Couch to 5K running plan...has any tried it?

I finished!! :yay: I did that last day yesterday, 3 miles without a single walk break in 35 minutes! :dance3:

Tomorrow is Bloomsday and...I'm starting to get nervous! I found a map online that's mostly accurate (you don't go all the way back to the start - it ends at the river.) http://www.usatf.org/routes/view.asp?rID=117280

I think I'm going to become un-fashion-conscious and get a fanny-pack. Between my cell phone, ID cards and car keys, I think it'll be easier to make sure I know where the stuff is!
 
I wish you the best of luck, good weather, tail wind, etc.
Looking forward to hearing about it when you finish!
:cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1:
 
I finished!! :yay: I did that last day yesterday, 3 miles without a single walk break in 35 minutes! :dance3:


Wow ! That is so amazingly cool. I can't believe you got your distance up and your minutes down that much! I hope your weather is just gorgeous and that your Bloomsday is a highly enjoyable experience for you. It looks like quite an interesting course. I will look forward to hearing all about it! A fanny pack sounds like a good plan, given all that you need to have with you. Have fun, and don't be too nervous! :)
 

I finished!! :yay: I did that last day yesterday, 3 miles without a single walk break in 35 minutes! :dance3:

Congrats! That's awesome! :cool1:

Good luck with Bloomsday! (and we all become less fashion conscious during races! :rolleyes: )
 
Hey Corinna! Congrats on the great run outside. And congrats on your Garmin purchase. Did you get the 205 or 305? I just got the 205 and love it!! :thumbsup2

As far as how to carry your stuff.....do you drink water while you run, or on your walk breaks? I could never get used to that, so I always left my water in the car for when I was done. I got an arm band that held my cell phone or my mp3 player (most of the time I don't take my cell with me). When I'm running around my neighborhood, I don't take a key, because I can get in the house using the keypad to the garage. When I run on a trail a couple miles away, I just take the keyless entry thingy off my keychain & hold that in my hand when I run. Maybe check out your options online for gear to hold your gear!:thumbsup2 And keep up the great work!

You guys are all inspiring me to get my act together (even the new people that are just starting - it's AWESOME how much this program and thread inspires people)

Kim, I didn't get to this earlier, but wanted to say that I got the 305 - my best friend's husband (my husband's best friend??) has the 305 and so I guess I was just copying him. :rolleyes1 I am very impressed by it so far, though was kind of creeped out by the warning sticker that they come with these days.

I do like to sip a little water on those walking breaks, and have been known to sip a little while running on the treadmill as well, though it is risky! I like knowing it is there if I get too parched, I guess.

Here's my sob story of the week as well. I decided to give the indoor track at the YMCA a chance on Thursday - my 3 year old got to try out the child care, and had a very good time. I had a much rougher time. First of all, what idiot decided to make a track that is 1/11th of a mile around? Seriously, 11 laps = 1 mile?? How am I supposed to do that math? In addition to that, I had some trouble with my left leg - a sore muscle on the inside of my leg, kind of next to the shin. I don't know if it was the turning to the left over and over or maybe the track was made from some unsuitable material - poured concrete, maybe? Anyhow, I ended up having to stop after only 2 miles. It wasn't bad as I was running, but I felt just really sore on my walk breaks, and after I felt worse on the second one than the first, I decided that I'd better knock it off if I hoped to be able to run in a race on the 13th. I'm still kind of recovering. I'm hoping to do today's run tomorrow. I think I need a little more ice and massage. It is better, though. I'm going to have to watch it this week, though.

Yes, I'm off to get that ice right now. :charac2:
 
Thanks for the luck everyone!! But...12Ks suck! :rotfl: I need to start hill training because I ran fine until the first hill. I did manage to end with a 13:30 min/mile pace, but I was definitely faster in the beginning. I walked up Doomsday Hill, which wasn't that bad (if you didn't run it!) And the ending was so nice - you turn the corner and it's just like a 200 yard sprint downhill to the finish!

