Jeshi

Wendell, how much running experience do you have. Have you run before the start of this program? Have you run a 5K before? The biggest question you need to ask yourself (and answer honestly) is if you sign up and cannot run the full distance by that time, are you willing to walk it? Or are you just going to do it anyway? It sounds like a recipe for injury cramming 5 weeks of training into 2 weeks. Listen to your body and take at least 1 rest day each week (ideally 7 days apart). The last thing you want to do is injure yourself and get sidelines for several weeks or months. Is there a 5k you can do with coworkers and friends for Christmas/New Year's? It'd give you motivation to train consistently while not pushing yourself to injury.

Killian, take each session at a time. I recommend not thinking about the whole program or even looking ahead. Just focus on today. It takes courage and commitment to start a program. Proud of you for completing Day 2! Let us know how Week 1 Day 3 went.

Anne, congrats on loosing and maintaining the weight. That's wonderful! I'm looking forward to reading your running journal I also love, love, love chocolate, especially dark chocolate and chocolate fountains. I'm quite picky on my chocolate. I want a creamy, decadent, dark chocolate that's individually wrapped so I can enjoy small portions as a treat. I haven't been eating chocolate regularly recently because I tend to go overboard.

AWESOME!!!!

Let's see: On weekdays, I drink a 32 oz green smoothie (no sweeteners except fruit) and a gallon of water. Weekends (non-run days), I drink at least 80 oz of water, more if I am exercising. 11/11/15 Wednesday W6D2 Monday night, I passed out at 8 PM and slept for 10 hours. I spent my running time on Tuesday to prepare for the day. I had so many odd symptoms lately that I googled and found many of them correlated with B12 deficiency, which I have been diagnosed with very low levels on a blood test in the past. My doctor recommended supplements, but I eventually stopped taking them. I started taking some yesterday, will continue, and see results. It could take a few months to level out, but one step at a time. I went to work out last night. It was a big realization that I used to hold my breath during exercise. Applying a similar breathing technique helped me get more out of the workout. I went home and ate dinner (not a lot of volume, but quite calorie dense). I passed out at 10 PM, but woke up at 3:30 AM, and couldn't fall asleep again until 5:30. I have to get up at 6. I know it is normal to sleep 4-6 hours, wake for 2, and sleep for another 4-6 (that's how people slept before the invention of the light bulb), but with modern's society's work-week, it's too difficult to devote 10-14 hours for just sleeping. So, having only 6 hours of sleep and being B12 deficient plus other medical conditions, I felt a lack of energy and exhaustion this morning. I'm not going to lie, I really didn't want to run. I had to be firm like a parent telling a child he needs to brush his teeth. If I let myself argue, I might have convinced myself not to go. But I needed to do this. So, I ran. W6D2, the first 10 minute interval was tough. I wanted to give up many times and kept glancing at the clock. The walk wasn't as enjoyable as usual. Something happened in the second 10 minute interval. I'd gotten into the groove, warmed up my muscles, and wanted to continue past the clock. Some day I will. Right now, I don't want to over extend (don't want to over train or be late for work). I made it! Good news: no hip/knee/foot/calf/shin pain. No numb toes. No blister feeling and no headache. I'm going to attribute the headache to the cold as I tend to get headaches when I go outside when it's cold (Every year I forget!). Today was muggy and kinda warm. Thanks for reading. Hope you are successful in your running journey!

Awesome, Sean!!! You CAN DO IT!!!

