How long should I feel like this?

[james'mommy]

Yesterday I started my C25K program. Today I feel like I got run over by a semi. I know I have to go again tomorrow. How do I get past this pain and discomfort? When will I be able to train and not feel like I'm 80? I'm reading Marathoning for Mortals. I'm a little slow on some of the terms. What's a long session? What is a taper?

 

[FFigawi]

Congrats on starting the C25k program! I know many people who have done it, and lots of them started out feeling the same way. Exercising in new ways is hard on our bodies until we get used to it, which is why you should start out slow and only gradually increase your training time and mileage. You'll start feeling better after a few days, but if not, if the pain is really sharp or more than a dull ache, it's worth getting it looked at.

As far as running terms go, a long session generally refers to your longest run of the week. It's the run, usually on a weekend, where you run up to twice as far as you did on any run during the week, but at a much slower pace. It helps build endurance and conditions your body to be running for an extended period of time, and the slower pace helps from putting too much stress on you. A taper is the period of two to four weeks before your big race. It's when you reduce your mileage in order to let your body rest up and recover before going out and running your marathon, half marathon, or whatever race you're training for. It's also a period when you think ever sniffle is a full-on cold, every stair and curb are just waiting to grab your ankles, and you find yourself going stir-crazy with nervous energy. One of the coaches for our training group calls it a period of active recovery, i.e. plant your butt on the couch.

 

[deekaypee]

John's given you some good advice/guidelines for C25K. And excellent definitions, although I was surprised at how long a taper could be! I've never taken one that long, and tend to keep active XT throughout a program.

Anyway, your being tired and a little sore after beginning a new program, even C25K, is normal. Remember that you're challenging your body in new ways. And a lot of what you experience depends on your overall physical health, how used you are to exercise, etc. I'm not sure about the pain, though. What kind of pain are you experiencing? It shouldn't be severe. Have you seen a doctor before beginning the program?

If you're truly a couch potato (just taking the term from the C25K term, and I'm a graduate myself ), then maybe you want to build up a strong walking base. Or at least slow down on your running segments.

So, anyway, this is my way of saying that we could probably give you better responses if we had more information. Go ahead, details, details, details! We're all friends here.

 

[MJonesMBA2001]

Forgive me if you put this in your post bc I am reading this on my blackberry, but what kind of shoes do you run in?

 

[tiberius]

Since John and Debra have done the hard work of answering your questions, I want to offer a little encouragement.

Congratualtions for stepping off (pun intended) into this world of running. I started running again about 40 months ago and had some difficult times getting going. I followed Marathoning for Mortals and got through my first half marathon in about 3.5 months. That said, it really took me close to a year to work out my training issues (that was in my pre-WISH days) and I even gained about 10 lbs that year because I figured I could eat anything because I ran Since then (and with WISH's help) I have gotten much faster, much lighter (57 lbs) and much healthier.

Sometimes I still feel tired, but that's generally when I over do things and not because I am unhealthly. I applaud your taking these steps and hope you continue, because I can tell you the journey is well worth the effort and some of the people around WISH can be your biggest fans and supporters.

SInce you are doing the C25K, when and where is the 5K?

 

[heatherlynn444]

congrats for getting going! I love feeling sore! This means you did something! that's great! so take it as an achievement! It won't always be like that. Like others have said, your body will get used to it, but don't quit!!

 

[cewait]

Yesterday I started my C25K program. Today I feel like I got run over by a semi. I know I have to go again tomorrow. How do I get past this pain and discomfort? When will I be able to train and not feel like I'm 80? I'm reading Marathoning for Mortals. I'm a little slow on some of the terms. What's a long session? What is a taper?

.


If you are feeling muscle pain then you are suffering from Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). That is a 'normal' pain that you ill feel with any new level of activity. At first it is a limiter and the reason many new exercisers hit the gym once and quit. You will work past this quickly. Within 1-3 weeks the level you are at now will feel normal and you may just have a little ache and pain at the level of work you did yesterday.

DOMS is almost a celebration feeling once you get past the begining. It's a celebration of yesterday's workout; letting you know you just did something new or beyond your current capability. It will get so that it occurs only after a new level workout is hit. You may always have a case of a small amount of soreness after hard workouts and that is normal.

Hang in there. You will find that your next workout will actually help with the soreness. After your sorkout, please take time to stretch out some. Your muscle will think you for that on the next day, also. As far as stretching goes, never stretch on cold muscle, only after a warm up and post workout.

