Welcome Michelle, sounds like we have a pretty similar running history. I've also only been running for about a year and tried my hand at a few 5ks and a 10k as well. I find I prefer the longer distances.... 5ks seem to be too much of a speed competition and I get caught up in it. :lol:

blue - wow, congrats on a new PR!! that's fantastic!

Eve - when do you find out your MRI results?

My long run was foiled by snow (shaking fist) and the outlook is not great in terms of weather this week. I am really getting tired of the treadmill... anyone else? I'm ready for spring!

Fatpants - I'll second that! We had another big blizzard this past weekend, so it will be treadmill for me for a while. It's too icy outside to even walk safely, much less run. They're forecasting a few more inches tomorrow or Weds which is hard to believe - this is Virginia, after all. Spring can't come soon enough as far as I'm concerned. And thanks - yep, I'm pretty jazzed about my new PR. Inching my way towards a 30 minute 5k...

Michelle - welcome! You'll find lots of support on this thread.

Down half a pound this week - at 203. Not much, but a loss is a loss. A bigger success is that a pair of pants I got at a thrift store several months ago are fitting and I'm wearing them today. When I picked them out I couldn't even button them, and I tried them maybe two months ago and I could get them to close but had to suck in to the point of discomfort, and now they fit comfortably and look pretty good! So even though the scale is showing slow progress I know I'm doing something right...

Fatpants - Totally! I always kill myself at the 5k's because they seem so much more competitive. :dizzy:

blueridgegirl - Thanks!

ive never even ran a 5k..... :)

Hey everyone! I'm still here, just working a lot and focusing on not losing my mind from not being able to run! Lots of spinning and the like.

FP- I have to take my x rays and my mri's to the orthopedic doctor on the 22nd and they will give me the results. Nobody else is allowed to say anything apparently....doctors! :dizzy:

blue- congrats on your pr and fitting into those jeans!

Hmmm it's been pretty quiet here lately :)

I am still running....and have finished Week 4 of the Hal Higdon 10K training program. So far so good.

My family and I are leaving first thing in the morning for our Florida vacation which will have both a positive and negative effect on my progress.

We are DRIVING so I will be stuck in the van for three solid days there....and then again back. Ugh. Should be painful :(

The good news is how much I am looking forward to some outdoor running in the Florida climate...which means not having to wear five layers to avoid frostbite. Yahoo!

Wish me luck while we are away. I am so close to goal (less than 15 pounds) I hope that this vacation and all the eating out (and red wine :o) doesn't set me back too far.

Happy February everyone! See you in March (truth be told...I may still check in here occasionally while we are gone :) )

Oooh have fun, Momof5k! I would kill to run in a warmer climate right now! :lol:

I'm still hanging in there and plodding along through my HM training plan. It's been fun and it doesn't feel too overwhelming (yet).

Hi Everyone!

Fat: Your new avatar picture looks fabulous. I agree that you should change your name. Did you recently change your goal weight?

MK: How is your metabolism repair going? I have been thinking about you. The weather has been nice enough for outdoor running. Have you been laying off completely or still doing some running?

EveL: I feel for you not being able to run right now. Spinning sounds like a good alternative, though. Maybe it's a good exercise to keep in your routine even after you start running again. Hope the time passes quickly between now and your doctor's appointment.

