Just checking in. How is everyone?

I did my Day 2 of Week 2 yesterday. I found I wasn't fighting it as bad last night. It is still a harder run than last week's, but that is to be expected. Due to the temps and humidity being very high when I got off work, I ended up at the Community Center which has a small running track inside, with AC (yeeesss)! I am sore this morning, but it is the good kind.

I noticed that Pachyderm seemed to have an "off" Wk2Day1 as well. So maybe it's just the first day readjustment to new times that threw us both off. Last night's run was much better, and I'm hoping that each run for this week gets easier since next week looks even tougher. At this moment I'm playing the chicken part and telling myself that if by next week I haven't started to feel well about the 90/120 yet, I will do one more week before tackling Week 3 of this program which calls for two reps of a 3 minute jog. Oooh... My stronger side though is laughing and saying "you wanna do what?" So my two inner beings will probably fight this one out until next week

softballmom, you're so lucky to have an indoor airconditioned track! I've been avoiding the beautiful track in my local park because it's in full sun... and so I walk.run on the shady side of the streets... but that means unforgiving cement.

I have to say I've also been thinking I may need to do a repeat week after the week two 90/120 intervals. I still find 60/90 pretty tough and I KNOW 90 seconds will just smack me down on Sunday. But maybe I'll surprise myself!

Pachyderm, congratulations ! ! ! ! You're doing fantastically! be careful with your ankles!

Shrinking Mama, I can't even think about week three right now. And I'm slow, too. Sometimes I think my 'jog' should really be called a 'shuffle.'

webweevil, maybe try knee braces? I think you can buy them pretty inexpensively at any drug store. You might find that the extra support really helps. I hope your knees are feeling better today!

All of you, This thread is so great... it's like our own little newbie running support group!

Hello all,

I only have a minute but wanted to post. I'm off for a long weekend. I did the first 90/120 this morning. It was ok. I feel good about it. I'm hoping the next one is easier though. I'm going to try it while away.

Softballmom I know what you are saying about your two inner beings. That's me too. It gave me a chuckle.

Have a great weekend!

I am sad to report that my knees are still giving me problems. I've been popping aspirin and putting ice on them since Tuesday, but I am still having trouble walking, much less jogging. I am not throwing in the towel though! I purchased two moderate support knee braces and will jump back into the C25K program in a few days, as soon as my knees will allow me. I've been reading up on knee problems in the mean time. The knees often take the abuse because the muscles in the legs are not strong enough for the pounding occurring during jogging. In a relatively short time, my muscles will become stronger during the workouts. I am enjoying this and refuse to give it up!

Finished week 2 today, and I definately feel less out of breath than I did at the beginning of the week. Next week I'll have to jog for 3 minutes which is bad enough, but looking ahead, they expect me to jog for 20 mins without a break in only 3 weeks time That is just funny!

Sorry about your knees webweevil. One of my knees is still sore after running over rough ground on wednesday. I'm hoping it'll be ok by monday though.

Hope yours get better

Shrinking Mama, so you're saying it wasn't a problem to add that 30 seconds? What are you, Super Woman?

webweevil, hope those knees get better soon... and that the braces you bought help!

Pachyderm, I'm impressed! Let us know how week three goes. And yeah, 20 minutes of jogging... it seems like an impossible task in such a short time.

I just finished my official week one (had a false start the first time around) and move on to the 90/120 intervals on Sunday. I'm a wuss, I know, because I am not looking forward to it at ALL.

Hi ladies.

Pachyderm, So we can finish week 2 without dying, uh? Wk2 has been a struggle, but Day 2 was better than Day 1. I'm hoping that tonight (Day 3) will follow suit.

Webweevil, Sorry to hear your knees are still not feeling well. I read the same thing about knees and strong leg muscles. I think you are right about your legs getting stronger as you continue, but take care of your knees first. Have you thought about doing some strength training? I do lunges and leg lifts which may help.

