Jeshi

Glad you're here, Laurieann! I can't wait to hear how Week 1 Day 2 went for you.

@Anne Awesome!! So glad your leg is is better and you are pain free. Go you! @Sean You're totally right about mind over matter! Who knew running was that way??!? Hope your W4D2 was successful! @Ruthie You can do it! Let me know how your run goes tomorrow. 11/4/15 Wednesday W6D1 Skipped my run yesterday to catch up on some chores in the morning. I've been sleeping early = less time for other things, in hopes of functioning better at work and throughout the day. An unexpected side effect = being extremely cranky and irritable I thought the extra sleep would improve my mood. I guess I have been so sleep deprived, that's my body's way of telling me I need to take better care! I ended up walking a bit for lunch and bounced up and down like a hyperactive child for a while to get some restless energy/irritability out. Felt much better after that. Looks like I needed my run! I was in a good mood today. Very excited to run. It's extremely liberating and stress-relieving to just focus on breathing and feet. However, I remember the 20 minute run as daunting and I wanted to practice it before moving on to a more difficult session. To my relief, W6D1 has 3 segments, 2 five minutes and 1 eight minutes. Definitely the way to go. The great thing about mind over matter that Sean mentioned is that I was able to tell myself "I got this. I ran 20 minutes straight last time, I can run 5, I can run 8." My breathing was relatively easy. I checked in with myself to make sure I wasn't holding my breath, but for the most part, it was pretty steady and not super deep. My calves and feet were a different story. I've been gaining weight each day since Friday (3.5 lbs) and my muscles can feel the difference in effort and exertion. Noticing this is a great food motivator. I've been mindful whenever I put food in my mouth. I take a breath and concentrate fully on what I'm eating, eat it slowly, and really savor the food. If the food isn't that great, I try not to eat it. It's helped keep me from eating a lot of junk food. It's surprising how much of an effect a small morsel can have over us. The reason for my weight gain was probably due to the festival I attended on Saturday. Vendors sell large green coconuts full of delicious, nutritious water. Well, I've never had coconut meat before and was curious. The vendor cut open the drupe and I ate most of the meat. It's super high in fat and calories so I won't be doing that again. But it was a good experience. And makes me wonder why we aren't shipping/growing coconuts in countries with starving people. Anyways, my calves and feet were quite sore today due to the extra work they had to do. I'm going to continue to watch my food intake carefully and make sure I'm resting enough at night. Tomorrow, will be a tougher session than today, but I look forward to it.

@Sean, Azatol is right. It's a mind game. I didn't even look ahead because I don't want to psych myself out. Pretty much I just focus on breathing and footfalls and soon any distance is behind me. It may be slow going, but that doesn't matter. Just keep going!

@hubb: know your body. Mine seems to do best on Mondays after 2 days of rest. If I rest too many days in a row, I'll struggle on my first day back. Wear all the same clothes/shoes/wearables, and listen to the same music you listen to on your run. Basically, mimic your runs as much as possible on race day. Also, bring toilet paper on race day as some of the bathrooms are in short supply. @Run4Health: try sprint intervals. Run faster (80%+ max heart rate) for a while and then at normal running pace (70% max heart rate) for a while. It's up to you to set the intervals. 1 minute sprint, 2 minutes run works well. Do this on one of your run days. On another run day, try to add mileage. You'll speed up and go longer.

