Its amazing what our bodies can do! Today armed with my cell and water,ipod and garmin headed out on same road...trail today. I ran the flat 1st mile then headed up 3 miles into some new territory lots of sage and wide open to the mouth of the canyon with huge outcrops of rocks {any of you that have watched old westerns that kind this is the areas where they filmed them}ANYWAYS....it was 8 miles and 1,040 ft!!!! I have not even rode my bike that steep!

Devadiva, that just made my jaw drop! You are such an inspiration.

Wanting to train right, I looked up some training plans and figured out I should be working on my basic stamina which for me means running at much lower heart rates than I have been. So I took it very slow yesterday (around 7:20 per kilometer, 6k run) and kept that heart rate down. To be honest... it's not that much fun without the endorphins and I really also feel comfortable running around 175bpm. It's not like I'm huffing and puffing in those regions but I couldn't have a proper conversation.

Any advise on whether I should keep my heart rate low or keep running the way I started off?

If you don't have any pre-existing heart problems, there is ZERO reason to worry about your heart rate. Just run and don't worry about it. If you feel good, you are fine.

Deva - you are KILLING it!! I HATE running up any elevations. Give me flat and boring every day!!

Devadiva, that is an amazing run! The biggest hill I do gains about 300 ft. over a mile. I can't imagine climbing 1000 ft. in a run.

Half marathon is in just 5 weeks. Tomorrow is a 9 mile run and then, if I make it home in time, a sprint workout. I've been doing this combo for two weeks already and while it seemed crazy, what I've found is that being super-warmed-up from the long run means that I'm not getting muscle pulls from the speed workout and I'm not really sore the next day. I'm doing the sprints with my running team. We're all different levels and we don't have to push really hard unless we want to.

So far my injuries seem to be staying at bay. I feel pretty good and pretty strong, though as work ramps up (I was on a lighter schedule through the summer) I'm getting some fatigue from working out so much. I'm finding that I really need closer to 9 hours of sleep each day and that is super hard to get when I get up somewhere between 4:30 and 6 every day. Even on my "rest" days, I have to walk my crazy husky mix dog and he starts picking at me at about 6:30, so sleeping in is not really possible.

Went to women's fitness games did four hilly miles followed by a kickboxing class so 100 minutes of pure awesome haha. I don't usually nap but after, I fell asleep for a good hour and a half my body just needed it.

Defense: can you post or message me your workout plan please! My half is in two weeks and I would love to know what your schedule looks like. I think it is brilliant doing long runs and then a break, then sprint workouts. I would love to see it if you can post it - thanks!

Binge: run where you feel comfortable, don't focus on your heartrate as long as you don't have any heart issues as Cherry said...let us know...

Ugh, I feel so weak compared to you guys... Just to clarify something, when you guys clock how long you've run for, say 30 min., or when you say a distance, do you include breaks in that, or was it running nonstop? I can't imagine running for even a mile... I know I can, but I walk every other minute, so it takes 20min. to do a mile for me...

Spirtix, I ran a mile outside for the first time EVER in May of 2011. I now routinely run 6 miles and my longest run has been 11 miles. If you keep at it you will get there!!

Are you using a program to help you?

Jen

Thank you all for the feedback. So I'll just do what feels right since my heart is perfectly fine.

I started c25k this month I'm just now getting to running 3 minutes in a row It seems so short compared but it wears me out lol Can't wait to get there where you all are at

For anyone beginning running who feels like they can't do much, let me tell you my story. I started running when I was about 250 lbs. Maybe I made a few feeble attempts at it before that, but I started to really try harder around that time.