Shrinking Mama, I think my "just do it" inner being is winning out on my decision for next week. I posted a request for advice on the Cool Runners forum regarding Week 3, and most say go for it. I don't have any pains or discomfort and it is probably a mentality thing, so I'm going to go for it.

idest, I'll be thinking of you Sunday. You can do it. Just be prepared: water, stretching, and an "I can do" mentality. Yours may be better than my first. Here's hoping. And like I mentioned already, Wednesday was better than Monday so I'm hoping that I can notch up the head thing tonight and do it better. I'll try to come back here and let you know as soon as I can, meaning softball weekend.

Talk soon,

Idest - congratulations on finishing week 1 and good luck for Sunday. Don't be dispirited if you find the first run a bit hard, I certainly didn't get on with it, and it sounds like softballmom didn't either, but by today I felt fine.

Softballmom - good luck tonight. I've just posted on the cool runners thread for advice too, but if you are physically fit I think you should just go for it and see what happens. I mean, if after running for 2 minutes you feel like you need a walk that is still progress over 90 seconds.

Hope everyone has a good weekend

softballmom, well I just got back from the first session of week 2. It was definitely harder... my legs would be fine right to the 60 second point and then start protesting. I couldn't really understand what they were saying but I'm pretty sure it went something like this: "What. Are. You. Doing?!" Definitely an act of will each and every time.

Pachyderm, it's astonishing that a mere 30 seconds can make such a difference! I'm absolutely joining the club of "not getting on well with it." Still, I got through every interval... I'd like to be able to post that I feel energized but I just feel tired.

webweevil, how are the knees?

Sorry I haven't posted yet; busy weekend!
How's everyone doing?

Idest, congratulations on finishing Day 1 of Week 2. I knew you could do it! That last 30sec is definitely a challenge. It's a good tired though, right?

Pachyderm, So when do you move to Week 3, tomorrow? Good luck.

I did a Day 4 since I alternate every other day, and I found that it wasn't as bad as Friday, and Friday wasn't as bad as Monday & Wednesday. So I'm learning that sometimes my head gets in there and makes it more difficult. We can do this, girls! I even ended my segment today with a 3 minute (slow) run before I did a 5 minute cool down walk -- and I did it. Yea, it was uncomfortable, but as I passed the 1:30 mark I just kept repeating to myself "you can do this..." So I really am not dreading Tuesday's segment near as much as I did this past week for Week 2. I am finding that if I can temper my thought patterns, I usually surprise myself.

Webweevil, Hope your knees are feeling better. Have you started back up yet? Just take it easy when you do.

Shrinking Mama, Been missing you. Hope your long weekend was fun.

Best to all of you in your next week's program.

Thanks for the concern. Even though I haven't been running, I've been reading all your posts. I am kind of scared that I've done some serious damage. I have switched from ice to heat packs and have been wearing the knee braces a few hours a day just to get around. I'm kind of scared because my knees don't seem to be getting better. Actually the pain seems to be coming from more of just below the knee, where the knee and the lower leg connect. Is there some kind of bruising of the bones that takes a while to heal? If they don't feel better by one week (Tuesday), I should probably go to the doctor to have her check it out.

I asked on another thread about people that have treadmills. I believe YP1 mentioned using a treadmill. Do you find that they are easier on your joints?

Hi, I do use a treadmill and it's bouncier than the road (it depends where you run outside though, I've started running through fields etc which are a lot more forgiving too). I do tend not to get joint pain on the treadmill, although that could be because I don't tend to do my long runs on it rather than because it's that much better. My main problem with it is that I find it gets a bit boring. (I remember this time last year I was terrified of running outside because someone might see me and did all my running on the treadmill - now I tend to do the opposite - this week I've run 30 miles outside and only 7 on the treadmill).

