Yay Lisa! Congrats on getting through 11 miles, you are so ready for a half marathon now. And congrats to all you C25Kers - you're doing great! One of the great discoveries for me during that program was how much the length of a run is mental - once you think you can do it, it (almost) becomes easy. Keep those good progress reports coming!

Me, I'm gearing up for trying a 15-miler tomorrow. I was going to try it last weekend, but the weather was so hot and sticky that there was absolutely no way! Thank goodness we have a nice weekend this time around.

Woohoo Lisa!

I havent posted here in forever. Had a kind of draggy week between the heat and feeling sick and I think my half on the 4th wiped me out a bit. My runs have been sluggish and painful, but yesterday's 7 felt good which is good because I was really starting to worry about my 16 miler tomorrow. The real marathon push is starting. I'm trying not to think beyond tomorrow because thats when it gets scary.

I finished the last run of week 2 of C25K and it was a bit painful. After two runs on the treadmill I took it outisde again and man I didn't realize my subdivision isn't completely flat - LOL!

I made it to the halfway point about 30 seconds faster than in week 1 but made it to the exact same spot on the secondhalf which means I pretty much died on the way back home. Oh well. I am sure it will get better.

My legs are toning up quickly - I am looking forward to taking pictures at the end of week 4 to see the difference.

Thanks for the cheers, ennay and Rachel! I'm actually starting to think I AM going to be ready for the half. Barring any unforeseen injuries or illnesses, that is. I'm excited about it!

I did a nice, easy 3 miles with my sister-in-law this morning. I was supposed to do 5 but she wasn't able to so I just cut it short and will do my 5 tomorrow.

Hey guys, I have a decision to make and it's related to running. I posted it in the 100 lb. club forum and instead of reposting it here, I'm just going to give you a link if you want to check it out and respond there (I don't want to cloud up this thread with it for the people who aren't interested in responding!)

http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=117913

Lisa -

Wow. MY biggest worry would be working with my husband - !
Let me address yours one at a time:

"Here are my fears:
*I'll be too slow to keep up with the kids on our practice runs. Granted, I'll be running with the girls, who are generally slower than the boys, but I'm afraid I'll be too slow for them, which will look bad for a COACH."
Oh, please. Some will be faster, some will be slower - but I suspect you'll be just fine. Besides - who cares?? You WON'T be at the back, struggling for breath and having them all laugh at you - No, you won't... YOU WON'T! You are fit now, and a runner. Say it with me: 'I can DO this!'

"*I won't be taken seriously. Yes, I look different than I used to, and most of the kids know that I run now, but these kids saw me at 275. Will they respect me as a coach?"
I PROMISE you that they will respect you MORE for losing that weight. They'll look at you and think - 'Gawd, she used to be fat - now she's as fit - fitter! - than ME!' Will they respect you? Absolutely. They are teenagers - treat them with respect, they'll respect you in return. Go in as a coach, not as your hubby's wife.

"*I'm new to running. Most coaches did it in high school. Heck, my husband was in the Junior Olympics and has records at his school that still haven't been broken, I believe. Will they listen to anything I say? And DO I know enough, just from reading up on it?"

You didn't 'just read up on it' - you're LIVING it! I know you mean coaching, but your hubby will be able to help you there, outside of school. And who cares about 'other coaches' - how many do these kids know or have? The only person they might compare you to is your husband, right? Will they listen to you? Of course, if you go in confident and positive - teenagers LOVE or HATE their coaches, no in betweens. Be the one they love, by challenging them, and setting clear guidelines of who is in charge (hint - it's YOU!) You know who'll love you most? That girl who wants to run faster, but can't... yet. And you can give her that little pep talk about how YOU became a runner - one day at time

"*As much as I feel like I've gotten over it, I'm still the last-picked fat girl in gym class. Can I really consider being a COACH of a SPORT? It seems insane!"
It seems insane? So did losing a hundred pounds. And running. But you did it, girl! You are NOT in high school any more (thank goodness, right? )

Lisa - you CAN do this. You'll hate yourself if you don't. You can always quit if it's awful - but you don't want to be the girl who later wastes time saying "I wish I had..." I don't 'know' you, per se, but I know enough to know you can do this, and you should

Thinking of you in a big way - keep us posted, okay?? I know you'll be AWESOME.

Heather

Lisa-

Would you be expected to run with the kids? CAN you keep up with them? Get some numbers wrt how fast you'd be expected to be, and be honest with yourself. It's a pass/fail question, either you can maintain their speed for their distance while doing whatever you'd be expected to do, or you can't-- and that has nothing to do with how hard you've worked to get to where you are. Age and talent are beyond your control.

I'd be more concerned that (1) you've never been part of organized competitve running, and (2) you haven't been running for long. Also ISTM that part of coaching is having more experience and mileage in the sport than the coachees, and it's likely in this case that you haven't.

