I have been so close for so long but I just can't seem to get there. Argh!!
I'm still running over here too. The weather has been lovely (cool-ish but fantastic for running in!) and I am still plugging away at my training for my half marathon relay the first Sunday of May.
I am "considering" signing up for a half marathon in September but...I'm so nervous. Yikes!
I was hoping to run this morning but I did a new strength DVD yesterday and this morning my left hip is really sore (hubby says it serves me right for doing so many different workouts all the time. Grrr!) and I have two kids home sick from school so no run for me. I may try to get out later tonight after my kids go to bed.
huge congrat fatpants!!
how do you feel? i know youve been concerned about your body comp when you reached goal weight....
i know ALL about the FIRST program. I have the book...was doing a "modified version" of it for a while-- doing the plan for a 10K, but adding in easy runs in between for my cross training....
i was thinkingh about using it to qualify for boston at one time, but then i decided i wasnt sure id be comfortable with such low mileage
i had a realy high fever last night-- 103!! i havent had a fever like that sincei was a kid..... sometime in the middle of the night it broke though, and i knew when it did because i woke up HUNGRY!!
anyway, i went to work this morning.... still not feeling 100%, but i guess just BEING here counts for something!
Didnt want to use a Personal Dat Off unless i HAD too..
Did i tell ya'll that im taking my Daughter to MEXICO in one month!!??!?!
Havent worked out for 2 days, but i also barely ate yesterday....darn..i was JUST feeling like i was getting into a grove!
Then "winter" came back to Colorado!
im gonna try and strength train tomorrow, and get in some steady state, low intensity cardio (power walking? elliptical?) we will see
Hey thanks ladies!! It has been one heck of a ride so far.
MK, I have spent a considerable amount of time (probably since January) thinking about my body comp. Everyone told me the last 10 lbs would make a huge difference and it definitely did. I look better than I thought I would based on where I was at 145. My body fat % is down to 25.8%, not bad considering when I started, I was 50% bf. all in all, I have lost 60 inches from my body which is like, incredibly mind blowing to me. I am 64 inches tall so I lost nearly my height in circumference! lol!
That said I am still not totally where I want to be and I know the only way to get there is to do more weight lifting. But HM training sucks the energy out of me so I have only been lifting one day a week. When I am done with the race in May, I plan on going back to 5 miles daily and lifting 2-3x a week. I'd also like to eventually get down to 130 and have a 5 lb "wiggle room."
Blue ~ Nice job on getting up so early! I am like you, I don't usually run in the morning but of course all the races are then. My HM starts at 6:45 a.m.... To answer your question I typically don't eat before a run in the a.m. If for some reason I do, I just have half a power bar or two waffles with light syrup. Something that won't make me feel sick or too heavy and sloshing around in my tummy.
momof5k ~ you should sign up for the HM! it is definitely nerve wracking at first, but then it's exciting as the training kicks into gear. Go for it!!!
MK ~ glad you are starting to feel better. Where in Mexico are you going? I took a trip to Playa del Carmen last year with DH and we had a great time. WHAT IS UP WITH THIS WEATHER?!?!
FP - I pretty much made up my training program for the ING Half Marathon, and it looked a lot like the FIRST program, too. I did do two runs of 13+ miles during the training, and didn't always do the speed work as consistently as I should have, but I was pretty solid on the three days per week.
FP - I pretty much made up my training program for the ING Half Marathon, and it looked a lot like the FIRST program, too. I did do two runs of 13+ miles during the training, and didn't always do the speed work as consistently as I should have, but I was pretty solid on the three days per week.
Thanks for the input, Shannon! I have been a little worried about my "low mileage" with the 3 days/week but it's been working well for me so far. My plan only goes up to 10 miles but i repeat that twice, so maybe I will up to 11 miles the last week before taper.
So I ran 4 1/2 miles this evening and the route had hills in it. I didn't do as bad as I thought I would but my ankle is sore now. So I took some tylenol and iced it after I got home. I'm hoping that it will feel better on friday so I can get another run in..
