Oh my goodness twinmama! Congrats and good luck! I came so close to registering for the Malibu marathon this weekend, but the date just didn't work for me. It would require a lot of running in 100+ degree weather and I'm just not confident I'd enjoy that. I also want more time to be sure I'm ready to do this.

Twinmama, did your training peak at 20 miles? How do you feel about that. I've been trying to find the right training program for me and I don't think I'd be comfortable peaking at 20 miles knowing there would be 6.2 to go!

Rawbanana welcome!

I'm just plugging along. This chest cold/flu thing is kicking my a$$ but I'm hanging in there. 8 yesterday and 3 this morning. I'm really trying to enjoy this time because this training program is going to a challenge for me in a weekly and long run milage respect.

Hope everyone is well!

Ncueno-- peaking at 20 is more than fine... the problem is most beginner programs only have you do ONE 20 miler, which leaves you VERY unprepared, and terrified LOL! in my opinion........ try to do 3 20 milers. Each will get exponentially easier than the previous one, and by the marathon, it will feel like a cake walk. i SWEAR...... no reason to go MORE than 20, because the recovery period would take so long, youd lose a lot of traiing...

Hi guys, I am pretty new to running! I have a question for you seasoned pros!

I am just about to start week 5 of the C25k but I find that in the last week my ankles have been bothering me. This didn't happen in weeks 1-3, only in week 4, and right at the start of my run too, like the first three minutes or so. Then it goes away. Is there a specific stretch I can do to warm up my ankles and stop from them hurting? It doesn't really affect my stride but it's uncomfortable for a few minutes, that's for sure. I also don't want to be in danger of doing any damage to them if I keep running the way I have been.

Oh, I have one more question - I'd really like to get in the habit of running in the morning before work, but I did this once last week, having not eaten since about 7pm the night before (and running at 7am), and by the end I was slightly light-headed/had a headache and was absolutely ravenous. I don't think it's that unusual to work out prior to eating breakfast so I don't know how to overcome this. I know from attempting it before that I cannot eat anything before I run and I do much better eating about 2 hours beforehand but get cramps if I eat about 45 minutes before. Will I eventually get used to this or am I going to have to set my alarm for 5am to eat breakfast and then go back to bed?!

Thanks for your help! You're all certainly an inspiration!

MK, do you have any programs that you would recommend. I think utimately the program I choose will determine if I actually go for it or not. I'm having a little bit of a hard time knowing that I will need to be running 30 or more miles a week for serval week. I think if I found a program that I felt confident about I'd be more confident in doing one. I thought I had one, but it peaks with 1-20 miler. I found another that peaked at 26 I think, but it was dumb because all the other runs were 30 mins. I think that one was more for people who didn't care if they walked a good portion. I'm not opposed to walking a water stations, but in general the second I start walking I'm done.

*Whew!* 1/2 Marathon training run #1: done!

Just got in from my first "interval" style 3-miler. Every other block, I would alternate between a "recovery" pace and a somewhat accelerated, (but not ridiculous) vigorous pace. I didn't push too hard, and I feel good!

This is Hal Higdons Intermediate 1 marathon schedule. Of course google it so you can see it better.

http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/inter1.html

I would sub the ONE 18 miler at wk 10 with your first 20 miler. Believe me..... 3 miles WONT be a big jump at that point-- BUT IT WILL SUCK (the first 20 miler) Hal Higsdon does not build in speed workouts to this schedule, but you can easily tweak one of the tues or thursday runs to be track work, or tempo work or whatever.
IN MY OPINION-- i would change the MID WEEK Mid-length run to a Lactic ACid Threshold Run.... even when you are getting up to 8 or 10 miles for the mid length run.... you will reap SO MANY benefits..... you wont have to worry about track workouts

Week Mon Tue Wed Thur Fri Sat Sun
1 cross 3 m run 5 m run 3 m run rest 5 m pace 8
2 cross 3 m run 5 m run 3 m run rest 5 m run 9
3 c ross 3 m run 5 m run 3 m run rest 5 m pace 6
4 cross 3 m run 6 m run 3 m run rest 6 m pace 11
5 cross 3 m run 6 m run 3 m run rest 6 m run 12

6 cross 3 m run 5 m run 3 m run rest 6 m pace 9
7 cross 4 m run 7 m run 4 m run rest 7 m pace 14
8 cross 4 m run 7 m run 4 m run rest 7 m run 15
9 cross 4 m run 5 m run 4 m run rest 7 m pace 11
10 cross 4 m run 8 m run 4 m run rest 8 m pace 17
11 cross 5 m run 8 m run 5 m run rest 8 m run 18
12 cross 5 m run 5 m run 5 m run rest 8 m pace 13
13 cross 5 m run 8 m run 5 m run rest 5 m pace 20
14 cross 5 m run 5 m run 5 m run rest 8 m run 12
15 c ross 5 m run 8 m run 5 m run rest 5 m pace 20
16 cross 5 m run 6 m run 5 m run rest 4 m pace 12
17 cross 4 m run 5 m run 4 m run rest 3 m run 8
18 cross 3 m run 4 m run rest rest 2 m run race

this is just a good, basic blue print.... i would keep the FORMAT of the schedule, but tweak a few things, ya know? you can make some of those 5 milers into 6 milers, and i would also make at least a couple of the 8 milers into 10-13 miles..... personally..........

