Loving me, that's amazing!! I'm very impressed! I'm still finding it hard to run for five minutes! LOL! It'll come, I know. Today was easier than Tuesday.

I pulled a muscle lifting prior to running and almost threw in the towel. But I decided to hit the treadmill anyway because I was in a bad mood and knew running would help. It hurt walking up the stairs. But somehow, whatever I pulled did not affect my running and it actually felt good. So I completed W4D2 of C25K.

...and it still hurts to walk up stairs.

Eliana-- a lot of people CANT lose weight running-- or at least have a very hard time doing so.....Ask around...many who start running (for weightloss) find that their weight loss slows or stalls. It gets worse the longer you run (AKA the more CONDITIONED you become) I am at the point where i cant lose weight and run, so i pretty much stopped running for a couple months, so i could focus on my fat loss. At first people might lose weight, and quickly, when the body is still in "shock" over the whole thing. Running is just so HARD and stressful on the body, and when you combine it with a caloric deficit (especially a very large caloric deficit-- like 1200 or 1300 cals) your body (may) freak out, and start behaving in a manner opposite to what you want. Some of this is due right off the bat to rising cortisol (stress hormones) levels in your body. High cortisol levels TRIGGER your body to store fat.

the second i start seriously running, all weight loss for me stops. Im able to lose weight utulizing very low intensity steady state cardio (elliptical, and even better--WALKING) and low intensity strength training-- incorporating body part splits, straight sets. This is opposed to the "common" thought that you need to do intense, full body supersets for strength training. Once again, this type of training stresses the body-ESPECIALLY when in a harsh deficit. One way to help my body when im in fat loss modae and training is to put a lot of special emphasis on pre and post workout nutrition. I WILL NOT work out on an empty stomach-- in a fasted state.
I save the harsh training and high intensity running when i am able to eat more food-- AFTER fat loss.

THIS IS NOT TRUE FOR EVERYONE THOUGH. Some people definitely do have success utilizing just running to lose weight... like i said, especially when you first start running (like the first couple months) you might see results.

Likewise, a LOT of people are able to lose fat utilizing full body strength programs...especially newbies, or people with a lot more fat to give.

I started running in November 2008 and my weight loss did slow right down. I lost 4 lbs in about 3 months, but guess what - I dropped an entire dress size in those 3 months and went from being 30% body fat to 25% body fat.

It's not always about the numbers on the scale. Running is high intensity exercise that tones and builds muscle, which is far more dense than fat.

So whilst I only lost 4 lb in weight, I lost a lot more than that in fat. And I found muscles I never had before.

Try measuring yourself instead of weighing yourself. After about a month of running, measure yourself again. I can guarantee you wil see a difference. And you should be able to feel it in your clothes too.

Look at all these posts and new people to catch on! Welcome everyone!

Well, I ran my half marathon relay on Sunday and I LOVED it! It was my first "big" event and it was an awesome event! I went with a few goals in mind...

first, just to finish it! This time last year I weighed 250+ pounds so just the fact that I could actually DO this event blows me away!

next, I wanted to do it in under 1:30...preferably under 1:15 and my official chip time was 1:13 so I am thrilled! Not to mention that a few of those minutes were because I stopped to search for my diamond earring that fell out so I think I did pretty well (and yes, unbelieveably, I found it!!)

And now...I'm hooked. And considering half marathon training. Yikes! I can harldy believe it!

I am loving all the posts from those of you training for a half....especially your first...and I will be anxiously watching for all your post-event updates.

Now that the rain has stopped, it is wonderful weather here to run and I am determined to take advantage of it!

First of all, Hello everyone!

I"m so excited! I ran about 25-30 straight tonight! I think I experienced "runners high"...I felt like I was running on clouds. I got a little cocky and pushed up my speed...I felt that and reminded myself it wasn't about speed but distance. I slowed it back down to 4.0 and felt better!

From what I just learned (which i didn't know) was that weights and strength building is about 90% of your weight loss and cardio is only 10%.

Momf5k: GOOD JOB!! Also, your weight loss is so motivating! Thank you!

Very true words, mk. My weight loss has significantly slowed/stopped since training for my half. The body just doesn't like me going out and burning 1200 calories at a time and still eating at weight loss calories. I lose weight much easier when I run shorter distances (4 miles) daily.

momof5k - BIG congrats on finishing your HM relay!!!! wow, wow, wow! Great job!

Thanks Moni and Fat Pants.

io mut say too that my weight loss has ground to a halt in the last few months as I upped my running. I am less than 10 pounds to goal but it feels like I'll never get there! Not sure how to get past this plateau...run less? Eat more? Or just ignore the scale for a while and keep on truckin'

Any advice?

Welcome all!

As far as weight loss goes, running isn't a magic fix. I am a good eater, and the reason I started calorie counting, is that after my first half marathon I stayed steady at 150 pounds. I have found that controlling portion size for my already healthy diet is key for me.

But running wasn't the magic fix-all for me, portion control/calorie counting is so far.

But I will say that there are so many benefits to running, and my health is so good that even if I don't really lose to goal, I'm not going to stress about it. My body feels strong, I eat healthy food and have small treats now and then.

One major change - I went to give blood recently and the lady asked me "Do you exercise?" And I said, "Yes, how can you tell?" (It's not like I'm super buff.) She said, "I can tell by the color of your blood." (I guess it's more red than purple if it's well oxygenated.) Anyway, more proof that running has made a difference in my health.

