Good afternoon, ladies.

I have a less than stellar peformance to report today; I woke up somewhat hung over from a single (!!) glass of wine that I had last night (I haven't had a drop of wine or any other booze since February but then again I have never been a drinker, not even a social one), and my TOM got into full swing. So with a headache and pretty grumbly, I got on the treadmill determined I am NOT going to skip my run. I did have to cut is wee bit short as the pounding on the treadmill was making my headache a lot worse, but I clicked 4.2 miles and I feel good that I did not take the easy way out and skipped entirely.

Welcome, Pink Geranium! I loved your story.

Welcome, Puffin! Don't worry about your 1 minute intervals - we all have to start somehow. I started with walking on treadmill, gradually increasing speed and incline, and after a few months I decided to jog. At first, I could barely do 2 or 3 four-minute intervals, but it kept getting better EVERY WEEK. I am 49. Just give yourself time and don't give up.

Jenquin - I think that running has taught me perseverance and it gave me the strength to believe that I can meet my goals. It has taught me that "I can't" or "I won't" are not in my vocabulary. It has taught me that even if I think I exhausted after my 5 miles I can still walk my dogs for another 2, and I still CAN go to the gym later the same day.

Good morning ladies! You guys are doing so well it does nothing more but motivate me......(smile) anyways I am a beginner runner as well but I am very proud of myself. I am on week five day two of the c25 running program. Yesterday I even up the incline to level one and boy did I feel a huge difference I broke a sweat and it was such a great feeling.


I have a question for you runners. How many calories are you eating right now?

Hi Ladies, good job to all and welcome to the newbies!
I think running really is a mental game, I have learnt i can push my body and see great payoffs! I have learnt patience and perseverance too.
I relaly didnt want to run yesterday, just feeling lazy and mopping around the house, but I did it and was happy I did it, I upped my running intervals to 4mins run, 2 walking, I am really doing my own c25k program. I was getting tired and it clicked in my mind, the faster your run girl, the quicker you will be done, so I ran faster and upped the speed a little bit and saw the distance counter moving quicker and it felt great!!! I ran most of the time at 4.2mph, up by 0.2 and walked at 3.5, upped by 0.5 and did 2miles in 30mins, so I have to squeeze one more mile into the same time!!

Hello everyone, thanks for such a nice welcome. I had not thought about it, but I think it will be really nice to be part of a running community (I'm not much of a joiner, usually). And I can see I will learn a lot. I'm very impressed by everyone's stories and your hard work, it will help to inspire me!

Yesterday my husband and I wanted to run 4 miles before a kickboxing class we go to on Sunday AM's. We picked a nature preserve near us - I really like running on trails and in the woods, through fields, etc. We were going to try a section of the trail new to us as part of the run. Usually I run about 2 minutes ahead of my husband as I don't like to talk, etc, and I run a bit faster, so I don't like to pass him. Just run. But, I do tend to get lost and several times have had to call him to find out where I should have been going (oh well, extra calories burned...). This time I confidently found the turnoff and started running along. Nice hills, winding back and forth, tree roots, etc., I liked it. But then it seemed to get more overgrown. Fallen trees. I was climbing through them. It just seemed that they should take better care of the trail! I began to feel that familiar sensation of - I am lost. Again. But my husband had told me he had forgotten his phone before we started, so I was on my own.

After pushing through some thorny kind of bushes I really felt I should turn back, but I didn't want to stop the "run". Crawling was more like it. Finally, when the "trail" ended up in someone's back yard, I realized I was licked. Went back down the hill, those thorny bushes much worse than before, and to where the overgrown section started. The real trail bent to my left, just mocking me. Why did I not see it before? And why did I keep going even though a sensible person would have seen that the reason the trail was overgrown was that it was NOT A TRAIL? My husband came running back, saying he'd been looking for me after he went by the turn and heard a lot of crashing (it was early AM and very still). I had a lot of scratches. Looked worse than it was, but still...It was like one of those movies where the mangled person stumbles out of the woods yelling, Look what the monster did to me!

OK. We just picked up where we left off and finished the run. I don't think I touched any poison ivy. And at least the next time I know where this trail actually goes, it was pretty nice after all. I do wonder why I didn't turn around earlier. My husband says "you are very focused". I say, I'm nuts!

If I can keep up experiences like this I'll never get bored with running!

I did it!
 

