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

[seriouschick]

W8D2...I've been running more than a 5k distance (by a pinch) for the last week so I'm sort of considering myself a C25k grad. After my first 5k race this Saturday, I'll really be finished. I can't wait!

This morning I ran 3.4 miles. I ran a stead 11 minute pace. Didn't slow to a walk at all and felt really refreshed and strong when it ended.

1 week from today I'm staring Hal Higdon's 10k training plan. Running is so wonderful for me right now, on a lot of levels. I'm feeling really thankful I jumped in and started C25k.

[GME]

Originally Posted by seriouschick

W8D2...I've been running more than a 5k distance (by a pinch) for the last week so I'm sort of considering myself a C25k grad. After my first 5k race this Saturday, I'll really be finished. I can't wait!

This morning I ran 3.4 miles. I ran a stead 11 minute pace. Didn't slow to a walk at all and felt really refreshed and strong when it ended.

1 week from today I'm staring Hal Higdon's 10k training plan. Running is so wonderful for me right now, on a lot of levels. I'm feeling really thankful I jumped in and started C25k.

Wow, you really are a SeriousChick! You go girl!

[ebonyeyz28]

Hey Ya'll! Just jumping in here to say that I'm officially a C25ker! Yes, I have done jogging/walking intervals on and off for a long time but I've never actually become a runner and I think its all because I started off wrong and never properly trained. So, today was the day! I finished W1D1 this morning and it wasn't bad at all...the podcast totally helped since I didn't have to keep checking my HRM/stop watch to keep up with the times.

I'm very proud of myself for being able to admit that I haven't gone at running the right way and especially for having the gumption to post on this thread! I'll admit that I'm very intimidated by the upcoming weeks because I can't imagine the fat girl inside of me running for 5 or 8 minutes STRAIGHT! No matter what, I'm gonna do it though and I will be checking in here often for support and encouragement.

All of you rock and I'm so proud to say that I'm a part of this family and this group. KUTGW and I will post after W1D2 on Wednesday.

[seriouschick]

Originally Posted by ebonyeyz28

I'll admit that I'm very intimidated by the upcoming weeks because I can't imagine the fat girl inside of me running for 5 or 8 minutes STRAIGHT! No matter what, I'm gonna do it though and I will be checking in here often for support and encouragement.

You can do it! I'm excited for you. This program is so do-able and fun. Looking forward to following your progress!

[ab1ht]

Originally Posted by ebonyeyz28

I'm very proud of myself for being able to admit that I haven't gone at running the right way and especially for having the gumption to post on this thread! I'll admit that I'm very intimidated by the upcoming weeks because I can't imagine the fat girl inside of me running for 5 or 8 minutes STRAIGHT! No matter what, I'm gonna do it though and I will be checking in here often for support and encouragement.

You are not alone in this. If you have an extra few bucks and a little time for reading, I recommend the following:

Amazon.com: The Courage To Start: A Guide To Running for...
It goes for less than a buck used on Amazon.

-Paul

[GME]

W7D2 down for me... sort of...

I say "sort of" because I went out with the intention of running 25 minutes (as the program says). I got kind of tired of the podcast music and don't really need them for straight runs so I have been checking my time and going it alone.

So I do my 5 min warmup walk, check the time, look over my playlist and figure roughly how many songs (at 3 minutes) each I would hear before it was time to check the time again. I figured I needed to run through Suicide Blond by INXS (love them for running BTW). So I run until the end of the song, check the time, thinking I would have a couple of more minutes to go...and I had "accidently" run 30 minutes. And felt like I could go longer!

I am still by no means fast, but if you could have only seen me during week 1, huffing and puffing, willing 1 minute to go by faster....

[psigna]

Week 4 day 2. Completed all but about the last3 minutes or so of the last 5 minute run. I will most likely be repeating week 4 until I can do it before I move to week 5. Still, I am getting better. It is hard though. I keep telling myself that it will all be worth it in the end............

[GME]

Originally Posted by psigna

Week 4 day 2. Completed all but about the last3 minutes or so of the last 5 minute run. I will most likely be repeating week 4 until I can do it before I move to week 5. Still, I am getting better. It is hard though. I keep telling myself that it will all be worth it in the end............

Keep at it. That is a hard week... and it WILL be worth it, even before the end. Just wait til you do your first 20 minute run, the feeling is amazing.

[Cyard]

Hang in there, psigna, week 4 is hard, Gina is right! I'm right there with ya! Moving on to week 5 after I get new running shoes and I'm worried about the 20 minute run! Here's hoping the people at the running store don't laugh at this big body needing "running shoes".

[seriouschick]

Hi all! Agreeing w/ Gina et al....week 4 was tough. It gets so much easier though. Don't give up!

I hit a new trail this morning and ran 3 miles. Felt pretty good, but it was soooo hot. I normally run around 5 am, and I didn't get to it today until around 11. Boy, could I tell a difference. I still maintained around a 10:45 pace, but I was really, really hot.

I'm going to go for a short run tomorrow, and then take Friday off. Saturday is my race.

[ebonyeyz28]

Just running through...ok, that's funny...to say that yesterday I was able to check off W1D2!!!

