November Running!!!!
 

Alright I'm a day early, but here it is another month and the year is almost over - let's finish it strong. Share your running here with all of us from all walks of the running spectrum. 1 mile, 5K, 10K - we don't care RUN!!!!

My goal this month is to try and participate in the thread a bit better. I've been a little off the map, but running all the while. Been running less while nursing a few injuries and gearing up for my next training cycle and now I can't delay anymore. Today marks my first "official" day of training for the LA Marathon in March - and wouldn't you know it - I'm going to miss today's 3 miler LOL! Great way to start off. The story is that I ran a fabulous 7 miler yesterday and then spent 8 hours walking around at Disneyland and waking up at 4 am for a 3 miler was just not happening today. And I won't be able to make it up after work being Halloween and having a 3 year old that has to show the neighborhood his awesome costume. It's the third time I've started this training, I can't remembered why I restarted the first time, but this last time was due to injury.

My injury update is pretty good. Things aren't 100%, but am seeing a lot progress. So I think my strategies of incorporating lots of stretching (in the almost 2 years I've been running I've never stretched), foam rolling, sticking, changing my route to include hills only 2xs a week instead of 4xs, spinning, resting when necessary and pulling a run early if there's pain is working. It's a lot of work, but I think I'm realizing I'm not as young as I used to be and being a long distance runner is more than just running. It's such a learning process. My next thing will be ice baths - burrrrr!

So my next running focus is going to be on fueling strategies and recovery strategies. I need to determine at what point I must eat prior to running (at this point up to 15 miles with no food) and at what point I must include fuel during a run (at this point I'm gooing ever 5 miles for runs 10 miles or more). Additionally, at what point do I need the recovery drinks. There's so much info out there I've finally just learned it's all personal preference. Sure there's science there, but so much of it is conflicting, so I'll just focus on what works for me.

So that it for me today - happy running!

I'm going to work my way back to running 30-45min x3 a week. I typically run 10 minute miles, even when I'm in great shape, simply because that's what feels good for me! Right now, I'm just re-starting workouts after 3 years of less than wonderful habits. It was a cold morning and I'm not sure where my cold weather running gear is, so I went to the gym. We just got a membership and I'm putting it to good use. I walked 2 minutes, ran 13 minutes at about 6.5mph, then walked another 2 minutes before hitting the weights. I must find my outdoor gear because running on a treadmill is painfully boring to me!

Good luck to all :)

I am training for a half marathon in January. I run 3 to 5 miles 3 to 4 times during the week, then get a long run in on the weekends. This weekend I will run 7 miles. I just had my best 5k time this past Saturday, with a 25:30. I have gradually increased my times by 5 minutes and 30 seconds since my first 5k in April. Here's to Cool Runnings in November!

c25k Week 7 Day 1 DONE!

I have never been much of a runner, but I enjoy it. I have decided to run/walk a 5K with my family on Thanksgiving morning, so I am going to start preparing for that this week.
I have never really paid attention to how far a 5K actually feels to me, so I went on a 5K walk through the neighborhood today to get a feel for it.
It took me 55 minutes, this was only walking, while pushing 23 lbs of toddler in her stroller, in 25-30mph winds, haha.

In the past, I have only run a mile or a mile and a half at a time. So, I am excited to push myself and see how I can progress. I will update here as I go! Thanks for reading.

Well, I guess I am officially a winter runner because I just bought an Under Armour top for the cold -- and I bought a Spi Belt to keep my phone and ID in! I am currently just running 5k three times a week and that's how I'd like to keep it for now. It's just enough time for me to sweat and clear my head for the day. I'm an early morning runner before breakfast and I truly enjoy it! My DH and I are TTC this month, so we'll see what happens. I know a woman who was running up until her 8th month of pregnancy, so that gives me hope...I'd hate to give this up!

hi everyone! i completed my first ever 10k on sunday at the time i was aiming for 1:04. it isn't very fast but it was my first race and the longest distance i've ever run is 7 miles, so 6 in an hour isnt bad.

now that its over, i decided to stay in and rest last night for two reasons, the first being that i raced on sunday and the second being that i didnt feel like running around all the trick-or-treaters in my neighborhood. i was worried that i would gain but i strictly adhered to my 1300 calorie limit and i actually saw a loss this morning!

i feel better though, after I run, so its time to get back on the horse and get in a 4mile run today. I paid the dues to join my local running group and will start with them on saturday and am thinking of a december 10k before i my half marathon in the spring..

Yay to all the runners! I ran 4 miles on my lunch hour today. Here's the funny thing, back at work I was outside stretching afterwards and an acquaintance walked by and said "Hey - I didn't know you are a runner." Immediately I said "I'm not!" and he said "Well, didn't you just run?" "Um...Yes" "How far?" "4 miles." "I think that makes you a runner."

