Better watch out madjek... it's very addictive! Since you are just starting out my suggestion is to aim to finish each run. Don't worry too much about the time. Just get the run done nice and slow. You can speed it up later. That is how I started. At the beginning I ran 5K in 45 minutes and now I can do it in 30 mins. But it took a lot of months. So that is my tip, don't worry about your time. Just get the miles in. Speed will come later. And don't worry you will shed weight for sure.

I am at 141 already this week... yesterday I was 140.8 and today 141.2 so it's looking good for Friday's weigh in.

I have only been eating about 1200-1400 calories with the occasional binge day which could run me up to 1700. I think when I run the long distances (burning 800+ calories according to the calculator for my weight and intensity of running) I am going to try to increase my calories from carbohydrates prior to running but 100-200. I will see how that goes. Tonight I have an 11K run so I put an extra 1/2 cup of whole wheat pasta in my lunch.

yesterday i ran my four miles for trainign and it went very good. i kept it super slow. almost 12 minutes a mile but i finished without having to walk at all which is a nice confidence booster. today is my x training day so i think i'm going to do a little upper body and core training. i'm hoping that will help my running out.


madjek- i agree with everything annie says. i think the key to running is patience. it's something that everyone can just jump into and start doing, but it takes some time to get your rythym, to build up speed, to get to were the pain is enjoyable. hahaha. i love it because everytime i get out and start running i notice some kind of improvement. i'm more aware of my breath, my stride, my pace, my legs feel just a little stronger. annie is right, its addictive.
I also read runner's world when i first started running. they always have good tips for beginners as well as more advanced runners and for some reason, it made me realize that i was a runner, not just someone who runs for excercise. that really got me motivated to keep going. they have a website as well, if you don't want to go out and but the magazine.

other things like what shoe to wear, what time of day to run, with or without music, are all very personal things. you have to find your comfort zone.

i'm sure i'll think of a ton of stuff later.

oh and ilene, I can't live without my egg whites and 8 grain breakfast cereal in the mornings.

Well I went out last night and finished my first run. I'm not sure how much I ran (I'm not very good at determining distances) I timed it instead. I ran for 30 minutes. Alternating between walking and jogging. At first I was trying to run too fast I think but once i got the hang of it it was great. I wasn't out of breath and no pain(which I normanlly get from not breathing properly). I paced myself and watched my breathing. I can't wait for my next run.
Thank you for the tips ladies! I will check out that magazine...and not worry about going too fast either.

Madjek, sounds like you had a great first run. Congrats! Welcome to the addiction.

Laura, great job on your run. I love it when I don't have to walk. It really doesn't matter of course, one foot in front of the other gets you there, but it always just feels like such an accomplishment.

I got in a 3.5 miler tonight. Turning into the usual run/walk shuffle, but this was the best run I've had since the pregnancy. The goal now is just to have a nice, comfortable run, and I had to remind myself of that tonight. I had so much energy and wanted to push, but held back to an easier level. I really enjoyed it.

Looks like I'm settling into about 2x/week running, 2x cycling (trainer only now), 2x swimming, and 1x full body weight training. All easy. Two complete rest days a week, with more if I need them. But I'm feeling better when I exercise, so I see it continuing unless there is some complication. Wonder how long it will last?

Anne

congrats on your first run madjek. keep us posted.

Anne- Did you just have a baby? I have often wondered how long into the pregnancy you can run, and how long afterwards it takes you to recover.


today i run four miles again. I am ready to get out there and go. I am afraid that i drank to many fluids this morning though and that my stomach is going to be a little gloppy feeling. we'll see how it goes.

Good Morning!

I ran 11K last night and it was beginning to snow just as we fininshed up. Today I was supposed to run 9.5K but I just realized that I forgot my shoes at home! I will have to go after the kids go to bed tonight.

Laura - good luck on your run today!

As for my diet... I totally blew it last night. I stood at the counter and ate about a litre of ice cream right out of the container. It could have been more because I wasn't measuring. I am going to figure out how many calories it was worth... My weight was still at 140.8 though so that is good news. I am sure the ice cream will catch up with me by next weigh in so I will have to keep my calories down for the rest of the week just so I can burn it all off.

Goodmorning! I made it up and out of bed for my 30 minutes this a.m. I'm so close to the 10 minute mile! I went 2.97mi this a.m. I think I'll crack it by next week sometime.

I was feeling kinda yucky this morning when I got up, and still not much better. I noticed this morning that I didn't sweat that much, but I'm usually drenched by the time I'm done. I hope it's not a dehydration thing. Is there a way to tell you haven't drank enough?

I hope I'm not getting sick. I think I'll go find the airborne...

Have a great day everyone!

Madjek: Sounds like your first run went well. It gets easier over time, but there are always good and bad days.

Oops, posted too soon.