I need to work a lot harder if I want to run distances at all, though. But it was a good start!

ETA: I forgot the funniest thing! All along the route there were performers and people selling ice pops, etc, plus political signs and whatnot. There was a whole section of the route that people had signs saying "Thanks WA for legalizing medical marijuana in 1998!" And the area had this not-so-faint sweet smell.... :rotfl: Judging by the looks of the people lining that street, I, uh, wouldn't say they had obvious medical issues. ;)
 
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Congrats Katerkat!!! YOU DID IT!!!! :woohoo:
 
Thanks for the luck everyone!! But...12Ks suck! :rotfl: I need to start hill training because I ran fine until the first hill. I did manage to end with a 13:30 min/mile pace, but I was definitely faster in the beginning. I walked up Doomsday Hill, which wasn't that bad (if you didn't run it!) And the ending was so nice - you turn the corner and it's just like a 200 yard sprint downhill to the finish!

Great work, Katerkat! I am so impressed. Sounds like 12k is not for the faint of heart. I am considering doing the TOT 13k in October, but maybe I should reconsider the 6.5k instead. :rolleyes: It sounds like it was a very entertaining event. Your pace is amazing to me, especially considering that you just started running, what, 9 weeks ago?
Anyhow, way to go! :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:
 
Great work, Katerkat! I am so impressed. Sounds like 12k is not for the faint of heart. I am considering doing the TOT 13k in October, but maybe I should reconsider the 6.5k instead. :rolleyes: It sounds like it was a very entertaining event. Your pace is amazing to me, especially considering that you just started running, what, 9 weeks ago?
Anyhow, way to go! :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

Thanks guys!! It was pretty awesome to do it, even though I wish I had the stamina to run longer. I will get there, though! I think I'm going to take a month to do some slower training, then start on the Cool Running Half Marathon program. :eek: June is 12 weeks to the DL half marathon, after all!!

And Corinna, I'm so dragging you to the ToT 13K. ;) 6.5K just isn't as cool - 13K for the 13th anniversary and all! And you have a good six months to go until the race!
 
Thanks guys!! It was pretty awesome to do it, even though I wish I had the stamina to run longer. I will get there, though! I think I'm going to take a month to do some slower training, then start on the Cool Running Half Marathon program. :eek: June is 12 weeks to the DL half marathon, after all!!

And Corinna, I'm so dragging you to the ToT 13K. ;) 6.5K just isn't as cool - 13K for the 13th anniversary and all! And you have a good six months to go until the race!

Wow - are you really going to run a half marathon so soon! Amazing. I guess I could copy you and start that as well. I don't have a half marathon in mind. I guess there is the Twin Cities, though I was thinking I might volunteer for that this year. It would certainly put a person in a position where a 13K in October would be totally doable, wouldn't it?

Are you for sure doing the TOT? I agree, the 13K sounds much cooler. I have this fear that I am not suited to run on surfaces other than treadmill. That rough day at the "track" has hit me a little bit hard, I guess. I am almost to the point of just scheduling the plane tickets and a room for October and trusting that it will all work out.
 
I don't think I'm going to be able to really do the DL half - my MIL is planning a trip to Yellowstone and I think DH is going to guilt me into that instead. But I'm going to train like I'm going to! That way I'll definitely be ready for the ToT. I really, really want to do it and I think I'm going to...just waiting to hear about DH's deployment schedule. I don't care if he is/isn't deployed - I just don't want to be in WDW on Saturday if he deploys Monday. (Although, it's more for our son. Me, ah, it's the eighth deployment and I'm so over the goodbye thing! ;) ) But I already plied my mother with promises of F&WF and the oldies bands they get there, and told Russ that Dan Zanes will be there that week. (He *loves* House Party Time!)
 
