WISH Biggest Loser 8 - Couch to 5K Challenge

[corinnak]

So I think I need some help or advice.

I feel like I've fallen off the wagon a bit, and I'm a bit discouraged with my running. I have run for 30 minutes straight (no walking) only once about 3 weeks ago, and I can't seem to do it again. It seems like I can only do about 15 minutes and then I need to walk, and I'm really annoyed with myself.

I have my first 5k race on October 18th, and I'm really freaked out about it. Nervous about doing something I've never done before (and had never even thought of doing before June of this year). My only goal is to cross the finish line, but I don't want to take forever to do it either - I will be embarassed if it takes me an hour to run a 5k (yes, I know I should be happy to finish no matter what my time is).

My brain is getting in the way of my running, I think. I sometimes think about the race while I'm running, and I start convincing myself that I can't do it and end up walking for 60 sec. before I start running again. I also think that the fact that I have yet to actually run a 5k distance is getting to me, but I know that if I try right now I will only be more discouraged by my results/effort.

I'm really not sure how to get past this - any advice or suggestions on what I can try or how I can shut my brain off?

Thanks for listening...
Jan

Jan,
Everyone feels that way before their first race. Literally. Everyone. It is a big deal, putting yourself out there for the first time.

The thing about 5K's is that depending on the event, they can attract a lot of walkers. If your event has walkers, there is no chance that you'll come in at the end of the race. If your event does not have walkers, you are playing with the "big kids" and that is impressive in itself! If you look at last year's race times, you'll be able to tell what sort of field the event tends to attract.

The other thing to remember, though, is that it is not about the other runners. It's all about YOU. For you, for this race, it is about finishing the distance, something that a year ago, you never would have dreamed you could do. Whatever time you complete the distance in is your time to beat the next time. You're racing against yourself. Right now, the only self you need to be faster than is the one who would have sat at home instead.

Regarding the walk break - one of the things I find frustrating about the C25K program, which I generally think is a great plan, is that it tends to give us the idea that what we are working to do is eliminate the walk break. I have bought into it a bit myself, and generally run the entirety of a race. But there are many distance athletes who actually plan walk breaks for their races. It means they can run faster when they're running. I have been left in the dust by more than one person doing this technique, so if you feel you need to walk a little, that is OK. It will allow your running to stay strong when you start running again.

Finally, don't worry too much about the 5K distance. When race day comes, your training and the excitement of the day and the other runners will get you through it. When those negative thoughts come, push them aside. They are not true, I assure you. Imagine yourself in the race, running strong, enjoying the day. Imagine yourself finishing. Tell yourself you're doing really well. So much of it is mental training as well as physical.

Hang in there - you can do this!

Corinna

P.S. I have to dash and get the kids, but I will stop by and say hi to others later tonight!

 

[ShortyNBug]

Just got back from a 20 minute bike ride with my almost 4 year old in the baby seat. We went a lil over 2 miles and my legs were on fire. She is small but 34 pounds and it makes a difference when she is on there. Glad I got at least 20 minutes of something in again today. I think I'll start w1 d1 again tomorrow since I didn't today. I have no plans so I can exercise all morning, afternoon, and night if I want to! Oh, but I do need to dust and vacuum my house at some point. Have a great weekend.

 

[ShortyNBug]

I did the cto5k this morning. I decided to go to w1 d2 and see how it goes. If I have to add days at the end before I move on I will. The first 30 seconds of the run is cake and then the last 30 get me. I trudged through and did all 60 seconds but was hating the last 15 big time. It will get easier, I know this but beginning kinda stinks.

I was watching a show and decided to keep on until it was over so I did a brisk walk for an extra 10 minutes.

 

[Ronda93]

DGF and I started C@%K in late January. We were ready for a four mile event in April. Our previous fitness activity was nightly dog walking and me commuting to work by bike a few time a week. We repeated a couple of weeks. We were ready for the race. I started feeling a Disney craving as I was reading all of the January race reports. I'm registered for the January Half.

Over the last 10 years I've gone from 245 pounds to 175. There have been some long plateaus. I like the regimentation of scheduled runs and having a plan. I've got the luxury of time and get it done first thing in the morning. Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. I followed the C25K plan to the end. I have been running the first week of the Marathon for Mortals half marathon training plan all summer.

I discovered I cannot run fast, relatively speaking, for long. I was running under 11:00 MPM for the first few weeks. Once the runs became longer I found I could not maintain that pace. My lungs burned and my chest was heaving as gasped for breath. It was not a "conversational pace." So I slowed down. I've settled around 12:30-13:00.

I started on the treadmill and thought I'd be an indoor runner, but I have been running outside for a few months and have only returned to the TM in a driving rain. I've also run in a driving rain - it felt wonderful. I got a heart rate monitor and use it to record my runs. I love keeping records/lists and this plays right into my tiny bit of OCD.

