Amanda --that sounds very useful. If I could just find something like that which also plays music (so I don't have to lug my phone around when running outside) and also is comfortable and affordable, I'd be thrilled!

This is one of the occasions I'd recommend a gym membership and to use a treadmill indoors. Brrrr Pishposh, Baltimore truly is the frozen north. Stay warm and safe. :)

OK I am dipping my feet in the water over here LOL...My coach said I should start some lite exercise, and one of my dream is that I could actually do this...

I am going to do some research today...I do have a treadmill at home so it may not be hard for me to get started this cold winter. Its a balmy 18 today here but the wind chill is -1....brrr not starting this outside.

Anyway I have never run before...tried but no success with the achy knees and hurting back....now 66 lbs lighter I am hoping for some success. There is a group of women in the neighborhood who are runners and who do lots of 5 & 10K runs across the state...I want to be with them instead of cheering them on...

Sue, good for you -- that is the first step! (Well, first deciding to look into this, and, second, putting it in writing on this forum!).

I also want to be "a runner." I've never been one either, though loved jogging/walking my way through 5ks with my family when we were a little younger. Running has always either bored me, or hurt my knees or shins, etc. I prefer other kinds of cardio and have lots of excuses. DH and DS are runners, and I would love to, not only join them, but more importantly, set a positive and strong example for my teenage daughter (who similarly dislikes running but who, I think, could really benefit from it, since it's a much easier form of exercise in college than trekking to the elliptical machine at the gym). So, perhaps my motives are a little convoluted, but I'm going to give it a whirl and see if being accountable here can get me across the finish line, so to speak.

As you research, you'll see that the program starts out very gently, with jogging stretches no longer than a minute. To me, the trick is super fun and bouncy music:)

Amanda -- happy Day 1!

Run Forrest, Run
 

Wow you guys! Good for you!

I seem to always be rehabbing something & have never been a runner but I'm getting back to the gym, first for water exercise and gradually I'll get back on the bike. I figure some spinning classes (taking it easy) will get me ready for when it is no longer too frigid for bike riding.

It is never too soon to look at how to have a more active life :)

I did day 1 of the 5krunner yesterday. I felt pretty good. I was 80 lbs heavier the last time I did it and I could definitely tell the difference!! on to day 2!

I always thought spinning and cycling would be hard on the knees, but I was talking to a spin instructor at the weekend and she said that is only if you don't take the time to set up your "position" correctly so that there is no undue strain on the knees or ankles. I never realised that it was so important.

She's also offered hubby and I a free class next Monday, which we'll be taking advantage of. Hubby's brother and sister, both, are into long distance terrain cycling and trying to encourage him to join, so we'll see how he fares on his maiden voyage on Monday. He has bad knees after 25 years of soldiering and those arduous runs and detests running, so he'll need a sporting outlet while I run. :)

Welcome aboard the Couch train, Sue. One of the things you may want to research are the recommended pre-running stretches to loosen up, and post-run stretches to relax any tight muscles. This really helps me with knee issues. :)

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Day 1 down. Found it much easier than I was expecting, and happily discovered that the 60 second run is marginally shorter than 1 loop of the indoor track. As I was running 1, walking 1 during my "trying it out" session last week it came as a pleasant surprise. Of course, my shoe lace became loose and completely undone 2 laps into the warm up walk and I refused to stop (yes, I'm one of *those* types).

Had a half a protein shake before I left and popped the rest into a water bottle to have after the cool down walk to finish. Had a salt lick and 12 oz water to top out fluids (intending to have another protein shake and the other 12 oz breakfast water when I got home) and felt great. No weakness, no tiredness, no muscle tenderness (yet) so I feel this is eminently "doable" for me. Looking forward to Friday now, and I'll be trying it without the extra protein packet, but maybe a hard boiled egg or two! :)

How was your Day 1, Kelly? How are you feeling today? Did you add an extra protein pack in after your run or go through without?

I just uploaded from my Garmin. The stats:-

1.19 miles @ average pace 27.17 mins per mile at 178C

Interesting, considering I walk at @16 min miles and run @12 min miles but I guess it averaged the time out over the distance. I also normally burn around 350-520 calories on a 3 mile-5 mile walk, so I'm wondering if this is really not as cardio heavy as we might suppose. Yes, it's burst movement but my average heart rate settled at around 150 once I got into the rhythm of run/walk cycles.

I feel great today! I am looking forward to going home and doing it again! I did it before dinner, so after walk/jogging I cooked supper (big mac in a bowl) and I ate a hard boiled egg while I was cooking the meat. It really felt good to get this body moving.

Is it ok to do it mon-fri and take the weekend off?