Anne, keep going as long as you can with running! I walked 5km+ most days while preg with my now 1yr old, and I think it made getting back into exercising easier when she was 2 months old.

Laura, I'd think you'd want to take at least a month off of running after having a baby, maybe more like 6weeks to 2 months. I wasn't running while preg or right after having any of my kids, but I know it always took me at least a month to start feeling like even a short walk wasn't exhausting. During pregnancy, I went for long walks, as weather permitted, until a few weeks before my 1yr old arrived (the weather was brutally cold by then, so that kept me inside, not an inability to walk).

LOVE2C135, Good luck on making the 10 minute mile! Don't be discouraged though, if some runs are slower than others for a variety of reasons, or even for no apparent reason.

Annie, don't beat yourself up too much about the ice cream. You're running a lot, so think of it as carb loading! One thing I've noticed though, is that, for me, a one off binge/eating more than usual episode can actually trigger weight loss if I've been on a plateau. Of course, that's only if it stays one off and doesn't happen more than once or twice a month. And if it was just regular grocery store ice cream and not premium stuff, it was probably only 1000-1200 calories, so you shouldn't really expect to see the scale move given the amount of exercise you're doing and other calories you're consuming.

ARRRRRRRRGHGHRGGHGHGHGHGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


So i went for my run this morning. beautiful, 33 degrees, sunny (first sun i've seen in days) and i felt great. i was feeling strong, day dreaming. i kept a smooth 11 minute pace and was going to knock out for mile easy.

mile 3 i round a corner and splat, i hit the pavement. i stepped into an indention in the pavement wrong and my ankle just went out. bloody and swolen knees, ripped my tights and smashed my cd player.

i thought about finishing the last mile but i didnt want to hurt my self HA! ladies i am hurting, and i'm supposed to run my first five miler on saturday. well tomorrow is my rest day so hopefully the swelling will go down and i'll just be left with scabs.

i hate that i didnt get to finish all four miles. i was feeling so good. oh well, at least i know i could have finished it. and at least i didn't get hit by a car. hope everyone elses runs go better.

Oops, forgot again to mention that it's cold again here, and very windy. I woke up late and had to be out and back in no more than 45 minutes to get ds up and to school on time. Then I ran a much slower than usual this am, so I only had time for 6.7km (usually just over 8km on Thursday am), on an icy trail, feeling like the wind was making me work 2X as hard for my slower speed. In other words, not a fun run. But now that I'm home, had my oatmeal/yogurt/berries and coffee and a shower, I'm glad I got out there and ran even if I did cut it short by almost 1.5km distance wise (but only 5 minutes time wise) from my usual Thursday run. (Average pace was 5:58/km, my recent usual is more like 5:35ish on that route).

Oh No!! Poor Laura I hope you are feeling better...

Today no running, no gym, snow cardio instead which can be kind of nice... it's beautiful out...

The last time I ran I had to run on the treadmill and it bores me to tears now...

Anne -- When I was pregnant I walked a LOT and weight trained till 2 weeks before delivery date... The night of delivery for my first DH and I had gone out for our usual long walk... I have to brag that I had EXTREMELY easy deliveries... the first one 4 hours from the onset of the first pains to birth, the second, get this, 25 minutes, and only 3 pushes, head, shoulders, the rest of the body, !! Good thing we live only 2 blocks away from the hospital... For my first I went back to weight training 4 weeks after delivery and the second 7 weeks... I guess it depends on you and how much time you get to sleep, my kids were good babies so I got to sleep alot during the day, not at night though ...

Majdek -- Congrats on the great first run, take it easy and keep us posted....

Laura, sorry to hear about your injury. Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to heal.

I'm actually pretty newly pregnant, not quite halfway through my first trimester. I plan to run as long as I can! It makes me feel so much better. I've got a couple books on running and vigorous exercise during pregnancy and it seems like a good idea to me! And my OB for that matter. Exercise has been such an important part of my weight loss and maintenance, I really rely on it now. Thanks for the support! I know I'm going to be getting some weird looks as time passes, and it's helpful to know I'm doing the right thing.

Happy running everyone!

Anne

Woohoo!! Another good run. It was a bit cold when I first got out there but soon I was pretty warm. I almost got a cramp but I managed topace myself and the rest was pretty good. I could have kept going! I can't wait 'till Sunday, it'll be my first morning run. Right now I can only run at night.

Laura I hope your injuries are feeling better and you get to do your run tomorrow.

well, i'm not exactly sure that i can run today. my knees still hurt, and kept me up last night. i think i'll give a short run a try but then i am just going to run this wekk again next week and keep going from there. i'll only be a week behind schedule so it should be just fine. on the up side, i got a new mp3 player out of the deal. its nice. i can't wait to try it out.


Anne- congrats on your pregnancy thats really exciting.