hey all! Ran on Tuesday (did my 27 min on the treadmill, plus additional cardio to take it to 60 min) and then ran again today. Today i did a 12 minute mile, and actually, i did 2 12 minute miles with very little walking, which is a total victory for me. I feel good, cause im getting back into shape, and it isn't even as hard as i thought. I was expecting to be sore on weds, but i wasn't... nowi have to do it with the treadmill set at an incline (i was doing it at 0.0)

Miaka, I usually always listen to music when I run and that helps tremendously. Also I've started running 5-k races and knowing, for example, that I have a race coming up this weekend has been making me stick to my training plan more than ever so keep your goal in mind while running and take it slow. It's a great cardio workout and I think it's really helped shape my legs (in combination with weight training, of course).

Hi guys,

I ran again last night. Just 2.5 miles since I'm still pretty sore from my squats/lunges Wednesday night. Took dog #2 with me for that, then came back and walked dog #1 another mile. The run was a good one, with longer run intervals, shorter walk intervals and just felt hard, but still comfortable. Don't know what was different this time--it was cooler maybe, low 60s, and I didn't feel the need to push quite so hard since I was sore.

I'm going to have to buy some new shoes--my feet are not quite like I left them before the pregnancy.

Welcome, Miaka. Racing keeps me motivated. Knowing that if I don't get out there and do the work, I'll do poorly in my race, keeps me going out the door even on the bad days. I'm training for a sprint distance triathlon in March right now. On the good days, it is just a joy and it's hard to keep me in. I can't listen to music, too much traffic sneaking up over hills and around corners and I need to hear it as well as possible.

Anne

Finished a pretty tough 5-k this morning (more hilly than I am used to) with the top women's time of 25:14. Not my all-time best but considering the course it was a victory. Now we are looking forward to an evening run in December through the Christmas lights in Austin. Have a great weekend everyone!

Lizz -- that is awesome time ... I can't wait to get to that point... I am so dang slow, but I still get a good workout!

Miaka !!

Anne -- After I had kids my feet took quite a while to get back to normal too... Actually my whole body did

Today I had a good run but I needed to be home for a certain time and didn't run as long as usual... I did 6.7k in 40 mins, see Lizz how S-L-O-W I am? ... It was gorgeous out today too...

Miaka, welcome! I started with c25k in summer 2004. I kept running and slowing increasing the distance of my weekend long run all fall/winter. And May 2005 I ran a half marathon. The program really works if you're patient and stick to it.

Congrats Lizz! Great time and wow, first place too! Was there a prize?

Anne, my feet grew a size during my first pregnancy and never went back to normal. Which is not a bad thing for me since I went from size 5 to 6, which is much easier to find. Pregnancy really is a full body experience! One good thing about having to get back into running/biking shape--you'll really notice progress week to week.

Ilene, 6.7km in 40 minutes is not that slow at all. I run about that speed on my easy days and long days. Or even slower if I'm pushing the girls in the stroller. My best 5k time is 24:18, but it would hurt way too much to try and run that fast too often. No point in leaving your fastest times on the road in training when there's no time clock or award at the end!

I did my usual 16km Sunday run yesterday morning. I started out slow as molasses again, even for me. Then after the second km, I decided that each km was going to be about 5-10 seconds faster than the one before. And it worked! I tricked myself into running at faster speeds without feeling like it was too difficult. I got up close to my 10k speed for 1km, then slowed down again for the last 2-3k home. But my slowed down speed was more like my normal easy pace rather than the molasses speed I've been wanting to run lately, which felt much better--I haven't lost my speed, I've just stopped pushing myself. It's hard to force myself to focus when my next race isn't until next May and I won't start a training program for it until late January at the earliest.

I did buy myself a heart rate monitor on the weekend (and then told dh I'd bought my xmas present from him). Hopefully focusing on running at a low heart rate rather than running for speed will keep me interested. I'm going to try my first run with it later thsi morning I think.

Hi all,

I only ran once when I was in the Dominican Republic... too hot and humid.... although I am a trooper about heat and humidity normally, now that I am pregnant I do have to be aware of my body temperature and my body felt awful running (even in the semi-airconditioned gym). Hopefully I can at least get back into it a bit now... I'll probably limit my long runs to 8K (for now and that depends on how I feel), but some exercise is better than none right?

I am just amazed at how my fitness level has dropped in the last few weeks. I ran a half marathon 3 weeks ago and now 5K even seems like a challenge. Shows my body is busy using its resources where it really needs it.

I am cutting at least 1 run a week and replacing that with weight training and will do that three times a week (apparently it makes labour easier... I won't ever really know the difference, but hey I'll give it a shot). In the winter I might start aquajogging instead of outdoor running... I'll figure it out.

I also plan on doing some yoga!

Anyways good luck running everyone!

Ali

I did a 10k run on the treadmill this morning, the second time in a row I've broken through the 59 minute mark, so I'm quite pleased with that. Only 2 weeks to go before my next race when I'm aiming to at least beat my previous time of 68 minutes, and hopefully finish in under an hour.

I ran on the treadmill today (5k) and did a hill workout so my speed never went higher than 6.0mph but I upped the incline to 8% at one point! Tough for a girl who is used to running flat surfaces all the time.

Thanks for all the congrats on my racing. I got a little medal to go with my collection which was nice. I think I am doing a 5-miler on Thanksgiving day so that will be a challenge as well since I've only done 5-k's at this point racing.

Keep up the good work everybody...and Ilene, your pace is great!

Thanks for your advise. I will give it a try, I just finished the frist week. Not hard at all. Hopefully this program can do for me what it has done for many people here.

Hi ladies, I could use some support. I need to tone up and shape up. I started the C25K and just finished w1d2. It's hard for me to do. I think it's beause my legs are so heavy. I plan on giving myself extra time to get through the program. 75 pounds is a lot of extra baggage to run around with. I want to run/jog the '5K race for the cure' here in May. That's my fitness goal.

Julie,
That is definitely a do-able goal! You have done great so far. Take it slow and ease into the jogging part and you will definitely see results. Everyone here is very supportive. Good luck!

Hi Julie .... I agree with Liz take it easy so that you don't get injured because that could set you back a few weeks or more ... Your goal is very doable...

Thank you! My calves were so tight last night, I was sure I would be in pain today. Suprisingly I wasn't sore this morning.