Donna 914, thanks for the good words.

I am eating healthy..I just didn't include the details. Should you really increase your calories with increase in exercise?

It sounds like you are doing great.

Today, I repeated W5 D2 because I screwed up on W5 D2 on Monday. Also, I know that I am not  ready to do 20 straight minutes of running which is W5 D3. What a challenge that will be.

..And let me say this.....I am so hooked on this website..I have been reading all the helpful tips and have done nothing else all day today..except of course, my W5  D2.

Is anyone on W5? It seems to me  a big jump from doing 2   8 minute runs with a walk in between to W 5 D3 which is a straight 20 minute run.

thanks to everone for all the sharing and the information.

aprillilly-

I lurk on this thread since I'm a friend of AFMR and the Mrs. I don't really  qualify for this group, but I can speak to your question.

W5, D3 is intimidating. That 20 minute run looms out there and is crazy scary. I dare you to trust the program and go for it though. You've already basically run that far with very little break. Keep your pace slow and easy and you will surprise yourself. You CAN do this! Look at all the others before you who weren't sure they could do the 20 minute run. They tried it and succeeded. It's empowering to conquer that run.

Go for it! You'll have lots of support.

Amy

(friend to AFMR and Mrs. F.)

P.S. My husband doesn't frequent this site, but he is on week 6 right now. He has a lot of weight to lose and he went out last week and did the 20 minute run. He actually went longer than 20 minutes. He did the whole 2 miles. He did it by going slow and he felt awesome afterward.

mngreeneyes-

I'm not a medical expert, so take any of this with a grain of salt and follow your doctor's orders, but I found these stretches helpful for heel pain:

http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/sma/sma_achilles_rex.htm

I hear that achilles injuries can be really rough. Hope you're feeling better!

You can do it! Repeat certain weeks if you don't feel comfortable moving onto the next weeks workouts. The going got tough for me at one point, so I hit my local Barnes & Noble for running books to inspire, and motivate... I know some Ultramarthon-fans aren't too keen on him, but check out books by Dean Karnazes. I personally think the man is incredible. He ran 50 marathons, in 50 states, in 50 days... in efforts to target childhood obesity, and get kids off the couch. I figured "If he can do that, I can put in a 30 minute workout." - he's a very inspiring individual who didn't start running again until his 30th birthday. One of my favorite lines from his book hangs in my work cubicle, and over my desk at home...

"Run when you can, Walk when you have to, crawl if you must - Just never give up...."

....gives me chills everytime I read it.

Welcome, Naomi!

I just joined here a few weeks ago and have found everyone to be friendly and extremely supportive...glad you could join us!

I'm a label-sucker, so nearly all of my running shirts are Under Armour (also because I love the fit of them more than some other brands)...all of my shorts are whatever they had a TJ Maxx that looked comfortable. I do have some cheap long-sleeved wicking shirts that I wear when it's chilly...I also always wear my Nashville Predators hat...not running gear, and it's kind of really gross with sweat stains that have accumulated over time and survived washings. And I always wear compression shorts. I guess when it gets colder, I'll look into some tights, but I can generally wear shorts down into the 30s.

3 alternating pairs of shoes: Vibram FiveFingers KSO, Puma Sierra Trail II and Puma H Street (which I've moved into semi-retirement due to weird wear on the sole).

First a shoutout to AFMR, if he is listening: HOW DID YOU KEEP THIS A SECRET? I want to shout from the rooftops how great I feel from the inside out after W3D1 -- this is INCREDIBLE! MAGNIFICENT! It's all i could do to come here instead of going to Facebook and proclaiming: I am becoming a runner! (really don't want to discuss it with potential naysayers, just want to shout it!)

CRG, I have the New Balance 769s, too. I've worn NBs for years, though, in walking shoes before these in running variety. I have had difficulty finding XXL workout clothes, which makes you think No Wonder larger people don't like to exercise, huh? When you're wearing cotton and/or shorts that rub, you've got chafing and soaking wet uncomfortable shirts and all sorts of ill-fitting hazards that make you wanna chuck it all and say this sux. Wicking exercise gear makes all the difference in the world to me.

Socks: I'm a Thorlo's girl from way back. I do have some Injijis. I've worn other Coolmax socks. But I prefer the Thorlo's, though some people find them too thick. Been wearing them 10 or 15 years for walking and dancing.

I'm gonna check out some gear sites for another pair of knee-length pants, but I think I'm ready to buy an XL soon, too, CRG.

smashville - I remember thinking the same thing about walk then cooldown when I did week 3. This is the only week it happens. Each week, the minutes that we are moving (walking and running) is increasing - except for week3 -  where our minutes actually decreased so the last walk adds a few more minutes. The warm up and the cool down are always 5 minutes each so that's the only reason I can think not to make it an 8 minute cooldown. Other than that, the walk parts should be a bit more brisk than the cooldown.

I'm sure my answer was just as convoluted as the question. lol