I had 4 miles planned for the day, and then when I was getting close to home I realized I had accidently gone a route that took me 5 miles. At that point I decided to go ahead and tackle the 6 I was going to do tomorow! It was easier than I thought it would be.

Sasha - I hope your 6 goes well!

Hi y'all!

I'm kinda new here. Not a regular runner (at the moment I only get the chance to go running/walking around once or twice a week) but am working up to building my fitness level so by the time the weather warms up I will be able to take advantage of the better running weather and go for more frequent runs.

I started jogging about a year ago on and off so I still consider myself a beginner.

I'm currently monitoring my HR to keep it at the 80% range for my age so I have to jog R-E-A-L-L-Y S-L-O-W and resist the extreme urge to go 'he11 for leather'. When I go over my 'safe' level I either jog on the spot or walk for a while (which kinda sucks cuz I just wanna run, dammit!) to let my HR drop back but I know I have to be patient & I'll get there eventually.

Like fitmom I have to be careful too as there is a close family history of heart disease so gotta make sure I don't push it too hard.

Hey everyone! Looks like everyone is doing great! I'm feeling less sorry for myself this weekend and ready to keep going.

Long run today was a cutback, 9 miles, but I felt so awesome and was trying to get home before DS woke up so I could shower and did 10. I thought pasta was my key to good long runs, but I am now convinced my secret weapon is an Amy's Orgainic Pizza and a Skinny Cow Ice Cream Cup with a serving of PB. I don't know what it is about this combo, but every time I eat this dinner before a long run I rock it! Next weekend 14!!!!!! I'm really excited, this will be my longest run ever! So I'm determined to eat well all week so I can't blame any poor perfomance on too much sugar or overeating.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Had a PR on my 5K this morning - 33:25. Flat course for a change, and the longer runs recently definitely helped my confidence. I also found a new gum that really helped with the dry mouth that I always get on a race day(think it's all nerves).

I did my 6 miles!!! longest run I’ve ever done in my life :) wooooo

natamars :wave: hi! i remember you from way back when! you’ve made excellent progress, well done!

I remember you too, shasha! 6 miles is great, that's what I'm trying to work toward. How long did it take you to get up to that distance?

ncuneo-- That dinner sounds so yummy! hahaha Glad you are back in the groove. Let us know how the run goes :)

Natamars-- Awesome time! Do you ever like... almost choke on the gum? I have horrible dry mouth right now after doing 5 miles (although it is about 88 degrees out). I just worry that I'll inhale it and die.

Shasha-- Congratulations! That's the longest I've ever done, too. I'll be doing that next weekend, actually. Eek!


So, finished my 5 miles. I am a sweaty mess. Oddly enough, despite the heat and humidity, I had a decent pace.... 10:19 average. So weird. I guess it all depends on what your body feels like doing on any given day. I won't argue!

I've started running again...

Yesterday I ran/walked 1.55 miles in 20 minutes, I ran more than I walked.

Today I ran/walked 2 miles in 24:17. Ran far more than I walked. I'm slow as heck but I'm OK with that, I'm heavy (for me) and 5 months post C section and I had Bronchitis about 1 month ago blah blah. I'm trying to EASE myself back into running but I feel a strong urge to run more! I'm going to run 2 miles every day and get to the point that I don't need to walk any of it. Then go from there.

ncuneo Oo that sounds like an awesome combo. Nice job on finding your 'key' to a successful run! I love that your cutback is 9 miles, what stud! (studette?)

natamars Congrats on the PR!

shasha Congrats on the 6 miles!!

FPSJ Kudos on your pace, that's awesome :)

Arian YAY for running again!

--

I have decided that tomorrow is the day I will start running again. I took a full 2 weeks off with no-impact activity and I think I'll aim for 5K tomorrow. If I finish without knee pain I'll start slowly again with 7K the next week and 9K the next week. Hopefully only 1 month lost in training, not too bad.

Fingers crossed!

Hi everybody!!

