Leah / Zinke:
Today, I stretched before and after and although my shins still hurt, they didn't hurt as much as the first few times. I don't know if that's due to the stretching or just because this is day 4 and I'm adapting. There's a short wall that separates the elliptical machines from the treadmills and I stood on it and stretched my calves (toes on the wall, heels down) and shins (heels on the wall, toes down). On Tuesday, I'll stretch farther and for a longer time and see if that helps more.
Leah, , I can't get out of bed any earlier either. I'm a night owl. I usually go to the gym between 10pm and 12am.

Hello c25k friends!

I am now in Week 9! I ran my first 30 minute run yesterday out in the sunshine! I am so stoked that I can run this long now. Unfortunately, I'm not running as FAR as the program suggests in that amount of time. But after I finish this week, I'm going to run a 5K which should take me about 40 minutes (at my 4.5 mph pace). Then I'm going to work on getting a little faster and improving my 5K time.
I NEVER thought I could do this! But I won't give up.

I've got a question. I've been doing c25k for a while now - I'm in week 7. I know the program says to only do 3 days a week of running, but do you think it'd be ok if I did about 5 days of running per week, even though I'm not done? I would run about the same 25-30 minute per day, just more often. Or is this a problem because my joints and muscles aren't ready for 5 days of running per week? I'm really starting to like running, and I find the elliptical quite boring now compared to running.

Shades, it's okay to run every day, if your legs can take it - but you really do need rest days. I would gradually add on. Start with 4 days for a while, then 5. You are still training, and it takes a long time for your body to get used to the running.

There are some people who run every single day. I wouldn't be going all out every day, but certainly you could vary how hard you push yourself.

W9D1 today. I discovered it's a BAD idea for me to eat in the few hours before I run so it was quite painful. Live and learn, I guess. I won't be doing that again anytime soon! I'll do D2 either tomorrow or Wednesday and likely not get to my last *official* day of C25K until Sunday since I've got a 1600+ mile drive Wednesday - Saturday.

I did W4D1 again today and almost made it through the set. I was supposed to jog 1/2 mile at the end, but came up about 1/8 short. Today was the first time I tried c25k outside because the weather has just started to get nice here in Michigan. Such a difference running outside. I had to push myself more and I think I ran slower than my 5.4 mile an hour pace at the gym, but it was easier to push myself to the end of an interval because I could visualize a place on the track to run toward.

I did w7d2 this morning (25 minutes of running again). It was kinda rough because I think I was a bit dehydrated or maybe I'm getting sick, so I turned the speed down to 5.5 mph (I was going to try 5.9 but it was too fast for today). I'm really glad I was able to finish it though.

Well, I started W6 yesterday. Surprisingly, it was a little tough. I thought it would be a piece of cake following the runs last week. Not so much. Anyway, W6D2 tomorrow.

As for stretching, I do it before and after.

Did W5D3 today. The 20 minute jog!! I actually got through it fine. Went about 1 3/8 miles, so that is around a 16-17 minute mile. Not too shabby. I could have gone further, so that is good to know with Week 6 on the horizon!!

I was supposed to do my W3D2 today but instead I spent 90 minutes raking the front yard and took the kids on a 50 minute walk. Try it tomorrow.

Hi all - I have not run in 5 days!!!! Eeeek! I was so busy this weekend (another agility trial) and Mon and Tues just flew by. Oh my! So, today will be W7D2; I am thinking I might just listen to the W6 podcast again because I like the intermittent prompts and the music was much less annoying (seriously, the same 2 bars of percussion with synthasizer overlay for 4 minutes is NOT motivating to me). Anyway, I'll update AFTER I run, but coming in here today holds me accountable!

Fluffy - I'd love to share my shin-pain secret. A friend told me that my shins hurt because my stride is too bouncy. To fix it she said to look at something ahead of me (like a point on the wall, etc.) and try to keep it from bouncing. It made my shin splints go away! Yay!

I'm baaaack. OK, so I got back out there!!! It felt really good, even after so many off days. Or maybe especially after so many off days. See ya later!

I did w7d3 today - still 25 minutes of running. I can't believe I'm almost done with this program. I'm definitely going to keep up with running, and maybe even run a 5k or 10k race eventually.

My run went really well today. I think they're better when I put a new running playlist on my ipod; I get sick of the same songs over and over again. I'll have to remember this for next time.

Good luck everyone!

Hi Runners!

I've not yet begun my modified C25K. I decided that this couch potato needs to ease into the running part, so I'm doing a 4 mile walk with Hubby each evening. Our walk includes a lot of hills, so I'm getting a good start. My plan.....Monday, May 12 is the day. I'll do the C25K in the morning and the walking in the evening. Any bets on the scales moving a little quicker?

I began walking about a month before I started the program. Wonderful idea.

Completed W6D2. Again, it was a little more difficult than I expected. I'm kinda frustrated with my speed (or rather, lack of) at the moment. But, I know that will improve as I consistently run for 30 minutes. D3 tomorrow. I'm also partricipating in the Revlon Run/Walk on Saturday AS A WALKER. I'm going on vacation next week. My challenge will be getting in my 3 runs while hanging out. I'm shooting for Tues, Thurs, and Saturday for my runs.

Also, my calves have been on fire all week. Also, my right knee was a bit problematic. Last night, I used a little Biofreeze on my knee and calves. Now, I feel great! I need to start getting massages on a more regular bases. However, Biofreeze is a great quick remedy.

Good to know, thanks! I'm completely amazed that I have been running 25 min straight with little to no knee pain! Last time I considered myself a runner, I got sidelined by bad knees in the middle of training.