Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. F!!! That is fantastic!! 38 min straight! WOW!  I can't wait until race day and see what your sons say.

It is hard to keep training while on vacation. You are doing great - have fun!

Hi everyone-

It's been a tough week this week, but I finished W6D1&2 despite working 60 hours.  UGH!! I worked 10 hours on Thursday, came home and ran W6D1 immediately because it was already dark out and my couch was calling me to come over and sit "just for a minute" (that devil!).  Today was a rough one.  In NY it was 65 degrees with 85% humidity, and I was way overdressed.  I started overheating during the first 10 minute run, and was so slow-but I finished it, so that's something.  I think I'm going to wait until Tuesday morning to run W6D3-the 25 minute run.  I'm working from home that day, so I will have the time and light to do it.  I still haven't figured out if I'm a better morning runner or evening runner.  I feel like everyday is different for me.

AMFR-Is that pomp & circumstance I hear in the background??  Congrats on the completion of the program.  You are certaintly the valedictorian of the group!! You have to tell us what happens on the day of your race--I can't wait!

Fluffy-I voted for your project.  I hope you win-good luck!  And I hope your ankle is on the mend.

Susiecute-Congrats on the 20 minutes!! I did it last week and felt exactly the same way.  You totally deserve the props.  It's a great achievement.

Redhoney-I work out with a trainer once a week, and the legs and shoulder days are killer.  It seems that everything is either a squat or a lunge, and my legs are usually screaming for up to two days afterward.  Just think that once your body gets used to the work, it will improve your running, because it's making your body stronger and less prone to injury.

DWR Penguin-Who says arguing never solved anything?  Way to go!

Take care until next week runners!

HI all,

Have to ask for some advice.

I have been running pretty regularly since I finished C25K and did my first 5K last week but I am not sure what to do next. I thought of OHR and other programs but just haven't committed. I also heard about an 8K training program too.  The OHR is running 30 minutes to 60 minutes. I run 50 minutes now to run 3.1 miles and I have been doing this a few times a week. So I don't want to back off to 30 min when I am doing 50 regularly. I guess sometimes I am tired and want to only do 30 minutes so maybe I should do the OHR. My other idea is to run 3 miles a few times a week and the other days run 1 mile and maybe one day try to push it past 3 miles. I would like to run more than 3 times a week but with the winter coming I am not sure if I can get it in.

AFMR ~ Congrats to you and Mrs. F on completing the Couch to 5k!! Way to go. You guys give me so much inspiration. I know that I can do this and you guys are living proof. Good luck at your race. When is it again? Won't your kids be surprised when they see you two run. I am so excited for you guys.

Donna ~ Now that you have completed the Couch to 5k and have ran your first 5k and are running 3.1 miles in 50 minutes, maybe your next goal should be to work on your speed. There are workouts that you can do (I recently read an article on speed training but I have to find what I did with it) to increase your speed, such as sprints after your runs or, like somebody (sorry that I can't remember who) stated, run your long run, then run a short run (to work on increasing speed) and then run your normal run. There are so many articles here on Active.com about speed training. Whatever you decide to do...Good Luck!!

Turtle ~ I am amazed at your fortitide for running after working such long hours. I know that I have to literally pick myself up and drag myself out of the house on some days, even when I have worked from home. Now that I am not working, I should have no excuse, but even then, sometimes I find that I have to uber motivate myself to get to the gym.

Well, I did it. I ran today...even through the pain. I had a session with my trainer today and he was asking me how I was feeling. When I told him about my calf pain and how I could barely walk and hadn't run in four days, you know what he said? He told me to get on that treadmill and run! He claimed that the run would cause my muscles to warm up and that I would be fun and would barely feel the pain. You want to know what? He was right!! I will admit that I struggled in the beginning of the warm up, trying to get past the pain, and I was a little hesitant about starting my first 90 second run, but once I started running, I was fine and didn't even feel the pain. The 90 seconds flew by! By the time I did my 3 minute run, I was feeling fine and was so shocked when Robert told me that I was done! The only time that I really felt pain was during the walks in between and then I was quite sore afterwards, but I did it!! Then I went and took my kids out to go Trick or Treating for Halloween and walked for about a mile with them, albeit slowly. Now I am feeling still a bit sore but I can tell that it is starting to dissapate, so I am hoping I will be fine soon. I plan on finishing Week 3 on Sunday.

I am going up to New Jersey on Tuesday, for a week, to spend time with my parents. I am hoping that the weather cooperates up there as I don't really have "cold weather" gear. Have any of you ever run in a sweatshirt or do you think a simple long-sleeve shirt would be sufficient (as long as the temp does not dip below 40)? What about my capri running pants? For those of you that run in colder weather, do you find that you warm up enough to not wear heavy layers?

Ok...I'm off. Talk to you guys on Sunday...

Thanks y'all for all the good wishes and congratulations! I still cant believe we have finished it. I have a bit of a feeling that we arent done yet since we havent done our race yet. Plus we do plan on continueing to run of course.

Our race is Nov 14th!!! I am pumped! We hope to get lots of pictures of stunned faces   I also have been thinking maybe its a good idea to be close to the amublence when our cross country runner finds out, he might just pass out lol!

Since he beat his personal best on his last race, i owe him two minutes of running. He still thinks I cant do it -- hah!

Mrs F 

Congratulations Mr and Mrs F.  Not only did you graduate C25K but you became inspiration from so many others.  What a difference 9 weeks can make.  In the beginning, Mr. F, you struggled with running.  You sounded as if it was taking everything you had just to get out there and start running.  Now you run easier, encourage others and even continue to run when you are tired. You have learned to push through the mental and push forward.  You guys rock!  Congratulations on graduating from Couch to 5K.