Arianwen you are kicking butt!! That is awesome - esp. when you throw in being 5 mo PP and having just had broncitis!

FatPantsSkinnyJeans I can't wait until I can do a 10 min/mile pace. I am working towards it... but I am SO slow. :)

shasha12 Congrats on the 6 miles!!

I did my long run yesterday - 7 miles. I averaged 15 min miles and I kind of got down on myself at first about going so slow. My muscles ached as I was doing it (maybe need better nutrition?) BUT then, the more I thought about it - a 15 min mile is walking like you need to get somewhere fast. Like you are hurrying to catch the bus. Ok... now do that pace for 7 miles. I don't know that I could (I ran a bit, walked a bit, rinse, repeat). So, then I felt better about the whole thing. Maybe better nutrition b/f my long run will yield better results. I will keep practicing!

Today my legs are SO SORE!!

Gonna try and kick it up and run more than once a week. Tonight I had a nice nighttime jog/run, somewhere between 3-4 miles. 37 minutes jogging/running, 5 minutes walking.

Note to self: don't eat apples before running. Ouch!

hey ladies, it's been a while
 

my running since my March 1/2 mary has been pretty ho hum , but with races coming up i 'm ramping it back up a bit. This Sat my Dh and I are doing our first Warrior Dash. I hope it will be as blasty as it looks.

thanks all :hug: little sore today after the 6, mostly in my joints.

Scraver, 15 min mile--eh! who cares, you ran 7 miles!

natamars, it took me about 1.5-2 months to work up to 6. I started training for a half marathon mid-May, when I decided that, since running is such a hard workout for me, it’s the thing I should be doing. It’s been a slooow progression, but I’m pumped.

Ran today at lunch and it sucked big time. It was about 90 degrees and extreme humidity and I wimped it out and headed back in to AC after only 2.25 miles.

I'm really frustrated because I seem to have this mental block where I cannot make myself run past 2.5 miles. Plus my time does not seem to be getting any better.

Thoughts?

Did week 1, day 3 yet again tonight, I had to step out for the middle portion of the run but I felt good. I really am ready to move on to the next week but I'm doing this with a group of girlfriends and so we're doing it all together- we had a friend join a little later which is why we're repeating the whole first week. It's nice to feel like I can run a little more though, so I may just try it on Wednesday and finagle my own longer runs. We'll see!

Just did my first run in 2 weeks. Man. I lost a LOT of fitness.

I did about 4.5 km in 31 minutes. On the treadmill. Before my running break I would do 5 km in 30 minutes outside (and longest distance would be 9 km). Crazy how much you can lose in just 2 weeks.

The good news is my knee doesn't hurt at ALL. I wore my brace. About to ice it then take a shower... hoping it stays feeling this good :)

I did something to my knee jogging tonight, now I can barely stand or walk without excruciating pain. It all feels "internal" so to speak - no swelling or external bruising, just pain whenever I stand on it/bend it. This is the worst possible time to be getting injured, 2 1/2 weeks left in Japan!

Congrats to the ones who are running their longest miles yet! Such an awesome feeling.

CherryPie-I feel your pain on the mental block. I think that happens to everyone at one time or another. Have you tried just taking a short walking break, then just pick a point and tell yourself you are going to run from A to B, then walk some more and repeat until you hit 3 miles. Good old intervals work at all stages.

Krampus-Sorry to hear about the knee issue.

I did 4.5 miles Monday. Good run. I think I'll take my Monday run to 5 miles next week.

I did some sprints/speed work today. I generally never do them but I figured it was a good time to start since I do want to work on my race times. I did short 15 second, then 30 second sprints with 1-2 minute slow jog cool down.

4 miles today :) quick and easy. I feel like I’m getting the hang of this thing...

I'm planning to do 3 miles tomorrow. My longest run yet since starting 6 weeks ago. I also find my time is getting better. I love running in the early morning hours when it's still cool out. I'll let you know how I fare with the three miles. I want to increase to 4 miles by the end of the summer.

