Kim - YAY!!! :cp::bravo::hat:

Lovely picture and is sounds like a fabulous run. The celebration later in the day was more than well deserved. Although, can you please tell me how you manage to run a half-marathon with nary a bead of sweat on you? There is a 5K and a 10K run in my town in October but I don't think I can run in public - I look like I fell into a pool when I am done.

I hanging my head in shame - the last time I ran was Friday of last week. I was scheduled to run on Sunday morning, but I was visiting a friend (out of town) on Saturday evening and got home past midnight, and then watched TV for about an hour - I need some downtime before going to bed. I woke up at 10 am !!!!! so not only I did not do the treadmill (I was thinking maybe later) but I also missed my half hour core class. Grr. Although I have to say I did some gardening - almost 5 hours.
I thought I would run this morning but one of my dogs is very ill so I kept her in my bed and I kept waking up every time she moved (thinking she may need to go out) and when 5:30 came, I was a total zombie.
Don't know if I can run tonight but I will run tomorrow morning for sure.
I will think of victorious, sweat-free Kim for an inspiration. :D

Tomato - The picture is very deceiving! I actually had sweat soaking the armpits of my shirt before I even crossed the start line. It was a really hot day (it was 22C/71F by the time I finished but went up to 32C/90F by later in the afternoon!) and the race organizers put out a bunch of extra water stations to help us cope. I took to drinking one cup and dumping one cup over my head at each station. So yeah, I was good and sweaty and occasionally soaked with water too!

I have a question for the "seasoned runners" (and anyone else who might know the answer:D). I started doing HIIT several weeks ago. I am running on a track to do it. Today, I noticed that there was a different sound when my left foot hit than when my right foot hit. Paying closer attention, I noticed that the left foot was hitting a lot harder, then I noticed that while my right foot was hitting in a heel to toe manner, my left foot was hitting almost completely flat. I also do this when I walk, but it's not as noticeable because I don't make as much noise when I walk. Has anyone else experienced this? Do you have any suggestions to remedy this problem? Thanks in advance.
Michelle

I am feeling somewhat better today as I got on the treadmill this morning. It was getting humid and hot yesterday so I did not even want to think about running (but I did a good job cleaning the kitchen and even washed the window). We got a bit of a storm last night - YAY to that and it is much cooler today although it won't last long.

I felt I need to step it up after skipping one run so I actually ran 4 miles for the first time today. Although the speed is nothing to write home about - it took me almost 51 minutes to cover 4.05 miles. Oh well, that's alright, I am of the snail species. :-)

150reasons - sorry, I don't know the answer to your question.

Hi Ladies
well yesterday I ran 6 minutes!!!! I did 6min run/3min walk!! for about 30mins and then walked fast the rest of the time getting to 2.5miles!!
I am so happy, I cannot beleive I have progressed from where I could not run more than 2 minutes!!
I have a major issue with boredom, so I am fianlly getting a TV for the rommwhere my treadmill is! that should help me to stop looking on the watch and go for longer on the runs!
I actually experienced the groove you get when you just feel like your body is wokring together and not dying!!
KimProbable Congrats on the Marathon! wow, you look good, I think I would have died!! you make it sound fun!

Parveen, great job!!! :cp:

I don't know the answer to your question but I have some advice. It seems like this could get to be a problem if you're going to start doing long-distance running, so I would, if I were you, talk to a running coach. In Edmonton, we have stores called The Running Room where they help fit you for shoes by watching your stride. The one who helped me with my shoes was also my wife's Clinic instructor for the half-marathon. I'm sure that someone like that could help you with your stride as well, or at least tell you if you risk doing damage to your knee or legs by landing flat-footed.

As far as home-brewed suggestions, all I can think of is to try to pull your toes up and make sure you land on your heel. Try it for a bit and see if it helps. Maybe try unbending your leg a little bit more,too, since that would point your heel to the ground a little more as well, but make sure you don't lock your knee. I could be full of it, but if you want a heel-to-toe stride, those are things that I would try.

MY UPDATE: Well, last week was really good. I got lots of runs in, including a 9km run on Sunday, but work has seriously interfered with my ability to get out. I've been glued to the computer running performance tests and I haven't gotten out.

