DeanV86

Where did you guys get fitted?

Haha well that's kinda cool to hear. I have not gotten fitted for shoes yet..I imagine they end up being pretty expensive and for the time being it's not something I can do. I am working with a trainer at the moment, and he knows about it and is working to get my hips better aligned so it isn't as much of a problem later. The speed thing makes sense though..I've always been a sprinter, and a very fast one (before I tore my knee). I'm doing this program cause my endurance stinks! Lol

I know this is a few weeks old, but also look into a foam roller. Rolling your muscles out before exercise is GREAT because it stimulates blood flow and helps warm your muscles up. If you've got the time, you should roll out, warm up, then strech (lightly), then workout. Then after your workout, roll out (feels like a massage which is great after a workout anyway) and then strech again. Also don't forget to fuel up with some protein and BCAAs for recovery.

Heyyo! So I searched keyword and didn't find anything on this (I apologize ahead of time if I missed it), but I'm slightly Pigeon toed, and was wondering if anyone else out there is too, and has any specific technique or anything they do while they're running? Sometimes I feel like I'm not running correctly and get sore because of it? Then again I've never NOT been Pigeon toed, so I have nothing to compare it to!

Good for you! Army or Marines? Yeah they definitely expect a lot out of you if that's your MOS.. I suggest starting to ruck now too!

Grew up in Washington State, U.S, and am currently in the Washington D.C area.

I agree with what's above. You really don't want to skip your rest days when you're first starting out, because that makes it REALLY easy to get injured. Shin splints are caused a lot of times by over working your muscles. If you're really gung ho about working out every day, strength train on your off days. You really should be any way, because too much running and not enough strength can actually end up making you lose progress. A good mix of both will keep your metabolism on track, and give you a good balanced workout. Make sure you're getting plenty of protein and BCAAs (branched chain amino acids) afterward though, to help your muscles recover better, and fight fatigue! Also complex carbs are your friend!

A lot of people don't start with both diet AND exercise; they do one or the other. It's good to see you've done your research! I try to do the same, as far as eating every few hours. Keeping a log helps too sometimes, so you can also keep track of the calories and nutrients you're getting. It also helps from getting too malnourished. I sort of fell into that trap over the summer.

Good for you! Injuries definitely take both a physical and mental toll, especially when you've always been an athlete. I feel you there! I also found that making a long term goal really helps me, so good call on the half marathon!

Yeah the exercises were pretty boring, but I actually loved the ice!

Sorry, I should have clarified; By PT I meant physical therapy!

The "good" thing about injuries, is they don't lie. They tell you exactly what's wrong if you do some digging. For example, if you get shin splints, it's likely due to overworking, and/or you may want to look into better quality shoes or a different terrain (if it's not due to overworking). Injuries happen unfortunately, but listen to your body! The whole "pain is weakness leaving the body" thing is taken way too literally a lot of times, and people end up getting serious injuries because of it. Any time you think you may have one, do some research, and see a doctor to determine what it is, and you can use that to get to the bottom of why it's happening!

My husband sometimes would get high blood pressure, and it was usually stress. I 100% say go to your doc, but also try to remove stressors from your life as well. It sounds cliche, but it really works. I really cut down on reading news and social media, cut out caffeine completely, I don't eat foods high in saturated fats, and I try to meditate before bed for 15-20 minutes (I like to listen to rain sounds) and don't look at any screens (tv, phone, etc) after that until morning, and I've noticed a HUGE difference in myself. He also cut out caffeine and fatty foods, and is working to remove negatives from his life as well as exercising, and even in the past few weeks I've noticed a huge difference and he hasn't had any blood pressure issues. Keep working at it though, of course consult with your doctor any time you have worries! Nothing has improved my life (other than my husband! more than exercise; mentally and physically. Good for you for sticking to it!

Hello! The title says it all! I'm leaving for Air Force Basic Training on January 19th and I'm trying to get in better shape before then! I've always been an athlete but in my high school years I had two surgeries on my right labrum, and one on my right ACL, all spread out across 4 years. So basically, for most of that time I was not exercising, because I was too busy with PT . Well, this past Spring I did sort of a C25K workout, and ended up running a mile and a half in under 10 minutes! Well being intimidated that I was a woman entering the military, I decided that over the summer I was going to focus on upper body mostly. Well, big mistake as I got stronger but now I can hardly run 3 minutes without feeling like I'm going to pass out! Not good! So I downloaded the app, and am starting this program again to get into much better shape so I can be ahead of the game when I get there! I'm going to do Day 1 this Friday, and then do it again on Monday to start my official first week running on MWF. Thanks everyone! Dean​