Riestrella Wow I had never thought about exercise + new tattoo! I don't have any but have thought about getting one once I get my goal weight as I have wanted one for awhile! You will have to keep us updated!

Small update. I ran a 5K today for the first time in months! Not only that, but I beat my best 5K time but about a minute. Yay!

You know how I did it? I took the advice of running based on time, not distance. I set my alarm for 15 minutes and when that went off, I turned back around. Of course, once 30 minutes was up I saw I was SO close to a 5K so I kept going a little bit

If I had just done a distance-based run, I would not have thought I was able to do that yet. So happy to have proven myself wrong. Looks like its time to start training for a race!

WOOHOO! Congrats! That's awesome! It's amazing what you can do when you lift expectations. I did the exact same thing when I started running - I timed myself for walking breaks but one day I just ran and I went for 2 miles straight. Couldn't believe it! Are you going to train for a 5K? Or 10K?

HaveDog-That's cool you can turn your bike into a stationary bike, especially since I imagine its not really an option to go out riding when its winter there

NNS-I know the parrots are so weird! Haha and they're really loud, I kind of just watch them while running thinking "What the f**k?" That picnic ride sounds like a really good idea! I'm going to suggest that to my fiance since he really likes to ride bikes Omg awesome job on running the 5k and beating your personal best! What a wonderful feeling Are you thinking of doing a specific training program now for doing a race?

Rie-Congratulations on your new tattoo! I imagine it was really painful getting it on your ribs, I always thought rib tattoos were really beautiful though. How is it healing? Are you able to exercise now? Haha you mentioning dance reminded me of when you were learning that dance from the Japanese music video. I have no idea where the parrots came from...I know in Palm Springs(where I grew up) there were lots of exotic birds in the many golf courses because people would get them as pets then release them or they'd escape. I'm really glad your new program is working, I really think with my program it was just the sun and humidity getting me down.

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So last night I gave the program another try. I realize I only have about two weeks left of the 10k program so I figured I'd try and stick it out and luckily last night it went super smoothly! It really was just the running in the morning that wasn't working. Its too hot and humid in the morning so running at night seems to be what works I even felt like I could have run farther last night which was an awesome feeling after feeling so defeated on Monday. I also did a better job pacing myself I think.

For cross training I do my hiking when I can and also I was getting really into bike riding, but needed a new bike. Its just come in so I'm going to pick it up on Saturday and I'm excited to start riding again Also I do yoga once a week on the beach(its free!) and I really enjoy that to stretch everything out.

Are all of you planning on entering races? I'm way too intimidated to enter a race but I've been thinking with all this training that maybe I should? Especially since I'm planning on doing half marathon training after I'm done with this 10k program in a couple weeks....

Dott - Thank you for your kind words about my tattoo!! Even though I don't care if people like it or not, I can't deny it's nice to hear people respond positively to it. I always loved lettering tattoos on the ribs, which is why I got it there. I knew that it's one of the most painful areas to get it though, but thankfully it didn't take too long! It's healing quite nicely, I've just switched from ointment to lotion but I've not seen it become flakey yet. Once it all flakes away I'll start exercising again, I saw a picture of someone who picked the scabs and the ink had come away in the places she did so. I don't want to accidentally "pick" anything off through exercise that isn't ready to come off. It's stings a little bit every now and then, so not quite ready to go out on runs just yet. Forgot about the healing process for some reason, despite having a much bigger tattoo elsewhere!!
Haha, I still remember that dance!! I should get back to practicing it, the gym room here has loads of mirrors so I can definitely master it if I give it a good try. Maybe those escaped parrots have formed a tribe?!
I'm so glad to hear that your run was much better! Everyone has their preferences when they run, I knew someone who would run at the hottest part of the day because she loved sweating so much. She said it felt really cleansing! Madness I say. Yoga at the beach sounds fun!

Oh wow, you should DEFINITELY do a race!!! Do a 10K! Races are so much fun and you feel so accomplished when you get a prize at the end. Although it's completely do-able to do a half marathon as your first race I would recommend doing at least a 10K, maybe even a few, to give you an idea of how a race goes.

I was thinking last night that I might sign up for a race. I need to keep my momentum going. I also am soon transitioning to the next phase of my diet so I am interested in working on keeping up the habits I have recently developed. I have done 5ks and one 10k, and thinking that is where i should start- probably the 5k, unless I find one in like 6 months...

How many days a week do you all run? I know back when I was 20 I ran 5-6 days a week but I was also about 40lbs lighter and 9 years younger! I would like to get to 4-5...

Ries - I think I would like to train for a 5K race this fall, I just need to pick one. I don't know where to start! Usually I've run for an organization I work for, or a friend has invited me. I don't want to pick one at random but I may have to. I am seriously considering training for the Bolder Boulder 10K next summer. How is the running going with the tattoo?

