Thank you Jay, I have done a flat marathon (6 hours) and a flat 50km in the park ( smidgen under 8 hours) both in 2014, but this is a whole new level. I have also done 2 shorter trail races, Mt Oxford (20km, 5 hours and dead last!) and Mt Arrowsmith (17km and 3rd over 50 woman) actually there were 8 over 50 women, but most were walking! Again though this is a whole new level. For the last 6 months I have done very little ( the result of a family tragedy) but I have started running again and am beginning to build up the distance.

On the plus side I live near the race and can practice bits of it...but not the Lee Valley section as it is private.
And I used to be a tramper in my youth before I became obese, so I am used ( albeit long in the past) to packing a bag in the wilds and being self sufficient.
And hubby is a real trail runner, has all the gear etc. he doesn't run with me as I am too slow. But he is keen for me to do this and says he will help. He will also crew for me.

Against...I am so very slow. I will need to lift my game.
I will probably be alone for much of the race. I need to be self sufficient.
No pacers. Hubby cannot run back out along track to meet me.
It would be really embarrassing to miss the cutoff.

I think I will give it a go. Nothing ventured nothing gained! Entries open July 1st.

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:) and here it is so cold in the mornings now.......

7km, beach and estuary. Easy pace

2.4 mile HIIT last night. Really enjoying it! I'm surprised how fun it is to sprint :)

I mapped out my workouts for the week. Hopefully that will motivate me to get up early a few mornings this week, since I've been failing at that recently.

NNS how are the early mornings going?

Wednesday. 7 km beach and estuary.
Thursday, rest day. Beach walk with Bonnie (who is feeling a bit better, but who still has stitches in her face)

OK, so you've got a lot going for you: you know the distance and how to train and pace it (at least on the flats); you can train the same or similar hills; you're an experienced outdoorswoman; and you've got great support in your DH for training and crewing. You're golden!

There's really nothing embarrassing about missing a cutoff. I've seen a guy, who I knew WON a major 100-mile ultra earlier in the year, miss a cutoff time and bail completely in another race (I was working aid stations). Every race is different. You're not doing this because you are absolutely certain you can finish it within the time limit; you're doing it because you're NOT certain but you think you can and you want to try.

Trail run at 6:30a this morning... Cool and very breezy... AND GORGEOUS OUT!!! Had the the whole trail to myself... Did 6 mi with lots of walk breaks and it took over an hour, but I don't care... Definitely put my head in a better space for the rest of the day... :)

autodidact - The early mornings are NOT happening. But I've managed evenings instead. Yesterday was sooo nice out at around 6PM that it wasn't an issue. Supposed to rain tonight so I'll run on the treadmill.

The tree pollen is awful right now. I'm taking allergy meds 2x/day! However, somehow I powered through the runny nose yesterday. I think the HIIT is really making a difference. My pace for my 2 mile run is down by almost 30 sec/mile in just two weeks.

Finally bought some new capris to run in. My other ones were too loose. Nothing worse than having to pull your pants up every 30 seconds...

On my way grocery shopping this morning I decided to pull off at a trailhead that I pass on the way since I was wearing running shorts and sneakers and RUN 3 miles as fast as could... Felt GREAT!!! And it left me surprisingly energized... I think I may just have a new routine to liven up my little trips into town up here in the country this summer... :)

Thank you Jay...an experienced outdoors woman! How cool does that sound!

You should have seen me after the first quake, lying under a table like a beached whale, unable to help, being a big fat liability. That was an eye opener and no mistake. Life changing moment no 1. That started me dieting.

I started running...life changing moment no 2...after a particularly big quake centered more or less under our house and I was running for my son, who was in the next street, and even fueled with adrenaline, and terrified for my child I COULD NOT MAKE IT 100 YARDS TO THE CORNER.

I ran today. Hubby took me out on the trails, to see how much I had to do if I was going to do Bedrock. We did over 3 hours and I am shattered. Hubby says things are not too bad and he reckons I will be able to do it...if I train hard! I discovered something though...I am faster than him downhill...not by much but I am! Ha! :dizzy:

Auto. :)

5km walk today in 42:36
I have had a two week break from walking and running due to sickness so I am really eager to get back into it.

