Just like a statistician to rub it in about gas mileage. Remind me to post a picture of what a prius looks like after a head-on collision.

Angie, great pic of your dogs. I take crappy pictures with my phone. Actually, I take crappy pictures no matter what I'm using.

Val, I'll figure out what you should do about the geese if you tell me what to do about the alligators. These suckers roam the neighbourhoods. How would you like to see this outside your child's school? Right now it's dry and it's mating season. They are on the move.

Basal cell skin cancer. The story of my life. I've lost track of the amount of times I've had to have a chunk cut out of me. Yesterday happened to be the biggest yet. This is all skin damage from 30 years ago. It's finally catching up with me. I don't know about you all, but I never used sunscreen as a kid. I do now but what's the point? I'll be dead before today's sun damage would catch up with me. My legs hurt today. They are both red and swollen. But I managed to get my run in and lift weights. No rest for the wicked.

Sounds like everyone is getting their runs in. Good job! Stay safe. And don't run with scissors!

*edit*  Frank, was it you who asked about miles for the year?  I have run 180 miles, swum 23 miles, biked 540 miles and lifted weights for 33 hours.  Total hours exercised 150 hours and 28 minutes.

wk 1 day 2 went pretty good. The dog got spooked by some kids and I twisted my back a little. Its not a big deal this morning so I'm not too worried about it.

Nico, I hear you on the yard bombs! lol A sheppard/lab cross would be cool, but big! When we got Mazzy my wife didn't really want a big dog but I did (grew up with large dogs). They're a lot of work initially but I love 'em. If I had the space I'd have a great dane.

On the geese Val, can you just run around them? Or maybe get a whistle of some sort if they're a big problem...I only encounter swans and ducks.

Welcome to the board!

do you mean couch 2 5k? 5k=3.2 miles

I finished the program in december and am currently doing it again (back injury...sciatica. kept me sidelined for 2 months). Anyway, when I started it, I had never run in my life and could barely do the initial 60 seconds of running during week 1. The program is very doable and designed to train a total novice. If I can do it, anyone can do it. Believe me. I prefer to use Ullrey's podcast as I find the "virtual trainer" very helpful. you can find them at http://www.c25k.com

When it comes to shoes, your best bet is to go to a running store and have them determine your foot type. Everyone is different and have different needs when it comes to shoes. If you cannot get to a running store, at least do the paper test ( http://www.runnersworld.ltd.uk/foottype.htm )  and find a mailorder store that will allow you to return the shoes should they not be right for you. There are a couple in the US, I don't think there are any in Canada which will do returns, but most stores will take returns provided the shoes haven't been worn outside.

Hope that helps and hope to read about your progress!

Helloooooo.................................................

Welcome aboard, Burbstyle. It's great that you're looking to get off the couch! I agree completely with doug and kimber -- get thee to a specialty running store. Nobody here can tell you what shoe is going to work for you. Even if we knew what type of shoe you required (e.g., stability, motion control, or whatever), you'd still need to find the shoe that feels right -- that's entirely unique to you. Couch-to-5k is a fantastic program -- I think you're gonna love it! One of the big things to remember at the beginning is that speed is the enemy -- you shouldn't be trying to turn in five-minute miles. Your pace should be slow enough that you're not huffing and puffing and wishing you were dead. Instead, you should be going at a pace such that you could carry on a slightly-broken conversation with someone or sing things like military cadences (the call-and-response songs that soldiers often sing as they're running in formation). You should expect to be slow for a while. Speed will come as you increase your weekly distance and as you begin to complete workouts designed specifically to improve your speed.

Val - the big thing to remember about geese is not to turn your back to them. They'll hiss and bob while you're facing them, but if you turn your back they'll step it up and come at you. A goose laid eggs just outside our office last year and every time we parked our cars papa-goose would get in a huff and start challenging us. He did chase a few people, but only when they started running away from him. Here's a memo from the Columbus Dispatch to reporters about handling aggresive geese. Seems they had a problem like ours.

Angie - asleep in the shower? I've done that, but it's never been a recurring issue. Maybe you could just kill the hot water? Young folks have trouble seeing the big picture, and we're just bringing them down when we try to explain it to them. It took me until my junior year -- of college -- to start taking education and stuff like that seriously, and things seem to have worked out okay for me.

Fountain pen suggestions? Out of the gates, I'd suggest that you try a disposable fountain pen, just to see if you like the idea. You can pick up a Pilot Varsity pen at most big-box office supply stores (e.g., Staples, Office Despot , Office Max). They aren't the smoothest or nicest fountain pens, but they're a good entry point. You can't treat them quite the same as ballpoints -- not a good idea to gesture wildly with one in your hand (at least without the cap on), and you shouldn't press down hard when you write. You should only need the lightest touch and a loose, comfortable grip to write with a fountain pen. To learn more than you ever wanted to know, you should consider checking out the Fountain Pen Network. They're having some capacity issues with their server, so the site might be down when you try, but try again. Lots of incredibly knowledgable people talking pens. Also, be aware that fountain pens can be addictive and incredibly expensive (I could buy several pairs of running shoes for what I paid for my most expensive fountain pen...). They can also be strictly utilitarian and quite reasonably priced. I also like the environmental aspects -- instead of stuffing landfills with ballpoints that don't work, I just keep refilling a pen with ink from a bottle and know that I'll be passing down my pens to my kid(s) or nieces/nephews. (Wow, that was much too long a response to the fountain pen question...)