:carrot:

I ran my 12 miles this past Sunday. woo hoo. go me. :D

-should prob. say it took just under 3 hours. I still feel super butch!!

:running:

Great job, Kitty! :bravo: :carrot:

Pink, I loved the running story. You are correct, running is never boring!

I am laughing out loud!!!

Way to go Kitty!!! Awesome! :bravo:

Pink -- that's hysterical and it so sounds like something I would do! I love when runs turn into adventures!

Midwife -- can I assume from your comments on my swimming blog post that there could be a triathlon in your future?! You should SO do one, you'd love it.

Pink Geranium, please keep posting! I love your stories - people from other cubes come running to mine to see what is so funny!

Kitty - you rock! 12 miles? oh my gosh.

I did my usual 5 miles on the treadmill this morning but I am not a happy camper. I feel a very odd stiffness in my right hip when I get up and start moving - I can eventually walk it out, but I don't like that it's there to start with. A while ago, I though I was having a hip problem but my doctor said it had to be one of the muscles. I try to stretch before as well as after running, and also whenever I am at the gym (like almost every day) I used the stretching station - it is great for the legs but it does not do anything for the hips. I am worried I have to have to skip a day to give myself time to recover.
Oh, the joys of being as ancient as Rome!!!

Help me runners! Please help me!

I have been running the c25K for over 7 weeks now. I am now up to 25 minute runs which is around 2.5 miles. (I think I'm closer to 2.3 miles.) I went on vacation last week and have been struggling to finish my 25 minutes this week. So instead of doing 28 minute runs for week 8, I am repeating week 7. Did I lose you yet?
My problem is that I have signed up for a 5K for Sept 14th (Lupus Run) and am completely freaking out because a) I'm not a runner and b) I've fallen behind in my training. Do any of you have any advice for me? I really don't want to give up the run. I just need to know the best way to prepare for it. I'm kinda flipping out over the whole thing. :yikes:

Any and all advice would really be appreciated.

Relax! If your goal is to "finish" a 5K, then you can surely do it right now, today. You may not go as fast as you like, you make take walk breaks, but you can certainly get out there and make it though 3.1 miles.

Some purists believe that if you don't run every single step of a race, then you aren't "running" it. I don't subscribe to that theory. If you walk it all, then you walked it (and plenty do!). If you run any part of it, as far as I'm concerned, you ran it. You know with certainty that you can run part of it and walk the rest if you have to, so you are golden.

If you are going 2.3 or 2.5 miles in 25 minutes, that's pretty doggone quick for a beginner, between 10-11 minutes per mile. Sometimes to go longer, you need to slow down. Work on distance first and the speed can come later.

So my advice is to train as best you can, and enjoy the event! Races are great fun. Some speedy rabbits will go really REALLY fast, and there will be others that will walk the whole thing and feel great that they could finish at all. Chances are, you'll be somewhere in between. Taking walk breaks is NOT a failure, it's a strategy. Just get out there, don't go out too fast, do your best, and have fun!!

If you run ... then you are a runner!

Pink - What a fantastic story! :lol:

Kitty - WTG on the rocking run!! :carrot:

So I'm on here posting so that I can feel more like a runner. My taper week is leaving me feeling less than athletic and I'm really missing running! It's been 6 days since my last run and I'm still 6 days from race day. Gah!

I was supposed to do a couple of 6K's on the weekend but I had some pain inside of my knee which scared me off of them. I'm ok working through soft tissue pain (obviously, as I've been dealing with one ache or another this entire training period!) but joint pain worries me.

I did get the go-ahead from my clinic instructor to do 30 minutes of non-running activity today and tomorrow so I was totally stoked to get on the elliptical tonight. I did 4.7 miles in 30 minutes (just about double the distance I use to do in that time in the winter!) and felt great. I couldn't believe how much I was sweating though! I had drops of sweat all over the floor where the sweat was dripping down my arms and off my elbow. Eeeew. :D

I'm trying to maintain my focus right now on still making good food choices. Running has been key for me in changing my diet so I really need to push myself this week.

And if anyone has healthy knee vibes they want to send my way they'd be greatly appreciated as I've still got a small something going on in there!

*focusing really hard*

OK, I just sent all my healthy, healing vibes to Kim's knee. Hopefully I didn't leave myself so depleted that my head falls off later today, because that would be inconvenient.