Hello noshoes......so.....are you are bare foot runner?

Today was my first run in about a year. I've made excuses for too long and I'm happy to be starting again... Well at least I'm happy now - tomorrow I'll be sore. :-)

Ran 5K on Saturday, longest run since my race May 2nd. It's amazing how easy it is to get out of routine and 5K because really really hard! But I almost matched my race time (without feeling like I'm racing) so I'm still convinced the HIIT is helping a lot.

I just really wish my capris would get here. It is HOT out and running in pants is killing me.

HIIT tonight at the gym.

I ran week 5 day 3 of c25k last night. That's the big "run 20 minutes" whammy that pops up out of nowhere. I'm so proud of myself because I actually did it! Of course I only ran a little over 1.25 miles in those 20 minutes, but I never stopped running so I'm still claiming victory!

Chubabub - AWESOME JOB! Congrats! That is a tough one but it feels so amazing when you complete it, doesn't it? The next few days will feel easy after that, but trust me, you'll want to take it seriously because its setting you up for the next big whammy lol

Ran 2.5 miles on the treadmill last night. Ugh, why is it so much harder than running on pavement?

chubabub that is wonderful, well done! C25K has some seriously hard steps in it, and you crushed it! Well done! This is it, you are on a roll now.

NNS funny, I thought running on a treadmill would be easier than running outside, because the road moves beneath you, and you just have to lift up your feet. BUT I have never used one, so I hear you!

I have been missing in action for a week or so, but have still been running. Went out with hubby yesterday and did 3 hours 20 mins on our feet of hilly trails. Just as I was feeling pleased with myself hubby pointed out I have to get a lot faster over hills if I am going to achieve my dream of a trail ultra next February. Oh well 8 months to go.....

Rest day today then a flat 12km time trial Monday, with hubby, for a base time to work from.

Keep running!

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Total of 3.14 miles today. Half outside, half on a treadmill.

I threw up in my mouth while running so I figured I should stop and walk home. Yuck. I think it was just too hot and humid! That was certainly a first for me...went to the gym a couple hours later to finish my run and do some strength.

I guess I'll have to get my butt up way early tomorrow to beat the heat.

NNS I am trying to will myself out of the door before sunrise on a really cold frosty morning....I fell on the ice last week and that has put me off rather, although the beach is obviously not icey and the tide is out so there is room to run, so there is no excuse. Right now, as I am huddled under a blanket waiting for the log fire to get going, hot and humid sounds great!

I think the worst thing is how cold your clothes are in the early morning, having to get out of a warm bed to pull on freezing cold clothes. I have taken to getting up even earlier so I can get the log burner going and lay my clothes out in front of it!

We always want what we can't have, huh? I would love to trade weather right now! Today's run in the heat went much better, I was more prepared and more forgiving of myself. But I do need to get back into the habit of early morning runs. This week won't be it as it's supposed to rain a lot. Guess I'll be relying on the treadmill...

Question - Does anyone here have/use a Road ID or something similar? Suggestions, thoughts? It's one of those things that I think, "can't hurt!." There was an incident at a local park where a runner got attacked (she got away) in broad daylight, 8AM. Between that and almost being hit by a car a few weeks ago I'm a bit more aware of the realities of running alone lol

I usually run with my cell phone, which has an accessible "Medical ID" screen with allergy info and emergency contact, but obviously that's not guaranteed to survive an accident.

Thanks guys! I'm looking at some of the times you guys are posting and all I can think is 1) noshoes walks faster than I run and 2) I'm thrilled to run 20 minutes and autodidact does that PLUS 3 hours on hilly trails! And the fact that NNS gets up and runs a 5k on practically a daily basis makes you my hero! So thank you for being so supportive of an old lady whose just thrilled to be running for the first time!

I need to look up what the average time is for a 5k for my age group so I know how much work I need to do. I would really hate to sign up and have everyone pack up and go home before I can crawl across the finish line!