I began by thinking about speed as MPH and have recently switched over to MPM (minutes per mile). It seems more precise and I have the big 16:00 pace requirement bogey for the 2010 WDW Half. It keeps things relative. I started with Ullrey's podcasts. Blech on the music. Even tried to make my own and then realized in a moment of clarity that needing them will pass in a few more weeks. I do use some of the beat-per-minute mixes from podrunners.com. I had never heard of Chubby Jones and have some of those downloading as I type.

I have turned others on to C25K as a great way to start running. I would have NEVER believed I could do this. EVER. At the end I realized I AM AMAZING!

DGF has continued with 30 minute runs 3 times a week. She, as it turns out, is REALLY a treadmill runner. We are vacation planning for January.

So, in conclusion:
1. Get fitted for good shoes at a running shoe store. Everyone hits the ground differently and making the right contact will keep you going. Making the wrong contact leads to pain, injuries, frustration and "I just can't run"
2. Pace yourself. Do not run two days in a row. DON'T. Read something like Bingham's Running for Mortals. It explains the why of going slow, but if you break this rule it will not work. B2B runs are for Goofy!!!
3. Repeat as many weeks as you want.

Ronda

 

[maznorm]

Right ok, I am going to give this a go. I have been reading about it for ages now and never really plucked up the courage or the motivation to do it. I have to do something and with the support of all of you lovely people, I think I can do this.

Ok, so I will do my Week 1 Day 1 tomorrow. Yikes, scary now I hae put it in rwriting but I want to be able to eventually do a Disney 1/2 marathon and I am not going to get there sitting on my backside am I?

Wish me luck.

 

[maznorm]

Right ok, I am going to give this a go. I have been reading about it for ages now and never really plucked up the courage or the motivation to do it. I have to do something and with the support of all of you lovely people, I think I can do this.

Ok, so I will do my Week 1 Day 1 tomorrow. Yikes, scary now I have put it in writing but I want to be able to eventually do a Disney 1/2 marathon and I am not going to get there sitting on my backside am I?

Wish me luck.

 

[JanuaryF]

Thanks all for your messages I decided to take a break from running this weekend, and to start fresh tomorrow (Monday is strength day). I think I'm going to approach this race with a 10/1 plan - 10 min of running, 1 min walk break. I know its not going to affect my finish time, and I know I will finish the race running.

maznorm - just thinking about starting, and posting your intentions here is a great way to get moving! You can absolutely do it!

 

[ShortyNBug]

I took yesterday as a rest day figuring that if I did that and then sat in my office all day I'd be more than ready for a run tonight. (That and I had company last night that just wouldn't leave. LOL!)

So, today I'm going to do W1D3 and see how it goes. I'll more than likely do W1D4 tomorrow even though there isn't such a thing before I go on to W2D1 on Wed or Thurs. I'd like to start W2 this week and stay on the 9 week schedule.

I have an 8 week training for your first 5K schedule I want to complete after this 9 weeks so I can run a road race in my home town Feb 6th. That would be my first race so I really want to make sure I'm ready. Crossing my fingers I can do it and I really think I can. I just need your help to stick with it.

Question for those who have done races though. Do you ever do them by yourself? I mean I will know most of the people in the race but have nobody to train with or run with persay on that day. That kinda bums me out but I need to keep going and know it's me I'm doing it for anyway so what does it matter.

 

[FLAngie]

Thanks all for your messages I decided to take a break from running this weekend, and to start fresh tomorrow (Monday is strength day). I think I'm going to approach this race with a 10/1 plan - 10 min of running, 1 min walk break. I know its not going to affect my finish time, and I know I will finish the race running.

maznorm - just thinking about starting, and posting your intentions here is a great way to get moving! You can absolutely do it!

Sounds like a great plan to me!

I took yesterday as a rest day figuring that if I did that and then sat in my office all day I'd be more than ready for a run tonight. (That and I had company last night that just wouldn't leave. LOL!)

So, today I'm going to do W1D3 and see how it goes. I'll more than likely do W1D4 tomorrow even though there isn't such a thing before I go on to W2D1 on Wed or Thurs. I'd like to start W2 this week and stay on the 9 week schedule.

I have an 8 week training for your first 5K schedule I want to complete after this 9 weeks so I can run a road race in my home town Feb 6th. That would be my first race so I really want to make sure I'm ready. Crossing my fingers I can do it and I really think I can. I just need your help to stick with it.

Question for those who have done races though. Do you ever do them by yourself? I mean I will know most of the people in the race but have nobody to train with or run with persay on that day. That kinda bums me out but I need to keep going and know it's me I'm doing it for anyway so what does it matter.

Looks like you and I will be on the same schedule for a little bit. I plan on doing W1D4 tomorrow as well. I haven't been running since last Thursday- caught the flu- and am finally feeling better. I may have to do a W1D5 & W1D6 just to get back with it.

