I just finished my first 3-mi run!! I LOVE C25K!

ennay: Thanks for the advice!!

Poppins,

It has been really fun watching your progress. Congrats. I am a beginner too only got up to a 3 mile run a month or so ago (2 maybe now I can't really remember) it is so much fun when you realize that running is not only possible but enjoyable.

Thanks, hikerchick! Your motivation has really helped.

What kind of schedule did you follow after reaching 3 miles?

Right now I run every other day 3 miles. Weekend run 5 miles. I worked up to the 5 but haven't done much different during the week. At least once a week I try to run up my hills as fast as possible (don't be fooled as fast as possible is still a slow jog) ( in a 3 mile run it would be 9 times realy pushing it for 30-60 seconds just about) even with this I am still slow slow slow.

I don't feel like my running has hugely improved (of course the 5 mile is an improvement but I only do that once a week). I lift weights too and my biggest struggle is balancing the two. If I try to alternate the two my legs don't get a break and so I have been putting them on the same day which has its own chalenges. Right now my biggest struggle is the mental struggle of remembering how far I have come. Some days I go out and I feel so slow and I have to really focus and remember that a few months ago I couldn't run for 3 minutes without coughing up a lung.

Thats one of the reasons I have really enjoyed seeing your progress. It helps me remember how wonderful it is to set goals and accomplish them. Its amazing what the body can accomplish with a little planning and determination.

Hikerchick, thanks so much for the insight. Since the long runs 2-mi + started, I often want to give up within the first mile. But after I complete that mile, my second wind kicks in and I'm able to motivate myself to finish. Though I know a small walk break wouldn't lessen my accomplishment, I'm really proud that I have been able to follow the plan to the letter without any breaks. (I've been doing 5.2 mph on the treadmill, so my pace isn't too hard to keep up.)

I really like the idea of doing one longer run every week. I would like to keep running 3-4 days per week, but never more than every other day. (I'll do other cardio on the remaining days.)

How did you build up to 5 miles?

I was thinking of finishing the remaining two 3-mi runs this week, then doing 4 more 3-mi runs next week. After that, maybe I'll keep doing two to three 3-mi runs plus one 3.25-mi run (then 3.5-mi, then 3.75-mi, etc.) each week.

I'm also trying to do other cardio, strength work, yoga and pilates, so I'm having a time trying to combine these all into a manageable exercise regimen without shutting down my body.

I haven't seen much weight loss yet, though my muscles are becoming more defined. My problem is that I can never tell if I'm pushing my body too hard (and thus not seeing results), if I'm not pushing hard enough (and thus, again, not seeing results), or pushing just the right amount (and results will come soon).

My body feels better than it ever has, and I'm so pleased with my progress -- I'd just like to see the scale (or at least my clothes) to reflect some of the progress as well!

I did a little over 2 miles last night. 25 minutes-my longest run yet! We went to the beach and ran along the bike path. It was definitely nice to get out of the gym. I'm definitely missing living right by the beach like we used to. I ran with my husband who's been running for awhile and he said were were probably going at an 11 to 12 min/mi pace which is a lot faster than I'm used to. I need to learn to pace myself.

My shorts drove me crazy though. I got a pair that were supposed to be compression but they slide the whole way up until it looks like I'm wearing a bathing suit bottom. It was so annoying reaching down every 30 seconds to yank on them. I don't know if I got them too big so they're not snug enough to stay put or what. Definitely won't be wearing them for my next run.

hrbabe, I just got those same shoes and love them! The cushioning is unbelievable. The only problem I'm seeing with mine is the right seems a touch too small. Fortunately the running store I went to has a 60 day "no questions asked" guarantee. Enjoy!

I ran with a buddy for the first time ever. Enjoyed being able to chat with someone while we ran. I was a bit worried because I thought I might be too slow for her, but it turns out she's slower than I am. I'm not sure I like adjusting my pace downward since I want to be able to beat my times from last year. Maybe I can speed her up.

Sent in the registration form for my first 5K of the season, which is on April 28. Hoping the weather will cooperate.

Did a mile again last night. I think I will try to add to that tonight. I've got to get myself back up to over 2 miles like I was before I took a week off. But it was a relatively good mile, fairly fast for me.

5 this morning. Got home, hit my watch and I was at 4.97 so I HAD to run up to the mailbox and back to get over the 5 mark. nuts. especially since the accuracy of the GPS is only about +/- 0.1 anyway

OOOOH the boston marathon looks like it is gonna be NASTY this year. Good thing I am slow and cant qualify

Poppins that sounds like a good plan.

Ennay you run with a GPS unit?? How does that work? Is it a special runners gps or a regular old fashioned one?

Did 3 miles of Sprint/ jog or walks. Best day in weeks!!

Did 2.5 on the track last night, broken up into 1.5, .5, and .5. I averaged about 12.2 min/mi which is pretty good for me. Need to work on endurance though. Holy cow was I puffin!

Its a running one - Garmin Forerunner 301. It works really well for me since I mostly run in suburbs or country. They dont work particularly well in wooded areas (I run in a forest sometimes and lose signal) and I have heard if you run in the city with lots of tall buildings it is also a problem (although I've done races in downtown areas with no problem- maybe if you were in Manhattan or something). I've heard the next generation (205/305?) does a bit better, but still not in dense forest.

I love it because I dont have to measure my routes, I just go. Although I often do premeasure on gmaps first so I have an idea WHERE to go. But for my midweek runs I just kind of trot around the neighborhoods randomly.

I'm lusting after a Garmin. Maybe I need to drop some hints for my birthday next month...

I've not been round here too much recently. Some of my recent runs have been a bit blah, and I was away at the weekend too. My mileage has been a bit down, but I dragged myself out for just under 17 miles this evening after work. I struggled a bit in the last couple of miles, partly due to a hill that I forgot about and I think partly because it had been a long day and I was hungry! I suppose it's still a good sign that a 17 mile run in 2:34 qualifies as a dodgy one compared to normal.

I entered the Amsterdam marathon last night. I promise I'll only do the two this year, a bit of rest after Edinburgh then back into training.

didya ever think you would see the day when you would describe running 17 that way? cripes you are speedy

No - although even funnier than that was that they're running a "Triathlon Gym Challenge" at my gym. It's 1000m on the rower (instead of swimming), 4k bike and 1.5k run. I actually caught myself thinking that I could sprint the 1.5k run because it was really short. I remember at school the 1500 metres used to be a form of long drawn out torture I particularly dreaded, and now I think of it as a short fast one!

(Incidentally, I did the challenge in a couple of seconds over 20 minutes this morning, I'm planning to do it a couple more times informally before going for an officially timed version to put on the wallchart).