I also paln to increase my HIIT cardio which I do in a parking lot with sprints to twice weekly. I did my first one yesterday and my abs are sore as heck, lol. But I feel terrific.

I was always afraid to try running b/c of my age but I see people my age and older all the time out and about. It's reassuring. I'm starting to think age is all in your mind.

Glad to hear everyone is doing well with their running this month.

Hi Cheshirecat and thanks. Actually I do take a short break and then run again. Today I ran 2.5 miles straight, walked for .25 miles and then ran again for .25. I was really hoping to do the straight 3, but after the 2.5 I just gave in and walked. I suppose what's good about today was I ran my fastest 2 miles. The first mile was about average, but I really picked up from my normal 2nd mile pace. It's still really slow, but my personal best!

I've been having a hard time keeping up with the thread, but it looks like everyone is doing great, keep it up!

Gym today, 7 tomorrow!

I DID IT!!! I can't believe it!!! I ran three miles straight this morning without stopping to walk or anything. And I did it in 27 minutes - a personal best. I'm kind of thinking that I can do this thing - running - for the long haul.

I'm gonna work my way up to four miles by the middle of August but this is great. I can't believe I ever thought running was for younger people. I. Can. Do. It. :)

Wow! Sounds like everyone is running their little butts off!!

fitmom - that is AWESOME with your running 3 straight miles!!! Whoo hoo!!

I did 11.47 miles on my bike outside yesterday (saw a fox!!) and today I did 3.76 miles on the treadmill in 50 mins.

I wish I had a mountain bike but then my two kids would probably tag along so it wouldn't be much of an exercise session, lol. They have some pretty scenery up by you, I bet. That's awesome though. Don't you just love using the great outdoors as your gym in the warmer months? I do.

wtg FITmom!

Cherrypie99 - Have you tried giving yourself permission to slow down, but still jog? I bet after doing 3 miles a few times that way, you could up your speed.

Indi and Krampus - I hope each of your knees are doing well.

5 miles this morning. Did great. Very humid out and there was not a dry spot on me afterwards.

i've ALWAYS wanted to get into running, but i seem to start REALLY strong and after about 30 seconds, can't take any more :(

Help?

RANT. I just went to the park for a run and it was closed. Apparently the park is closed during the day... which makes a lot of sense... considering that it's a park.

Yes, I am grateful I at least have a park to run in (unfortunately street running is not possible due to danger from automobiles and being female), so I guess I should be grateful it's open a couple hours a day. But wow. That's so frustrating.

(If this were any other country I'd say it was likely due to budget cuts, couldn't staff the park. But labor in India is one of the cheapest in the world... which actually leads to inefficiencies since hiring more people for pennies per hour do things manually is cheaper than doing it more efficiently with technology. The people who cut the grass in our complex sit on the ground and use hedgeclippers.)

India... you exasperate me. A lot.

I guess that means no run today.

The exact same thing happened to me when I started, lol. I used to take off like a shotgun and after about a minute, I'd be dying and out of breath. You have to start slow and continue steady. You also have to build up to running a few miles without stopping to take a break. I started off like walking for 2 minutes then running for 3 minutes and alternating on and off for like 30 minutes. It takes several weeks to build your endurance - at least it did for me. I'm up to 3 miles 3-4 times a week for 30 minutes but that's after 6 weeks of building my stamina. Don't get discouraged, it takes time. And the weight will fall off you, seriously. It did for me, lol. Hope this helps. :)

Elle, you ca do it!!! Try interval training, which is just alternating jogging and walking. google Couch to 5k (C25K), that’ll get you jump started!

cheshire, HAHA i laughed out loud when i read that. i’m always soaked thru after a run too!

scraver, nearly 12 miles of biking and 50 mins on the treadmill, wooo! that’s hardcore!

fitmom, 3 miles, YAAAAAYYY!!!