I have not done any races yet, but DH does them by himself. I think that he likes the solitude though so he can concentrate on what he is doing.

Keep up the good work everyone

 

[ShortyNBug]

I did W1D3 today and it went great. I actually went 30 minutes again but only ran 3more 45 second bursts in that last 10 minutes. I have NO idea how I'm going to make it to week 2. For some reason 90 seconds seems soooooo long.

I lead girl scout tomorrow afternoon but am going to try to get W1D4 in tomorrow night before BL comes on.

 

[ShortyNBug]

Actually broke through and did W2D1. I slowed it down a bit so I knew I could get through the whole 90 seconds.

 

[FLAngie]

Actually broke through and did W2D1. I slowed it down a bit so I knew I could get through the whole 90 seconds.

Yea! Great job! I ended up doing W1D4 today, but it felt pretty good. I may try W2D1 later this week.

I peaked at your blog to see what type of girl scout troop you have. My troop is all 1st grade Daisies. They are so much fun! Hope you meeting goes well.

 

[Ronda93]

Question for those who have done races though. Do you ever do them by yourself? I mean I will know most of the people in the race but have nobody to train with or run with persay on that day. That kinda bums me out but I need to keep going and know it's me I'm doing it for anyway so what does it matter.

I've done three so far. The first two with my DGF, the last one was alone. She was out of town. I saw a friend at the start, but she runs way faster than I do. I didn't like it as much. Still enjoyed the atmosphere and the challenge, but it wasn't as much fun.

I train alone. I like to run outside and DGF is a treadmill runner. I feel as though I'm too slow to run with others. I also run at 6:00 a.m. As the weather cools, I expect to run midday and bring a buddy with me.

Ronda

 

[corinnak]

I
Question for those who have done races though. Do you ever do them by yourself? I mean I will know most of the people in the race but have nobody to train with or run with persay on that day. That kinda bums me out but I need to keep going and know it's me I'm doing it for anyway so what does it matter.

I have done quite a few races and only in a very, very few have I actually run with anyone for any amount of time. It's rare to have a pace-match with someone, so usually even if I start with someone, we have an agreement to split up if our paces don't work out, and then you can easily meet up at the end. If they're faster than you, it's fun having people cheering as you cross the finish as well. It can be extremely fun to run with someone, but it is also great to be able to run at a pace just to please yourself.

It's so great to read about the great progress everyone is making on this thread! Be sure to take care of yourself and listen to your body!

ShortyNBug - your tactic of slowing down a little so you could go longer is a great one. It sounds like you were ready after all!

 

[JanuaryF]

My husband has said that he would run this 5k with me, but I'm not sure I want him to. He is faster than I am, and we don't run together enough for him to learn to slow down to match my pace. I might just tell him to go and not run with me, and I'll see him at the finish line.

I went for a run last night, and it was good. I ran for 30 minutes, with a couple walk breaks, and ended up going 3.5km (about 2 miles). I felt good afterwards, and I'm going out tonight for another run. It's getting cold and windy here, so I think its going to make running outside a challenge.

 

[lisah0711]

Wow! You are all doing so well! You are inspiring.

I've been busy getting ready for MIL visit this week-end -- not an excuse. I am just not in a place where I am doing what I know I should be doing. Instead of beating myself up about it, I am saying, this is not my time, yet and start next week when I think things will be easier. And maybe my brain will be a little more into it!

Good job everyone! I like to come and read about your successes!

 

[ShortyNBug]

I'm going to do W2D2 this afternoon and then take a rest day tomorrow. I am not in my office job tomorrow, I'm in the shipping dept so I run run run. Even on a slower day just standing 8 hours makes my legs tired since I'm used to sitting at a desk all day. I figure it'll be a good night to take off. I will finish W2 on Friday morning because I don't work Friday.

I peaked at your blog to see what type of girl scout troop you have. My troop is all 1st grade Daisies. They are so much fun! Hope you meeting goes well.

Mine are too. I only have 8 but I'm leading by myself so that is plenty. Last night was my first go at it. If you have any ideas for me for crafts or planning in general I'd love to hear them. I'll take any help I can get.

 

[ShortyNBug]

Finished W2D2 last night. It proved to be the hardest so far. My legs were killing me in the end. They are super tired today so I am going to take a rest day.

 

[JanuaryF]

Finished W2D2 last night. It proved to be the hardest so far. My legs were killing me in the end. They are super tired today so I am going to take a rest day.

w00t!!! Great job!

 

[lolafrances]

Hi, everyone. I would like to join this thread. I am using the C25K plan to get back into running after having my third baby three months ago. I have bridged the C25K plan into a 1/2 marathon training program so I can train for the Disney Princess half marathon in March. I am on week 4 of the C25K. I run every other day because my knees hurt too much if I try and run two days in a row. I am excited to see so many people starting the program!