Today's run was not fun. I wish I could figure out a pattern to why some days are awesome, some days are fine, and then there are days like today that just feel miserable every stop of the way. I started out with a pain in my right lower back, slowed down, and the pain let up, but I just couldn't seem to get my feet going any faster and I wanted to go faster cause I wanted to be DONE! LOL Ahhhh well, at least I finished what I set out to do.

I wasn't able to compete in the half I was planning to do. I got sick 3 weeks before the race and couldn't properly continue to train because of coughing. I am trying not to wallow too much about it.

I was able to run the race course during training and for a day that I wasn't pushing my pace, I did ok, 2:14. And the organizers let me forward my race fees to next year, which was fantastic.

My cold is gone and my cough is mostly better now, but my knee (pes anserinus) bursitis is inflamed. Probably because I jumped my long run from 16 to 21km in a week. Stupid, I know. But I felt good and I was on the race course so I went for it. I think I was already really starting to get sick when I did that. I've tried 2 runs in the past 2 weeks and both times I had to abort within 3 miles and my knee swelled up badly.

I'm icing and doing alternating days of strength training and yoga. In the meantime, I'm still getting on the trails by walking my dogs and using the opportunity to really get comfy in my vibram five fingers.

MK! You are the best! That was actually the exact program I've been looking at, but with your suggestions this could really work.

No run today, ST and yoga day.

aimeebell I totally hear you! I have no idea why some runs are so much easier than others. I have literally had days where I really can't get myself to run more than 15 minutes.

river I've been having knee pain too. Where is the location of the pain for bursitis? Mine is on the outside of the knee. I saw a trainer informally and talked to a former high school x-country coach and have since been following a regimen of strength training for my quads and icing. It's gotten better- the pain is now mild enough that I can rough through it (just 5k) and I don't experience a lot of pain afterwards like I was (mainly after sitting down for a while and standing up, or going down stairs).

FPSJ Congrats on the training!!

I had a deathly boring and lackluster little 3 miler on the treadmill yesterday after my upper body strength class. Despite my lack of energy and just wanting it to end, I managed to finish in under 30 mins, which is pretty good for me and my short, slow legs. I'll take it!

4 miler tomorrow....

Twinmama good luck tomorrow!!!

9 miles for me tomorrow - I need it! It's been a rough few days and I need to do some damage to the pavement. TOM arrived this morning so that will add and element of fun to tomorrow run!

Had a solid 4 mile run yesterday, after patiently waiting for the thunderstorms to pass. So far so good!

Ok, so I don't have much pain in my right knee anymore, but I do now have POPPING. (More of a pop/crack, but not Rice Krispies). Something is definitely sliding/moving.

I've been ramping up my ST with a heavy focus on my quads. I've also been pretty good with an ice/ibuprofen regimen. I'm continuing with rolling out my ITB, which tends to be tight and sore. Hopefully this will help.

I did buy an inexpensive knee brace- a sleeve, with a closed patella. I have no experience with knee braces though. Is this a good idea? Worth a shot?

Thanks to everyone who puts up with my constant "help! my knee!" posts!

also ncuneo, you made a comment about being impressed with my yoga the other day; just want to let you know the feeling is mutual with regard to your running. I would love, love someday to be able to casually say I ran 9 miles easy cheesy!

Thank you! With time I think we'll both improve. It's taken me about a year and half to get where I am with my running. January of last year I was barely able to run 1 mile. I think yoga will take a little more practice for me, espeically since I only go 2xs a week and it's at gym and not a studio. I wish I had the funds to go to a studio and the time to go more often - I love it!

Yesterday's 9 was really good, even with TOM. Unfortunately last night I got food poisoning or the stomach flu or something at 1 am so I skipped my 3 mile recovery this morning. I'm feeling much better now, and debating on whether or not I want to go into the office today. It's technically a holiday, but I'm so swamped! But I'd rather be lazy and recover from whatever that was. Man I hate being sick.

I think I'll sprinkle the 3 miles I was supposed to run today throughout the week, probably on T and Th, usually non running days. I get really OCD when I'm training about hitting my slotted milage for the week even though I know doing a 1.5 on T and Th isn't really doing anything for my training. Oh well!