as the ones I've got, but with about 500 miles less on the clock!)

OK, i just put this in another post but I AM RUNNING my FIRST 10K this Saturday.....AHHHH...i have never run this far before and i cannot wait. I have run 5 miles on Sunday and i think i will be fine. Everyone wish me luck! I hope to finish in under an hour. My 5 miles on sunday was 46 mins so hopefully i can do it!!!

Good luck! If you can do 5 miles in 46 minutes I'm sure you'll finish in under an hour! Let us know how you go on.

Anne, congratulations on finishing the tri! I think it's amazing! You certainly don't look fat in your pictures either!

Skinnyjeans--Alright--a marathon in October!! Good for you! I certainly don't envy you having to run in the mornings. That would probably do me in for sure!

Stephie--yes, the C25k certainly works!!! Keep it up, and I'd recommend not skipping any workouts. It did wonders for me!

Susan, I just bought a new, fabulous watch. It wasn't too expensive (about $35 at Target), but it has a stopwatch, alarm, and it can also time intervals. I don't know what I would do without a stopwatch. My old one broke, so I marched right to Target to get a new one.

Helen, I love reading your posts. I've said this before, but I think you're inspriring! Don't blisters just suck!?

Velveeta, You're pretty fast!! Wow!

I just ran for an hour. I'd estimate that I ran probably 5.5-6 miles. It was a nice run. I didn't bring any water with me though, which wasn't the smartest idea. I've actually gained a couple of pounds recently, but I don't care too much, because I honestly feel that this is the healthiest that I have ever been. I was an athlete in college and everything, but I now have more stamina and such that EVER! Go, Me!!

I want to run the Las Vegas Marathon (though only do a half). It's December 10th. I have two brothers that live there. I thought that my parents would be up for a trip out to see them, but my mom told me that they would rather just wait until Christmas. Bummer. I could still go by myself, but I'd prefer to not travel alone. I think it would be cool to run down the strip and downtown Vegas.

Keep it up!

StephieWilliams and all: I started the C25K program last night from CoolRunners. I didn't have a stopwatch so I "counted" the time out - I know I was off, but I was close enough per my cellphone clock.

I have a question, though. The program only calls for 3 days and I like doing cardio (walk/run) at least 5 days a week. Can I do this for more than the called for 3 days? Is 3 days just a minimum? I don't want to get injured, but for the last couple of weeks, I would walk and then would run for an interval of time, and then would go back to walking. I would try to do at least two jog intervals during my 2-3 mile walk for a distance of just at 1/4 mile sometimes (1/2 mile total jog). I'm tired, but not sore. Any suggestions for this program, etc I will appreciate.

P.S. It also sounds more serious when I tell my hubby that I will meet up with him after my run, instead of "after my walk". He's known me for 24 yrs and he is surprised at my running efforts.

Hi all,
I have been running and running. Mostly 3 miles, but I did a "long run" of 3.5 miles on Friday! I'll keep working on that (haha!). I have been mostly getting up at 5 am to run...this is not something that I ever thought I would do, but by noon here it is 90 degrees. Running in the cool dawn is just beautiful and such a great way to start the day. I have yet to run across a honking or yelling moron...I guess they are all asleep. Just other runners, people going to work, and me, my very big dog, my cell phone set on speed dial for 911, and a carefully hidden shank...just kidding...I do have the dog though!

Anyway, new problem...any one have advice about...chafing? Ouchies! My thighs are not very happy right now.

Thanks and happy trails!!