Thanks for the feedback everyone! @Azatol, I thank you for your input, but I think for myself personally, I need to keep up the frequency. The stabilization of my moods from mental illness, sleeping better, eating healthier with controlled portions and de-stressing just outweighs the negatives at this point. 11/9/15 Monday W6D1 Weighing myself on Saturday and this morning, I lost 4 pounds. I chose to redo w6d1 for mastery. I wasn't sure if I do could the 25 minutes of week 7. As soon as I started running, I wanted to try it, but I didn't want to deal with finagling with the app so I just ran with it It was cold out today (I suffer from intense inflammation, congestion, and sinus pressure in my head when the weather turns cold). This morning I was fine. I drew my legs closer to my body (like Azatol's photo) and went with midfoot strike. I tried to use smooth paces like riding a bike instead of bouncing up and down (like on a trampoline). There was no numbness in toes, hip, knee or foot issues today. It felt easy and was fast and far compared to my other runs. I did not lean forward. My breath in and out was about 2 steps in and 3 steps out. In the last few minutes of the session, my breathing became troubled. I felt like air was hard. I started getting the worst headache. It felt like an intense drill bit going into my left temple and a vise grip on my right temple. It was so hard to finish the few minutes. I haven't experienced such a headache before. After the session, the headache was still intense, but abated slowly. 2.5 hours after the session, my head is fine. Do you think I went into anerobic too long? edit: I googled "exercise headaches" triggers and wanted to note that it wasn't from warm weather (it was cold today), I'm not at a high altitude, I drink water in the morning before running, I'm running for 30 minutes (don't need water/electrolyte replenishment in the middle), I wear transition lenses (glasses that have UV protection like sunglasses), I'm not going too far/too fast/too intense (just following the app with repeat days). edit2: For the past week, I also noticed that on the medial side where my left big toe joins my foot, it feels like a blister is trying to develop. I check the skin and it looks fine, no loose skin or air pockets, but when I stand on my left foot, it feels like a blister is forming. Any ideas?

Hi, Azatol, in each session I'm completing 1.5-1.75 miles (so very slow/short distances). I don't have any previous running experience (which is why I'm starting out slow). I found this site and video which looks really good. http://running.competitor.com/2014/05/training/fixing-two-common-running-form-flaws_103966?utm_medium=whats-hot

Thanks, Anne. Today was interesting. 11/6/15 Friday W6D3 When I stood on left leg last night, I noticed pain and was unbalanced. I have a very difficult time standing on one leg (even for a few seconds). This morning my left leg was in the same kind of pain but my right knee was better. Due to being sick, I ran the slowest pace since I started this journey (about 3 mph). I made it through to the end of 22 minutes (woohoo!) but the elated feeling wasn't there. In fact, the toes on my left foot started going numb at 21:30. Normally, I'd stop immediately and walk, but I really wanted to finish the interval. Now, my right knee is twinging a little bit. I think it's because I am running more now (about 4 days a week). I don't want to go back to 3 days, but I'm a little upset about my body given that I've stuck with good posture (maybe my posture isn't as good as I think--and need an expert to analyze). I'm glad I'll be able to recuperate tomorrow and Sunday. Since this week was tough but doable, I might repeat it next week. It looks like Week 7 and 8 are progressively longer runs (up to 30 minutes). I think my normal running rate would let me finish a 5k in 55 minutes. It'll take more than 2 weeks for me to build up to that time, but that's okay. Do you think I'm overdoing it?

Great job, Sean! Don't psych yourself out about W5D3. Keep doing what you're doing and you'll finish it. Whenever I go down the road of panicky thinking, I tell myself to stop. I've grown up on fear so my thought patterns tend to lean that way. I just have to tell myself that I can (I AM doing it) and to bring my attention back to breathing and footfalls. If mouth in and mouth out work for you, keep doing it. Find your success tips and don't stop. Remember that elite athletes train at slow paces in order to complete longer distances. There is no shame in running slow. There have been a few studies that show that training slow can actually increase race day speed! So, take Week 5 nice and easy and it'll be over before you know it. For thread name changes--just tell one of the mods the new name you want. They were able to move my thread into accountability--and should be able to rename threads, too.

Shalda, welcome! When you first start out, run 3 days a week (try to spread them out, if you can, to give your muscles time to rebuild). You may increase the frequency once your body starts getting used to running. As KellyAnn mentioned, you can also add in weight-lifting or other types of exercise to strengthen your muscles in other ways (helps prevent injury). Remember to take at least one rest day a week.

Rita, use the running form in the attachment. It cured my shin pain and kept me pain-free for a long time.