Hi, Joseph! Sorry to contradict Run4Health, but I say sprints. Sprint above 80% Max Heart Rate for a minute, run at 65%-80% Max Heart Rate for 2 minutes for one set. Repeat 5 more sets. Add in 5 minute warm up before first set and 5 minute cool down after last set. When you participate in steady-state running (running at the same speed for a long time), you are telling your body to conserve energy (fat). Our bodies are efficient and will learn to do the same activity with less energy expenditure (calorie burn) over time. That is why you will notice a particular session getting easier when you repeat days--you're body is adaptive and efficient! Regarding food: varying the amount of calories you take in each day. Take your goal amount and plus or minus some each day. Today, each X calories, tomorrow eat X + 100 calories, and the day after eat X - 100 calories. Varying the calories keeps your body guessing. When you intake the same amount of calories each day, your body will learn to store away a certain amount "for a rainy day." I'm sorry to say it, but it's important you get enough sleep (I am particularly bad about this one). If you are not working a shift schedule, but have a steady schedule, set a time to get out of bed each day. subtract 8 hours and that will be your tentative sleep time. I say tentative, because that time will change with your day. If you have a particularly busy day and need to stay up a little later, you can, but you need to get up at the same time. The next day, you'll be more tired so you'll go to sleep earlier (unless you're like me and get distracted on the internet...). Do the P90X weight lifting in between run days. An example would be: Monday Chest and Back, Tuesday Run, Wednesday Shoulder and Arms, Thursday Run, Friday Legs and Back, Saturday Run, Sunday REST! If you feel REALLY ambitious and want to run and do weights back to back, do your weight lifting before your run. It'll give your metabolism a boost! Try to eat something nourishing/liquid-y/healthy within 45 minutes after your workout. Maybe a protein shake, green smoothie, or light soup. If you eat dessert, the best time to eat it is right after your workout! Your muscles take in sugar to rebuild the muscle without using insulin. That's the best time! Stay hydrated with water throughout the day. If you're running 45 minute sessions, stay away from sugary drinks like sports drinks and juices. I hope these tips work as well for you as they did for me!

@Wanda, I want you to be safe. Could you go to the park on the weekend in the daytime to run? That way you could see the cracks in the sidewalk and it'll be well lit. Running on the track for your weekday runs are fine. My body really, really notices inclines. Even the slightest tilt sends my calves screaming. I've been training on asphalt because it strengthens my muscles in a way a treadmill cannot (even with incline). If you can't make it to the park in the daylight, I do NOT suggest running on the country road. That sounds very dangerous!

@Sean: that's awesome! Soreness means your muscles are strengthening--this will improve with each run. Yay to not having pain! I agree with Azatol's looking ahead and string at the top of your head. I also think of a string pulling up on the belt loop on the back of my pants. A string at each hip/knee and heel. Great job!

Hi, Sean and Anne! Glad you're looking forward to my updates I felt sick (viral cold) on Thursday. It was worse on Friday. Also, tons and tons of rain on both days. I walked 11K on Saturday. Good luck on Week 5, Sean! Good luck starting again, Anne! Hope your leg is pain free on your run today. 11/2/15 Monday This post is dedicated to the ones who are struggling. I started this morning with little sleep again (I know!) and not running for 4 days (commute on the weekends, so I use them as rest days). I had really hoped I would do Week 5 Day 3 on Friday, but due to the rain and feeling really sick, I decided to skip it and yikes! do it today. It was a risky proposition: on one hand, I should have been rested. On the other hand, it's difficult for me once my body gets out of the habit. And what a difference 4 short days makes! I started off this mornings run in negative mode. After warming up, as soon as I started the run interval, I wanted to give up! My body felt heavy and leaden and I wanted to stop right away. I fought this feeling for 3 minutes. Have you ever been an accountability buddy to someone where they whine and scream the entire time? You get to the point where you're thinking "why am I trying so hard to help them? if they don't want to do [insert activity here], I am not going to waste my energy motivating them." I was having that inner struggle. I kept thinking "maybe I should have repeated those two 8-minute intervals today and attempt this 20-minute one later this week." Then, "ha! think you can do 8 minutes? You can't even do 4! Maybe...2 minutes!" It was hard to keep going. I was whining to myself thinking "I can't do it, I can't finish even 8 minutes, this is killing me." Then, I told myself: "Alright, I'll make you a deal. You say you can't, I say you can. Every time, you've put one foot in front of the other (figuratively), and kept going until the time is up. You keep doing that until you really can't. Then, you can stop. But until then, you're mine. Okay?" "okay." So that's what I did and got to the 8 minute mark. I told myself I'd get to 8 minutes and then I can rest. But when I got to the 8 minute mark, I didn't want to stop running. I had 12 minutes left. Which was another 8 minutes. And then 4 minutes. So I continued. I heard some people laughing to my right. Struggling with negative thought patterns, I immediately assumed that they were laughing at me! (bad habit, I know.) So I refused to look. They most likely were not laughing at me. They were probably just having a good time. But if I looked over, I may have triggered more negative thoughts! I did not want to tempt myself. So, I said nope, not going to look and continued running. After that, I just worked on my breath. It seems more difficult to draw breath into my lungs today, but I made it!! 20 minutes of non-stop jogging! I even wanted to continue after the 20 minute mark because I knew I could! I didn't though because I needed to cool down and I don't have much time to get ready for work. Cooling down is very important because it brings your heart rate down gently! Always remember to cool down even if it doesn't seem important. It is! So, the important tidbit I discovered today is: you can do it! Just focus on your breath and landing one foot down correctly and then the other one. If you can maintain what you are currently doing and just keep doing it, you will make it!! Just keep going until you cannot go anymore and you will match or exceed your previous record! Do not be afraid of failing. If you have to stop that doesn't mean you failed, but that you've pushed yourself to the max. When I thought I couldn't do it, I didn't want to try. I didn't want to fail (I was raised that way). What I learned is that I'm failing by not trying. Just by trying, I'll be doing, which means I WILL REACH my goals. I made a deal with myself that I could quit if I needed to; I just didn't reach that point before the timer ended. Great new inspiration today! It will take me a while to absorb my own advice into my head, but as long as I keep going forward and maintaining my breath, I know I'll be able to run longer and eventually, faster! I'm so thankful for c25k and you all! This is a tremendously emotional journey where I'm DOING something that I never thought I could! Wishing you success and courage and motivation to stick it out when it's tough! -Jeshi