Hi Everyone,

I'm two runs into my first training week. With two 25 minute run/walk sessions down and I feel great! I was a little sore on Tuesday, but did more stretching and a gentle yoga class and felt great for today's run.

The Chubby Jones Podcast has been working for me because it is a random mix of music I like and Mia "Chubby" Jones does a great job of both pushing and encouraging the runner. Plus, she runs to eat and drink, which I totally relate to! http://chubbyjones.com/ Her podcasts prepare you for a 5k, 10k, etc. You can get the podcast on iTunes or the website.

The first week is just interval training of walking 5 minutes, running 90 seconds and then running again with a cool down. You sweat, but it I've been doing it on my lunch break at the gym. I have an IP packet before I go, water while working out and my lunch and more water when I'm done. If needed, I have an emergency bar if I need half as a snack, but haven't needed it, to date.

The intervals make you look a little silly with the speed up and slow down, but I've noticed a bunch of people in the gym doing the same thing. No need to be embarrassed.

Speaking of embarrassing yourself and creating positive habits, I found this article in Outside Magazine that is fantastic!

http://www.outsideonline.com/fitness...e-a-Month.html

Best of luck and remember to kick your own butt!

Kelly

Typically the c25k is only 3 days per week with a rest day in between each "run/walk" day. I did do it 5 days a week last time because I really wanted to get my base up but yeah, it is good to take some days off especially in the beginning.

Glad that both of you Kelly's found week 1 so enjoyable.

They suggest a rest day in between, so I can't really see a big issue with having the weekend off. There are always going to be 2 days between one of the runs anyway ... 3 into 7 guarantees it. :)

I really liked the ChubbyJones broadcasts, but I couldn't get them to convert into AAC format so I could put them on my shuffle. It won't play podcasts so requires some jiggery pokery to make it all work.

At the gym this morning I saw another runner who I believed was doing C25K as well. She looked to be on Week 4 from what I could tell by the laps she was running. I find it very motivating to be one of many, although I'm not a competitive nature.

Loved the link to the OutsideOnline - it rings true with me, and once I'm able to consistently run 3 miles outdoors I'll probably do the same thing. :)

Sue...YES! Join us! I live in the Northeast so I hear you about the cold. That is one reason why I was going to wait until Feb or March to start. All of these posts are getting me chomping at the bit though. LOL.

I agree with Briael though: reading about the stretching is important. Last time I did the program, I got shin splints pretty bad. But I learned that shin splints are often caused by tight calf muscles (your calf muscle wraps around the front or is attached to muscles in the front so when it gets tight it pulls on the front) and once I started stretching properly, they went away!

So great to have a whole team doing this together! I don't feel sore from yesterday's first session, but my legs do feel a bit "heavier" when I climb the stairs. And I like taking a day off in between sessions, mostly because I know that if I start to get shin splints, I will totally use that as an excuse to stop!

On the extra protein everyone's is experimenting with… I used a whole extra IP packet yesterday (so 4 total for the day), but I think I will try what some of you are doing and have an extra hard-boiled egg instead tomorrow. The way I calculate it, there is quite a big difference int he amount of protein you get from one or the other: about 20 grams in a packet vs. 6 grams in an egg. Is there any way to calculate just how much we need to make sure we maintain muscle mass? Or just wait til WI and see how our lean body mass numbers are?

Still looking for a podcast to use. Is there any way to see the playlists for chubby jones? I think I'm too old for most of her stuff!

It isn't just about the protein. IP is a low calorie program as it is. When you run you expend more calories, so you need to replace what you lost so your body doesn't go into starvation mode and refuse to give up its fat store for ketosis. On the other hand,you do not want to push your net carbs to the stage where you are out of ketosis, so it's a balancing act. This is why I am tracking the cals/carbs/fats/protein so closely - to identify any potential refueling issues as they occur.

The other important aspect is to make sure you replenish electrolytes - mainly sodium. As you will be using more energy, you will be sweating .. and sweat pushes out sodium. I used to keep all the salt sachets from drive-thrus - and simply poured one of those onto the back of my hand and licked it before chugging water.

Many keto runners refuel using healthy fats and salt with water. Eggs are considered excellent because they contain both fat and protein - and are in a readily usable form for the body to recover quickly. It's why a single one can fill you up between meals.

I've been doing more reading on "form" and how the form affects your risk of injury and/or development as a runner. One of the particularly interesting ones was Chi Running. It involves aligning the feet, the hips and the shoulder (by leaning forward slightly as you run), which means the core is very strong and the momentum of the core going forward tends to force the legs into movement, rather than using the legs to drive the body. If that makes sense? Have a Youtube search of Chi Running for the videos, an excellent one with an olympian runner and a chi running trainer.