I don't think I'm going to be able to really do the DL half - my MIL is planning a trip to Yellowstone and I think DH is going to guilt me into that instead. But I'm going to train like I'm going to! That way I'll definitely be ready for the ToT. I really, really want to do it and I think I'm going to...just waiting to hear about DH's deployment schedule. I don't care if he is/isn't deployed - I just don't want to be in WDW on Saturday if he deploys Monday. (Although, it's more for our son. Me, ah, it's the eighth deployment and I'm so over the goodbye thing! ;) ) But I already plied my mother with promises of F&WF and the oldies bands they get there, and told Russ that Dan Zanes will be there that week. (He *loves* House Party Time!)

Wow - that is a lot of deployments. I hope they will let you know the schedule soon.

Also, too bad the DL half won't work out this year. Maybe next year, though?

We've had stomach bug issues here this week - my two boys each took a turn. I ran today, and it just wasn't so good a run. I guess some of them aren't. Maybe I was a little worn out from the sick kids home from school, eh? Only one more run before my race, though. I haven't been outside but the once, so I am a little nervous about that. It's harder to get that accomplished somehow.

I am so keen to do this TOT race, though the distance sounds so LONG to me right now.
 
Tomorrow is my 5K and I am actually a little concerned. I went yesterday and picked up my number at the MOA and everything (20033, not that it matters) and knew I needed to get in a run yesterday, though it was a very full day. I ended up on the treadmill after the kids were asleep, which was OK. Except that I only managed to run a mile and a half. This I did without a break and at a faster than usual pace for me on the TM, BUT, and this is a doozie, I stopped at that halfway point because my right leg was stiffening up and I was concerned about making things worse by continuing to run. I walked a little more and it didn't seem to resolve on its own, so I stopped. Two nights before the race. ACK!

The cause: my idiocy. The house has a large bit of landscaping, largely neglected by me this year. I foolishly went on on Thursday morning and pulled some weeds. So lots of bending over, and the end result: I'm hiring someone to do the rest of it this year AND the backs of my legs are sore and tight. No amount of stretching seems to be fixing this, either. Fortunately, DH scheduled me a mother's day massage for this morning. Unfortunately, I may be using it mostly to try to fix my legs.....

I drove around the course a little yesterday - it is not very scenic, but it is fairly flat, so I guess that is something. My modest little RFTC fund-raising page has resulted in donations nearly totaling $1000, almost twice my goal. I guess that is something, anyhow. As a result, I am a little concerned about disappointing my sponsors, too, though. I still have 24 hours - my legs could recover by then, right?:scared: :angel: :confused3 :hourglass
 
Oh no! I hope the massage helps and you're able to recover the use of your legs! Is the course timed? Or could you walk it if absolutely necessary? Good luck!!
 
Oh no! I hope the massage helps and you're able to recover the use of your legs! Is the course timed? Or could you walk it if absolutely necessary? Good luck!!

I am starting to have hope that things will be turned around enough to be just fine. The massage was very helpful. I was very fortunate that just by luck I got a massage therapist today who had gastric bypass surgery, lost 100 pounds and is now a runner herself. She got things started on the way to losening up, and hit a bunch of trigger points. I came home and called my running guru and asked him what to do. He echoed the suggestion of the massage therapist that I should ice it today and gave me this prescription for getting my whole legs very cold. He suggested a cold bath 4-5" deep with ice cubes for 10 minutes or so.

Well, we took the kids out to their Race for the Cure fun run this afternoon and I had to run with the 3 year old - that's the rules. My little guy was not the fastest preschooler out there, but he ran the whole way around their little loop and said that he was the best runner and that he had won. It was so sweet. It is a race where everyone wins, and it doesn't matter if you are first or last across, you still get your little pink "medal" and a gogurt and a bottle of water.:)

After that, we drove around the course so the boys could se where I would be running tomorow and then we headed for home where I took that ice-cold bath. Well, it wasn't a great pleasure, but it wasn't as bad as a Minnesota winter, either!