Thanks, Hadaad! I really just want to be balanced, in more ways than one;) I found out I have some issues in my hips as well, which may be contributing. I have been working to really pull the left toe up, which has resulted in a really sore left shin, which has resulted in me having to go easy on the running:( I would definitely rather slow down than have an injury stop me, but it's frustrating to just get going and already have to slow down.

Parveen, Great Job on your run!

I ran 3 miles tonight in a little over 32 minutes. I pretty happy with that. If I can do that for my 5K I should be okay?

With the days getting shorter it is really hard for me to get my runs in. I work at 6:30AM so I normally run before work. It is still dark out at 5:30 so I can't go before work anymore. I have my kiddos during the day, no run for me then. My Dh doesn't get home until after 6PM. We have dinner @6:25ish, clean up, let my tummy settle and then I get out close to 8PM to run. It's getting dark as I finish my run. I really am going to miss my AM runs. :(

I did a 5.51 mile run this morning and a 4.01 mile run yesterday midday where I threw in lots of sprint repeats on the football field again (yippee!). Finally I got out of the house, Tropical Fay has had me homebound for days, going crazy.


150reasons -- I agree with Hadaad that it might be good idea to get your gait analyzed. I am not a heel striker, I strike much more in the midfoot area. Lots of information about heel striking versus midfoot striking available online, but it seems that there are proponents for both styles. For all I know I'm a very loud runner! :)

Lene -- you're looking GREAT for your 5k! I do almost all my runs in the dark, I actually prefer it. When I was working I used to go around 4:30 am. Now I usually go around 5:30 am. If I miss the morning I'll usually wait until after sunset to go. My midday run yesterday was a rarity, but I was afraid there wouldn't be another break in the tropical storm so I went as soon as the radar showed a brief break in the weather!

Parveen -- GREAT JOB! I bet a TV will REALLY help you start stretching out the distance. I rarely run on a treadmill, but when I do I HAVE to have a tv going!

Josephine, do you wear reflective gear or take a light with you? I live in the suburbs but many of our roads do not have street lights. Glad your surviving Fay. I haven't watched TV in days so I'm not sure if its winding down or going away yet. Take care of yourself.

I don't wear any headlight or anything, I find general ambient light to be enough (I'm in the suburbs too, but your eyes adjust to the darkness).

But I do wear the "Firefly supernova blinking light" to make sure people know I'm there, and I wear a RoadID dog tag in my shoe pouch in case something happens to me while I'm out there.

Thanks for the good vibes on Fay. She has passed and we're hoping the flood waters start receding!

Hi All, new here! I just started c25k program, because I really want to be a runner. Long ago, before the days of worrying about my weight I ran...but unfortunately this was one of the joys being overweight took away. Anyway, now that I have lost some I decided it was time to try again. I'm glad I found this page...you all have super inspiring stories!!!

Welcome Lish! Isn't it nice reclaiming your former self? :carrot: I'm sure you'll blow through the C25k program, so enjoy it!

By the way, you have really adorable hair, SO cute!

Hi and welcome.

My hip is sore but I am determined to 65 miles in August as I had set it at the beginning of the month. So I did 5.2 miles (I tried HIIT). Normally, I sweat a lot but today it was INSANE. Jo, if had know how much I weighed before I ran I would have hopped on the scale again when I was done to see if I beat you. I am sure I did!!!:p

Hi all you cool runners!!
I am back from vacation in the foothills of the Berkshires-- soooo beautiful. Got 2 great runs in and did not gain a pound!!

suffered a bit of shin splints after a 9er. rested 4 days... then a shortie 2 er and tried to make it a quickie-- the run, that is ;). and ended with a 6er. I am aware that this training is improving my stamina and performance in general. very cool indeed.

sooo, I haven't read far back but I am seeing pelican poop pop up a ibt. must read on. saw something about Kim and a half marathon success-- congrats!!

will fully catch up during work hours (don't tell!) tomorrow.

good night all!!