 

[FFigawi]

John's given you some good advice/guidelines for C25K. And excellent definitions, although I was surprised at how long a taper could be! I've never taken one that long, and tend to keep active XT throughout a program.

I'm not sure I'd want to do a 4-week taper either, but I know some people here in Houston who have done it. The Houston marathon is in mid-January, so for those people who don't want to do their peak long run at Christmas, they do it the week before and have a long taper. That's too much for me. 2 weeks is plenty for me, and I'm still running 4-6 during the week and then 10 the weekend before the race.

 

[cewait]

I'm not sure I'd want to do a 4-week taper either, but I know some people here in Houston who have done it. The Houston marathon is in mid-January, so for those people who don't want to do their peak long run at Christmas, they do it the week before and have a long taper. That's too much for me. 2 weeks is plenty for me, and I'm still running 4-6 during the week and then 10 the weekend before the race.

Sorry - stealing the thread for a second.

Next year the Houston marathon is in late January. It will be my first ever hometown marathon.

Again sorry and giving the thread back

 

[ZOOMAMA]

james'mommy- Congrats on starting the program! I'm not an expert, in fact I'm on Week 7 of C25K, but my advice is to walk (easy, not power) for 30 minutes on the rest days. I walk on all of my rest days and for me it serves a dual purpose: it helps work out some of the stiffness and soreness from the day before and it keeps me in the routine of working out at the same time everyday. I also lift weights for upper body strength on my rest days and I squeeze in ab exercises whenever possible to strengthen my core. So this summer when I show off my new runners' legs I won't have to wear a sweatshirt to hide my not-so-hot arms. The core exercises have improved my running posture too. Who knew it was easier to breathe when running upright!

 

[james'mommy]

I am pretty much a couch potato (the dis contributes to much of this) but joined the gym 2 months ago. I started going sporadically. My friend joined this month and we are workout buddies. We meet 5 days a week and do the treadmill and the weights. I've worked up to 3.5 mph with a 5 incline and 35 minutes pr workout. Today since I was sore I only did 20 minutes at 3mph. I plan to use the treadmill a bit on my rest days. I figure we all have to walk somewhere everyday so I'll just pretend I'm at Disney and keep on walking. Yesterday was day 1 of C25K. I walked alot more than 1 ran but did about 2 miles in a half hour. I've been using my worn out nikes that are about 5 years old and have been chewed on by the dog. I went to a running store today and got fitted for shoes. The shoes have to wait until next month when DH gets his bonus. The shoes started with a m and I want to say thy are missonis (or something that sounds like that). They were a 100 bucks. They felt really good. So good that it's going to suck to put on my nikes tomorrow morning. I also bought some running sock but got the wrong size. I don't they had anything in small so I'm going to look online for those. Is there any decent budget online stores that I could buy from? Thanks for all of your help.

 

[chimera]

I am pretty much a couch potato (the dis contributes to much of this) but joined the gym 2 months ago. I started going sporadically. My friend joined this month and we are workout buddies. We meet 5 days a week and do the treadmill and the weights. I've worked up to 3.5 mph with a 5 incline and 35 minutes pr workout. Today since I was sore I only did 20 minutes at 3mph. I plan to use the treadmill a bit on my rest days. I figure we all have to walk somewhere everyday so I'll just pretend I'm at Disney and keep on walking. Yesterday was day 1 of C25K. I walked alot more than 1 ran but did about 2 miles in a half hour. I've been using my worn out nikes that are about 5 years old and have been chewed on by the dog. I went to a running store today and got fitted for shoes. The shoes have to wait until next month when DH gets his bonus. The shoes started with a m and I want to say thy are missonis (or something that sounds like that). They were a 100 bucks. They felt really good. So good that it's going to suck to put on my nikes tomorrow morning. I also bought some running sock but got the wrong size. I don't they had anything in small so I'm going to look online for those. Is there any decent budget online stores that I could buy from? Thanks for all of your help.

Sounds like they are Mizunos. If it helps, we have a WISH team discount on runningwarehouse.com, but I don't believe it works for Mizuno products. Just go up to team discounts and enter WISHD. YOu'll get 15% off your order.
Definitely, definitely get new shoes!
And a mention of C25K, it's a great program, but if you feel that bad, it may be a bit too much for you to start. I tried it my first year and just couldn't do it. I had to build up something of a base even before starting that.

