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

[WATCH-ME-SHRINK]

Originally Posted by WolfmanJacque

For those keeping track, that's the second time in two weeks I've been bloodied while running. (I also got bloodied on Sept 3 )

Yes, dear friend, there seems to be a pattern here....very odd but noticeable pattern....!

[rainbowlaserdragon]

Ran my first 5K today, 35:45 was my time and is my new time to beat.

[kelley17]

Originally Posted by rainbowlaserdragon

Ran my first 5K today, 35:45 was my time and is my new time to beat.

Whoo HOO I hope to be you in 8 weeks!

[WATCH-ME-SHRINK]

ANNE...CONGRATS ON YOUR FIRST 5K!

WE ARE OUR OWN COMPETITORS....GO FOR IT!

GREAT JOB.

Completed Week 7, Day 3 tonight....



...cool night air, sufficiently rested and energized from a higher carb day and an afternoon nap...what a great run!

So the next run begins Week 8. I'm already planning my "playlist" for my "graduation."

I've even got some Christmas playlist ideas (thinking ahead, I know).

[GME]

Originally Posted by WATCH-ME-SHRINK

So the next run begins Week 8. I'm already planning my "playlist" for my "graduation."

I've even got some Christmas playlist ideas (thinking ahead, I know).

Twyla, you don't think you'll need Christmas songs for your graduation do you? You don't even need Halloween songs, week nine is right around the corner. Maybe a Columbus Day song.

Rainbow, congrats on the race! That's a great time!

Wolfman, maybe a special runners insurance policy for you. Or a padded, indoor track before you kill yourself.

I had a pretty good run this morning. I didn't have any carbs so my legs felt heavy but I did my 35 minutes (Wednesday is 43. Aack). I got a thumbs up and a double chest thump and point (hard to describe, but it was friendly) from fellow runners. I can't believe I'm saying that "fellow runners."

The no-carb-heavy-legs got me thinking, I run well when I eat oatmeal for breakfast and run in the afternoon- about 6 hours apart. I'm worried about my first 5K (in November I signed up in May)..... It's at 9:00 am and I don't want to get up at 3:00 for oatmeal. Would a pre-bedtime snack work? What do ya'll think?

I go back out to run with the kids tomorrow. Looking forward to it!

[WATCH-ME-SHRINK]

Originally Posted by GME

.

Too funny, Gina!

Actually, I was just in a "music" mood yesterday and was organizing tunes for upcoming events...don't seem to have one for Columbus Day.......

The no-carb-heavy-legs got me thinking, I run well when I eat oatmeal for breakfast and run in the afternoon- about 6 hours apart. I'm worried about my first 5K (in November I signed up in May)..... It's at 9:00 am and I don't want to get up at 3:00 for oatmeal. Would a pre-bedtime snack work? What do ya'll think?

Gina, I would definitely eat some s/c oats (isn't that what you like?) before bed. Eat them with a little protein (cottage cheese stirred in would be great because it's the best kind to have at night due to its casein nature), and it should help quite a bit. Then the morning of the run, eat some fruit, protein, lowish fat breakfast (fat will slow the absorption of the carbs into your system), and you should be good to go.

For future thot: Glycomaize* (or an equivalent) is a waxy maize carbohydrate powder that is fast-acting, and it can be taken right before a workout or event for fast extra energy. I stir some of that into a protein shake, and it works like a charm. It's a tiny bit chalky, but not bad, but it works very fast. "Food for thought."

(*This can be purchased from Netrition or any health food store.)

Good luck on the run!

[zinny]

Tomorrow is the big one for me--W5D3, going from 8 minutes at a time to 20...Yikes I don't really understand the need to increase overall time running AND continuous minutes all one day, but I'll see what I can do. My plan is to run as long as I can reasonably do so (8 minutes was fine but I really don't know how I'll feel at 12 or 16 or whatever), and take a 1-minute walk break if necessary. I do think I can run 20 minutes, but the scheduling still seems dramatic to me after such a slow, gradual build up.

Today I drove along my normal course to measure it and found out I must be going much slower than thought...I think I'll be closer to 2k than 2 miles in 20 minutes!

[zimasue]

did my first day of week 4 this morning and i survived it i am very proud of myself

[myanv]

Week 6 Day 2 Complete
I have started running for distance instead of time. I think I might be slightly ahead of the time curve. I can run an 8 minute mile! Then again I am not sure about the markings on the track I run on. Maybe it IS correct but, it just blows my mind that I can actually run a mile with ease.