I'm so bummed this morning!! My ankle is still really sore. I'm hoping that it's just because I just got up a little while ago and it's just tight from the run last night and then going to bed. I'm just not sure what to do. I won't run tomorrow if there is any pain at all, I dont want to do more damage that I may have already done. I do wonder though if this isn't from an old broken ankle I had 13 years ago and maybe I need to take adding distance/hills more slowly.
I had a nice 3 mile run yesterday! It was beautiful outside, and right before I went out, hubby decided to join me (on his roadbike, lol.) It was nice having him there. For the first 1.5 I ran like mk suggested and for the last half I did like my pt suggested making sure i really kicked back and towards the end that was the only way I could run that didn't hurt the hips. Hubby went ahead of me in the beginning but for the last mile he stayed right with me and was really encouraging. Then when I was at 2.92 he told me to sprint to the 'finish' which I've NEVER done before and it's always scared me but I did it! It felt great and I felt great for doing it! My time was 35:59 but I'm not even worried about how long it takes me, just that I FINISH.
I think that the best part of that run was that even though my hips started to twinge and bug me, that this time AFTER the run I wasn't in any pain like I would usually be. (like I was after my 4 miler last saturday) I stretched really good when we got home, took some ibuprofen and iced it and I had no problems! They're not even sore at all this morning! I've never been able to run 3 miles without being in pain the next day! The 4 miles killed me like normal but I can do 3 now just fine! That's really encouraging, but the pessimist in me is wondering if I'll be able to keep doing my long runs every saturday. Can I really do this half marathon??? If it were just up to my cardio-vascular health I know I could do it. But I'm having to deal with my darn hips and trying to get them to be able to last longer....frustrating...
BUT I'm going to do my best to stay positive! I'm going to be proud of my 3 mile-no pain victory and I finally got on the scale this morning and saw a '6' instead of a '7.' I've been bouncing between 170-180 for like 2 months now so seeing 169.6 on the scale even DURING TOM is awesome.
I haven't been around for a while and seeing some new faces.
Need a spot of advice from seasoned runners who might have been here befoe. I run forward, landing on the balls of my feet, which I have been told is good. But it puts strain on my calf muscles and for the last few months I have kept pulling my right calf muscle, enough so that I have to take several weeks off to recover. If I go out too soon, I just pull it again after half a mile or so.
So this week I had an idea which so far seems to be working. I decided to start the C25K again - but only do each "week" once instead of 3x. So on Monday I did Week 1, yesterday I did Week 2 and Friday I will do Week 3 - so I should get through the entire 9 week course in 3 weeks.
So far, the muscle is holding up - I can fel it a tiny tiny bit, but it doesn't hurt, it just feels ever so slightly uncomfortable when I run, but I haven't pulled it yet, the walk/run thing seems to be working.
I was up to 4 and 5 mile runs before it started playing up so it's really knocked my training back. I do good times - my best 3 mile time is under 27 minutes. I even did a local 10K last May in just over an hour and I really wanted to do it again this year, but it's only a month away.
SO, has anyone else had problems with calf muscles, and what did you do about it? Does the walk/run thing sound like a good way of dealing with it?
Robsia- I don't really have any advice to give you, but from what you've described, taking a slow approach like you are doing sounds like a good idea. I'm training for a half marathon, while dealing with hip pain. So I know what it's like to have something mess up your running. Best of luck to you!
So the dreaded 5 mile run is tomorrow! I'm resting the old legs today and am just doing upper body weights. I'll be doing a TON of extra stretching and rolling and everything I can think of to get my hips ready. After the run, the place that is sponsoring the race and the training is having a SPIDERTECH ™ PRECUT KINISEOLOGY TAPE CLINIC with a Dr. Madeline Behrendt, D.C.
This is what the e-mail stated: "SpiderTech™ is ready-to-apply kinesiology tape pre-cut in 17 individually packaged shapes, or "spiders'" that are designed to deliver 3 P's: pain reduction, injury prevention, and performance enhancement. Made of high quality cotton, these spiders are waterproof, breathable and can be worn up to five days.
Many applications are popular with runners including:
-Hip spider which helps with ITB syndrome
-Hamstring spider with helps with weak or strained hamstrings
-Calf and Arch spider which helps with calf strain, plantar fasciitis, and shin splints.
