W5D2 down for me.  I went faster the 2nd interval, and it was rough for the last minute, but I made it to the end.  That should set me up for a nice, slow 20 min run on Tuesday.  I'm so excited!  Congrats to Jess and Libby for making it through...I'm going to think of y'all when it's my turn!  I feel like this is kind of the turning point for when we become real runners.    I'm also so proud of everyone who is running despite having obstacles like asthma; keep up all of the great effort!

Christina,

I find that when I run on the treadmill, my legs hurt much worse when I run at a pace faster than 4.2.  I usually run around 4.0 or 4.1.  I know that is very slow, but I would rather do it without pain, than force myself at a fast pace that hurts my legs.  You may want to try dropping your running speed.  I decided that I would make my speed be something to work toward.  Right now, I am just concentrating on getting the time in.  I hope that helps.  I have a much easier time running outside.  Since I live in California, I don't have to deal with the weather issues.

Kendra

Week 5, day 3 is now done.  I actually ran the 20 minute run.  Wow!  What a huge relief.  I made a playlist of my music that would keep me motivated. Sorry Robert Ullery, I needed some good rockin music to keep me going.  some uplifting lyrics along with lots of prayer really got me through the run.  I kept my pace slow, and told myself that I could go even slower if necessary.  I am so thankful that I made it through.  Thanks to all for your encouragement.  One thing I tried today was chewing gum for the run.  I was having trouble the other day with my mouth being really dry. Since I run on the road, I don't carry water with me.  I also thought that the mint in the gum would help with my breathing.  It really helped.  For those of you with asthma, you may want to give it a try.

If you are just starting on week 5, take courage, you can do it.  If an overweight asthmatic who has never run in her life can do it, you can too.  Good luck to all of you!

Kendra

Thanks, Libby.  It does feel so good to have it past me.  I am excited about running with my friends.

I am so jealous of those of you who have completed W5D3. I had to take the weekend off from running due to illness but am excited to finally complete W5D3 tonight!

Hope everyone enjoyed their Halloween wknd!

Thank you Kendra! I just finished w5d1 and it seem much easier than wk4. Well today at least! I think last week it was a mental thing, with having 3 minutes in my mind, and 5 just seem to long. Today I didnt even look at the time till at least 4 minutes in each 5 minute run. Way better than last week, I would look at the time at about 2.30 seconds. And about die that I had 2.30 to go lol.

I also need to read these boards before I get on, it gave me alot of strenth and power to get going.

D

W5D3...WOOHOO!  I DID IT!  I'm not going to lie, those last 3 minutes kind of sucked, but I'm proud of myself for hanging in there (and the endorphins are really pumping now, 20 min later, so I feel great!).  I think it was totally mental...my breathing was somewhat irregular, but I wasn't panting or short of breath, and I wasn't falling out of my stride.  My brain just didn't know what 20 min of running was like, so wasn't all the way prepared for it.  I think that we're all going to see big improvements in the next few weeks, when we get used to running continuously and the times become more regular.  I'm excited for all of us!  Thanks to everyone for keeping the board going...it definitely inspired me to keep going and finish today to know that so many people in the same situation had already done this or were wishing the best for me. 

Hi everyone.  I'm glad I found this message board.  I started the C25K program from Cool Runnings on 9/17.  I am about 40 pounds overweight and I never imagined that running could be so easy and so much fun IF you ease in to it properly, and wear good shoes and a good bra.  I would do anything I could think of to get out of having to run in gym class, and cannot fathom why our gym teachers did not start us out on a program like C25K instead of just making us run laps without any guidance.  Were there no programs like this in the 80s?  So far, it is going pretty well.  I can go for 2-3 miles without stopping at about an 11-12 minute mile pace, and am able to do it about four to five days per week.   When I did the 30 minutes for the first time, I was a bit slower at 13-14 minutes per mile.  I would like to speed up to a 10 minute mile, get up to running five miles at a time by Christmas/New Years, and then begin training for the LI half marathon.  The only thing that is kind of annoying is that I lost only two pounds since starting the program.  I am not really dieting as much as making a conscious effort to eat better, though, so I guess two pounds is better than nothing.  Anyway, good luck to all of you.