Hello everyone, thanks for the comments on trail running, and I'm very impressed by that half-marathon by Kim. Wow! Can't imagine how good that achivement must feel!

Two running things that have happened to me recently. I did a 5k on 8/22 and did my best time ever : 24:52. Shocked myself silly. Trying to run a little faster in the beginning (I am a slow starter and speed up as the run goes on) seemed to make a difference. I will be in another one on 9/1, should be a comparable course (running around on streets, pretty flat, etc.) It will be interesting to see how that turns out.

Maybe I should say three things, I ran 8 miles in a row for the first time this week. Wow! I was very tired by the end of that! But it was on a nice trail through a park, lots of deer, rabbits, birds encouraging me on (or I choose to see it that way!). I think this is the longest I want to go at one time. This way I know I can do 5k's and also I feel more confident about the 10K in November.

Last thing, on Sunday, we went to a different state park (I was running before having to go to an art show I was participating in, so the park was near the show and unfamiliar). A simple (on the map) 5 mile loop plus I planned to do a little more to make 6 miles. My husband said, Keep going right if there is a fork. So I did. But what do you do if you see there are 2 rights at the same place (a fork with three choices???). The map didn't seem to show all these roads... Well, if you are me you take the rightest right and end up about a half mile away in some dead end parking lot. So I turned around and went to the middle right, which was the correct right. Complete the run without further incident. I really am starting to wonder about myself with this getting lost thing. I don't do it driving, just running. I think it's that I always think, oh, I'll make this work out and get back on track, (by what? plunging through dense undergrowth or over streams or 4 lane highways? Is that next???) and I don't want to stop running! This is causing a lot of amusement in my family. And I guess I do get some extra calories burned. My husband says he has also noticed I run a lot faster after I get on back on track as he thinks it makes me mad to make this these mistakes!

Sometimes I think swimming (the other sport I do) has one big thing over running - I can't get lost, at least!

OK, see you later!

Josephine - I just want to say thanks
 

Josephine - A few weeks back I read your entire Blog - it was a time when I was feeling down had hit a bad place with my eating. Your blog so inspired me that I started running (my brother is a triathelete and my trainer runs marathons but it took your blog to inspire me!)

Although I have been working out consistantly over the past year I have never run before .... over the past two weeks I have run 10 times at 2 miles a run - I feel great and have signed up for a 5K on October 19th and am eating clean again.

I just wanted to say thank you for sharing such a personal side of yourself with others...I'm sure I'm not the only person that you have impacted.

I wish you all the best - I know you will be at goal very soon.

:hug: Donna

Awwwwww, that is so sweet, Donna! What a nice thing to say! Yay! It is so awesome when someone says that they can relate so much to your journey, it let's us know we all have the same struggles!

Congratulations on your running, that is just WONDERFUL! How exciting to be signed up for a 5k in October, I bet that gives you lots of motivation! :carrot:

Please post here with us and let us know how your running is going!

:hug:

Hi ladies,

I have a little update to share with you. I had a retest at my gym last night (really nothing else that they put me on the Tanita Body Analyzer scale and it spits out a printout with numbers). The good news is that since my last retest, at the end of June, I managed to decrease my body weight from 28.8% to 25.5% and I am pretty happy about that. [Midwife - no :rofl: please, I do realize it is a very amusing number compared to yours LOL].

The not so good news is that I somehow lost 2.2 lbs of muscle and that is upsetting. I don't really understand how that happened - too much treadmill, I guess? I think I will have to lay off the treadmill a bit and do just smaller distances and I will go down to 3x a week instead of every other day. My sore hip won't mind that, I am sure. I don't want to stop running, I am very proud of being able to puff through a couple of miles, no matter how slowly. I will wait for a new gym schedule (for group classes) and maybe set up a more structured regimen of my workouts and definitely more weigh lifting.

Great job decreasing your body weight Tomato!

Josephine, I love your blog too. I read it after I saw Donna's post. You have come so far. Thanks for sharing the links for the light and tag. I did attempt a run in the dark the other day. I was a little nervous at first but then I saw someone else running with their dogs and I was at ease. It was actually very pleasant.