Lene -- My advice is to just continue with your training and enjoy yourself. You'll be fine! If for some reason you aren't quite up to running the whole 3.1 when race day comes you can do walk/run intervals! That's perfectly normal and acceptable and lots of people swear by walk/run intervals as a method for endurance so you don't need to feel funny about walking part of the race. In my area, plenty of people walk the WHOLE race, it's totally normal and OK! So don't get over-stressed about it. And if you are working the C25k program, you most certainly ARE a runner! You're doing great, just keep it up!

Jo, yes I am considering a tri. For me the barrier has always been cycling, but now that barrier is gone. I am not a great swimmer but I can and will improve....so, why not do a tri? My sil has done a couple this summer and will be great support. :)

Lene, you can totally run the 5K. Pace yourself, don't go out too fast (even if everyone else is passing you--I promise there will still be people behind you) and find your stride.

Kim, sending happy knee thoughts your way.

Well, I ran 5.5 miles this morning in my new running shoes, which are New Balance 805s. They are much lighter and more flexible than my previous New Balances but I think I like them. They are about as close to racing flats as I think I'll ever get to, though.

I felt faster, but I'm still struggling to get into a steady 8:XX pace for anything over 2 miles. I seem firmly entrenched in the 9:XX pace range. Maybe I'll be able to manage when the temperatures drop, it is still so hot and humid here!

Thanks for the advice MBN, Josephine, and midwife. I had just registered for the 5K right before posting and it had suddenly become very real to me. I read and reread this thread and decided I would just give myself off 2 days and try again this AM. I was able to run an entire 30 minutes! I can't tell you how empowered and happy I felt. I have no idea the distance but I'm guessing @ 2 3/4 miles???
While running I realize that I seem to hit a pivotal moment when my mind says "just walk for awhile". If I can just push thru that moment then going longer seems easier. If I give in and walk that I'm just annoyed at myself for walking for that 20 seconds.

I feel so inspired by all of you on this thread. When I'm running I'm thinking of all your successes and it really pushes me to go for it. Thanks again for your input and support.

Yay Lene! That must have been awesome to just push through this morning! Congratulations! :bravo:

Hey gals,

Thanks for your kind words cool running chicks.

Lene, my reaction too, was you can def. do it!!
Be well running chicks!!

i planned on doing a double run at work today... then realized I had the day off to visit DS at camp. did 1 mile on treadmill (12min). still got plenty sweaty.
I LOVE to sweat!! don't really like the treadmill tho.

planning on 6er tomorrow am.

later taters...

I am having an ESP session with your knees right now, Kim!

I ran 5k yesterday on the treadmill while Kim was on the elliptical and another 5k today while a test was running on the computer.

I'm trying to decide whether to push for more distance or more speed, going forward.

This is to lene1974 who was wondering if she could make the 5K, I say, from my own experience, when you get into a race you will have strength and speed you had no idea was there. It's just a lot of fun to be competing and in a group of others all trying to push themselves, and it inspires you, or at least me!

If you are thinking of conserving your strength in the event to make the distance in whatever way you want to, my only advice is not to get caught up in the sprint off the start, but find your own pace and stick to it until everyone settles down. In my first race I actually looked around to see if anyone was left behind me, so many seemed to be passing me, but of course there were, and I re-passed some of those passers (ugh, this sentence is just so confused!) not that much later on and went on to finish respectably (meaning within what I wanted to do). Plus, the others are right. I count it as a run if you run any of it, and I can also tell you that I have found I can run VERY SLOWLY, amazing how slowly my legs can go! and get a rest.

Doing my first race is what hooked me on running. (I had tried running, I had given in to the desire to stop running and walk for many years and never got past that, but the first race I did did it for me, showed me I could actually do it!) Just loved the whole thing. What a sense of accomplishment you have ahead of you, doing a 5k, to add to what you are already doing! Good luck!

Jo, Midwife, and Tomato: My knee sends big happy kisses to you all! It's feeling pretty good today. Race day here I come!!

My pecs and my upper back are feeling the effects of yesterday's elliptical session. I think I need to do more upper body work!

Kitty: I'm right there with you on the loving to sweat and preferring runs that don't involve the treadmill! I'm not looking forward to running outdoors with our bone-chilling winters but there's something less than appealing about running on a treadmill for months.

