~~~Couch to 5K ~~~ Think you can't be a runner? Think again!

[RoseOOPS]

Virgo 17 The 1st week is 60 sec of jogging the second wk is 90 sec. So if you are doing 90 sec. your 1st week you are doing good. I wish I could say it's gets easier, and it might if you stay at the same level. but you want to move to the next and it is still hard. It's just you find that you can do more than you thought. I think that is what is so nice about this. I'm going to jog 1/4 mile next week. Who would have thought ???

Rose

[court613]

Thanks for the welcome everyone. I finished W1 D2 yesterday! It was pretty hard, but not as rough as the first day was, lol.

[RoseOOPS]

Good for you Court613. Don't stop now.

Rose

[RoseOOPS]

I finished Wk3 the other day. Today I was looking at WK 4 I'm scared !!! Week 4 has me jogging for a 1/2 !!!! I guess it can be done. The question is can it be done by me???

Rose

[aloise]

Rose... just try it. If you can't.. just do as much as you can. and if you feel yourself getting winded... sllloooooowwwww dooooowwwwwnnnnn... but try to keep jogging. I think it is better to try last as long as possible, rather than trying to run as fast.. or even at the same speed all the time.

this is what I've been doing and the first day of week 4 was hard. 2nd day.. still hard. then I ended up taking more than 1 day inbetween (because of my son's schedule which he never seems to tell me until the last minute ).. but I did the last day of week 4.. and I couldn't believe it. I didn't have much of a problem. It wasn't easy.. but I'm finding I'm chuggin' along much easier than I did before.

but.. don't feel bad if you decide to repeat a week. several people have, and I'm looking at week 5 and think.. this might be the week I will have to repeat

[whalefrozentoes]

Hey guys, I just started this program, and am so excited at the thought of being able to jog for 30 min. straight in 9 weeks!!! That's the goal I guess... so we'll see. It's hard to imagine...

So, w1d1 for me!!!

Does jogging tone mostly the legs/thigh/butt or is it all over the body? Cause mostly I'm feeling it on the outside of my calves, inside of my quads (just above the knee on the inside) and.... a little bit on the outer thighs.

I know you can't 'spot reduce' but, will jogging help get rid of fat on the legs? Calves, knees, inner and outer thighs?

[RoseOOPS]

Welcome whalefrozentoes. You're going to love this program I never thought I could do it, but I'm going to start wk4 on Monday. I'm sort of scared, but I'm going to give it my best.
I fell it in my butt, inner thighs, and calves. The first week or so my calves were on fire. I think you feel it were you need it the most.

Rose

[JazzyV]

Sorry I've been MIA for a while ladies, but work got crazy.

I'm just back from my first 5K where I actually tried to do some running as well as walking. I finished in 49 minutes, which is about 5 minutes faster than when walking. I did walk on some of the uphill parts, and I was with my BF who was walking, so I didn't try to go too fast and lose him in the 1000's of people.

I also just bought a Garmin wrist GPS that will tell me how much distance I've gone, monitor heart rate, and can even be used inside on the treadmill with an additional doohickey for my shoe.

Aloise: Here's a link to some reading about low heart rate training.

RoseOOPS: Over on the coolrunning board, this issue has been brought up a lot. 2 things people notice are their nose running (carry tissues) and increased BM's (some even carry toilet paper on runs). Some of the runners drink coffee before running, as that seems to allow them to "go" before they go out to run.

whalefrozentoes: I am just now starting to lose again (not sure if it's the running or the cooler weather), but I am definitely losing body fat in the calves, upper legs and rear end.

Jazzy

[aloise]

Originally Posted by JazzyV

Sorry I've been MIA for a while ladies, but work got crazy.

I'm just back from my first 5K where I actually tried to do some running as well as walking. I finished in 49 minutes, which is about 5 minutes faster than when walking. I did walk on some of the uphill parts, and I was with my BF who was walking, so I didn't try to go too fast and lose him in the 1000's of people.

I also just bought a Garmin wrist GPS that will tell me how much distance I've gone, monitor heart rate, and can even be used inside on the treadmill with an additional doohickey for my shoe.

Aloise: Here's a link to some reading about low heart rate training.
[/quote]

ohhh... sounds cool! i will have to look up the brand. I have a very old Polar.. but it works fine.

and thanks so much for the link. I read it.. very interesting. I've read Maffetone.. but it was a while ago.

I did find this:
How To Determine Maximum Heart Rate

[RoseOOPS]

Tried to do Wk4D1. Got thur this 1st 5 minute run just couldn't do the last. Did about 3 minutes of the last run. I figured I would run the 5 minutes and not worry about the 1/2 just go as far as I could. I can tell I'm going to have to repeat wk4. That's OK I'm in no hurry. I know that sooner or later I will be able to do it, and someday I'll look at the 5 minutes and laugh.

Jazzy - Way to go girl

Aloise - I'm planning on read "How to determine mazimum heart rate"

Rose

[aloise]

well... I did Week 5 Day 1... and I can't believe...not only did I do it... but my heart rate was lower than last time thru the whole thing. but, boy, that last 5 minute jog.. oy.. but I just kept slowing down when I felt it was getting too much, and I did it!

but.. Week 5 Day 2? well, we will see. 5 to 8 minutes? oy...

(but I've got to say, it sure feels good to be here.. )

[aloise]

Originally Posted by RoseOOPS

Tried to do Wk4D1. Got thur this 1st 5 minute run just couldn't do the last. Did about 3 minutes of the last run. I figured I would run the 5 minutes and not worry about the 1/2 just go as far as I could. I can tell I'm going to have to repeat wk4. That's OK I'm in no hurry. I know that sooner or later I will be able to do it, and someday I'll look at the 5 minutes and laugh.