You've done a great thing for yourself and you can inspire other kids to become active, but overall my questions relate to whether this is the right spot for you. Truth, I'm not convinced either way.

(Mods, feel free to move this to the 100 pound forum if need be, but both my response and my outlook are coming from a different place and I think the running thread is the better fit.)

Maria, I wouldn't have to run with the kids every single time, but I'd want to most of the time. My husband says the girls run between 25 and 30 minute 5ks at the meets but at practice they generally run a bit slower. Obviously they push more at a meet. When I run a 5k distance, I run between 30 and 32 minutes generally. I wouldn't say I'm pushing myself THAT hard at that pace, and I certainly could hang with them around a 29 or 30 minute 5k run. They'll do some speed work during practice, but I'll most likely be timing them rather than running with them for that. I'll have to run some hills with them and maybe do a long run here and there. Long runs would have an easier pace (thank God) and I've worked up to a distance of 11 miles so I would probably be ok with their 5 or 6 miles. So I suppose I'd probably be pushing myself in practice, but I could still do it.

I've never officially been part of competitive running, no. I've certainly been heavily involved in helping out at track meets and such, so I'm familiar with how everything works, but no, I didn't run in high school. I don't know what "ISTM" means, but yes, one would expect a coach to have more experience than the students, and that's what troubles me most. I suppose that's why I would only be ok with it because I'd be my husband's assistant, and he has enough experience to make up for my lack, certainly.

You've brought up some very good points, Maria -- thank you! Lots to think about.

Heather, you've brought up great points too, and I sincerely appreciate your encouragement. The biggest reason I'm seriously considering this is for the chance to help the girls who are out there giving it their all even though they're not "natural athletes." I see lots of them, struggling at the back of the pack, and as much as my husband cares about them, he can't really see things from their point of view. He's never been anything but superfit and superfast. I think I could help them in a way most coaches couldn't. Most people don't think about high school sports in that way -- they'd rather just encourage the star athletes and congratulate the "lesser" ones for being involved but otherwise dismiss them. I want to be a different kind of coach. The good part about it is my husband would be there to handle the stars, because I doubt I'd be that much help to them!

ISTM = it seems to me. Sorry about that.

Let us know what you decide.

Hello everyone, a bit of a quick fly by post from me.

I did another 10k race at the weekend. I'm still not back to my fastest after the marathon, but I'm remarkably consistent - I managed to finish this race within 5 seconds of the time I did in my last 10k. I think it all comes down to putting on a vague attempt at a sprint finish in the last km both times to get under 50 minutes (I managed 49:55 last time and 49:50 this time!).

I did 11 miles this evening - my normal routine of 3 and a bit up to running club then the club run. I managed to just about finish by the time thundery torrential rain started, it caught me in about the last two minutes so cooled me off nicely before my shower without me being out in it for too long.

I've got a 7 mile club handicap race on Wednesday which should be interesting. I don't think I'll do my warm up before that one, in an attempt to keep the speed up all the way round it. Then hopefully a long run on Friday because I won't be running at the weekend - I'm going on a learn to climb/abseil weekend.

Checking in from vaca....

There is no way on god's earth that I can run here, in the Adirondacks. My calves are crazy knots from just walking everywhere. Running is NOT happening. After Saturday, everywhere we stay has a treadmill, and I can get back to it.

However, these hills are good for the tushy....

Sounds fun, onthetee! And walking all those hills will build some nice strength in your legs, which will make your runs easier later on!

I tried a tempo run today and it KILLED me. I can see how a weekly tempo run will really build my speed, though. I have to tweak it a bit, though. I did a 5-mile run today and planned to do the tempo pace from 1.5 to 3.5, for two full miles, but I could only keep it up for 1 1/2 instead. And then I had two full miles to finish and I was completely worn out. Next time I'll do a 4 mile run instead of 5, and I might slow down the pace until I'm ready to step it up.

As for the coaching position, I've decided that I'll take it if it's offered and if I can juggle it with my academic team coaching position. I plan to run with the kids on their easy, slower runs and just time them on their speed workouts. In all this decision-making, I completely forgot that most coaches don't participate with the kids during practice, and they certainly don't do it ALL the time. I was basing my decision on how my husband coaches, but he's kind of exceptional.

Today was the start of Week 3 of C25K and ouch, pain! My SIL tells me I need to drink some caffeine before running and eat a banana after to stop the soreness. Anyone have an opinion on that? I made it through my run and it wasn't me being out of breath or my muscles that were sore, it's this absolute almost bone pain in my shins. The muscles are sore too just not as bad as the other pain. I'm hoping a few more weeks will tame my body - I think it's just in shock that I haven't quit yet!

You've got shin splints, Cakses, and bananas and coffee won't fix you.

Google for shin splint stretches and make sure you're wearing proper running shoes.

Week #5 of the c25k starts tomorrow...20 minutes of straight running by the end of this week whaaaaat? But I can do it...gotta get through the first 2 workouts first...lol.