Lene: You rock!!! :carrot:

[QUOTE=Pink Geranium;2315111]
If you are thinking of conserving your strength in the event to make the distance in whatever way you want to, my only advice is not to get caught up in the sprint off the start, but find your own pace and stick to it until everyone settles down.QUOTE]

In a race situation, it is REALLY hard not to get caught up in the adrenaline rush at the start and go out way faster than you should, based on your ability and training. I remember a 5K I did last spring, it was a very small event raising money for one of the Sickle Cell anemia foundations I think. There weren't a lot of runners, mostly walkers and quite a gaggle of kids participating. The gun went off, and about a dozen teenagers took off like the proverbial bats out of heck .... left me in the dust ... they took the lead for, oh, about 100 yards and dropped out to the side completely winded. Don't do that. :D I got quite a chuckle as I cruised on by never to see them again... :p

Can I brag on myself just a bit? That was a REALLY small race because there were at least 2 or 3 other higher-profile races the same day, and the fast runners went to those. There were maybe 60 registered runners and a couple hundred walkers. After I blew by the kids, I pulled a 5K personal record (PR) of 26:18 which in this race was good enough for 3rd female overall! :carrot: So the moral of the story is, you don't have to be REALLY fast, just fast enough to beat most of the others that show up that day. ;)

Welcome Hadaad! Hmmm distance or speed, distance or speed.Tough to choose. No reason why you can't do both though.... right?

NICE JOB! Sounds like that was a great race! Congratulations! :carrot:


I biked and walked today, since I ran yesterday and will run tomorrow -- but the whole time I was thinking of running. I'm trying not to become a one-sport person, but it has now been a couple of weeks since I got in the pool (bad Jo, bad), and even when I'm biking I'm wishing I was running -- except when I bike with my husband, which usually only happens on weekends.

If I'm honest, right now I'd prefer to run every day.

MBN - congrats!!!

I made a weeny teeny progress - I usually run alternating between 4.8 and 4.9 mph but today I ran almost my entire distance at 4.9 mph. I WILL make it to 5 mph one day!

Thank you for your response Pink. I'm hoping the adrenaline gives me that extra boost if I need it. I'm really going to try to pace myself.

MBN~ I had no idea that kids actually participate in these runs. I know that they can but I'm surprised about how many do. I hope they don't run me over. :D Great job on 26:18 run time!

Tomato~ great job running 4.9, 5mph is right around the corner

Josephine~It's funny you say that you'd rather be running. When I'm running and a cyclist passes me I keep wishing they would stop and give me a lift. :p

Hi Ladies
Congrats to everybody for doign great, you ladies who rum mega miles are my inspiration!
I havent gotten outside yet, but I am now running at 4.0mph for 5 mins and then walking for 2min! I cannot believe I am doign 5mins! i think I will continue increasing the running time beofre i increase the speed. I think I will fall off the treadmill if I run at 5mph!!
I was going to register for a run/walk next month, but I will be fasting (I am muslim)and I am really nervous I will stop working out and be back to week one when I start again. Do you think that will happen or I will be okay to jump back on after four weeks out?

Hello Ladies! I ran today and it felt so refreshing today was one of those days I really didnt feel like working out but I pushed myself. I just completed w5d3 on the c25 training I must admitt that last week I started to up the incline just to level one and I am glad I did because I feel a major difference. Anyways I hope all is well with everyone.

I would like to say that yesterday I went on that run that I got lost on last Sunday, and this time stayed on course. It was a nice run, that part I missed by taking off on my own into the wilderness! I do wonder about my unfailing ability to miss turns, ignore trail signs right in front of me, etc., but --- guess it just makes life more interesting.

I am doing a 5k race tomorrow morning on the road, so I think I should be all right (since quite a few people will be in front of me, so I can just run in perfect calmness following them).

Does anyone else do trail runs? I really enjoy being in the woods, the roughness of the footing, etc. It certainly distracts from the feeling of, how much more can I run without keeling over, when you are concentrating on jumping over a little stream or those tree roots, or managing the footing on a gravelly path, I will say that!

Parveen -- It would certainly be hard to run while fasting. How long does the fasting last -- from your post I'm assuming 4 weeks? Maybe you can do a light walking training plan during that time to keep you in the habit of working out?

Tomato -- you'll be at 5 mph before you know it, clearly you're doing awesome.

Matilda -- nice job completing W5D3! Pushing through those days when you don't want to work out deserves special praise, so WELL DONE YOU!