I did the c25k last fall and failed. Then I started over again and failed again. Walked and jogged a little through the winter, but went 5-7 miles every day, which I think helped me build strength in my legs. Then I started over again and just repeated weeks until I got to the point where i was running 20 minutes continuously, but when I tried to get past that I struggled. Then I backed off and started running 5 and 10 minute chunks with walking in between, but going further, like 4-6 miles. That's where I was this spring. Did my first 5k in March in 40 minutes. Walked twice in that race. Then did another one on Father's Day and I ran all the way through and finished in 32 minutes even though I hadn't slept the night before (I got home from delivering a baby just about 45 minutes before I left for the race). Around that time I decided to run a half-marathon in the fall and I've been training for that all summer. I haven't been in any official races, but my 5k training time is about 30-32 minutes and my 10 k training time is about 1:10. I ran 10 miles this morning and I was slow, but it is totally doable.

Losing 30 lbs has helped, but I wouldn't be running at all if I listened to people who tried to give me advice about fat runners. I routinely beat women who are 100lbs less than me in races. I did a five mile trail race in August and was in the top half for the whole field, men included, all age groups included. That was pretty great. I'm still a *very* slow runner, but I have my own goals, so that's ok. It's ok to be proud of your own little gains. There will *always* be someone who is doing better than you.

My advice for people starting out is to do little bits of running, but also do something else. i think that the thing that helped me get past the hurdles I was facing with running was the walking I was doing. I was doing the c25k, but then following it by several miles of walking, sometimes up big hills, and that helped me to get stronger. Now I can run the way I do because I cross-train with weights and cycling. I can build strength and endurance without having to do it all pounding the pavement. I know that people my size are ripe for repetitive use injuries and strains, so I've found ways to keep going without doing only one thing.

I totally agree just keep trying I never ran until last oct. I just kept doing it I am not fast... But am able to run up hill and just keep running I have great endurance! I turned 60 in May as for heart rate moniters... running is the only way I can even get mine to beat fast!
As for running had another night with that bacteria thing with my stomach {don't think it will ever clear up!} so didn't think I was going to run much but headed out ran one of my uphill 10ks 860 gain....so did 27.6 miles this week and 3,250 ft gain in 4 days!!!!!! Not bad for an ol lady

I am so excited to report that I ran my longest run ever today - 12 miles in 1:41:39!! I felt GREAT!!

Thats actually quite bass- ackwards, as far as being *beneficial* to a training plan...... its always best to do a speed workout on fresh legs, with a full tank of gas, so to speak, or you really dont experience many of the benfits of training for speed. On top of that, its better to do longer, slower runs after a harder workout because it more closley similates the fatigue and conditions of running an endurance event. Its quite common knowledge and practice for instance, in even a generic, free online marathon training program to see the speed work, race pace, or tempo runs scheduled on a friday, and then the long run scheduled for saturday. You will never see it the other way around.

Seeing as speed work is almosst entirely anaerobically based, if youve used up your bodies glycogen stores earlier in the day doing a long run, you wont have adequate "readily available" energy to derive any true benefit from a speed session later the same day, or even the next morning.
Thats not to say Defenestrator has not experiencde benefits in terms of being "looser" or "warmer" for your track session... But honestly you would experience the same effect if you got on the elliptical for an hour in the morning before your afternoon spped workout....

CherryPie - No, I haven't done any programs... I tried to start this 3 weeks to a 30 minute running habit, but it was too difficult for me, and I've just been going my own pace. Lately I've been running for a minute, and then walking for a minute, for 20 minutes, and I'm exhausted by then. I'm not out of breath, my muscles just aren't developed yet. It'd probably also help if I ran a track instead of my yard... sometimes I land on the rough terrain wrong, and it hurts my ankles... I have bad ankles...

Yeah... I guess it's just gotta take time. I haven't even been going for a month yet now that I think about it.

Hi runners!

I am pleased to announce I ran 6.9 miles/11K today in 1:04. Not going to win any races but I kept up the pace. Great hangover cure. The runner's high made the fact that I lost my car key and spent 2 hours walking 6 more miles rooting around for it more palatable, ughhhhh.

Did not find it but there's an extra at my parents' house, which is conveniently near where I'm having dinner tonight.