Glad to see you girls are doing well!

I did W2D1 today...after 2 days off from jogging(though I did bike 5 miles one of the days) and going up to a minute and a half, I was a little nervous. But it turned out it actually seemed easier than W1! I'm thinking it's because my boyfriend went with me and he's pretty good motivation and support.

Hi all, I've been lurking lately because I was so disappointed in my first outside run when I had to go all the way back to W1D1 to make it through the run. Since I could run 45 minutes inside, it was a big change. I realized that I would have to run every other day and only have 1 week in between completing C25K and doing my 5K if I started all over again, and it really made me feel like crap. I should have run yesterday but I didn't because I couldn't work up the nerve to go out again when I actually had time to go. Tonight I just bit the bullet, and I was determined to try to make it through either W4 or W5D1. I went out and, though I was totally nervous, I made it through W5D1, which is definitely less of a drop from W8 where I had been when running inside!!! I'm happy with what I did, though I may repeat this day next time I go out, but we'll see. I don't know what had the biggest effect on my performance tonight as opposed to the other day-weather (it was much warmer today), time of day (I'm a night person), or just overall mindset, but I'm not going to give up on myself. I want to run my 5K, all of it!!! And no more lurking in self pity either. Hope you are all having good days!

I did W1D2 today, still completely pain free. I couldn't be happier!

ashley nicole, congrats on starting week 2! My plan is to do W2D1 on Sunday.
Marniadec, at first I didn’t pick up on the fact that you run on a threadmill so I envisioned you running outside in your nightgown! Too funny! Congrats on getting smaller!
JayLei, I use Robert Ullrey’s podcasts to get me though the program – I’m so happy I don’t have to think about when to run and when to walk: I just run when Robert tells me to. I understand the music issue if you run indoor though (I use my iPod as I run outside) – could you use an iPod/iTunes instead of the internet radio? Slow music is awful when running!
Razorback, when you had to stop after 10 minutes – why did you have to stop? Were you in pain or is it a mental thing, do you think?
dudesmom, congrats on jumping from the week 1 program to the week 5 program on your outside running!

As I mentioned before, I use Robert Ullrey’s podcasts for the C25K. I used the same podcasts last summer as well, and haven’t really checked around for other versions. Do any of you use different podcasts?

I don't know what possessed me to even try to run today. I'm full of antibiotics and painkillers due to a stupid tooth. I tried W7D3 today and, for some reason, my legs felt extremely heavy. Even my breasts feel tender (and bigger). I think the ibuprofen 800 is causing some serious bloating. The scale was up this morning too.

Anyhow, about 10 minutes into my run I just couldn't do it anymore. I took a five minute walk break and then did W3D1. That was difficult too. It felt like I had 40 pound weights strapped to my legs and an extra 5 pounds in the breast area. I made it though. Then I did the elliptical. Guess I'll be doing W7D3 later this week, if the bloating goes away.

Feeling fragile and weak today - going to skip the run. Will have to re-do W2 next week

mette thanks! Also, I don't think that the poor people who would see me in my nightgown would laugh... More like they'd be scarred for life!

Well, I completed W5D3 today! I kept reading people saying that they couldn't do it and I got so. effing. scared! As I was starting to run, I was trying to convince me that it will be ok if I have to stop. But I didn't believe me. So, I split it down to 10 2-minute sessions. That basically means that I'd just focus on getinng those two minutes done and in the end I'd pat myself in the shoulder. And it worked! Perhaps that's the key for others, too? Maybe 20 minutes straight, just sounds too overwhelming. It obviously did for me... I really do think that it's mostly in our minds.

Hey guys! Thank you so much for the nice comments about W5D3. It feels good to have got through it!

But... aghh, I really need some motivation right now. I do not feel good about tomorrow's run at all.

I've been doing fine with C25K so far, and have been happy with my progress. There have been a few "off" days where I've not enjoyed running so much, but mostly it's been totally fine, and I've found myself enjoying it, which surprised me a lot! However, I've found this week a bit of a mental struggle. Yesterday I did W6D2 (two 10-minute runs with a 3-minute walk in between - the last day of C25K with intervals), and tomorrow I have W6D3 (a 25-minute run).

I feel like I've hit a bit of a mental block. I really didn't enjoy doing W6D2 yesterday. I felt absolutely exhausted and almost felt like I was going to be sick in the last minute or two - not comfortable at all. I didn't understand why I was feeling like this - I already did the 20 minute run the previous Friday, and felt really good, so this was the same amount of running time, but with a break in the middle - odd that I should find it so much harder. I found myself just focusing on symptoms of discomfort and tiredness right from the very start of the run yesterday. I don't know if I'm just imagining it, but my knee doesn't really feel right either today - not painful, but I'm just "aware" of the joint as I move around, if that makes any sense.

So I'm a bit "meh" about tomorrow's run. I was thinking about not doing it at all, but I feel as though if I just give myself a break from it, I won't feel comfortable unless I repeat Week 6 again, and I just don't feel good about that. So I do want to have a go at the run tomorrow, because I don't want to "give in" to the negative feelings I've been having, although I have no idea whether I'll complete it successfully or not. For me, this feels like much more of mental barrier than a physical one.