So Eliana, don't fret. Keep focusing on your health. Running does good things for your body even if it's not making you supermodel skinny.

Momof5k - CONGRATS on the half. That is so great - you have come so far in one year. Super motivating. Don't know what to say re the plateau - just stick with your good choices, and keep working hard. you have come so far!

Moni - congrats on your run. And, yeah, the runner's high is nice - sometimes the best part of my day especially if things are stressful at work.

Robsia - I agree with what you've said. I've only lost about 14 pounds since I started running in August but it looks like more since I have incorporated strength training as well and have lost significant inches.

Chemist - cool story about the bloodwork. Another way I know running has improved my health is that my resting heart rate is significantly lower than it was which means my heart is stronger. Lots of other measures besides the scale to know we are improving our health.

Had a nice 45 minute run yesterday at about 4 pm - hot and sunny but a nice wind. Still, going to have to schedule runs for either morning or evening as I tire out faster in the sun and heat.

I have a half on May 15th!! It will be my 7th half. But I usually do only one sometime two a year. This year is my year for running! I did the Race to Robie Creek half on april 14th (or so) and now this flat half on the 15th. And a 10K the following weekend (maybe). I'm excited to see a runners thread yippieeeeeee!!!!!!

I got my new Garmin Forerunner 110 today so just had to go down on the local park to try it out.
Today is usually a swimming day to give myself a bit of a rest but decided not to go and had instead done 20mins or so of a workout dvd, knowing my watch would arrive and wanting to try it.
I only ran for 10mins and it felt really hard because I've not run outside again for 2 weeks and the last time was on a level road with somewhere to run to, whereas the grass hasn't been cut in the park for like forever and it's on a slope, as well as running around in circles driving me completely mad. But I did 10mins and I LOVE my new watch. Just shows how much my Nike+ was off with accuracy and a little frighteningly, that I'm running slower than the Nike said I was, so my aim to do my first 5k in under 40mins is looking unlikely unless I can improve.
However I've still got 8 weeks training to do and now I've got an accurate way of tracking my time, distance and pace I'm aiming to do more running outside and hope I can make it.
One thing I need to do is find some routes to run, I really don't think I can carry on running circles of the park, it's driving me mad with boredom. I did 35+ minutes non-stop when I had a nice route to run a couple of weeks ago when we were away, so I know I can do it, it's just the boredom seems to give me an excuse to quit early.

ETA - Just realised why I probably struggled in part, I hadn't taken my Ipod with me so had no music! pmsl I really can't exercise without my favourite music playing but when I set off down to the park today I never even thought about it. I remember hearing myself panting as I was running but didn't think anything of it. How on earth did I not realise what was going on? lol When I run outside I usually run by songs, and say to myself I'll run one more song, and then another, and so on. I have lots of motivational songs on there which usually push me to keep going so it's no wonder it felt so hard today. I know that that may not have been the whole reason, but I'm positive it contributed to it, and that's made me feel much better about my next run.

You all in this thread are inspiring me with my running program. I'm still in the base building stage & I'm inspired by all of your experiences.

I've started biking to and from work instead of walking the 3 miles there and back. And I think my running is benefiting from me doing less walking.

I went for a 4 mile run yesterday & my body complained for the first 2 miles. At the end of the 4 miles I walked for a while and I told myself I would do a "cool down" run. So I ran for an extra half mile nice and slow. So I tricked myself into increasing my mileage.

My body feels great today & I don't feel a bit sore.

My plan today is to do 3.5 miles with a .5 mile "cool down" run.

Loving - I know, it's all about the ipod and inspirational music for me, too. It would be tough for me to run without it. I have been toying with the idea of getting a garmin to celebrate getting to onederland (hopefully in the next week or so) so I have a clearer sense of distance and time when I am running outdoors.

motivated - congrats on increasing your mileage!

LM-- I'm SO JEALOUS that you got your Garmin. I thought I was going to get mine, but now it's looking like May 15th.

Momof5K-- your progress is amazing! A half marathon?? I feel like I was just hearing you talk about completing C25k.

Regarding weight loss-- a few weeks ago a posted a couple of picture from before and after I started running-- there was a 24lb difference but it looked more like 50lbs because I looked so much thinner.

Also, I JUST LOVE the feeling of accomplishment that running gives me. But I still feel like I'm picking up conditioning VERY SLOWLY. I'm not sure how much is age, how much is my previous totally sedentary lifestyle, and how much is just the excess weight I'm still packing.

I've just been lurking in this thread for a while now--you guys all sound like you are doing SO good, and I haven't been able to run since I hurt my foot three or four weeks ago.

I just went out today and did two miles in 26:13. It's not a great time, but it's pretty decent for me and we have 30 mph winds so I definitely worked for it!!! Thank you all for posting your experiences and keeping me motivated.

Loving Me, I wanted to finish my first 5K in under 40 min too, but when I got there the course was really hilly and it just didn't happen (I finished in 43:37, not my worst time ever, but far from my PR). I had to make myself appreciate the fact that I finished, and I ran the WHOLE THING! You do have a lot more time to get ready than I did, though--so I bet you can pull it out if you stick with it.

I find it really hard to run without my iPod too--the sound of my breathing and my feet pounding the ground just seems to remind me how hard I'm working.