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200+ Pound Club!

guest — Wed, 01 Aug 2012 17:35:40 GMT

LadyTaty, I meant to answer this sooner--I hope you're still on track to start C25K today! I was worried about my joints when I started (I was well over 250 and had never successfully run in my life). I started with walking, and walked for a couple of months before I started the program. I also read somewhere that if I was able to run slower, it meant I was running too fast! That surprised the heck out of me, but I took it to heart, and made my "runs" as slow as I could. I built muscle and endurance, and yesterday, I ran 3.5 miles--and I could have gone farther! It is astonishing to me that at the end of May I was trying to figure out how to handle those 60- and 90-second intervals, and now I can just lace up and go. But I am convinced that the reason I'm here--and here without so much as a shin splint--is that I put staying uninjured at the top of my list. I knew (and still know) that if I got injured badly enough that I got off-track for more than a day or two, I risked never getting back on track again. Patience is not my strong suit, but I've been trying to build that slowly, along with my muscles.

I didn't have to repeat any days or weeks, but I know plenty of people who have, and who don't regret it at all. Listen to your body, and push yourself a bit (but not too much!) in the early days, and it will start paying off for you before you know it.

If I can do it, anyone can do it. Good luck to you, and to everyone else who's just getting started.

200+ Pound Club!

guest — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 16:27:01 GMT

@Zeroez, I don't use a heart monitor, so I'm not 100% sure. I just try to make sure I have control of my breath and I don't get that sort of achey chest I can get if I'm not moving enough oxygen.

As for a race, I'm doing a lot of traveling this summer (I'm a professor at Wheaton, so I have the summers "off," but I go to a lot of conferences and things like that), and I want my 1st 5K to be relatively local. My husband works with a guy who lost his brother on 9/11 (he was on one of the planes), and the family set up a charitable foundation which also happens to hold a road race in September: http://www.jeffcoombsfund.org/fundraising-events/the-jeff-coombs-memorial-road-race-and-family-walk/ . The timing is good for that to be my first race, and I like the cause. Also, there are walkers, so I'll be able to use that to take the pressure off myself, speed-wise.

I'm strong, but I am always aware of how easy it is to injure myself, moving this much weight at any speed. So I took everyone's advice and went slow (I walk at 3.5/jog at 4.5) and haven't had so much as a muscle pull. I think once week 9 is under my belt and I feel like I've got a strong base, I'll redo C25K using my jog for the walk intervals and a faster pace for the running intervals. Trying not to overthink it OR over-plan, since it has derailed me in the past...

Marshfield is really nice! I'm in Attleboro, but we're definitely working on moving to the water. I'd settle for freshwater, but we're both kind of hoping for salt. We'll have to see what the housing market does over the next few years.

Thanks for the welcome!

C25K - Started in May

guest — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 16:13:59 GMT

Congratulations, goingfit! Isn't it great?

200+ Pound Club!

guest — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 15:13:21 GMT

Folks, I've been lurking on this thread for a while, reading more of it than I should probably admit to (this sucker is LONG!), and I just wanted to pop in and tell you all how inspiring you've been. I just finished W6D1 this morning and feel great. Last Friday, I knew I'd be able to take out the 20 minute monster because I'd read so many of your experiences.

I live in MA, just north of the RI border, and I've lived in the area my whole life (I grew up in Foxboro, where the Patriots play--go Pats!). I'm coming up on my 43rd birthday. I had already started a walking program when I decided to give C25K a try. Before this, I thought I hated to run. Now I realize that I hated to be pushed to run faster than I was capable of running. Over the past 5 weeks (and the months of walking before that), I've learned to manage my heart rate and my breathing so that it's what I think of as a comfortable effort--I'm working, but I'm not going to die.