Originally Posted by zinny

Tomorrow is the big one for me--W5D3, going from 8 minutes at a time to 20...Yikes I don't really understand the need to increase overall time running AND continuous minutes all one day, but I'll see what I can do. My plan is to run as long as I can reasonably do so (8 minutes was fine but I really don't know how I'll feel at 12 or 16 or whatever), and take a 1-minute walk break if necessary. I do think I can run 20 minutes, but the scheduling still seems dramatic to me after such a slow, gradual build up.

You will be surprised at how much more you can do. I just recently made the jump to 20 minutes and it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I started to feel it around the 10 minute mark but it wasn't enough to make me want to stop. I think I made it to about 17 minutes before I really couldn't go anymore. Good Luck

[WATCH-ME-SHRINK]

Originally Posted by WATCH-ME-SHRINK

Sounds like everybody is making GREAT progress, folks!

MY TURN!

Guessssssssssssss what?





I ran my first 20 solid minutes tonight!


I began with 6 mins walk (I was singing to myself with my MP3 player and lost track of time), then began running.

Planned to run 5 mins, then recover for 3, run for 10-15, however long I could go, and then wing the rest of it.

I began running and at 10, then 12, then 13, then 16.....SHE'S STILL GOING, FOLKS!!!!!!!!!

I probably could have run beyond 20, but I recovered for the next 3 minutes, then ran another 6 minutes, then recovered the rest of the time with brisk walk, for a total of 39 minutes.

I'M PUMPED, PEOPLE!!!!!!

Zinny, totally agree with Mya....(as evidenced when I experienced my first hurdle to 20 mins in the post above)!

Oddly enuf, we DO find the energy to make that leap to 20 somehow....?

Just make sure you're rested and maybe carb up a bit before you go for it......"All systems: Go."

You can do it!

[kelley17]

Hi - Just got back from my day 1 of week 2 run. Today was warmer and more humid than last Friday and I felt tired towards the end, but I noticed my pace was faster and I was so happy I didn't quit before my 90 seconds was up. I just kept looking straight ahead and kept telling myself "you can do it"

[GME]

Zinny, I thought the same thing about the jump to 20 minutes. No one was more surprised than me when I did it. I just stood there with my arms up, feeling like Rocky at the top of the steps. Go for it! It is the best feeling!

Twyla, I knew you would have a good idea! A bowl of steel cut oats actually sounds like a good bedtime snack. A little cinamon and Splenda... almost like a cookie. I'll look for Glycomaize next time I go to the store. I'll test it out some weekend when I run in the morning.

[WolfmanJacque]

W8D1: long relaxing run today. Couldn't seem to get my heart rate up much, resting pulse was 60 this morning (normally 80). My cardiologist says us fat guys have "sinus bradycardia" which is abnormally low pulse from time to time.

62 degrees and no humidity made for perfect running conditions.

When I started out on this program I swore I'd go every other day, no excuses. Well, today was the first day I've taken an extra day off. I did some home remodeling on Saturday and used some muscles I'm not used to exercising. Sunday I was very sore and surprisingly I was still sore on Monday. I was still hurting this morning! My hamstrings and right achilles tendon were complaining through the first half of the run, but eventually quieted down.

I got lost today, took a trail I *thought* would be around 2.75 miles. I measured it with MapMyRun.com and found out it was actually 3.5 miles!

[WATCH-ME-SHRINK]

Originally Posted by WolfmanJacque

I got lost today, took a trail I *thought* would be around 2.75 miles. I measured it with MapMyRun.com and found out it was actually 3.5 miles!

Your map got you lost, Wolfman.

Glad you had some extra rest and better weather in any event.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Last night was my first attempt at Week 8, Day 1, a 28-min run.

F.A.N.T.A.S.T.I.C!

That's how I felt when I finished it. No issues. Even pushed and sprinted the last minute.

I like the music on this one....esp when the guy began singing.....

"....Is this the truth, or just another dream?......"

Completely on point.

It used to be a dream.

But it's evolved into truth.

"Open up your mind. Let us see your true self as you really are....Be who you really are...."

[WolfmanJacque]

Originally Posted by zinny

Tomorrow is the big one for me--W5D3, going from 8 minutes at a time to 20...Yikes I don't really understand the need to increase overall time running AND continuous minutes all one day, but I'll see what I can do. My plan is to run as long as I can reasonably do so (8 minutes was fine but I really don't know how I'll feel at 12 or 16 or whatever), and take a 1-minute walk break if necessary. I do think I can run 20 minutes, but the scheduling still seems dramatic to me after such a slow, gradual build up.

uh oh...anyone heard from zinny? She was doing the big TWO OH?

[zinny]

I did the 20 minutes, pretty much no problem. Actually the hardest part was the first few minutes, both psychologically and physically (it was quite cold and I was running into the wind and not feeling sure what was going to happen). The easiest physically was at about the 12 minute mark--I felt quite warmed up and realized that finishing was not going to be that hard.