Doug - glad to hear your back isn't complaining after Mazzy yanked you around unexpectedly. Looking forward to hearing about your recovery. How is your experience with c25k different the second time? Just curious.

Nico - There might be hope on the horizon for a different-colored t-shirt if you're interested. I got an e-mail from them yesterday suggesting that they would be open to mixing shirt colors in the same order. I plan to call them this weekend and find out how mixed an order can be. Let me know what color you'd like and I'll see if they can do it. (Same goes for anybody else who's looking for something that's not gray.)

I have no suggestions for you on the puppy front. My analytical brain goes out the window when it comes to animals, so I wouldn't be able to offer well-reasoned counsel.

I did a neighborhood 10k last night after work. I'd planned on getting out before work, but I got sidetracked with pesky banking and bill-paying. I decided to run after work instead, which I normally don't like to do. Wasn't my best run, wasn't my worst. Mostly I spent the entire run cursing my lunch decisions (was that third brownie really necessary? No, but they were very small....) I also took advantage of the Garmin to just run around the neighborhood without a planned route. Worked out great. I'm a little sore today, but my body's still recovering from last weekend. Another week and I'll be back on my game.

Have an excellent weekend, everbody!

Don

Hey Burbstyle! I second everything everyone else has said.  (Or fourth in the case of the shoes!)  Get thee to a running store.  Shoes are the piece of equipment when it comes to running.  They make all the difference.  And pace yourself!  Don't worry about how fast/slow you are going, just go at a pace that will make it possible for you to do the intervals of running called for.  I can't speak for everyone here, but I started out running slower than my husband can walk.  And remember you're a rock star just for getting out the door!!

Don, I'm still trying to reconcile your picture with your obsession with fountain pens.  It is so interesting what people are like.  Also, you are younger than I am so don't know if you'll have the same experience, but I don't think I gave myself enough rest after my 1/2 marathon.  And then I got sick, and then I got sick again, and then I was just exhausted.  So if that happens to you know that it's normal.  And if it doesn't happen to you - you rock!!

On the shirts, if it's possible to have an alternative, I would like blue.

Angie, you are so funny.  My older brother spent so much time in the shower as a teenager that all the paint came off the walls in the bathroom.  I have never heard of turning the water off at the mains before!  I turned the electricity off at the mains once on my husband when he wouldn't get off the computer, though.  I was pregnant, if that explains anything!

Well, I took my husband out to the farm where my friend lives who had the puppy.  He liked the dog, my daughter liked the dog, I liked the dog, so now we have a dog!  The mother is the shepard, the dad is the lab.  The mother was definitely the more "guard dog" like.  She scared the beejesus out of my daughter.  She had a very loud bark   The dad was Mr. Mellow.  He didn't even bark when we drove up.

Her name is Sophie (my daughter named her) and I've already taken her for a mile jog.  I loved having her with me, even at 9 weeks and knowing she couldn't/wouldn't hurt a speck of dust.  She did really well, I was amazed.  I went pretty slowly.  She still had lots of oomph left in her when we got back.

I'm attaching a pic.

Nico

I did wk 1, day 3 this morning. I gave myself an extra day of rest so my back could heal a bit more. I didn't take the dog this morning (I'm thinking there's no point in running with the dog if I'm not healthy enough to handle her), and I'm planning on taking her every second run. It went fine, looking forward to getting into the longer sections, these short intervals are kinda sucking a bit now that I was used to 5k runs. Oh well, all in time. I felt like I could keep going and I wanted to but I'm trying to be very careful not to injure myself again

Nico, that dog looks awesome! congrats!

Hi folks. Nothing doing for me this weekend. I was planning on running five or six miles today, but I just wasn't feeling it this morning. I was very tired and my calves were a bit sore. I decided to crawl back into bed for a few extra hours of sleep. I'm feeling much better now.

Nico - Sophie's adorable! Looks like she'll be a handful, though. Check out the mischevous glint in her eyes. I think that post-half fatigue you're talking about has caught up with me. No signs of sickness so far, but who knows how that'll go? Also, what type of blue did you have in mind for your t-shirt? (D'oh -- forgot to call today. I'll have to check in when I place the order tomorrow.) They have a navy blue, royal blue, and a light blue. I'm guessing the Pacific (light) blue, since it'll offer the most contrast with the silkscreening, but I want to be sure.

Doug - Probably a good call on leaving Mazzy home for this past run. It's great to hear that you're progressing without any real problems. You're a model for self-care as you come back from injury.

Angie - Glad you found the fountain pen info to be helpful and not too overwhelming. We managed to lose Kevin last time we changed threads; might have happened again. Is it mountie time, Val?

Kimber - hope your legs are healing up well. Is your husband having any luck on the job front?

Mike? Frank? Iain? Val? (How do we send mounties after Val?)

Have a great week, folks!

Don

Message was edited by: dwm082 - corrected reference to t-shirt color.