Dott - I hadn't thought of using a particular program. I think my once-a-week HIIT runs have been really vital to improving time and I might sit down and create my own plan. I've read through a few pre-build plans but I have never found one very fitting for me. So glad to hear your 10K training is going better! You should definitely sign up for a race! It is so much fun! Don't worry about feeling intimidated. Once you get there you will realize that there are many people in your same ability level. The excitement of running next to lots of people really gets the blood going and you will probably run a time way faster than you expect. Or you could even try to find a fun run that doesn't time you (but time yourself!)

HaveDogWillDiet - What diet are you following? A race will definitely help you keep up with an exercise routine. I'd start with a 5K since you haven't done one in a while! To answer your question, I'm only running 2-3 times a week right now. Too much other stuff going on, but I know I will need to bump that up if I'm going to get my 5K time under 30 minutes.

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Not much running news for me. Actually I haven't gone on a run since I posted that I ran a 5K last week! I was hoping to do the park loop this morning but I have a deadline for work that totally ruined that plan. I might try to go this evening. It is supposed to cool off a bit. Lots of bike riding this weekend. LOTS.

My big goal this week is to do a pub run on Wednesday. You meet at a pub with a bunch of folks and run the park loop together. I'm nervous because I know I'm slow, but the worst that happens is I end up at the back and/or I have to take a few walking breaks. No biggie, right? At least that's what I'm trying to convince myself... The park loop is 2.5 miles, so with the added run to/from the bar it may be close to 3.

NNS I am on a VLCD through my doctor, similar but not exactly Optifast. I am hoping to transition off the shakes and onto normal food again soon! I was wary of even going the shake route, but the 6 weeks have been good to reevaluate how I approach food and drink, and given me a jump start on the weight loss!

So happy to hear a lot of people talking about entering races! Here is a great website I found for searching for races in America. Best viewed on a computer rather than a phone You can search for races in your state, then select what distance you want to run. Each race listed usually has a link to their website where you can read more about the race. Before my knee injury I was going to enter a half marathon and this is how I found my potential races.

Today I'm going to attempt my first run in just over a week, I'm feeling confident that running with the new tattoo will be ok as long as I clean it before and after and use ointment instead of lotion as a protective layer. The general consensus I found online was it's ok to workout after the first week, so I'm going to give it a go today!

HaveDog - I've never actually ran an official 5K! I always went straight for a 10K. Depending on your fitness level and how far you're running these days would determine what distance is good for you. When I first started running I was running 2-3 miles about 4 times a week, so I pushed myself for a 10K since a 5K would have been similar to what I was doing. Right now I run once, maybe twice a week because of the other exercises I do. But there was a time I was running 4-5 times a week.

NNS - What are your concerns with selecting a race? I'm sure you can find one that suits you using the link I provided . For me, I always like to enter a race where there's a medal as the prize!! But there are exceptions, like the Bolder Boulder, where I was invited along to it + it had such a strong reputation. I would DEFINITELY recommend doing the BB!! It's tough but it is FUN! And finishing in the stadium is beyond epic. If I still happen to be around next May I'll do it with you!!
Good luck on the pub run, I'm sure it'll be fine! There's one like that in Boulder, but it's 4 miles, so not sure I'm ready for that yet! I'm sure it'll be a great way to meet new people too. Go for it!

Riestrella How is the tattoo running going?

I hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend! I was looking forward to getting a lot of training in. We took Thursday and Friday off and I got some walks in on Thursday and a great run in on Friday. Then Saturday I woke up with bad peroneal nerve pain. So I tried to take it easy Saturday and Sunday. I am starting to feel better and itching for a run today! But I definitely don't want to make it worse either...so I think I will do an upperbody workout and give it until tomorrow. They warned us that peroneal nerve injury could happen with rapid weight loss...scary! I am glad I am out of that phase. I think I probably crossed my leg too much during the rapid weight loss. I have other nerve and tendon issues, so hoping this one eventually gets better....

So I went on a run on the 1st September after leaving my tattoo to heal. The run went really well, the fastest one of my half marathon training so far. I did 25 minutes and got to 2.11 miles, which put me at a 11:51 min/mi. Today I went for a run for just 20 mins, THOUGHT I did a really good job (even ran up a hill that I always walk up) but it was my slowest run yet!! Really not sure how that happened. I did 1.63 miles, which put me at 12:17 min/mi, so 19 seconds slower than my other 20 min runs. Bleh! I'm definitely happy I went, but I have days where I think I've done really well and it turns out I've been slow!

Absolutely no issues with my tattoo anymore, I think not exercising for a week did the trick. I was sure to wash it straight after I came back the first time I ran but now I'm a bit more slack with washing/lotioning it. On Monday I'm not going to moisterise it for 4 days as per the tattoo shops instructions. I've tweaked something my arm/neck so if it's not better by Saturday I'll be running again then too.

Hope everyone is doing well!

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HDWD - Ouch, hope you feel better soon!

Ri Glad everything with your tattoo is healing up!
It is finally starting to be cool enough outside that I can take my dog with me on my runs! I love fall weather! Thinking of trying for a race the end of October. We will see...