I'm still chugging along doing 3.5-4 miles M-W-F and 5-6 miles on Sun. My knee pain is still there and I've been worried about that because I love running so much I don't want it to derail me. I did get some new shoes at Boulder Running Company Monday night. I went to a running clinic there sponsored by a group called Blisters for Sisters. They had a running coach on site who video taped everyone while they ran on a treadmill. I learned that my form is good, that I probably just need new shoes since my current ones are old, old, old. They can tell they are worn by how the heel looks squished down with all of these horizontal lines in the rubber. The running coach also said that it takes a lot of time for your joints and connective tissues to get used to the impact of running and that I should just keep going. Technically, I am a beginner until I have been running for a year. Oh, and a physical therapist at the clinic said that tight IT bands could be causing the pain and showed me how to use a foam roller and some stretches I should add to my routine to help with the knee pain. After the clinic, I worked with a store employee (not on commission, thank goodness) who video taped me running again, this time focusing on my feet and how they strike the running surface, and saw that my left heel pronates to the inside a small bit and put me in Mizuno shoes. She taped me again and showed me how the shoes corrected the pronation problem. She didn't think the pronation was enough to be causing my pain, though, but who knows. I tried on a couple of other shoes (Asics and Saucony) but went with the Mizuno Nirvanas. I got 20 percent off since I came in for the Blisters for Sisters clinic so that was a pretty good deal. My first real running shoes! I have run in them a couple of times and they feel fabulous. I can definitely tell that they are going to help running and help with the knee pain. Today I increased my speed during the middle part of my run and was jazzed because I felt so much stronger and able to keep going!

I hope everyone is having a great week!

Pam

MileHigh - ooh, new shoes are great, and they can definitely make a difference in ease and comfort and running. Even better if you can get a discount like you did...

Momof5k - oh, yes, it's always the red wine that is the biggest temptation for me...have fun on your trip!

Eve - keep up the great work on the spinning. You're burning calories and increasing your overall cardiovascular health, so you'll be ahead of the game when you do get back to running.

So I think I unwittingly discovered the power of tapering. Tuesday and Wednesday I didn't work out - couldn't work out. Huge blizzard and high winds literally kept me from leaving my house - snow drifted in the front door. No exercise on those two days - yesterday finally got plowed out about midday and carefully made my way to the gym. I ran 4 12-minute miles on the treadmill and it felt great. I was amazed how easy it was - I could definitely feel the impact of two days of rest, since I usually lift one day, run one day and take only one day off a week.

And a piece of good news - I am down a pound and a half, the scale said 201.5 this morning. WOW!!! Onederland is so close!!!

Milehigh- that clinic sounds like it was very informative and fun! They need to have something like that here...lol. My running shoes that I just bought (before the hip crap) are mizunos as well. They are great!

blue- We have absolutely no snow here, but it's still freezing. I'm so excited for you being sooo close to onederland! Keep going!:cheer2::cheer2:

Yesterday I rewarded my 88 pound loss with an hour massage and pedicure. The massage was heavenly, the first one I've ever had and I think I'll be a returning customer, lol!

Momof5K - That sounds awesome. Enjoy Florida!

Still training here. I signed up for a 5K on Feb 27th. Should be fun. :carrot:

Have fun in FL momof5kids

evel : congrats on the weight loss that;s fantastic.

still running along. I had a great 4 miler last night, I looooved it. I am still falling apart/ can't get past 6, I think I 'll pull it together any minute;) . a chest cold has kept me inside or running less the last week or two. I think that's why it felt like such a treat last night.

keep at ladies

Hey Ladies. I'm still running. Mostly inside becasue the snow stroms we've been having. Our streets have been too icy to run anywhere. i hvae a 10K in March but I want to enter a race sooner so I will keep looking.

Fatpants- you look HOTT

MK - I am glad you are recovering so nicely

MBN - Hey that is an awesome time to me.

aw thanks gals, as you can probably tell I'm having a lot of fun taking my photo lately. :) It's nice to not shy away from the camera for once.

I am so freaking far behind on my HM training it's not even funny. May is coming up QUICK. I've only topped out at 6 miles and I need to work up to 10 before the race. But this stupid weather is making it difficult (it's either snowing or butt-cold and 40mph winds...grrr...). We may have a decently warm day on Wednesday so I will try to get out then. Though I have to say I've been having fun with the weight lifting classes so it hasn't been a total crap shoot, and I did manage to run 3 times last week albeit only 3 miles each time and on the darn treadmill. Fortunately only one more month or so before we start getting some warm days sprinkled in there... looking forward to it!

Fat Pants - Doesn't the weather drive you nuts when trying to train? We don't have much snow around here but during the summer it gets so hot it's hard to run outside even at night. Yuck.

I had a great run last Sunday. I went 2.5 miles and managed a sub-11:00 pace! That's fast for me. ;)