We did the set of two 10 minute runs today and sadly it did not feel easy! But I made it. Now we have the 22 minute run Thursday. Nothing to you guys but mind boggling for me!

[Chubabub how old are you? I am almost 53, and I started running at age 49. I took 46 minutes for my first 5km and I was RUNNINGAS HARD AS I COULD! People had finished the 10km before I had finished 5!

So....for your first 5 km you need to pick one that also has a 'walk' section! You need to enter the run as run/walkers always have to enter the run. It is also a good idea if the race has a number of longer distances, you might get a 5 and 10 km race taking place at the same time, and there is a walk section for 5km. That kind of set up would be ideal as you would not have to worry about being last or far far worse, one solitary person waiting for you with a stopwatch...it happened to me once.....

However there are lots of these kinds of fun runs about. Keep your eyes open and go for it.

By the way, don't look at the records for the over 50's ...its way too depressing! They are FAST!

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i am so lazy . don't like run .

Chubabub - It's quite amazing the difference between abilities and experience in this thread. Sometimes its overwhelming, but it's also really motivating!

I'm not sure what I said that sounded like I run a 5K often LOL Maybe once a week! I'm at about 10 miles a week right now. I started Couch to 5K in February, though, so it's pretty cool to see how far I've come since then and you will make progress, too!

I have to agree with autodidact about looking at records of the 50+ runners. Holy cow. They have been some of the fastest in both races I've done! You won't be the last one, trust me. :)

The 22 min run will be hard, but remember, you already did 20 min! Once you get to 20 min, you'll only have two minutes left!

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Haven't run since Sunday. My schedule and this weather is all out of whack. I think it was someone here who said no more than two days in a row, no more than two days off, and I rather like that "rule." So, gym bag is in my car, ready to go after work.

I ran 4 miles yesterday! FOUR! So very happy as I hadn't run longer than a 5K before this. I took a long walking/sitting break halfway and thankfully the way back was into the wind.

Having issues with my breasts being sore though. I guess the sports bra I bought isn't nearly as good as I thought it was... sigh.

ran 5 miles yesterday for the first time, was hard but I managed this :)

The c25k 25 minute run was today. I got through it! Hooray! I may not be moving much faster than most people walk, but I ran all 25 minutes. The philosophy of "it's only 3 minutes more than the last run" worked very well, so thank you for that advice NNS!

Congrats on hitting 4 miles, NNS, and 5 miles Wizeapple! That's awesome!

So does anyone have advice on how to progress after completing c25k? I'm doing the timed version and at my current pace, even once I make it to 30 minutes, I won't be completing a 5k. Probably closer to 2 miles. Do I try to run longer, or just keep doing the 30 minute runs and work on increasing the distance covered?

Ran 1 mile last night as a warm up before strength and decided to see how fast I could run a mile. Under 9 minutes! I remember never being able to do the 10 minute mile in gym class so that felt pretty awesome :)

wizeapple - Wow 5 miles! Awesome!

Chubabub - Yay great job on the 25 minutes! *high five*

I'd suggest signing up for a 5K race if you're interested and then when you're done C25K, work towards getting to that distance. Ignore the clock, just try to hit that distance. Races are a really great motivator! At least, that's what I did. One day I just ditched the app, went for a run, and tried to run as far as I could. I was pretty shocked I managed a 5K that day.

You could also add in some interval training, but I'd just focus on building up to the distance if that's what you want to do.

I wish this thread was more active!

I ran 4.66 miles on Saturday at the park where we camped. I thought it was only a 3.6 mile loop so I was a bit disappointed when I realized I still had a mile to go! Even at 8AM it was hot as heck so I took a few breaks where I completely paused MapMyRun and mopped the sweat off myself. Otherwise, felt great to finally get some use out of the trail runners.

Getting used to running with a water bottle. Need it when it is this hot!