Olympians, Ironman, and XTerra champions use spiders in both training and performance for a competitive advantage on the field and in recovery, you can view their experiences at www.nucapmedical.com/testimonials.html. Dr. Behrendt is offering this holistic clinic at See Jane Run so that runners of all shapes, sizes, and ages can learn how to use this new technology to support their own fitness, wellness, and lifestyle."
I'm really excited about checking that stuff out!
On another note, I would also like to ask the seasoned runners a question. Since I am a slower runner, my 4 mile run last week took around 47-ish minutes to complete so I"m thinking that this week's 5 miler will take me pretty darned close to an hour if not a bit longer. Do you guys think I should try some gu's at this point? I actually found a pretty informative pamphlet at REI about the different energy bars, gu's, gels, etc. and i've heard recommendations to take something if you're going to be active for more than an hour. I'm thinking of trying to cliff blocks or the 'rocks' that they have. the Rocks have carbs and protein, which goes along with my nutrition plan a lot better than most other energy things where it's all carbs...
On another note, I would also like to ask the seasoned runners a question. Since I am a slower runner, my 4 mile run last week took around 47-ish minutes to complete so I"m thinking that this week's 5 miler will take me pretty darned close to an hour if not a bit longer. Do you guys think I should try some gu's at this point? I actually found a pretty informative pamphlet at REI about the different energy bars, gu's, gels, etc. and i've heard recommendations to take something if you're going to be active for more than an hour. I'm thinking of trying to cliff blocks or the 'rocks' that they have. the Rocks have carbs and protein, which goes along with my nutrition plan a lot better than most other energy things where it's all carbs...
What do you guys think?
I didn't start using gus until a few weeks ago. IMO anything up to 6 miles I was ok with but after 5 I started running out of fuel. Not a big deal when you only have one mile ago, but when you have 4....
Someone here recommended the Clif Shot Blocks and I LOVE them. They are my favorite and don't mess with my tummy like gels do. I think you will be ok with your 5 miles, but maybe on your next long run (6 miles, I assume), you will want to consider the gels or blocks or whatever.
I go out for my 5 miles, stop by home to take 3 shot blocks and some water, then head back out for the remainder of my long run. Works like a charm. I love them.
So my 5k is a week from this Saturday and I'm looking for a bit of advice re tapering. I definitely know resting for 2-3 days makes me have a stronger run- so I'm tentatively planning the following: 3.5 mile run today (Friday), lift Saturday, rest Sunday, run the route Monday, lift Tuesday, run about 3 miles Weds morning (want to get another morning run in), and then rest Thurs and Fri for the Saturday race. Does this sound reasonable? I'm starting to get nervous though I don't even know why - like, what's the worst that could happen? Still, I've been building up to this for so long so it seems like a big deal. I'm worried about it being a morning race - starts at 7:45, so I'm planning to get up at 6 to give myself plenty of time to get dressed and eat something small and get there in time. And I'm also worried b/c I won't have my music and I am used to running with my ipod - but I figure the crowd around me (including my wonderful BF) and the adrenaline should keep me going.
Any other advice for a first-timer? Thanks so much to all of you - I seriously would not be running this race if it wasn't for this thread and all of your encouragement and inspiration!
all in all, I have lost 60 inches from my body which is like, incredibly mind blowing to me. I am 64 inches tall so I lost nearly my height in circumference! lol!
To answer your question I typically don't eat before a run in the a.m. If for some reason I do, I just have half a power bar or two waffles with light syrup. Something that won't make me feel sick or too heavy and sloshing around in my tummy.
CONGRATS! I bet that number on the scale looked FABULOUS! Way to go. 
If it were just up to my cardio-vascular health I know I could do it. But I'm having to deal with my darn hips and trying to get them to be able to last longer....frustrating...
I'm resting the old legs today and am just doing upper body weights. I'll be doing a TON of extra stretching and rolling and everything I can think of to get my hips ready. After the run, the place that is sponsoring the race and the training is having a SPIDERTECH ™ PRECUT KINISEOLOGY TAPE CLINIC with a Dr. Madeline Behrendt, D.C. 