@Sean90: I just finished W5D3 today! Whew! I'll post about it on my log. Is your throat better? I have a little cold last week that's clearing up. Really hit me Thursday and Friday. We've had monsoon-like rains from Hurricane Patricia and then more rain for a total of 8 pouring rains out of 10 days. For breathing, try breathing in through your nose and pushing it out through your mouth with a "Ha!" sound. The more exertion while running, push harder on the exhale. Adjust inhale through nose as needed (it'll be shallower while walking/warm up, deeper while running). I've had shin splints my entire life. After switching my posture to this: the pain in my shin, calves and feet disappeared. They were still sore as the muscle isn't fully developed, but the pain is gone. Over the weeks, as I strengthen my muscles, the soreness is less and less each time (unless I take a long break, and then I feel sore again). Also, I learned that my right leg (dominant) would be under my body supporting my weight, while I leaned my body to the right--favoring that side. Left leg would be off to the side of the body and turned so that I was hitting the ground with the outer edge of my left foot, causing pain. After I drew my left leg in and starting hitting the pavement on the center of my foot, the pain issue stopped. Make sure you are touching the ground with your mid/forefoot first and not your heel. When I'm on a bicycle and I want to get first, I kind of "stand" on the bike pedals and drive them down to the ground. The position my foot is in is where the ball of my foot is mashing down the pedal and my heel is in the air (also think of women in heels--forefoot down, heel up). Hope this helps!

Ruthie, so glad you asked this question. Trish is right; you may be favoring your right leg. I had the same issue: soreness in left calf and the outer edge of left foot. I noticed when I run, my right leg is underneath me and strong; my left leg is way to my left (instead of underneath). My left foot was also rotated to the left outer edge, so I was landing on the outside part of my foot instead of the middle (neither medial nor lateral). Once I corrected these issues, the pain went away. The pain left, but I was still sore. Since my left leg is not as strong as my dominant (right) leg, it was sore trying to keep up. The muscles built up over time. Following correct posture will help you use your leg/foot muscles correctly for best spring/support. See attachment.

Congrats, excouch spud!!! That's great!!

Good luck, Kaosoth. I, also, want to hear how about your first day

@Anne Lang, thanks for the suggestion. I'll take a look into them. @SteveJ, I noticed that. I run a route and turn around when I hear the 'halfway beep' to even out the strain. The roads here are very slanted. Going in the other direction has helped tremendously. However, turn around yesterday didn't help. It seems that I may be leaning on the outer edge of my left foot since I felt the pain in both directions and only during the walking intervals. I did not run this morning. I am very congested and haven't been sleeping much. I did heavy-bag boxing last night and the combination of two workouts and not enough rest is taking its toll. I am going to push myself to sleep early tonight.

