Hi,

I have been running (well, jogging) for a couple of months now.  I am up to an hour on the treadmill and am very excited about it.  Unfortunately, when I have attempted to run outside, I can barely make it 20 minutes without stopping. Because of the hours I work and where I live, I can only run on the weekends.

I was ambitious and registered for a 5k on Thanksgiving morning.  Now I am worried about being able to run outside the entire race.

Does anyone have any advice?

Thanks!

Hey everyone!  Nice to see some new faces on this thread!  A big welcome to you all!

How has light exercise been going for me?  Ummmm.  Okay.  I've been walking a slow mile mile and a half every other day.  Wanted to get in some cycling, but my beach cruiser so isn't made for these hills.   The stiffness in my knees has subsided ... funny how when you have achy joints you'd think exercise is the last thing they want ... but for me it helps the most. WHo knew!

So .. I disobeyed Doctor's orders.  I HAD to.  Ended up running through a couple airports on Monday.  The only thing that hurt was the bottom of my foot ... because flip flops aren't exactly made for running and I had gotten a hot spot where a blister might have formed I'd kept wearing those shoes.  Suffice to say I'm going to start with some short intervals this evening. YAY!!

Millie let us know how you like that ipod thing.  I was actually just looking at that while I was sidelined. I like that it can give pace and distance information.  The thought of a GPS has always seemed way too high tech for my running.  I like to keep things simple, and thought that might be a good compromise.  Just thinking about when I take my dog for a walk (85lb labrador who always wants to play) umm 3 hours with him would be a workout like no other!  I'm sure you'll be fine when you get back to running.

Mango, wow time did go quickly for your 10K training!  How exciting.  I say go for the December race (if you live in an area where the weather won't be too miserable).  I found I actually liked running 10K/6 miles as opposed to longer distanced. It's my goal to get back there now.

Jen, wow, that sucks with your calf. I've not had any experiences with muscle pulls or strains and can't really think of any suggestions to offer you.  Did you try posting in the MedTent?  Just thinking of the leg structure I can't even think of something else it could be (like hour a sore shin can actually be shin splints etc).  think that's one that rest is the only thing to get you through it.  You are doing well though, listening to your body and stopping as you did.  Give it a few more days, ice, anti inflamatories and give it another try ?  I'm sure being cautious now will pay off in the long run (no pun intended!).  Some yoga or pilates stretches might also help as strengthing exercises.  I agree with ssfit.  We gained strength and fitness through completing C25K, it's always attainable for us.  I've been off 6 weeks maybne longer now, and I know I won't be where I left off, but I know I can get it back with a little work.

Welcome ShoSho! And congratulations on completing your first 5K  In great time too!.  Good luck with your 10K training.  I want to hear all about it.  I'm prolly going there next. : )

Hi DJ and welcome!  I agree and think when you switch to outdoor from running on a treadmill it's all about pacing.  Force yourself to start of slow it'll become easier.  I'm confident you'll have no problem with a 5K. You know you can run a solid hour on a treadmill, so you've got the cardio endurance for the race.  Once you figure out your pace, you can do it.  Maybe try using an IPOD/MP3 player and load the podrunner 5K graduation run.  The beat of the music helps you keep a steady pace through out the run.   You've got plenty of time to work things out for a Thanksgiving 5K.

Take care woggers ... until next time,  Happy Running!

Hey everyone,

Hope you are all doing well! I have been running. Ran 4 miles this week. But I wasn't all that strong running. Had to walk a few times. I am hoping I will get better next week (again 4 miles). I discovered "online" recipes and food blogs recently! And having so much time on hand I have been cooking up a storm. Apple Oatmeal Crisp on allrecipes.com was so good for Halloween!! I am not a great cook. So simple easy quick things are better for me. Looking for an easy fudge or something next to use up leftover hershey's kisses from Halloween! Will let you know if something works out!

Hey Milliemoh, good to see you are doing well with the running and new wrist strap!

BSQ, hope the toe is better by now.

Mango, what are you up to? Must have finished the 10K plan? What you doing next?

OK everyone.. happy running!!

Hi everyone,

Hope you are all doing fine. I finally finished a 4 mile run without too much discomfort, although am still slow, atleast I got rid of the tired-walking. I am happy about that. Am moving on to week 5 of the Hal Higdon 10K Novice now. 4.5 miles next week. Will give it a shot and see how it goes. I had to take off one or two days extra this week with one or the other personal scheduling things that came up at running time. But I think all in all its ok cos the long run did go fine. I have been doing some "Leslie Sansone walk at home" type thing past few cross-training days. A few days ago I also tried doing about 10 minutes of something called Tae Bo. Boy, was that tiring and painful!!! Involves a lot of kicking and punching. I like the idea of improving my punching abilities!! Might do it for 5-10minutes every now and then, maybe will get a little better next time!