I'm not really sure why I'm posting this, but I guess I just wanted to get these feelings off my chest! I think it would really help me if I could come up with a few mental exercises or things to think about during the run, to keep me motivated and stop me just concentrating on how tired my body feels or how much further I have to go. I listen to podcasts with music already, but I would really like to have some things to think about that distract me from the run! Anyone have any ideas or things they think about when they are trying to keep motivated and distract themselves from feeling tired?

Marniadec - WELL DONE! You must feel really happy and satisfied I totally agree, breaking the time down into smaller chunks definitely helps me too!

Cookc04 and pink sparkle - sorry to hear you are both not feeling great! I really hope you both feel better soon and find your runs more enjoyable

tinycities, when I did C25K last summer I had the exact same experience you´re describing in week 6. The two 10-minute runs felt much, much worse than the 25-minute run. For me, I think it had something to do with breaking the run up - it was much easier to just keep going and do one longer run. So my take on it, is that I completely understand why you didn´t enjoy W6D2 (because it´s a horrible run), but that W6D3 can be much better!

And I do hope your knee is OK. You´re probably OK as long as you´re not in pain?

I do understand about the mental block, though. During a hard run I usually talk to myself as if I was a child trying to do something difficult (come on, you can do it, you´re doing fine, etc)

And a last thing is the music. Last summer I used the podcasts through W6D2 (to know when to walk, when to run), but from W6D3 on I made my own list of music to run to (a lot of music I don´t listen to except when running - like Michael Jackson, Lady Gaga, Pink, Shania Twain, etc) and it was so much better! Perhaps you need to listen to some music you really, really like to keep your thoughts off negative stuff?? It´s an excellent distraction!

Best of luck for your run tomorrow!

tinycities-I read some stuff about marathon running (which I would like to do someday!) and one thing that they talked about in there is how to get through things like pain, fatigue, etc. I know it sounds a little bit weird, but they say to invite your discomfort to run with you. I know this works because I did it when I was running for longer periods of time inside. Basically, if your leg is hurting you, you just mentally say "Come on, pain, run with me!", or if you're tired, say "Come on, fatigue, run with me.". You can do this for anything, like if sweat is in your eyes, your mouth is dry, whatever. It really helped me ( and I used it when running outside the other day) so it may be worth trying, even if it does sound a little hokey.

When I had to stop at ten, I was getting the worst side stitch ever. Usually I can breathe through them and keep going, but this was started around minute 7 and didn't stop. And I think part was a little mental/workout buddy because we were just pushing to beat 8 minutes...so when we hit ten we stopped.

But I doubt I could have gone much longer w/o stopping for a bit b/c of the pain in my side.

We are trying for 12+ today. Hope I can come back and give good results!

I'm about to get a new running suit, too! I remember the Turkey Trot in Dallas, it was not as hard as I thought. (5K)

mette ~ I use the C25K app on my phone. It runs in the background and has chimes and tones to tell you when to change your interval (or are halfway there). So you can play whatever music you want.
And congrats on your pain free run!

dudesmom ~ you'll get there… you've got the determination!

pink sparkle & Cookc04 ~ I hope you both feel better soon!

tinycities ~ my roommate told me that her friend who runs all the time says that there are days when you go out and you know it's just going to be bad. Sometimes it works out during the run, sometimes it doesn't. It made me feel better to know that even established runners have those same days we do.

Razorbackbritt ~ I get stitches too.. there are some tips on eHow ( http://www.ehow.com/how_2047713_get-...h-running.html ) to prevent/deal with them. I find that as soon as I feel one starting if I bend into the stitch and press with my hand as I keep running it prevents it from getting worse.

I'm going to spend some time this weekend browsing all the stations available and see if I can't find one that keeps the music upbeat.

Can I make some suggestions? I get bored and distracted very easily, so I'm always looking for something to focus on while doing cardio. I listen to my own music and I have the timer on my cellphone. I also listen to songs that I really like, regardless of how suitable they are for running. They don't distract me enough to slow down and I'm more likely to sing along than get bored. Breaking it down helps me with that, too -even if only because I'm always counting! And also, going faster helps. It keeps me focused for a while and then cursing myself for that decision keeps my mind occupied. But then, I think that cardio is meant to be boring. I don't think that there are that many people out there that enjoy running for x mins straight... And the way I see it, it doesn't necessarily have to be something that you enjoy, you just have to do it.

Thanks, I really appreciate the encouragement. It's very much needed right now!

Moving on to week 8! I did W7D3 this morning. I'm so proud of myself. On D1 and D2, I had to stop and do a speed walk for a few moments during my runs. This time, I didn't! I did the whole 25 minutes without stopping. Woo hoo! Then after I did some other things (arc trainer and stairmaster), I redid W1D1 at a faster pace and a higher incline. I know I'm going to be sore tomorrow lol.