It's funny because even though I am running 10-14 miles per week, I don't think of myself as a "runner". What officially makes someone a runner?

I don't think there's an exact definition to what makes someone a "runner", if you run, you're a "runner" :) For me thought, I think it was more mental. I can't remember when it happened that I actually considered myself a runner and was comfortable labeling myself that way, probably after my first half-marathon. Now I'm gradually transistioning into considering myself a distance runner. Regardless, don't sell yourself short - you are a runner! All of us are, regardless of distance or speed.

Jay - Keep and eye on that 1300 calorie limit. In my personal experience that's too low for a runner to acheive optimal weight loss and performance, especially at the half marathon level. It's hard enough to lose weight while running greater distances, add super low cal to that and it's even tougher.

Strength training and yoga today, but I may throw in a few miles to warm up because I missed my run yesterday and I'm itching to run. I feel like an addict - LOL!

Have a great day everyone!

I haven't posted in a while as my running has been very uninspired. DH and I were signed up for a half marathon in early December but due to a couple of injuries on my part and lack of training on his (he's been busy with school) we've opted not to push it. I know I can't do 13 miles right now and it's not worth risking further injury just to prove something to myself. We do, however, have a 12k Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning so I'm still doing that. My longest race (and run!) was a 10k but I think that extra mile won't be too much of an issue. My last long run was 5 miles and while it wasn't stellar, it was manageable so I'm hopeful. My mother is running the 5k companion race and I'm hoping she'll win her age group - especially as right now she's the only one in it! Can't wait for those days - I seem to be in the largest age group at most 5k and 10k races!

I did my 1st 5k on Oct 15 with some friends they are part runners and walkers and we go to and exercise class togther so I decided on a fluke to join in. I ran a tiny bit with the dog last summer. They all ran ahead but I managed to run most of it at least the part that was on dirt {which I pefer to run on}.ANYWAYS I am now HOOKED I am signed up for another on Nov 5th and have been running about 4 days a week. The last 3 days I am up to running the whole 3 miles with an elevation gain of about 240 ft.and today did it in 37 min I run on trails on dirt roads mostly.I am 59. I know this is not fast but am proud of my self. I have been in pretty good shape but fell into a depression last year and lost some of my stamina for exersise and gained 20 lbs. I still look good and most people do not consider me overweight or out of shape but....I have backslid so I am really feeling that RUNNING is helping give me the lift I need. THANKS for listening.

oh dear. i went out for my 4 mile yesterday and my body just wasnt having it. i felt exhausted from having parent conferences this week and after mile 2 my knee started giving out due to my lazy gait. i threw in the towel and walked home to rest.

i exchanged my watch only HRM for one with a chest strap though, hopefully to keep me motivated for my thursday run. i guess i learned that sometimes i need to listen to my body. however, starting thursday it'll be back to business !

ncuneo- thanks for the advice. being at 1300 may be part of my lack of energy. I'm trying to find a balance between eating too much in compensation for exercise and not.

I got back into running today :D

I was rather disappointed though!!! I used to run 3 miles a few times a week before the summer and today I only managed 1.5 in 20 minutes!!! I know, it's embarrassing because there are plenty of people who are much heavier and can do much better!

It'll pick up, I'm just (really) out of shape! We can do it :D

Well...big news - I officially registered for the LA Marathon yesterday, no refunds, no turning back, it's real now...ahhhhh!!!

3 miler yesterday, nothing to really talk about there. Spin and strength training today, intervals tomorrow.

Lots of new faces - wecolme! Keep it up everyone!

I've been on and off the thread for a while, but I am hereby committing to being a more committed poster :)

So far, November is not my month. I've been struggling in the healthy eating department and I decided to throw some strenth training into the mix which has left me too sore to hardly get up from my chair at work much less run, LOL! I WILL NOT GIVE UP!! I'm training for my first half marathon in December. My fiance was going to be doing his first full but hasn't had time to train properly so he is going to be doing the half with me. My long runs are up to 9 miles - I do my first 10 miler this Sunday! I am slow - on long runs I average about 12:30-13:30 pace and shorter runs around 11:30, but I have started paying more attention to my heart rate than my pace to gauge my intensity level (I <3 my new Garmin Forerunner!!)

Happy running, ladies!

Do you guys find strength training helps your running? It's just so boring and I'm not strong at all at this point, so it feels forced right now.

I was thinking about scheduling a run every other day, and then lifting weights on my off day. How do you make strength training tolerable? Does anyone here actually like it and think I'm nuts?