Rose, this is EXACTLY what happened to me. and now I just got thru the first day of week 5. so.. don't get discouraged. give yourself a good rest, and try again in a day or 2. and .. if it feels too much.. slllowwwww down. this is what has been getting me thru.

[RoseOOPS]

I'm not going to give up. I'm trying again tonight. I usually run first thing in the morning, but was out late last night, and now the grandkids are here. I'm thinking of taking a nap when they leave, and then running my butt off.

Alosie Way to go on WK 5

Rose

[aloise]

I also wanted to say that sometimes, because of my schedule, I ended up taking more than one day between runs. I found that everything improved with the extra day of rest. Maybe when this is new, some people (like me) need the extra rest for the body to repair itself and improve.

[RoseOOPS]

Tried to do WK4D1 again. I did alittle better. The last 5 minutes run I did about 4 minutes. It's that last minute. I downloaded the podcasts, and it seems to help. This way I'm not looking at my watch and can focus more on what I'm doing. I did take an extra day off. You know I don't care if I have to repeat this week 100 times I'm going to do it.

Hey Whalefrozentoes, Court613 & Virgo Where did you guys go ???

Rose

[aloise]

well, yesterday I did W5 D2. didn't think I would get thru that last 8 minutes..

BUT I DID!!! DAAAAYYYYYAAAAAMMMMM!

however, I checked to see what W5D3 is... AND HOW DO THEY GO FROM TWO 8 MINUTE JOGS (5 minutes apart) TO ONE 20 MINUTE JOG??

I thought whaaaat?

well, I'll see how I do tomorrow.. if I can't.. I will just do what I can and work up to 20 minutes.

did anyone else have problems with this? or do you just sail thru?

[RoseOOPS]

Aloise - Way to Go

I'm still stuck on WK 4 looking at wK 5 I'm not any any hurry. Think I'm just going to stay where I am till I feel comfortable. When wk 4 is on longer a challenge then on to wk5.

Rose

[RoseOOPS]

I DID IT I did wk4. I can't believe it, but I did it.

I'm still going to repeat this week. I need to make sure I'm ready for week 5. I think I maybe repeating a lot of the weeks. That's OK I'm still running which I never thought I would or could do.

Rose

[aloise]

OH MY! I ran for 20 MINUTES!!!

I AM SO STOKED!!!

I went in thinking, oh.. 20 minutes.. well, I will do what I can, and just try to work up to it..

and I kept going and going and going... I couldn't believe it!!!

and my heartrate didn't go as high as it did on the 3 min or 5 minute intervals. so, I can see the improvement in my cardiovascular system... this is just too cool.

now.. I didn't go fast - only 3.5 mph.. but I kept it there and didn't have to drop it until the last 2 minutes!!! this is great for me.

[aloise]

Originally Posted by RoseOOPS

I DID IT I did wk4. I can't believe it, but I did it.

I'm still going to repeat this week. I need to make sure I'm ready for week 5. I think I maybe repeating a lot of the weeks. That's OK I'm still running which I never thought I would or could do.

Rose

Yeah, Rose!!!! Good for you!!!

Rose.. the same thing would happen to me. I would think "I won't be able to do this", get there... and be able to do it. it is getting easier as I go along, too.

I look at some of the schedule and think... why do they do that? but.. I think somehow they know how to work your body so that the next time you run, after rest has moved in and done repairs, you are in a little better shape than last time, and are able to handle a little more. Then, they push that a bit.

I do think it is important to feel rested (with at least a full day in between runs) when doing the workout. If you are tired, your heartrate will go up a lot faster which minimizes what you can accomplish.

[RoseOOPS]

It's a wonderful day. We both made it happen

Isn't it amazing how the body can get stronger in such a short time.

Rose

[Salamander]

Hello!

I am checking in. Today will be my last day on the program. I am going to move on to the One Hour Runner. I'm pretty happy with my performance but would like to see if I can get up to running 60 minutes. I am down only 2 lbs. but people are noticing that I am looking trimmer!!! Two coworkers commented yesterday- that made me feel great!!! I am going to work on eating better and cutting out unnecessary calories (like morning coffee with cream) and see if I can shed a couple more pounds.

It's nice to hear new people starting the program! Welcome and stick with it!

JazzyV, great job on the 5k!


Sally

[aloise]

Congratulations on your last day, Sally! That rocks!!

I completed W6D1. It is getting easier... isn't easy, but it is easier than when I first started.

[RoseOOPS]

I'm still working on week 4. I just might try week 5 on Monday. I keep telling myself this is not a test, and if I don't make it it OK. I'll just keep running until I get it.

Rose

[desdemona]

Hey girls. I didn't jog for almost 2 weeks with my move and everything. First saturday here I headed over to 'old settlers park' where they said there was a 2.5 mile jogging trail. Well I jogged for 35 minutes. It was beautiful.

Remember I always jogged on a track before, there were no real jogging trails where I lived. There is a creek and woodsy areas and it's REALLY nice.

[RoseOOPS]

Way to go Sally 1 hour seems like such a long time to run. Hey a few weeks ago I thought a couple of minutes was long.

desdemona welcome back. Hope you're all settled in. The trail sounds wonderful. It's getting cold here so I'm on the treadmill.

Alosie how's it going with week 6?

I'm going to try week 5 this week. I figure is I'm doing 3 minutes with a 90 sec recovery than 5 minutes, that's almost 8 minutes. Hey this is not a test and my life does not depend on it so why not try. If I get stuck I get stuck. I just keep trying, and I'm still running. So all is fine.

Rose