PG -- Good luck at your 5k tomorrow, I'm sure you'll kick butt! I enjoy trail runs, but there are not that many good options for me to run right out my door since I live on a barrier island (between the ocean and a river). Mostly I end up running on pavement -- but at least I almost always have a water view! When I vacation I always search out trails -- I just came back from Monterey/Big Sur area and I ran trails all over the place including in Big Basin Redwoods State Park and up on the cliffs of Half Moon Bay. It was awesome.

Tonight I did 6.81 miles. I really prefer running first thing in the morning, but then occasionally I run at night and do enjoy it. It is the feeling of waiting around all day to do my run that I do NOT enjoy. :)

Hello all. I used to be a somewhat frequent poster on this thread then I fell off the wagon. Well I am back on, but doing a 12 week program of weights/cardio so my running is 3 times a week only for 20 minutes (HIIT training). I get in around 1.8-2.0 miles with a w/u and c/d. After the 12 weeks I plan on bumping my running up to a few miles at a time 3 days a week.

I am feeling a lot better this time around, no pain in the hip and I attribute that to the weights I am faithfully doing. My run speed isn't where it used to be but I am sure after this program is done I will be much faster and have more endurance!

Well, I hit 7k today, so I guess I am going for more distance - at least for now.

Welcome back to the thread Cakses! Glad the hip pain has faded!


This morning I ran 6.05 miles with the only problems being humidity in the 95% range and a Pelican that seemed determined to poop on me. Fortunately, he only got a little on me, but a little Pelican poop goes a looooooooooong way.

Jo - I'm killing myself giggling about pelican poops! I'm so glad you share these stories with us. :D

Cakses - WTG on getting back into running! I'm fully of the opinion that the first few weeks are the hardest part so go you! :carrot:

Pink - I've done a little bit of trail running but I haven't focused on it too much. Some of my long runs have had a fairly good chunk (7-10K) of trail and I've always enjoyed it. There's something about getting off the concrete and into the trees that's very refreshing!

So in my news...I ran my half-marathon today!!! :hyper: My goal was to come in somewhere between 2:15 and 2:30, and I finished at 2:20:07. Yeehaw!

I started out feeling really great and the lack of any ouch in my legs and knee made me really appreciate the 11-day taper. It's been a long time since I've done a run that hasn't hurt. I think I ran on adrenaline for the first 10K then my energy dipped a bit between the 12-15K mark. With the help of my shot blocks and my running buddy's pep talks, I pushed through and we picked up our pace at the 17K mark. The last 3K were harsh and I kept telling myself "Only 3 more...Only 2 more...Only 1 more". We made it to the home stretch and as we rounded the last block I picked up to a sprint and my friend and I dashed full out across the finish line.

It was a really fantastic run. Nothing on my body hurt and I was able to run based on my energy level and my breathing. I really felt like I gave it my all and although I didn't beat my time from 6 years ago (2:14) this finish time for where my body is right now is fantastic. And not beating my old time just gives me a really good excuse to run another half! ;)

Tonight, my running buddy is having a going away party (she's moving to China later this week) and I'm looking forward to a good celebration with just a wee bit of alcohol. :D

Oh, and here's a pic of me and my friend at the finish line (I'm on the right!):

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...cture026-1.jpg

Congrats!

Congratulations, Kim! You know how proud I am of you. It's not about the time, though. I was proud of you before you ever set foot on the track.

Tyler Durden: A little pelican poop DOES go a long way. 6.05 miles, if I read it right.

I got jealous of Kim's running so much that I decided to go for a 9k run. It was nice. It took me past the old condo and the trail I used to take to work on the bike.

Kim, how incredible! I can't even imagine how great you must be feeling! Congratulations on your race. Enjoy your friend's going away party.

Josephine, sorry about that darn bird getting you. I had a bird keep diving at my head the other day. It was really funny and annoying at the same time.

hadaad, one day I'll be able to run a 9K. I'm glad you had a nice run.

CONGRATULATIONS KIM!!!!! :bravo:

It sounds like you had a wonderful race! When I think of all the training you've put it, you certainly DESERVED to have a great race. Have you added up how many miles you ran in total preparing for this race? That will be an impressive number!

The picture is great, you look FABULOUS and so HAPPY! I'm so thrilled for you!

WAY TO GO!