Thoughts please

Was slacking, but am going to get it back together. I've got my stamina up to running a full minute and then walking a full minute. I do this for 12 minutes altogether, running 6 out of 12. Very good for someone who started with running 20 seconds every minute and a half. :D I'm going to try to add another minute of running to this before January. Eventually I want to get it to 10 minutes of running altogether, and then slowly take the in between minutes of walking out. I can't imagine myself ever running 10 minutes without stopping just yet, but I also couldn't imagine myself running a full minute with just a minute of rest between, so who knows?

I'm still doing a 5 minute warm-up walk, and then 14-20 minutes of walking for a cool down. Totaling 30-35 minutes altogether usually. It depends on my energy and how far I am from my house. lol.

I do 2-3 BodyPump classes a week and they're fun (google it)! Each person has a step-bench and a bar and a selection of weights and you do one muscle group per song in time to the music at the rate the instructor tells you to! If you live in a largish place there's probably something like that near you?

Squat track and lunge track definitely help my running as there's some steep hills around here. Other than that, i'd say it wouldn't assist running very much.

Basically though it helps me at work a lot because i often have to lift things and move them about, and the other thing is it makes you look a lot better as you go in and out in all the right places!!

I agree though, i found it impossible to enjoy doing weights when i used to try them via the machines at the gym. Dull as.

I follow a program - New Rules of Lifting for Women and enjoy the challenge.

Strength training is critical for runners to prevent injuries and balance your body because running is not a full body work out. There's ton of info out there to support it.

I also like what strength training does for my physique.

Intervals today, went well. Rest tomorrow. 8 miles Sunday.

Today: 1 hour/5.8 miles. No knee pain. And I love my time- shaved off 1-2 minutes from last week :-D

aka I think lifting is critical when you are running + in a caloric deficit. Gotta protect those muscles as your body burns tissue. Plus, building muscle helps ensure your muscles bear more of the work, not your joints.

I don't have a program, but I do a consistent routine to hit every muscle group 1-2x a week till fatigued. I try to keep my lifts short and sweet- lift as heavy as I can, pushups, bench, shoulder press, lat pull down, squats, lunges. Plus wall squats and jumping squats because our gym doesn't have weights heavy enough for deadlifts!

I also do yoga 2x a week, including 1x a week hard, strength-building yoga that leaves me sore the next day.

Hi everyone, I haven't posted much here on 3FC but I sure have done a lot of lurking :P Anyway, I would like to add running back into my weight loss plan this month and continue throughout the winter. I am a high school senior and its currently the last week of volleyball season and then basketball starts! So I need to work my running around my practices, but it should be do-able. I've been on vacation this week and while I haven't been eating the best, I did get 3 30 minute (3 mile) runs in this week and I was planning on going to the gym this morning before we leave but I went down there and the gym doesn't open until 8! So I think I will do some on the elliptical tonight when I get home (I wish we had a treadmill) since it will be too dark to run outside as I'd like.

Today is my 5k and its about 25 out it will be my coldest run so far dang the weather!!!Oh well! As for weight training I love it slow and heavy or fast and light. I take an organized class as mentioned twice a week and do DVDs 3 other days. I love the changes it has made in my body and along with my other exercising has been what has allowed me to jump into running.{or my version of it}

Just got back from my 5k it was actually colder when we started 24 at 9 am.
I am very proud it was on sand and had hills,finished in 37:20. And low and behold I won THIRD Place overall in the womens division!!!!! HoAH! Next on on 12/10 here I come.

Fantastic 8 miler today, TFL hurting a little bit and I won't have time to use my massage stick til later, so alieve will have to do for now. I did stretch it though. It was just one of those runs that just felt awesome start to finish - love those!

That's the good news, bad news is my "skinny" winter pants from last year a pretty much unwearable...time to drop to cals...trouble I'm hungry at my current cals...man this maintenance thing is tough - oh well!

I did my first 10 miler today! It hurt like heck and I was struggling the last mile and a half, but I did it without stopping or walking. I never dreamed I would do such thing! I did realize how important it will be for me to consistently add in strength training to build my supporting muscles in my legs. My hip flexors and hamstrings were SOOOO fatigued toward the end of my run, and I know the stronger I make those muscles, along with my quads and glutes, the easier it will be for me to go the distance (not to mention how much less stress it will put on my knees).

Ncuneo - how do the massage sticks work? I have seen them around in my running store but am nit sure how to use them or whether they really help that much.