Dynaper, This. Program. Works. I've never been able to stick with any exercise program or run for more than 30 seconds without shin pain prior to this program. I was very depressed and for over a year sat at my work desk for 8 hours a day (I'm a receptionist so my boss literally gave me the evil eye whenever I left my desk) and then I'd come home and sit on the couch or floor and stuff my face until I fell asleep. It was a sad, lonely time in my life. I started this program 7 weeks ago (to this day) with no background in running or fitness. My muscles were (and still are) not strong enough to support me completely (I am 75 pounds overweight now). But I was determined to do this. I gave myself Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning to commit to a session. One session at a time. Spreading the run days out gave my muscles time to recover and rebuild. I've increased my run days depending on body condition of each particular week. It wasn't until very recently that I've been able to reign in my calorie intake and sleep. When you run (you will become addicted), you start changing your eating habits and sleeping habits in order to run easier. Give this program all you have. The only thing you have to lose is the weight from nursing school.

I agree with Azatol. It's best to run as slow as possible. Elite runners train at relatively slow paces in order to maximize their distance. Walk and run at a pace that's comfortable for you. I find the speed in the app to be odd. Running at 6 mph and walking just a little slower than that. Don't listen to that. Listen to your body.

@Anne, just from reading a lot on the internet. So, take it with a grain of salt I also forgot to mention the Soft Star Shoes will stain your socks due to the way the shoes are dyed. They are so comfortable, so it's worth my foot health. I also don't like wearing shoes and try to be barefoot as much as possible without touching the ground. LOL! @Ruthie: my coworker buys shoes from runningwarehouse website. He says they have a 90 day return period. Whenever a company releases a new version (Shoe 3.0), the older line (Shoe 2.0) sells for 60% + off. He got some shoes for $45. I haven't looked at that website, but it seems like a good place to start. If you can visit a running store with experts, they can analyze your gait and recommend the best shoe for you. I haven't done that yet, either.

@Anne, I'm glad you're getting back into it, but please be careful. I'm always worried for people recovering from injuries because I don't want them to re-injure themselves!

I'm not an expert on strengthening exercises. I hope someone else can give you a better response. I do know that our bodies are meant to stand up every 20 minutes. After 20 minutes of sitting, stand up for a minute. You can shake out your legs or stand still. This has helped my concentration tremendously. It's hard for me to remember to do that every 20 minutes, so normally, when I'm feeling sluggish at my desk, I stand and maybe pace a few steps for a minute. For leg strengthening, sometimes I do squats and lunges. With squat, keep your back straight and go down like you're sitting down in a chair. Try to keep your feet flat on the floor (don't let your heels or toes come up). And remember that your knees should go over your toes (not to the side). Squats can be done with feet together, shoulder width, or wide (like a sumo wrestler). Sorry, I couldn't be more help. I hope your calf and knee get better soon. If you're knee is bruise or swollen or still hurts, please ice and elevate it for 20 minutes.

@Ruthie: Awesome!!! So proud of you for continuing forward! Don't be afraid of slowing down (slowing down utilizes your energy reserves efficiently) and elite runners train at slower paces to run longer. You did great! @Anne: good plan! It's so hard for me to stay on my food goals when there are temptations around me. I'm the receptionist at my company and at the old office, my boss kept a candy jar at my desk. It contributed to a 40 pound gain in about a year's time. Yikes! Now, there is no candy near me and I'm doing much better. @Sean: I read that pain in one part of the body happens because it has to adjust for alignment and gait issues in other parts of the body. For example, when I was running on my heel/outer edge of foot and had my leg to the side of my body, I was experiencing terrible shin splints. My feet and calves were much better today, but I noticed my right knee acting funny (then again, I was kind of bouncing onto the pavement and had to remind myself to step lightly). I hope you are able to resolve your knee issue. Joints are very important! Please ice and elevate it. If you can have a sport medicine or running store expert watch you run, maybe they can help your knee. 11/5/15 Thursday W6D2 I started with a stressful morning, but I wasn't about to let that derail my run. I got 8.5 hours of sleep last night (yay) and lost 2 lbs this morning (yay). Those combined with the fact that I ran yesterday and rolled for a bit, I felt great today. The run was generally effortless (my feet moved on their own, and my breath was relatively comfortable until the end of the run). My calves and feet were hardly sore. I was really prancing and bouncing and had to remind myself to step lightly and not pound the pavement. I was elated. My right knee felt a little funny, but is fine now that I'm not stomping into the ground. One strange thing I thought while running is I didn't feel my heel coming in contact with the ground at all. I know many people feel like their heel does not come into contact with the ground but on a camera, you can see that their heel does hit (after the mid/forefoot and before rolling onto the forefoot to push off the ground). I'd be interested in doing a video, but I'm not sure where I can do that for free (or low price) as I'm not interested in purchasing a pair of shoes right now. It's interesting that my food choices and sleep choices are now revolving around "how to make running easier and more enjoyable." Running has become very enjoyable for me, but I would still be nervous discussing with someone about it face to face. Tomorrow is the long run. Bring it on!