Yesterday was supposed to be 2.5 miles of a speed run, but I stupidly worked out before running, and didn’t fuel properly at all. Ran out of steam at 1.5 miles. But, today was 4.5 miles of speed intervals, and I felt great! Funny how that happens. Tomorrow is cross, Sat is rest, Sunday is 6.5 miles!

Tomorrow is day 2 of my new mileage - 3 miles. Can I do it? LOL. Saturday is more of the same, Sunday is a much-needed rest and Monday, I'm doing my HIIT cardio (running) yet again. God knows what the people in my neighborhood think when they see a middle-aged woman (that would be me) doing sprints in the playground parking lot at the crack of dawn for twenty minutes straight. Haha

@fitmom

thanks (: I'll DEF try that, and give it a couple of weeks and let you know how it goes! I'm really looking forward to it!

@shasha12 and i'll def look at that! i'm willing to try anything at this point!

Ok so I went back to the park yesterday and did my 5K. It was the second 5K I have done since my two-week hiatus and the first one outside.

Good news: Wore my knee brace, my knee was 100% FINE! :)

Bad news: Arch of my left foot really hurts. Plantar fasciitis? Or just a weird pain that will go away in a day or so? Good grief, it's always something :(

Compared to the rest of you, I feel like I'm not doing a thing, haha. I completely day 3 of my 3K run today! It's getting easier the more I do it, which is super encouraging :D

But honestly, reading this thread is giving me so many goals to work toward, it's awesome. :) My dream would be able to do a 5K someday!

indiblue - I know the "it's always something" feeling all too well. At least your knee was all right. I hope you'll be back running again soon!

Knee is feeling a bit better but still probably shouldn't run on it. Feel my whole body turning into pudding.

I did 9 miles on Friday. Was really good. At the end I felt like to could have gone on though my knees were starting to bug me. Next week I'm stepping back to 8 miles for my long run.

Hello, runners :-)
 

I know it's halfway through July, but I wanted to jump in :) I have wanted to be a runner for years and finally feel like I AM! I started with C25K, did my first 5K then had a setback and didn't run again for a while. It took me a while to get going again, but I am now able to run 5 miles without stopping. I did a 10K once but I think I progressed too quickly because my knee didn't like me very much afterwards. I have always focused more on distance than speed (everything I read says that speed comes along naturally) and have improved from about a 13.5 min/mile to a 12 min/mile! My bf is a long time runner and is going to do a marathon in December so I am going to try to do the half. I never thought I'd ever complete a 5K much less a half marathon!

The thing that is killing me right now is the humidity here in SC! I did 5 miles yesterday morning, the temp was in the low 80's but the humidity was 86%! Yuck!! I've started taking a hydration belt with me even on shorter runs. It definitely helps. There are nights when I wait as long as I can to run and be able to get home before dark and it is still over 90 degrees, close to 100 with the heat index. I am ready for cooler weather!!

Reading through this thread is definitely motivating! I hope to be able to do 9, 10, 12 mile runs on a regular basis!

Well...I survived the 14 mile long run. It was my longest run ever. Instead of feeling a sense of accomplishment and pride, I'm feeling a bit sad because the thought of running 12.2 additional miles is a little daunting...Maybe I'm just meant to be a half marathoner. IDK. I'm trying not to make the decision in this state of mind. It wasn't a particularly good run. Well it was from and energy standpoint, but my legs were a problem the whole time. My knees hurt the whole time then my legs themselves then my feet (but I'm breaking in new shoes so that's no big deal).

I guess I need to remind myself that if I do decide to run a full that I had always intended to walk some of it, so that might help. At this point I'm runnign the entire time. I think that if around the 13 mile mark I plan to walk at all water stations I might be able to pull it off. I guess I'm just getting nervous because registration for the LA Marathon opens August 1st and it usually sells out.

For right now I think I just need to get my head out of that space and remind myself that I have a half marathon in 3 weeks and I still have a 15 miler ahead of me so just keep going!

Sorry, I'm a little scattered this morning - great job everyone!!!