Well I am home from vacation and back at it. Got in another 30 minutes, 3 miles yesterday on the treadmill after playing basketball for 2 hours, so it was tough but I did it! I might be running today and I'd certainly like to but I was having a little pain in my right foot yesterday and I don't want to overdo it. It feels fine so far today though so if it continues I'm planning on running! (And another plus, I only gained 0.6 lbs on vacation eating pretty much what I wanted - the magic of exercise I guess :D)

good morning, runners!

mondays are my long run days so i'm going to go out for 8 miles this evening. i'm both excited and worried that i wont be able to make it. it will be my LDR, two weeks ago i did 7, and then last week i had my 10k so i took a break from my long run and just did my short ones but today is will be back on the horse.

last time i did a long run, i felt fatigued and nauseous afterwards. i think that this time i will try to eat the bulk of my calories before i run and i will also carry some sport beans with me just in case.

i live in a pretty good neighborhood but i'm a little apprehensive about running alone after dark. however, i have no choice since i run an hour after i come home from work and am exhausted right after i come home.

i do have a light that i wear as well as a waist pouch for my phone just in case. i think it will be okay-- it will still be from 6-7pm, not very late, i guess.

did 2.5 miles tonight! c25k week 7 done, on to week 8!

I'm doing a similar programme! I do strenght workouts on monday and wednesday, jogging on tuesday and thursday and sometimes epileptical on friday or saturday.
Way to go, girl ;)

Do any of you ever experience pain around the base of your big toe that kind of spreads into that side of the foot? I may have gotten this from my last walk/run and it made this morning's pretty uncomfortable, but I did it anyway. I'm trying to get back in the habit of doing this everyday since I want to lose 5 more pounds before the middle of December.

Hi there all! I'm a new runner. I'm doing cool running's c25k. I completed w2d1 yesterday. My goal this month is to keep up with the program.

Anyone here run with vibram 5-fingers? I just got a pair. You have to build up with these guys, wondering if anyone has done this.
Later chickies!

i have a pair of vibrams. i bought them after i read "born to run". the important thing is to be very aware of your running form since thats the point of the vibrams-- running will be less painful when coupled with striking fore/mid foot. however, if you run in them and heel-strike, you put yourself at more of a risk for injury.

i'm still in the process of working them into my running schedule. since i am training for a few races, i need to train in shoes that i am most comfortable in...

I run in Vibrams on the treadmill, but I found that I needed a thicker sole for running outside. I still wanted the minimalist feel, but I didn't want to feel rocks when I stepped on them. So I found Fila Skeletoes, which I LOVE. They are the only thing I run in.

I was lucky because I never ran before and started with minimalist shoes, so there was no need to go through a whole transition period.

Massage sticks are the most wonderful invention ever! I was using my rolling pin before LOL! I like them better than a foam roller because I can reach more places and I can lay comfortably on the couch and massage for longer than I'd roll. It's almost eliminated my TFL and IT Vsnd pain, but I have to make sure I do it regularly.

Awesome 3 miler yesterday, I'm on a roll with good runs, reminds me how much I love running. Just yoga today, not feeling like strength training today. 4 miles tomorrow.

ncuneo- you have really pretty teeth. i need to get mine fixed...anyyywaaayy...wtg on your 3 miler. What are you training for? A full marathon?

Week 8 Day 1 DONE! only 5 workouts to go until graduation! yaaay

Since I checked in last
Sun:Hiked with DH 4RT miles 600ft gain {we live in Eastern Sierras everthing steep}
Mon: Weights KCM 40 min
Tues: 3 mile run 240ft gain, Weights KCM 40min, Organized weight class 1 hr
Wed: 3 mile run, thinking about some zumba,and dog walk with friend in afternoon
I work the next 2 days and will not have any free play time {exercise time}
on Thur hopefully Fri!!!
Great job everyone keep hitting the road trail or what suits ya!!!!

I've not been running for ages really. Well a couple of 5km efforts last week but that's about it. However, i'm about to sign myself up for a 10km trail race on Sunday!! It's going to be tough!
I have been doing other stuff though with a 100km (about 60 mile?) bike race last sunday, 3hr trek up and down hills on monday, back to back gym classes yesterday and another 3hr trek scheduled for tonight. Spot the problem though - no running!!!

Thank you, Cherrypie and Jayohwhy for the tips and suggestions on the fivefingers. I have had them since Monday of this week. Friday I am planning to take them out on my interval training. I plan to bring my sneakers with me in case I have too much trouble.
Question: On Vibrams' page is suggests running barefoot so as to help force you to lighten your forestroke and also help you gauge yourself more. Did anyone do this? I'm interested in doing it..but I do my interval training on streets, maybe I should do a trail this way?

Otherwise.. I finished w2d2 this afternoon. It went well. Friday will be d3 and then I'll be onto week 3! Time flies when you're having fun! :D

10K/1 hour this morning. Mostly before the sun was up- it was really nice

No knee pain :carrot: :carrot: :carrot:!

My yoga instructor says I have tight legs from running so I'm working on doing lots of stretching/yoga afterwards (Unna, I'm catching on to your post-run yoga routine- it's nice!).

ange 10k trail! That must be tough- but fun!

Week 8 Day 2 DONE! only 4 more workouts until I graduate to 10k training.