I am going to do some more icing tonight, and I think I am going to be OK. Austin tells me I should take two or three days off after I run tomorrow, and I think I will. :D

If I have to walk it, I believe that will be fine. The massage therapist says that she knows some people who walk the "run" every year. At this point, I wouldn't mind being last - if I can move myself across the finish line, that is a victory! :cheer2:

I'll check in tomorrow with a little report. Happy Mother's Day everyone!
 
Oh, I forgot to say, this race isn't chipped or even timed for most everyone. They time for the first 5 women and the first 5 men to finish and the rest of us are in it for the sheer joy. :goodvibes
 
Well, I did it and it all turned out fine. :) A little cool when we started, but that was ultimately for the good, I am sure. My legs did not seize up. I feel them now, but I managed to get them settled down enough to run without any problems.

I also now am able to officially consider myself graduated from c25k, even if I did sort of alter the curriculum a bit at the end there.....:rolleyes1 I ran the whole 30 minutes without stopping and once I got to that point, I was well past the second mile marker and it seemed silly to take a walking break then, so I just pressed on. I finished the whole thing in right around 38 minutes, which is quite fast for me! Either that or the treadmill is a big fat liar, I'm not sure which. I never even got really winded. I think I have to consider myself an actual runner now as well.

Also weird - there were no water stations on this course. Some porta-potties, yes, but no water! Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised, but I was. I had had a little water before the race and was actually fine during the race too, possibly due to the cooler weather.

Oh, and I did not come in last by any means. There were many people there who were walking the run, which wouldn't surprise me except that there was a walk at 9am! I was surprised to find myself actually passing people, even the occasional jogger. I am sure I was passed a lot too, but I didn't notice that so much.

It was a huge race and an amazing experience. I am so pleased I was able to finish the whole thing. My 3 year old maybe said it best "You won, mama!" I might not have been first or even in the first half, but I certainly did win.

Oh, and my neighbor was impressed that I had run the run and she said she would run it with me next year - how nice is that? I know she and another neighbor sometimes jog together but I have always assumed that I was way out of their league because they are both pretty slender.

Here are a couple of photos - I ran with my car key tied to my shoe and a little camera in my hand today.

Now a few photos - I'm trying not to go overboard here.

I was stunned by how many people there were. That tunnel ahead was kind of fun because everyone whooped and hollered in there, so kind of a neat effect.

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The finish line - I was so excited to get here - sorry there are no photos of me crossing it. The pictures I took of myself at this point are not especially attractive, and my DH didn't get a photo of me crossing. Oh well!

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It turns out my running outfit is not so flattering - my bulges were out in full force, BUT I did have DH take a picture of my pasty white but somewhat shapely legs.

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I like to think they do not look like the legs of a girl who has another, uh, 46 pounds to lose! Which might explain my torso bulges, I guess. But let's not dwell on that, shall we?

It was a great experience and I have to think that my clothes will fit me better at my next event - a 3 miler on July 4th. :beach:

This program is amazing. I can't believe that in under 3 months, I have gone from being so heavy and sedentary to being, well, still kinda heavy but able to run so far, so long, so well. It feels a little like a miracle to me. :cloud9:
 
Aww, Corinna, I'm so proud of you!! You finished, running the whole way! Woohoo! I'm glad you were able to get your legs back into form before the race. And those legs are quite nice looking, too! ;) My calves are stunning, IMHO - don't look like they belong to the rest of me! They are runner's legs!!

I'm glad your little one won, too! I think my Russ would do great at races - to tire him out, sometimes we tell him to run around the backyard tree five times...and another five times...and another... :rotfl:
 
Hey, those of you who recently ordered the Garmin Forerunner from Amazon - was the discounted Amazon price including the $50 Garmin rebate or is that additional? I've got a 305 in my cart that I need to decide on by tomorrow! (305 can be used for biking so DH can use it too - joint bday present!)
 














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