dobie, you're not in Indiana, are you? I thought I was the only one.

DipMom, my DD belonged to Golds when she lived in the D.C. area. She liked it because there was one near her office and another near her house (Arlington). I'm sure there would be other women... though I did get the impression it was a "serious" gym. I did a 1-day trial of Curves, and liked it, but didn't join because I couldn't find a convenient time to go, and thought it would probably quickly get boring. I did like the idea of it being all women, though--and most of them were in worse shape than me, which I'd thought not possible.

crackrjack, like your signature!

I did the 2-mile dog walk this a.m., and decided I should probably finish C25K on the TM. The foot is still a little sore if I step unevenly on something (like an acorn!), and a little swollen--and there's a lot to try to miss on the sidewalks and pavement in the 5 a.m. darkness! I think I'll start OHR on the high school track--a fairly reliable surface and at least outdoors, if not very scenic.

Happy hump day, all!

jennydev1 - welcome! My advice is to go to a running store and get fit for good shoes that match your gait. And start slowly. You should be able to talk while you are running. If not, you need to slow down. This program really works - I am in W8 this week.

macd, mamahuss, dipmom, and doberman - congratulations for making it to graduation week. I'm jealous, but I'll be there soon. You have all worked so hard and have been a real encouragement to me.

crackrjack - I agree that running is a great stress reliever. Don't worry about where you are in the program. It sounds like most of us are going to go on to the OHR, so we'll be around to help you out and encourage you along.

Maria - I'll be anxious to hear how they work for you. Unfortunately, the chocolate one has caffeine - but I use it anyway.

DipMom - I would go talk to them at Gold's Gym and see who is there. Obviously you need to be comfortable or you won't go. On the other hand, most people are so wrapped up in themselves that they really don't pay attention to others during their workouts. I'm sometimes the only woman lifting weights at XSport Fitness, but it is something I have to do and I just don't let it bother me. After awhile, you start seeing the same people at the same time and create a community that keeps you honest - I now have to explain my absences to some of them!

macd - sorry to hear the ankle is still bothering you. Are you still icing it? 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off.

If you do a google search for Robert Ullrey you will find that he has set the C25K program to music so you don't have to watch your intervals on the clock. I've been using it and, although I don't always like the music, I can pace myself better and just follow his instructions for when to run and when to walk.

Hi! I hope you don't mind if I join you. I am starting the C25K this week. I have actually been running off and on this summer and can run 30 minutes, but I am having trouble with shin splints. I started C25K during the summer and skipped way ahead and now it's coming back to get me. So I have decided to start over again to give my shins time to heal and to build up more slowly. My goal is to run a half marathon in June. So I plan to do C25K, the OHR, and then Hal Higdon's novice half marathon training program. I am going to start tomorrow and just run 2 days of Week 1.

I look forward to getting to know everyone!

I'm running tomorrow morning. I remembered something I meant to ask about. A few people mentioned toe taps in their post earlier in this thread. What are toe taps?

Welcome new people! Good to have you.

I decided to take a 2 day break. I am so sore from my fast run and I really think I over did it. It is so easy to give advice here and tell everyone to slow down - it is another thing to follow it yourself! Oh well, I still have Thurs and Sat so can hopefully graduate this week.

The carpets are wet from cleaning today and I am squatting in front of the computer so I will sign off and write more tomorrow. I must say if you need your carpets cleaned Stanley Steemer is expensive but the carpets look brand new!! They are amazing.

dobie--so have you had enough of Charlie Weis? I hear the Irish are wearing retro uniforms this weekend; maybe that will help. I'm 40 min. NE of Purdue, but am NOT a Boilermaker. We bleed crimson & cream in my household during basketball season (though Kelvin Sampson has himself in another pickle), but don't have much preference when it comes to other college sports. Go Colts!

jb, I had quit icing the foot, thinking I was too far out from the injury for it to do any good now. Do you think it would still help?

Welcome to the new posters! And to mamahuss--Congratulations!!! My graduation was supposed to be today, but I overslept. Didn't even hear the alarm. That's what happens when you don't get to bed until midnight. A 20-min. walk was all I had time for when I did wake up, so hopefully tomorrow I'll get there (I'm not much for running in the evening).

DipMom, glad you got your carpets clean. Enjoy your extra day of rest! katie, you're getting really close to finishing, too--just take it easy on those knees!