So I should feel great, right? I had measured 2 kilometers in my car and it took me 17 minutes to get there...so even slightly before this I started feeling really bad about how slow my pace must be. I ran a good bit faster the last 3 minutes, but noted how I got scared that I'd fall if I went too fast. And when I was done, there was NO feeling of victory, runner's high (W1D1 I had endorphins coming out my ears!), look how far I've come...it was just, that wasn't that hard, and I should be able to do better.

I'm really not sure what this is all about but it really surprised me. Logically of course I know that what I did was great, but emotionally that's not where I'm at. I know that endurance is more important at this stage than speed. Not looking for sympathy here, just letting you all know where I'm at.

I will definitely keep going, by the way... I want to see what's on the other side of this hump.

[myanv]

W6 Day 3

I got a really late start today and I felt like a turkey baking out there. Luckily there was a nice breeze to help cool me down. When I first started this program I felt like my knees were messed up and my feet hurt constantly. Now I don't feel any pain when I run.

Originally Posted by zinny

...So I should feel great, right? I had measured 2 kilometers in my car and it took me 17 minutes to get there...so even slightly before this I started feeling really bad about how slow my pace must be. I ran a good bit faster the last 3 minutes, but noted how I got scared that I'd fall if I went too fast. .

Zinny if you want to run faster you have to push yourself to run faster. It does feel strange at first because your body isn't used to it. I started doing interval training on the weekends. I try to "sprint" for 1 minute/jog for 2 for a total of 10 minutes. My sprint is more like a semi brisk jog lol but I have noticed my normal stride has become a bit faster.

[GME]

Originally Posted by myanv

Zinny if you want to run faster you have to push yourself to run faster. It does feel strange at first because your body isn't used to it. I started doing interval training on the weekends. I try to "sprint" for 1 minute/jog for 2 for a total of 10 minutes. My sprint is more like a semi brisk jog lol but I have noticed my normal stride has become a bit faster.

Run with a bunch of kids and every few minutes one will run up behind you and say "Teacher, want to race?!" I started saying "yes" today and, viola, I'm interval training.

I only made it about 30 minutes today. I brought my shoes, but no clothes to change into and my shirt was much too warm to be running in in 85 degrees. I'm a big sissy too, since I usually run on the beach and 70 is my upper limit. Unfortunately, my school is a couple of miles inland.

[WolfmanJacque]

W8D2 Focused on speed today, it's time to start getting ready for the 5K on Oct 18th. I waited an extra day to run today because my left knee continued to hurt, today I felt great because no knee pain whatsoever. But (is there always a "but"?) I worked out with heavy weights yesterday, and after 360 pound leg presses my legs felt leaden and sluggish after about a mile.

The high school cross-country team blew by me today, those little rabbits can RUN!

[WolfmanJacque]

W8D3: First time at the high school track. Sloppy warmup, I was ready to get out there. Set a terrible pace for the first mile, was sucking wind, but somehow I managed to maintain for the entire 3 miles. What a difference running on level ground where you can time your splits! I reverted to every stupid bad running habit from high school days today. One good thing, on the back straightaway of the oval I practiced 100 yard sprints (well, not quite "sprints" but long loping strides). It really made a difference in my time! I wish there had been more shade, I seem to do better when I am not squinting into the sun (I sweat more than 99.9% of the human race). My rhythm was awful today, arms flailing, no cadence, poor posture....but I made it 3 miles in my best time to date! On to GRADUATION WEEK!

[zinny]

I had to take a few days off due to a stomach bug...yesterday I hoped that I would be up for a good walk today and run tomorrow, but I woke up at 8 am on Sunday ready to run! Go figure! This was W6D1 and I *did get my runner's high and felt good about my progress at the end. (So unlike my last run!)

I'm curious if anybody knows what physical changes are really taking place during this program...I don't see any differences, and other than the runner's highs (which are great!) I don't really feel any different (eg, no difference in overall stamina or sleep changes etc).

I'm headed to the desert soon so wondering how *that's gonna go down...I'll have to get up really early if I'm going to stick to the program. Maybe I'll be able to find a treadmill.

[GME]

Originally Posted by zinny

I'm curious if anybody knows what physical changes are really taking place during this program...I don't see any differences, and other than the runner's highs (which are great!) I don't really feel any different (eg, no difference in overall stamina or sleep changes etc).
.

I haven't noticed any sleep changes, but I do have a lot more stamina for other activities (hiking or walking uphill or upstairs is where I notice it the most).

Its funny you bring that up today, I also noticed Friday that I can sit on the ground and hop right back up without creaking, groaning or being in pain.