Well I chickened out of running this morning. Partly becuase I had a late night and felt very tired, but also because my knees are still a little sore. I can't really tell how sore they are because I get virtually no pain when walking, only when running. I'm still trying to decide whether I should go out tonight or not . The problem is that I hurt my knees running over rough ground at the start of my run, so of course I will be starting this run on rough ground as well. It is about a mile and a half until I reach a flat track which means I would be out for a very long time if I walked until the ground gets more level.

farmers cutting the long grass and leaving it to turn to hay all over the path. How are you supposed to tell where to put your feet when the ground is not at the height it looks (I don't think that sentence actually made sense...with the hay on the path, the path all looks flat, but when you run over it, the hay goes down, so some steps you find yourself on high ground, others you sink a lot further than expected and get a bit of a shock...I think that makes more sense now Oh and the path is bumpy because tractors and heavy machinery drive over it in lots of different directions).

I'll see what I can pursuade my body to do tonight.

Idest: Keep it up, it will get easier

Softballmom: way to go on the first 3 minute run. Keep it up!

Webweevil: I hope those knees get better soon

Pachyderm, I think you're wise to baby those knees...

I don't know how much time you have, but maybe you should walk the mile and a half to the flat track? Try to think of it as more exercise and a long warm up? I say this because I've reluctantly concluded that my routine of running on the sidewalk (I was doing this on the shady side of the street to avoid the full sun on the nice springy track in our park) has resulted in shin splints. The track is about the same distance away for me, so I'll be adding a three mile round trip to my interval training. Running on that track in full sun was just so... unpleasant... and I thought I was being clever about avoiding it. But I think the trade-off here is safety for my legs.

I'll also be doing more warm-up stretches and adding some stretching routines (wall push-ups) to my daily routine to try to balance out the muscles in my calves.

Here are some exercises I found in an article about running and knee injuries:

Strengthen with exercise. "The only things holding the knee together are the muscles and the ligaments," says Dr. Fox. "Building up the muscles is critical, because the muscles are the real supporting structures. If they don't have their power or endurance, you're going to be in trouble with you knees."

That means a certain amount of exercise for knee pain sufferers, even for those who detest it. Stronger muscles provide you with a stronger joint, one that's better able to withstand the considerable strain that even walking or stair climbing places on the knees. As Dr. Fox notes, "You've only got two knees, and the replacement parts that are out there are not that good." So let's get going. The following are not hard to do and hurt a lot less than aching knees.

Isometric knee builder. "The quadriceps and hamstrings are the muscles you need to build," says Dr. Fox. For the former (those thigh muscles in the front), here's one the doctor really recommends.

Sit on the floor with your sore knee straight out in front of you. Place a rolled towel under the small of the knee, then tighten the muscles in your leg without moving the knee. Hold that contraction and work up to where you can keep the muscles taut for at least 30 seconds, then relax. Repeat this tightening and relaxing process up to 25 times.

Sitting leg lifts. Here's the best way to do leg lifts for those who are weak of knee.

Sit with you back against a wall and place a pillow in the small of your back. (Sitting against a wall ensures that the leg muscles do the lifting, and this type of leg lift won't aggravate back pain.) Once you're in position, do the isometric contraction described above for a count of five, then raise your leg a few inches and hold it to a count of five, then lower it and relax for a count of five. Work up to doing three sets of ten lifts each, always using the five-count for pacing.

Hamstring helper. Not only do you have to build the quadriceps, but the hamstring muscles in back of the thighs must be developed for real knee strength. "They have to be in balance," says Dr. Fox. "If just one or the other is developed, then the joint is going to pick up stress."

To build the hamstrings, lie on your stomach with your chin to the floor. With an ankle weight (you can use a purse, or a sock filled with coins and draped over the ankle works fine) and your knee bent, slowly lift the lower leg 6 to 12 inches off the floor, then slowly lower it back down, stopping before you touch the floor. Repeat the movement again, always working slowly and steadily through each repetition. Work up to doing three sets of as many of these as you comfortable can (largely determined by the amount of weight you use).

A word of caution: "The most important thing to understand is that if an exercise causes increasing discomfort or pain, then stop," Dr. Fox advises. "You have to listen to your body and not simply assume that you need to 'work through the pain.' God gave you pain for a reason."

Hope you feel better soon!