wow. i'm totally gonna try the backwards incline thing. thanks!
so i am hoping things are starting to get back on track. i had a disasterous run on saturday for my 5K, which i blamed on the massive quantities of alcohol and 8 cigarettes friday night. i was totally dying the whole time and had to stop and walk several times. and afterwards i felt sick to my stomach. so today i decided to redo it and my experience was more on par with what i feel i should expect given that i took a month off. so i feel ok about that now.
going back to the physical therapist tomorrow for the first time in about 2 1/2 weeks, so hopefully he won't yell at me. heh. we'll see.
in the meantime, i've signed up for a 5K in central park in a few weeks to raise money for breast cancer. this will be my first foray running outside in years. i'm a little nervous about how it'll compare and wondering what the best way to prepare is. so far i think i will alternate days doing timed 5Ks on 0 incline and days doing untimed on a 2 incline and see how that works out for me. any other ideas?

BES, I also swear by interval training! It has helped me lost the most inches in the shortest amount of time. I love it. I like to do interval walk/runs on the days that I'm not training for the 5k...it really wears you out in a hurry, but man oh man does it feel good when you're finished!

sws19, I would also suggest going out to the 5k route and running it once or twice before the race (if you haven't already). Not only does it shake up your routine, but you get used to the route and know which parts you may have to train harder for...or how long it takes before you get tired...etc. In fact this is exactly what my hubby and I did yesterday (I'm also training for the Komen 5k! Ours is in September, though). We walked the 5k route in the race last year and it's got some steep hills in two places. Probably no steep hills in NYC, but ya never know! I just think it really helps to familiarize yourself with the course.

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Saturday: ran for 16 out of 30 minutes on the TM. Good workout.

Yesterday: Weather was so nice that DH and I ran the 5k route. Finished in 36:30 and ran for about 25 minutes of that. It was great. I'm feeling way more confident than I ever have been in terms of actually accomplishing this thing. To think that just 7 weeks ago I could barely run for a minute at a time. Ultimately I'd like to finish below the 30 minute mark, but I'm really excited for my first try at running it.

I never thought these words would come out of my mouth, but I LOVE RUNNING!

Hi everyone!

First of all, I love the above idea. I remember reading about someone doing that. I think it was a female body builder (Monica something?) and/or Fergie. Their legs are amazing. It's the defined quads look like Britney Spears that I'm after!

Tea: GOOD job girl! I love the way you make your exercise a priority every day. What an inspiration you are! What Jillian book did you get?

Fat Pants: I know what you mean, when the words "I love running" come out of my mouth I'm always silent for a few beats afterward thinking, wow - did I just really say that? And mean it?

Cal: Good work!!! You are doing awesome!

Sws19: Hey that's great that you signed up, I'm impressed! I wanted to sign up for something too, but then got shin splints and got all depressed about it. How are your shin splints by the way?

As for me, I've been sick since last week. AGAIN. This sickness really kicked my a**. I haven't left the house since Thursday night. Today is the first day I actually see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Three more weeks until I go on my trip. I was hoping to get down to 160 lb by May 2 - the day I leave. I stepped on the scale today and I'm down 2 lb - but I'm going to chalk that up to my sickness and the fact that I've barely eaten for 5 days. So I'm down to 165 lb now, let's hope it stays that way so that I only have 5 lb to lose in 3 weeks. Wish me luck chicks!

~Choirgirl~

Wooohoo, you can totally do it! I have faith in you!

I'm interested in this walking backwards at an incline thing. I'm at the point where my legs are only feeling tired towards the end of the run, but I'm up for anything that will strengthen my hammies/quads.

Hey FP!! GREAT Job on your 5k workout! Always a pleasure when the weather's nice outside, isn't it?? Glad to see you're a runner! *That's one of my goals someday too *

sws19-- let me know how the backward incline thing works!!

cgh-- thanks for the compliment! I've had a difficult past 2 days with TOM and feeling discouraged, even though I'm trying my dangest here at the gym, lol. The new book by Jillian Michael's is called "master your metabolism." She also has a deck of exercise cards you can take with you when you travel called "Jillian Michael's Hot Bod in a Box." Both are available at Amazon

I also have to admit, I'm more motivated than usual because I'm meeting a gf of mine that I haven't seen in several years to go to the Seattle folklife festival this coming Memorial Day weekend. I'm hoping to get into the 160s by then, so I'll be about 100 lbs thinner (or at least 90-something pounds thinner) than when she and I first met at college years ago, lol.

Everyone else, keep going you can do it!!