I agree with repeating sessions for improvement. The more you repeat the session, the easier it will become. I repeated Week 2 for 3 weeks. Don't be afraid! @CBbaygal6+, how are your runs going? @Anne, how's your knee? Did this occur before or after you changed your shoes?

Chelsea, don't fret about being slow. Everyone (including some of the world's fastest runners) feels that they are slow. The elite runners actually train at a slow pace so they can run even farther. This app will help you build endurance to help you run longer. Don't worry about distance/speed right now. The running posture in the attachment really helped me with my shin splints (something I've suffered my entire life). Now, I'm pain free, but still very sore as my muscles are working to support my weight. I'm glad you're here and I hope to hear about your runs!

I also complete the three days of each week and then repeat days if I run more. In the beginning, I was running Monday, Wednesday, and Friday with a rest day between each run day. Then, I got hooked and wanted results faster and felt fine the next day, so I ran consecutively. I listen to my body and give it a break when needed while running at least 3 days a week, not resting for more than 2 days in a row, and having at least one rest day a week. However, you should do what works for you!

Please, please, Please, do NOT run in flip flops. Your toes need to squeeze inward to grip the plastic and that keeps your toes from spreading to grab the ground. Flip flops also tend to catch on the ground which is a recipe for tripping and falling or twisting your ankle. To strengthen my feet, I go barefoot inside the house. While I outside, I wear all leather (sole included) shoes--feels more like a sock--to strengthen my feet. Please do NOT start running barefoot if you are new to running. Walk in a running posture (with ball of foot hitting the ground first and supporting your weight) and go slow to build up foot muscles. Walking and running use muscles differently. The shoes I use for barefoot walking are Soft Star Shoes Run Dash Amoc with Bullhide Soles. Expensive, but I generally buy one shoe a year or less. After 18 months, holes have worn through the bottom of the sole. I'm going to re-buy with a thin vibram sole. These shoes have been used by athletes for ultra marathons. This particular style is also stylish/fashionable and gets compliments. Please note: bullhide soles are extremely slippery on wet tile. They feel like gloved socks and I love them, but that's one reason I am going for a vibram sole this time (also for less wear on the sole). Also note that due to the dye process, the shoe will stain your socks. My Walmart and Costco socks are okay with this For running shoes, I'm wearing Under Armor Speedform Apollo. They are incredibly light (for a running shoe), They are not considered minimalist as there is a 6 mm drop. Minimalist range is 0-4 mm. The way the shoe works is gripping/stabilizing the top of your foot. This strengthens your arches so when you step down, your calf and foot arches spring you back up. The thin foam in the sole helps with that too. Great shoe. What you don't want to use it for: side to side sports like tennis or jumping up and down very hard like plyometrics. I just use them for running (as they were designed for) and love them.

Hi Jimbo, if you can run slower, please do. The most elite athletes train at a slow pace as it lets them run longer. Try this posture out. See if it makes running easier.

Welcome, Stephanie! Don't be afraid to repeat days, that's how the app is designed. Also, don't be afraid to run slow, elite athletes actually run at a slow pace in order to run farther. Just get out there and do the first session. It seems intimidating at first. Just tell your negative voices to go away and start the warm up. Using the posture in this attachment has helped me get out of shin pain. I used to still all day at work and then come home and sit or lie down until it was time to sleep for over a year. I was very depressed and sedentary. I thought that I was one of those people that couldn't run. It wasn't until I started reading on this forum that I learned that everyone can run and everyone feels they are slow. Running has given me so much energy and freedom that I did not have before. I hope you'll share your experience with Week 1 Day 1.

MrsKeia, how did your run go? This app will definitely get you to love running!