Thanks for the love, Anne and Sean First time I started running was September of this year. Running was always difficult and impossible for me before, even as a kid. I had the incorrect notion that people who ran did it magically and you either can or can't. I also had the misunderstanding that running always causes injuries, runners will always have bad knees, etc etc. I was very misinformed. What a relief and joy it was to find out that I could do it; I just needed to build up in intervals. Walking in between running intervals isn't shameful because you cannot run for a long time, it's a strategy to get there! Sean, when I first started using that form, I felt like a prancing reindeer (similar to another poster on this forum). I also wasn't really moving forward (was kinda jogging in place). Over weeks, I learned to lean stably from my ankles to move forward. This has slowly increased my distance (0.04 miles ). I know that if I measured my progress with just weight or just speed, I would have given up already. Those metrics take time. Instead, I celebrate each run with A) I did it! B ) I got stronger/better breath management/less pain/less soreness measurements C) either this repeat run became easier than the last session or I finished a new Day. It's also very gratifying participating in this community!

Glad your w2d1 went well. Sorry, to hear about w1d3 interruptions. I hope week 2 goes smoothly for you.

Welcome, Misis! Keep posting your session here. We'll hold you accountable!

Welcome, Coy!

Welcome, Steph! Keep us posted on your sessions.

Oh, I also found out that fabric softener was making me itchy like I chicken pox. I was so itchy, I even jokingly nick-named it IPS: itchy panda syndrome. When I started working out, I found a bunch of moisture-wicking pants at 90% clearance. Reading online, I found out you should not use fabric softener with "performance fabrics" as the fabric softener clogs the "pores" of the moisture-wicking fabric. I'm pretty lazy when it comes to sorting laundry and pretty soon just stopped using fabric softener. A year later, I realize the fabric softener had made my skin itchy when I used a dryer sheet.

10/28/15 Wednesday Today was great! The 8 minute runs were much easier than yesterday! I even added 0.04 distance in my time! While running, I had NO PAIN, NO SORENESS, just "tiredness" in my feet. During the 5 minute walk interval and the 5 minute cooldown, however, I noticed that the outer edge of my left foot was sore/painful. I will be more mindful of rotating my left foot in tomorrow. I really enjoyed today. I had one lady I've seen a few times tell me that I'm doing well. Another girl I don't think I've seen before was walking her dog. As we passed each other, we said quietly "morning" to each other so as not to upset the dog. As I went past, I swear I heard her say underneath her breath, "Get it, girl!" That made me so happy and put some pep in my step. It's great, I walk past some walking ladies and great them each time I run. And I sometimes see this other pair of ladies jogging past me. My reaction seeing people running/jogging used to be "Wow, I wish I could do that" with a resigned attitude that I wouldn't ever be able to. This morning, I thought "I want to get to that point" and I know I can, if I continue with this program. I've been much happier since I started this journey. I love reading your progress and am very thankful for your support. Happy running!

Oh no! If you see any swelling or bruising, ice your calf for 20 minutes and elevate it. After 24 hours, if there's no swelling and is not hot/tender to the touch, you should use heat to relax the muscle. Take a rest. I saw in the other thread that you were going to the doctor to check it out. Let me know how it goes.

Since I haven't run a 5K, please take my advice with a grain of salt. I'd recommend wearing the same things you normally wear during your runs (clothes, shoes, etc.). If you hold your phone in your hand while run, do it the same way during your race. My friend recommends bringing toilet paper to the race as a lot of them have porta-potties which may not be well stocked. Good luck! You'll do great!

Great job! It's wonderful to read your progress!

Hi, Supermom! There's no set pace; everyone is different. Feel free to work on improving your own time. I think setting a magic number in your head can lead down the wrong path. As long as you train consistently to the best of your ability, your time will improve. Congrats on making it to Week 8!

Oh, Anne. Please keep us updated about your calf. I'm sorry to hear about your injury.