~ tea
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Tuesday's workout session:

* 55 minutes on the elliptical machine (Did better than yesterday ... my heart rate average on the elliptical was 132! Shocked the heck outta me since I felt tired & sluggish again today - due to TOM. I also didn't sweat as much today since the dang AC was blowing in my face which frustrates me, sigh. But I kept the incline at a new level - level 3 - today! So, I'm definitely feeling it in my calves for sure now, LOL!)
* 10 minutes walking
* buns & thighs pilates dvd

so the shin splints. they were doing pretty well. i think i mentioned that i ran my 5K on saturday and it was a total fail (almost 3 mins slower than my february time, though i did take all of march off) and i felt like puking afterwards. i decided to do a do-over yesterday but this time i didn't spend the night before drinking heavily and smoking like a chimney. low and behold i seemed to be back on track. except this morning my shin splints were flared up again, but nothing like how bad it was before physical therapy. not bad pain, just sorta, well, there.
so in sum, i think tomorrow i will try the high incline backwards thingy since it'll prob be good for me to work some different muscles. the only complication will be that i seem to be getting a cold, thanks to the miserable weather here. i took some airborne tonight so hopefully i'll be in fighting shape tomorrow.

fat pants: doing a trial run is a great idea. i just need to not be lazy and make a special trip of it since i dont' live anywhere near central park. the trick will be the motivation.

cgh: you should totally sign up for one of these run/walk things. they're not competitive or a race really so i bet it's a great way to ease yourself in to organized runs. at least that's my hope. and, as the name suggests, you can either run or walk. heh. also, i'm sure you've mentioned it several times already, but where are you going on your trip again?

tea: will do.

Let me know how the backwards walk goes!! It's a great way to shock your legs!

I wish I was a runner...maybe if I get a pretty good 'strap em in' bra it will be better!!

You may want to look into Enell bras.... I got one and it's the only way I'm able to run! It really "locks and loads." They are about $40-50 but imo worth it if you want to run.

sws ~ my shin splints are flaring today, too. Weird because I was JUST saying to my hubby that they don't bother me anymore. Oh well. I may have to rest today.. we'll see how they feel come this afternoon. I just bought some new shoes with more stability so hopefully they'll calm down again soon.

tea ~ I bet you could start running now! You're already a workout fiend! I have no doubt you can make it into the 160s before you see your friend next month!

Ok, as for me yesterday I took it easy (or so I thought, shins say otherwise this morning) and just walked on the treadmill for 30ish minutes at an incline. I was still sweating by the end! I brought my gym stuff today, but I may take a rest day. DH wants to run the 5k again on Friday, and if so, then I REALLY need to rest today...but the weather is supposed to be cooler and rainy, so who knows. I'm leaving on vacation next week so I'm just trying to get in as much exercise as I can!

Wow!! This board has been busy, since I last posted. Morning all! We had guest in all last week and this week I am on vacation. Yipee!!

I have been walking faithfully and I am glad to report that I am down 3lbs. I feel great. I want to lose 10lbs by the end of May which I know is doable.

Welcome to all the newbies who have joined since I last posted.

Tea- I am sure you will reach yur goal you are a mean and lean workout machine. LOL

sws- Congrats on your 5k. At least you did it.

You ladies are amazing Keep up the good work.

every day i start by warming up on a treadmill for 40 mins (or 3.1 miles aka 5K). I found 9 weeks chalange which will prepare me for 5K run. Every week devided by how many mins you walk and how many mins you run. Its a pretty cool motivation for me and a good work out. I awlays need to change my clothes (pants/underwear) after that due to sweat

soooo no gym today. i stayed home from work in the hopes of thwarting this cold that's been threatening for the last day and a half. i was still gonna try the incline thing this afternoon until i starting coughing up some suspect-looking gunk from my lungs. so i'm just taking it easy on the couch. maybe tomorrow.

UGH, in addition to my TOM, I also woke up this morning with a sore throat

I didn't feel up to going to the gym, but my inner b*tch told me to get my booty down there or I would not be burning ANY calories for sure by sleeping in
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Wednesday workout session:

* 2 sessions of 55 minutes EACH this afternoon on the elliptical machine, not counting warming up or cooling down.

(My first attempt for the 1st workout for 55 minutes at the elliptical was pretty pathetic, so after an hour and a half break - in which I had a strength training check-list with my trainer - I felt somewhat up to doing another pathetic 55 minutes on the elliptical... this time without the resistance/incline on the elliptical. ****Rachel Ray's show was on by then & I wanted to watch it so I figured, why not do another hour on the elliptical, even if it's a pathetic workout??? I'd be burning SOME calories, even if it's not the usual high amount I like to burn on the elliptical.**** I still don't feel like I did very well at all today in either elliptical sessions, but at least I know I tried to do a good cardio workout!!!)

* 15 minutes walking

* abs pilates dvd

im impressed! all i did was lay on the couch for 14 hours.

Does anyone (or have you) had problems with your feet getting kind of numb and tired while doing cardio on the crosstrainer/treadmill? I find after 20 min or so I have to take a break for that reason. I have good shoes - so I am not sure what the issue is? It sometimes feels like my balls of my feet are burning.

No gym for me yesterday, but I did manage a 20-minute evening walk with the husband. Back to the gym today!