Mostly, though, I started C25K because I'm trying to gain some control. My father-in-law, whom I loved dearly, passed away suddenly last May, and less than 2 weeks after the 1st anniversary of his death, I lost my closest cousin (and one of my best friends) to liver cancer at age 45. In other words, it's been a really, really tough year. Having someone else set a goal for me, having a plan, being able to accomplish that plan just by virtue of telling myself that I could...all of that seemed really, really appealing. And it has given me a positve outlet for my stress.

So this is getting long and risks getting tedious, but I did want to thank you all, especially the regulars. Wideguy, I hope you're out there, because it's gonna get hot in this neck of the woods in the next couple of days. Get going, and try not to burn your feet.

C25K - Started in May

guest — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 16:42:39 GMT

@eg, the clock is in big red numbers on the dash of my treadmill--if I don't cover it up, I can't keep myself from looking at it. But the playlist sounds like a fabulous idea. I'm going to do that for next week's runs.

@aland, my nurse mother would tell you RICE--rest, ice, compression, elevation. Not fun, but you don't want to risk hurting yourself more...

C25K - Started in May

guest — Fri, 15 Jun 2012 15:48:43 GMT

Eghenry, congratulations on the 20-minute run!

I just, a few minutes ago, finished mine--haven't even gotten in the shower yet (lol). I had to cover the clock on the treadmill so that I wouldn't be checking it all the time and psych myself out. It wasn't pretty, but it was sure as h*** prettier than sitting on the couch. I can't get over how proud I am of myself. Before this program, I thought I hated running. I've never been able to run even half a mile before this. It's incredible.

How are the rest of you doing?

C25K - Started in May

guest — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 17:57:25 GMT

@spirit, it stands for Couch-to-5K, a beginning running program.

C25K - Started in May

guest — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 19:19:09 GMT

Hi all,

I'm just checking in again. Finished W5D2 today, which means that I'm facing that 20-minute run on Friday. I am astonished that I was able to complete today's 8-minute intervals. I felt great at the end of the first one, and at the end of the 2nd I felt like I could keep going if I had to (but was glad I didn't have to). So it's not taking everything I have, but it's taking a lot. As long as I can feel like that, I'll keep moving up.

I read somewhere (who knows where) that if it's possible for you to run slower, then you're running too fast. I took that to heart, because I'm heavy (just north of 250 at 5'8", down from about 280 in February) and I really, really don't want to get injured. So my jog intervals are just over 13 minute miles, and I walk at 3.5mph (I'm on a treadmill because allergy season is in full swing, so for now I'm keeping a really even pace, but I'll be moving outside soon). I've read on other threads that people have repeated the C25K a second time, only moving faster in the run intervals, and jogging during the walk intervals. I'm trying not to think too far ahead, but that might be the method I use.

So far no injuries.

Those of you who are working on the 5-minute intervals now, be strong! And don't worry about week 5. You'll be amazed at how ready you are. Keep at it! I'll let you know how Friday's 20 minutes go...

C25K - Started in May

guest — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 15:06:54 GMT

@ Centari, sorry about the injuries--just make sure you take care of yourself so that you don't end up hurting yourself even worse.

Also, welcome to all the new people, and congratulations to everyone who keeps moving along!

I just finished W4D3 and I am SO ready to start week 5 on Monday. Apprehensive, as usual, but the plan hasn't failed me yet. I'm sure at some point I'm going to have to repeat a week, and I'm trying to prepare myself for that--that sort of setback would usually just make me quit, and I want to make sure it doesn't happen this time. I am surprised by how much I'm enjoying this!

Do any of you cross-train on your rest days? I've been doing the C25K M/W/F and the 100 pushups/200 situps plan and walking hills T/Th/Sat. I take Sunday "off," but we've got 2 greyhounds who bug us to take them to the park for a long walk on Sundays, so I'm trying to do at least *something* every day.

Hope you all have a good weekend,

Ruth

C25K - Started in May

guest — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 02:37:37 GMT

It went great--I was totally ready for it, no matter what my head was telling me. And now I have no excuses for w4d2 and d3.

Congratulations on finishing Week 3, vj!