I have to say, the 1st interval is the hardest but, after that, it's smooth sailing! Right after interval 5 I accidentally hit a button on my MP3 player and shut the podcast off and, with the one I have, you end up going right back to the beginning of the whole thing! So, I ended up using my own tracks and the timer on the treadmill (not on my HRM, that's too much for me to concentrate on) to finish the last 3 intervals and I really enjoyed using my own music so I think I will be trying that on Friday for W1D3.

I'll be back tomorrow evening to catch up on the thread and get a little bit more inspiration before I jump up to next week! Take care and have a great day everybody!

[ebonyeyz28]

Originally Posted by seriouschick

Hi all! Agreeing w/ Gina et al....week 4 was tough. It gets so much easier though. Don't give up!

I hit a new trail this morning and ran 3 miles. Felt pretty good, but it was soooo hot. I normally run around 5 am, and I didn't get to it today until around 11. Boy, could I tell a difference. I still maintained around a 10:45 pace, but I was really, really hot.

I'm going to go for a short run tomorrow, and then take Friday off. Saturday is my race.

Good luck on the race, I'll be there with you in spirit!!

[psigna]

Gonna attempt week 4 day three tonight. I am planning to repeat this week thoughe not completed the last run yet, so I will stick with it until I can,

[rainbowlaserdragon]

Originally Posted by seriouschick

Saturday is my race.

Good luck with the race... and grats on graduating C25K

[psigna]

I attempted to do my run tonight. I had no energy. I don't know if it is because I drove 4 hours total today, if I have not had enough water, or if because I gave blood yesterday. They only tell us to wait 24 hours, and it was more than that, but I felt like I could not pick up my legs tonight. I did the first 3 minute run, and only a small portion of the next. I pretty much walked the rest of the way. I am so disappointed. I know that the only schedule that I need to be concerned about is mine, but I am none the less.

[GME]

W8D1 completed this morning!

When I finish next week I decided to follow "One Hour Runner" until early Sept and then do the CoolRunning 5K training program. My first 5K is in early November so I should just have time to finish them all.

Good luck on your race SeriousChick. I know you'll do great!

[GME]

Originally Posted by psigna

I attempted to do my run tonight. I had no energy. I don't know if it is because I drove 4 hours total today, if I have not had enough water, or if because I gave blood yesterday. They only tell us to wait 24 hours, and it was more than that, but I felt like I could not pick up my legs tonight. I did the first 3 minute run, and only a small portion of the next. I pretty much walked the rest of the way. I am so disappointed. I know that the only schedule that I need to be concerned about is mine, but I am none the less.

My weightloss stalls a lot, so I mix it up with low carb and cal days and higher ones. At the lower level (pretty much induction), it gets hard to run for me. I do best with a little fruit on run days. Maybe a few extra carbs would help.

Even so, there's nothing wrong with walking. Its much better than sitting at home on the couch .

There have been times when my "jog" was more of a shuffle and I could have walked faster. I told myself "You can go as slow as you want, you just can't quit."

As long as you are moving forward, it counts!

[psigna]

Thanks Gina for the encouragement!

[ab1ht]

Originally Posted by psigna

I attempted to do my run tonight. I had no energy...

There will be days like this.

I have an exercise rule: I can give myself a pass to not exercise any time I want. The only rule is I have to get changed into my exercise clothes first. Once changed, I usually follow through with the workout.

Trust your "spidey" senses. If your body is telling you not to work out, trust it as it's telling you it needs rest. Know your limits. You'll probably avoid an injury.

There's always tomorrow.

-Paul

[seriouschick]

Thanks everybody for the encouragement! I'm excited, NERVOUS and just ready to try it. I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow.

[psigna]

I did better tonight, but not able to finish. Perhaps I need to go back and do week 3 again, or do a week 3.5, somewhere in the middle. I am going to take off tomorrow, and regroup for next week. It could still be the blood donation, but the humidity tonight was terrible.

[seriouschick]

Well, I did it! I ran my first official 5k race. I haven't seen the official chip time yet, but according to my watch I did it in about 35 minutes. I wanted to be faster, but ran the whole time and did my best. I felt great when it was over and it was SO MUCH FUN!!! My kids were so excited...cheering for me at the end as though I'd just completed a Boston qualifier. Dh was proud of me and I had a great time. I'm saving my race number and writing my time and journal entry from the day on the back. Hopefully, it will be the first of many to tuck into my running journal.

I'm taking tomorrow off and Monday is my first day of 10k training -- I think just strengthening and stretching. So I'm off running until Tuesday.

I'm so thankful I found this sport. I almost feel like it found me. I never thought I'd enjoy running this much.

[GME]

Originally Posted by seriouschick

Well, I did it! I ran my first official 5k race. I haven't seen the official chip time yet, but according to my watch I did it in about 35 minutes. I wanted to be faster, but ran the whole time and did my best. I felt great when it was over and it was SO MUCH FUN!!! My kids were so excited...cheering for me at the end as though I'd just completed a Boston qualifier. Dh was proud of me and I had a great time. I'm saving my race number and writing my time and journal entry from the day on the back. Hopefully, it will be the first of many to tuck into my running journal.

I'm taking tomorrow off and Monday is my first day of 10k training -- I think just strengthening and stretching. So I'm off running until Tuesday.

I'm so thankful I found this sport. I almost feel like it found me. I never thought I'd enjoy running this much.

Congratulations!! 35 minutes is a great time! I'm so excited for you!!