Congratulations on your 2 mile runs Donna. I signed up for my first 5K Sept 14th. Good luck with your training!

Pink, Great time on your 5K! Your getting lost stories are very entertaining. Good luck on your next 5K!

Kitty, vacation and no weight gain is fantastic. Sorry about your shin splits :(

Have a great Labor Day weekend everyone!

Well I'm only catching on the tail end of this thread... september is almost upon us. Seem to be lurking quite a lot recently. Two months post op now, weight remains the same (tiniest smidge under 160 so slightly up on my lowest 'ever').

ANYWAY I've signed up for my first run! (I don't like the word race it frightens me!). It's only a 10k but I'm (for want of a better phrase) batsh!t scared! I've told no one... no family, no friends. Just going to leave the house on Sept 21st like I'm off to the gym and go do that instead!

Anyone else done a 10k before? What kind of times did you achieve? Just general interest really :)

Other than that - still doing HIIT on treadmill at gym 3 times a week under the guidance of a trainer... makes me feel like I'm about to vomit my insides out onto the treadmill :) Getting slightly better though! :D

mmmm long outside run tomorrow too... only manage outside at the weekends now :(

I have done lots of 5K's but not a 10K (to denialisnthappiness). But I've run that far in practice recently as I'm getting ready for one in November ( I will turn 50 2 weeks after it, so I'm kicking off the new decade with this event) which goes over and back the Ben Franklin bridge in Philadelphia. Anyway, I am hoping to do under 1 hour and I've done about 55-57 minutes on a couple of different courses around here. So I think the 1 hour thing for me is realistic.

My advice is for a first run like this, I will tell you about my first 5K - I think what helped me make it was that I did not race off like a rabbit from the start and try to stay with everyone else. I tried to keep a steady pace and keep my mind on my own running (Though it was hard with everyone passing me at the start, to the point where I looked behind me to see if anyone was left...). That made a difference, I think I would have worn out if I had not done this. I know it's only a 5K, but I plan to keep this in mind for the longer distance as well.

I also advise good hydration. People have mentioned this to me a lot in longer races. I've noticed it makes a difference in my energy and I plan to remember that for my 10K even though November is not too warm here.

I'm impressed, you are starting strong! Good luck!

Hey runners! I'm getting one last post in on this thread before the month ends. :D

So today I finally went for my first run since race day. I was encouraged by my clinic instructor to take 13 rest days (1 day for each mile) and though I'd originally planned to take 7-9 days off and do some light running after that, I got my butt kicked by a head cold and haven't felt up to running until today. I was actually planning on doing that Nike Human Race thingy this morning but I sat it out due to my gunky lungs and lack of recent running. (As a side note, DH ran it and kicked some butt. He came in at 57 minutes including a stop at the port-a-potty. Not bad for a new runner who hasn't been running in a couple of weeks!)

Anyhow, my run was nice. I went to the ravine that's abut 1K from here. I went down to the one end and did a little bit of hill work then came back part way and did 6 reps of the stairs. By the time I got to the tail end of my run I could really feel that my lungs weren't quite up to snuff as I had a hard time getting in enough air.

I was so happy to get back out, though. Between the taper week and the recovery weeks I haven't been for a run besides my race in 3 1/2 weeks and I was really missing it. I haven't been feeling much like a runner lately and I'm trying to sort out my training and goals now that I've finished my race.

watch out for that snail!
 

Hi. New (soon-to-be) runner here. :)

I've attempted becoming a runner a few times before, gone too hard/long too soon, injured myself and given up. This time I've been at it for about a month, running 3x a week, NO RUNNING 2 CONSECUTIVE DAYS, no more than 3 miles at a time, and so far no problems.

I run on the treadmill for various reasons, mostly allergy related but also because I have this fear of running too far and not being able to make it home. (weird, I know)

Anyways, today I went running out in the park. I ran sooo slowly for fear of not making it but nonetheless I DID IT! (So yes, I was that person "running" at the walking pace you saw this morning. :) )

go me!

Go you indeed!!! :carrot:

Oh, and you're a runner RIGHT NOW! :D I look forward to hearing more from you in the September thread.