Hey ladies! I'm new here...well, sort of. I had an old username and would flit in and out of the forums here, but I kept forgetting which email account it was linked to, which pw I used...and it was time to start over- it was depressing me that I'd been a member of 3FC for so long and was still a FC!! This time is different (again!).

I'm studying to take the bar exam right now, which means I don't have school or work, so I have WAY more flexibility in my schedule than I have for the past many years. I'm devoted to starting some good habits now while I have the time and hopefully they'll stick later when I don't have the time!

I'm on W3 D2 of C25k- I love it! BUT, I gotta say, I checked out what's in store for me with W4 and I'm a little apprehensive- but excited nonetheless! Any pointers on transitioning from W3 to W4 would be appreciated.

One of the reasons I'm doing C25k is because I like the idea of being able to burn a significant number of calories in a short amount of time- 30 minutes of running is WAY more calories than 30 minutes of walking, so I'm hoping to be able to be efficient!

So that's why I'm here in a nutshell. Pleased to meet ya.

Hi all, I'm new here, new to this venue type all around. I've been doing C25K but I'm having a hard time keeping myself motivated. I've completed w4 but it's been a week and I haven't been able to get up and go. I'm afraid I'll lose all the progress I've made, but circumstance has been dragging me down. Any help anyone can provide will help.

Marjorie, For me W4 was easier than I thought it would be. Music app + C25K app has helped be a lot. i<3radio has a cardio channel and you can find playlist on-line too. I also have a friend that is a runner and I text her when I'm done. She is very encouraging, maybe someone can do that for you. I'm having trouble with W5, getting motivated. I'm hoping this will help. Good luck with W4.

Ronja, I enjoyed Week 7... Ready for week 8, starts today!

Free thank you for your encouragement. I really feel quite intimidated by the thought of running twice as long as last week, when I felt so tired at the end of each run. It has also been raining here and running outside is my only option. Well, I will do it anyway, or I will at least try and let you know. If I find it too hard I will just repeat week 2 I guess...

Welcome Marjorie Sounds like it's a great opportunity to make some life style changes for you right now. Make sure you let us know how you're getting on!

PiMama welcome on the board. Sounds you've done a great job so far, so you just need to pick the strength and courage and continue. When I'm losing motivation, reading through successful stories on here (including before/after pictures) always help me to get back on track. It shows me that what I want to achieve is possible and all I need is to carry on!

Hey guys! I'll be joining you soon! I just bought the app for my phone: Couch-2-5k. I can't wait to start it! Just need to get a good pair of shoes first. Hopefully by this weekend...

Hey Sophie! I bet you can't wait Once I decided I wanted to give it a go, I was willing to run in my old trainers just to start already. Your approach is much more sensible

I just finished w3d1 and it was great! I took it really slow and I had no difficulties. The next two runs I will try to add little speed. I also downloaded NHS podcast and I like the music much more than Robert's podcast, which I found too electronic for my old conservative taste

Well, I went out yesterday anxious to try the dreaded W4D1. My big black lab always goes with me on my C25K runs. We started off and everything was going fine. 5 minute warm-up, then start my first jogging interval. Ahead of us I saw a stray dog. I noticed MY dog was starting to perk up a bit and he started jogging a little faster. I told him "No" and "slow down" which he usually responds to. But he didn't. All of a sudden he lunged with all his strength toward the other dog and pulled me over (he's about 85 lbs)! I went sprawling into the middle of the street (in front of a bunch of lawn guys, a city worker, and a neighbor), cussing and fussing and about to cry, and as I fell I lost my grip on his leash. He ran off, but as soon as he heard me cussing he turned around, saw I was hurt and ran back to me, skulking. I think he felt bad, he knew he wasn't supposed to do that. But I scraped up the side of my shin pretty badly, and I twisted one of my ankles seriously enough that I'm still limping today and am probably gonna go to the clinic if it's not better by tomorrow.

Ugh. Frustrating. I feel like I'm going to lose progress, and I am really missing running- plus I really wanted to see if I could make it through W4D1. As for the dog, I'm not sure what I'm going to do. It could've just been a one-time thing (he's NEVER done that before, but he does pull sometimes), but now I'm nervous about running with him again because as bad as my tumble was, it could have easily been SO MUCH WORSE. I need to enroll him in obedience classes (he's really not a bad dog, he's very obedient in just about every other respect- doesn't jump on people, knows several commands, etc) I think.

Anyway, so I guess I'm out for a few days at least. Not happy about it. Any ideas to keep up the calorie burn with a sprained ankle? Was thinking of swimming, but I think even the kicking action would be too much. Maybe will just settle for some tae-bo punching action!

hi all,
I'm new to the c25k program. I've done week 1 up until day 3. but on the 3rd day (which was exactly one week ago), I had really sore sore knees. So, I told myself once they got better, I would start the second week. Meanwhile, I've been working out on the elliptical. I figured elliptical wouldn't hurt my knees anymore than they already hurt.

But, one week later and my knees are still pretty sore. Not as bad as last week (where my walk was even funny because of my knee pain).

should I suck it up and start again? And if I do, should I just restart on week 1 or continue to week 2? or should I just wait until me knees are 100 percent?

sorry I have a lot of questions, and I just don't know what I should do. any advice would be appreciated

Today I finished Week 8... I had to shift my workouts. I did Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday vs. MWF cause I can't run tomorrow. I will be back to regular schedule on Monday, starting Week 9 and hopefully graduating Cto5k on Friday.

Kisskiss- I don't know what your medical situation is. Maybe you should talk to a doctor about if you have any serious problems with your knees. I will say though that when my mom first started working out, she went to the doc b/c she was having pain in her knees and wasn't sure if she had injured herself or what. The doc told her that this is very common when people start strenuous exercise and often it just has to do with weak muscles around the knee. Once the muscles strengthen, the pain stops, and that was exactly my mom's experience after a few weeks.

Of course, if you have something else wrong with your knees, keeping at strenuous exercise might be the exact WRONG thing to do.

Kisskiss, I too would be worried if you have had any issues with your knees before. Seeing a doctor might be a good idea.

Marjorie, what an awful thing to happen! I had a black lab and though they are adorable, they are also pretty strong! And your dog sounds like a good one, running back to you when he realized you were hurt. Maybe he just had a bad day...I hope you get better soon and can continue with the program. I am afraid I have no advice as for how to stay fit when your ankle is injured

I did W3D2 today and it was great. I run much faster than on day 1, and last minute I actually run as fast as I can, only because I felt like I had too much energy. I love this program! Can not believe how fitter I feel already...Can not wait for W41

Ronja and marjorie: thanks for the advice. I haven't ever had knee problems, I think may be I pushed myself a little too hard.

decided to just re-start week 1 again today, and my knees felt back to normal!

Kisskiss there seems to be an entire (sticky) thread about this topic, have you read it? http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/exer...el-so-old.html

AFM, I just finished W3. Instead of running for 3 minutes at the end, I run 5. And just a week ago I really doubted my ability to run for three minutes...amazing how your body adjusts!