 

[cewait]

Sounds like they are Mizunos. If it helps, we have a WISH team discount on runningwarehouse.com, but I don't believe it works for Mizuno products. Just go up to team discounts and enter WISHD. YOu'll get 15% off your order.
Definitely, definitely get new shoes!
And a mention of C25K, it's a great program, but if you feel that bad, it may be a bit too much for you to start. I tried it my first year and just couldn't do it. I had to build up something of a base even before starting that.

On line discounts are great but I would ask anyone who goes into a shoe store and uses some of their time and expertise to please purchase something there (preferably the shoes they help you with). Without these folks our sport would have a lot more injuries and bad footwear choices. By supporting these folks you assure they will be in business the next time you need them but more importantly, most stores offer some kind of try it policy for shoes they sell. Very important if you are the least bit unsure. Purchase your first pair at your local store then go crazy on line.

 

[MJonesMBA2001]

I am pretty much a couch potato (the dis contributes to much of this) but joined the gym 2 months ago. I started going sporadically. My friend joined this month and we are workout buddies. We meet 5 days a week and do the treadmill and the weights. I've worked up to 3.5 mph with a 5 incline and 35 minutes pr workout. Today since I was sore I only did 20 minutes at 3mph. I plan to use the treadmill a bit on my rest days. I figure we all have to walk somewhere everyday so I'll just pretend I'm at Disney and keep on walking. Yesterday was day 1 of C25K. I walked alot more than 1 ran but did about 2 miles in a half hour. I've been using my worn out nikes that are about 5 years old and have been chewed on by the dog. I went to a running store today and got fitted for shoes. The shoes have to wait until next month when DH gets his bonus. The shoes started with a m and I want to say thy are missonis (or something that sounds like that). They were a 100 bucks. They felt really good. So good that it's going to suck to put on my nikes tomorrow morning. I also bought some running sock but got the wrong size. I don't they had anything in small so I'm going to look online for those. Is there any decent budget online stores that I could buy from? Thanks for all of your help.

I'm thinking Mizuno too. I wear the Mizuno Wave Rider, and I absolutely LOVE them! I've been racing since about 1990 (wow, this will be 20 years of it - I feel old!) when I finished basic training. I started off in New Balance, moved to Nike for a while, and now I'm stuck on Mizuno. In the city where I used to live, the local running pro at the local running store still remembers the shoes that have worked out well for me over the years. You'll NEVER get that expertise and service in a big box store or online.

Running shoes are expensive, but they're worth every penny. And I'll echo what cewalt said - at least go get the first pair at a local running store, and get them to tell you what type of shoe you need - neutral, motion control, or stability. After you wear out your first pair, if you like them, you can go online and buy that same shoe or even the last version of it, at a decent discount over the running shoe store price. I try and buy at least every 2nd or 3rd pair locally, just to support my local store.

And, like others have said - CONGRATULATIONS!!! Once you get past that initial stuff, running is SO fun!!!

 

[SAHDad]

Echoing what others have said - I buy my current shoes at a discount online, but when Mizuno changes them (because sooner or later the Wave Inspire 5 will become the Wave Inspire 6), I will hit a running store to try them out before I buy them. (Actually, I will probably buy 3-4 pair of the 5s, but when they run out, etc. . .) I also plan on getting a pair of the Vibram Five Fingers in a few months - but I will head to a running store to check them out in person first.

And, of course, I still hit local stores for Gu and other sundries. I have ordered them online (and will do so again), but there have been weeks where I could not tolerate another lime-flavored gel, and that was all I had, so I went local to get orange. Or Glide. Or a replacement hat. Or a water bottle. I figure, for all that stuff, I have to really order in bulk to make up for the shipping charges, so I might as well support something a little more local.

 

[deekaypee]

James'Mommy,

How did day 2 of C25K go for you? We're curious and want to support you!

 

[ZOOMAMA]

 

[james'mommy]

James'Mommy,

How did day 2 of C25K go for you? We're curious and want to support you!

Day 2 went pretty well. It was much easier than day 1. I was able to run walk the whole thing based on the podcast. It's supposed to rain here tomorrow so I may have to push day 3 to saturday. I no longer feel like I've been run over by a bus. Just a small car.

 

[Theta]

Make sure you are drinking water too! I feel terrible if I forget to drink during and after a workout.

 

[wtpclc]

I no longer feel like I've been run over by a bus. Just a small car.

I know that feeling! Way to go!!!! It seems liek the first week or two are the hardest. Believe it or not, if you keep with it, yuo will come to a point o fmissing your runs when you don't do them!