Mango, sorry to hear about the chest congestion. With the cooling weather this and flu-like things are going to start off now. Best to take care. I looked at the HH-Half plan. Yes, if you want you can just repeat the middle few weeks till u feel like going on to 7-8 miles. There is no rush. When you feel more comfortable maybe it will be nice to aim for some specific half-marathon and schedule the rest of the training accordingly? Will give you motivation to prepare. See if there are any in your area.

Hope everyone is doing well. Happy Running!

Hey Nanny55,

The race you have coming up sounds really cool!! Far cooler than anything I have done. And you have experience with a triathlon too!! So already I wud say u are getting into really-not-all-that-newbie status!!

Take this race easy if you are feeling all that apprehensive. You will make it just fine. If u run 2-4 miles  4-5 times a week, that means you are in pretty decent shape! Take the 1st 1-2 mile run really easy, like a warmup, its a flat course you say. Do the bike ride also at an easy-steady pace (I don't know much abt biking). If you feel tired after this take your 1st 1-2 miles of the 4 mile hilly run really really easy, walk at the beginning if necessary. By the 2nd or 3rd mile you will be feeling good and ready to speed up and run well the end portions of the course. Finish strong, you will feel better that way.

Good luck! Let us know how it goes!

PS: Also, if possible, take a complete-rest day before your race-day. Will help your body be a little bit fresh and ready for the strain of the race! Good luck!

Hi everyone. I have kept trying to post on here but not managed it until today. Since getting rid of my chest infection I have come on leaps and bounds. This week I did a 4.05 mile run then yesterday I took my car into the garage for a service and ran home. Well almost!! The distance was 5.5 miles and I guess I ran about 4.75. I wore my strap but it isn't so good if you are walking and running. My pace when I ran the 4.05 was 9.52 so I was ok with that. My arthritis in my toes has been ok. what causes it to flare up now and again I don't know but it is very annoying.

The weather has cooled off alot here and the temperature is about 4 so it is perfect for me. Even though my face gets like a beetroot I don't feel too hot.

Mango, sorry to hear you have had a poorly chest too. You seem recovered and back into it all now. I hope your training is going well. Sfft, you seem to be doing very well too. How do you have time with all this exercising and cooking.lol

I am looking into doing some proper training to up my mileage. I want to increase that. I don't mind being slow paced at the moment, I just want to run further.

Nanny I am sorry I cant offer any other advice except to say the adrenelin will help to carry you through.

I do recommend the wrist strap. It has pushed me on, knowing I will see my results on the computer.

good luck everyone mo.x

I graduated C25K last week, and have been trying to figure out what to do next.  I am a slow runner (~17mm) and overweight (240#), so I have to keep running and training to burn the calories and improve my time.  After much consideration, I've decided that next week I'll start the Cooling Runnings Easy 5K program (beginner), which is 12 weeks long. (here is the link: http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_4/146.shtml )  It is based on the assumption that you can run 12-15 miles per week, which I'm doing now.  Though it is training for a 5K, it builds up to weekly long runs of 6 miles, w 4 and 5 mi runs often.  I can still use this training if I want to complete a 10K, though I will probably still have a slow 10K time untill I can train for that.  Is anyone else doing this program, or want to join me?

So sorry to hear about all of you who have been injured or ill.  It is really tough to set it out, and hard to get back up to speed once you are better.  Every day I run, I just hope I don't stumble and fall or catch a cold, because I'd be doomed.

I've got a Nike+ for my shoe/iPod.  It is useful for when you are out on runs where you don't know exact distances. It was very helpful on my vacation. The only problem I have is that you must re-calibrate it regularly when your pace improves, because if your stride or run rate changes, it can underestimate your distance (on a known course).

Nanny- So great that you are doing a duathlon soon - You will have great fun with the new experience.  In my past life 20 yrs ago, I used to do (slow) triathlons.  Now I'm trying to lose all of this weight, with my eye on the IronGirl Sprint Triathlon in June 2010 in Atlanta.  S 600m/ B 18 miles/ R 3.0 miles.  The course is hilly, except for the swim (LOL) so I've got lots of training to do - the only thing "flat" about me is my running course (HA!).

Have good races and a great weekend!

I just finished thh C25K program and am running my first 5K this Thursday.  It's a Turkey Trot that will be starting at 7:30 AM.  Unfortunately I'll be driving all night just to get to this location for the holiday.  I hope the sleep deprivation won't deter my will.  I've trained dilligently and am very proud to call myself a "runner".  Wish me luck.