Thanks Jess for your encouragement. I think I was on the road to getting hurt someday soon if I didn't make changes. I'm a  prideful person and I enjoyed saying that I ran so and so minutes without walking.  Thank goodness my body just started to shut down on me.

The experiment went well. I put a glass of water outside and doused myself with water before walking and after 10 minutes.  I ran 3:1 of run/walk intervals for 20 minutes after five minutes of walking. Later today, I will take a 30 minute walk.

~Karen~

Hey All,

After a couple of weeks of traveling I'm back and running. First to New Englad for my sister's wedding. We didn't run there, too much going on with all the wedding plans and  general family stuff. The one thing I need to note is the food. As a general rule, my family doesn't eat vegetables. It was just strange. They eat tons of prepared (like hot pockets and hot dogs) and can after can of Coke. Now, I appreciate a soda now and then, but we're talking more like 4-5 cans per day and they think I'm strange for drinnking water and seeking out veggies.So glad I moved away from all that.

Then Team Stubborn went tropical for a little bit and it was interesting to go from running in 40 degrees, wind, and Seattle drizzle to 90 degrees and 100% humidity after sunset in Mexico. We only did 20 minutes, but I looked like someone dumped a bucket of water on me at the end. We could have gone to the hotel's gym and used the treadmill, but we always run outside normally. By the way, if anyone is looking for a really good all inclusive in Mexico, I highly recommend the Riu Palace Maya Riviera in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, just outside Cancun. Great food, beautiful beach, and exceptionally attentive staff. We got a seet deal on Expedia.

The only glitch is that my back went out the last day in Mexico. I've had sciatica issues for around 15 years, so it wasn't a great surprise or anything, but it did throw a damper on the last day there. More importantly, it's hard to imagine running when getting out of bed requires planning, patience, and a decent pain threshhold. We gave it a couple of days, still having the getting out of bed problems, but I could walk mostly freely, when my partner convinced me to try running last night. I'd had back tightness before that running helped, but this is a different story and I was downright scared, but I agreed to try. At first I was super nervous, but the back didn't start spasming and there was no monsterous leg weakness, so we kept going. In my head I thought maybe doing 5 min and then walking a bit before running again, but it didn't work out that way. Instead we did a slow, 30-ish minute 2.1 mile run without stopping. I still can believe it considering some of the symptoms I was having.This morning I still had a hard time getting out of bed, but it was better than yesterday. Go Team Stubborn!

Shell

I am going to do another 5k January 9.  Good luck on your resolution run Libby.  What a great way to kick off the New Year!!   Be sure and let us know how it goes!      Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you!      Jess

Shell, I liked reading about your resolve to eat healthy despite your birth family's history of eating. My birth family has some similar bad eating habits.

Libby, congrats on your three mile run.

Kendra, it's great to hear about your improved skiing endurance.

Jess,  you are running the same day as we are next year. We're doing a second 5K. Our 10 y/o is running with me. Our 5 and almost 7 y/o will do a 1/4 mile fun run.

I created a running blog at http://bumpoffalog.blogspot.com. Right now I'm documenting my progress on training to run a better 5K.

~Karen~

I'm still running, 3-4 miles about 4x per week.  My speed has been increasing, and I'm signed up for my next 5k in 20 days, and plan to do at least 10 of them this year (probably way more).

I bought a Garmin Forerunner 310 GPS watch, and it's been awesome.  I can get immediate feedback on my pace, distance, heart rate, and total running time, and when I'm done with a run, I can map it out on Google Earth.  It also makes it easy to track the total number of miles I'm running in any given month.

I'm glad you're back with it, drinkup!  After my last 5k in November, I took about 2 weeks off, and when I came back to running, I found I could go much faster and further than before.  I think our bodies actually use that break for good things.

That is great Drink up!!!   Amazing to be able to run 3 miles after 2 months off.   I'm so glad to hear your shins don't hurt!  Hope your easing into it enough not to re injure them.  Slow and steady wins the race!  Congratulations on your success and starting back up!

After completing C25k.. I started a thread to continue training for a 10 K.  It is an active thread on the board here  and we'd love to have you join us there.  You don't have to be training to do 10K to join us.. we just talk about life and running after the 3 miles!!   I went on to run 2 5 k's (Nov and Jan)  and then my first 10k on Feb 7.   My long run is up to 7 miles!!!!    I am training to do the Disney half marathon in September.  Smarietta (Stephen) posts on that thread as well.   He is doing great and actively running, swimming, biking and soon to be roofing again.  Exhausting just to think about!

Isn't it amazing to be able to go out and run 3 miles!   I hope everyone will give an update.  To all the past posters:   If life has interfered with your plans and you've had to stop or slow down.. no biggie.. just lace up your shoes and start where you left off.  Spring is almost here and that should help.

Jess

Drinkup- glad to hear about everybody-was thinking about this last eve. as I mapped out my running schedule for this week.

from 10-3-09 untill 3-1-10 I went from zero running per week-to running 18 miles per week. I am adding a day of running this week- so I am running 5 days per week:0,3,3,3,3,0,6

I have been walking around today in a state of constant amazement over how good my legs feel today  after yesterdays 6-1/4 mile run

Best wishes all,

stephen

Yay!  I'm so glad that everyone is doing well and keeping up with being active.  I've been plugging away, getting in my 3 mi 3 times/week, which seems surprisingly comfortable now.  I also convinced my husband to start C25K, and he's on week 6 now.   I wouldn't say that he likes doing it, but I think he likes how it makes him feel afterwards.  I've been using the Nike+ since I got in my Christmas stocking and really enjoy seeing the miles add up on it.  I'm also starting the Nike+ novice 5K training this next weekend, which helps you speed up your 5K time through increased mileage, fartleks, tempo runs, and regular long runs, so am hoping to see a difference with that.  I signed up for a women's 5K race for breast cancer in Berlin (I live in Germany, but Berlin is definitely the big city for us) at the end of the program, so will make a fun, weekend trip out of it (reward shopping for a great race, maybe?).  And now that the days are sunnier and not so bitterly cold, with most of the ice melted away, I'm looking forward to leaving the treadmill behind and exploring on foot.

Good luck to everyone for spring training...it sounds like we all have some exciting things ahead of us!

LB