New member here: Looking for support and motivation! I've been trying to get into a routine of doing 60 minutes on the treadmill each morning. This was to be day 6....got dressed, got my bottle of water, put TV on so I can follow the news during my workout.....the machine won't come on.....worked perfectly yesterday morning. Contacted customer support, long story short, it's going to cost me $460 for a new console panel to fix it. At that price, I think I'm just going to shop for an inexpensive one in town. Maybe I can get a floor model or something. So, no workout...instead I ran for a bag of chips...UGGG!! So annoyed! Anyway, thanks for letting me vent here! I'm starting to feel better already and going to do some house work, then go to a few stores to price new equipment. Maybe do an exercise video tonight....and a salad for lunch...no more chips...

Did the 28 minute run for c25k today and it really didn't feel any harder than the 25 minute run. The website training plan shows 3 days of 28 minutes and then 3 days of 30 minutes (9 weeks total) but the app only has 2 days of 28 minutes and then jumps to 30 on the 3rd day (only8 weeks total). I think jumping to 30 minutes will probably be fine, and since I'm apparently going to need to run much longer than that to actually complete a 5k, the sooner I can run longer the better!

I had a lot of errands to run today so had to shorten my normal workout. But got 2 miles in and a good mix of weights as I can only get to the gym 2 days this week.

I started Couch to 5K last week. I was sitting on the sofa last Sunday morning, feeling fat (but eating junk food for breakfast :dizzy:) and just thought 'Enough'. SO I got up and Googled, came across Couch to 5K and then just did it. I didn't even complete the first cycle that first day! But I kept on and finished cycle 1 last week. I did not feel strong enough to move to cycle 2 just yet so I am repeating cycle 1 but already, after 4 complete runs (and the first incomplete), I can feel myself getting stronger.

I take my Greyhound with me for company.

Never thought I would consider myself a runner!!! :carrot:

I recommend that you work on getting to where you can run 5K, even if it's slow. Speed work is challenging for new runners. It involves running intervals, something most people don't tackle early in their running career. So after you finish C25K, work on increasing your distance, no matter how long it takes. Once you can run 5K without it being utterly exhausting, then you can work on speed.

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I was a runner in my early adult years; I did 5Ks and 10Ks. Then came kids and life.... I picked it back up in my early 40s but suffered repetitive stress fractures in my tibia due to pushing myself too hard, too soon. So I switched to swimming - and then fractured two ribs. Needless to say, I had to quit exercising and then the weight piled on. But I've lost 40 pounds and having lost the weight, I feel it's safe to start exercising again. Yesterday I bought two new pairs of running shoes and plan to start C25K in the morning. To prepare, I've been walking 3-4 miles every morning for the last 6 weeks. I'm really excited! I have already found two 5Ks I want to run in November.

Got off my *** today...
 

I struggled with low motivation all day today...came home from work and didn't want to do ANYTHING. I got off my rear end though and ended up doing my best time ever at the track - 16.5 minute mile, went 2.4 miles. It's so ironic how the times that I do it when I don't want to often end up being the best work-outs ever. I wanted to quit halfway through as well but powered through.

Good job today everyonw!:carrot:

I ran Day 1 of the C25K program yesterday. Unfortunately, due to my schedule, I had to run at noon, and it was 95 degrees! :hot: The second half of the run felt like death. haha. Hoping for better experiences once fall weather arrives.

I ran today... well sort of, I did W1D3 of C25K. I made it through the program once before and even ran as far as 8k but I hurt my back and quit running for a while so I'm starting again now. Unfortunately I've also gained quite a bit of weight back but hopefully it will go if I can keep running. It's all up to the back.....

Today I did 3.42km in 30 minutes.

I'm still plodding along through C25K. I've completed the first two weeks. Next week has me worried about running 3 minutes at a time. :/

Ran Week 3, Day 1 of C25K. I was worried about being able to run 3 minutes at a go, but decided to just go slow and that did the trick. I wasn't even overly exhausted at the end. I can do this!

Yes you can!!!

I think I'm going to repeat week 2. I just want to be better at running 1.5 minutes, I'm fine doing it the first few times but by the end it gets a bit tough.