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Hi Fellow Runners, i just graduated from the 10K trainer and ran my first race. I am now signed up for my first half marathon in November. Any thoughts on where to begin the training in the 13.1 trainer as I feel like I am going backwards if I start on Day 1 Week 1. Thanks!

Hi everyone! I'd like to post my experience on being an absolute beginner to running and getting to the 10k mark. I found it very difficult in the beginning, and wanted to share some things I've learned and some tips that will hopefully help others. I started off doing the Zenlabs C25K and moved straight up to their 10K app. My fitness level was average, and all my running was done on a treadmill. It took 12 weeks and I'm 47 yrs. old. When I first started out it was hard. I mean, OMG I really wanted to get each running session over with. I hated it, complained to myself all the time, and didn't enjoy anything about the whole process! It was a tough trudge and I wanted an excuse all the time to get out of it. I had NO concept how anyone could even remotely enjoy it, never mind really look forward to it every day. Well... I actually went from feeling this miserable and negative to really enjoying running and actually experiencing that "runners high" that I'd read about. I'd like to share my experience for those who are at the beginning and feeling as disillusioned and dejected about running as I did. TIP 1 When you first start out, it's gonna be hard. There's no way around that, BUT it's pretty short lived. If you follow a structured program like the C25K, you progress at a nice rate. I ran every other day. 12 weeks later, I'm in a very happy place. TIP 2 Music. There is no way in hell I could have got to the 10K mark without a GREAT playlist of music that has a fantastic beat. This was an absolute must for me. I learned to quickly get rid of songs with beats that didn't work, and add more songs that I loved and that had beats that really kept me going. TIP 3 The beginning of a run is always tough. I assumed the more I progressed that this would go away, but it doesn't. Even at 10K, that first 4-6 mins is like getting over a hill - it REALLY sucks! I assumed it's just my body suddenly adapting to going from a stationary state to a running state, but whatever it is, the beginning of a run is like a challenging hump to get over. That leads me to the next tip. TIP 4 When you get into a schedule and get better at it, you really want to get over the misery of the "run start-up." I did a lot of research into this and went to a local running store. The consensus is that the beginning of a run is always tough. Always the optimist, I was determined to try and make it easier, so I started researching supplements. Now... I'm a really healthy person. I eat 100% organic, vegetarian, no processed food at all, and only pasture-raised dairy, so the thought of supplements wasn't top of my list. But I did learn that caffeine can really help with that tough part at the beginning of a run. I don't drink coffee at all, and the fact my office co-workers are addicted to their caffeine fix make me have zero interest in coffee! BUT, I wanted to make my run easier so I tested out 200mg caffeine (in supplement form) 30 mins before a run. Damn, it really helped...! I hate to admit it, but now that tough beginning to a run is so much better. I'm really hoping that as time passes by I can phase out the caffeine, but right now, I'm sticking with it :-) TIP 5 Always spend a couple of mins stretching before you get started. I do 3 simple stretches. 1) rag doll, bending at the waist for 30 secs to give my hamstrings a good stretch, 2) quad stretch, bending at the knee and holding my ankle behind me against my butt to stretch my quad for 30 secs, and 3) holding knee into my chest to stretch my glute for 30 secs. If I DON'T stretch, I notice the first few mins are tougher and more challenging to me. TIP 5 KNOW it's going to get easier. For me, that didn't happen until 10K. It just didn't, and that was 12 weeks. That's not to say it was all tough, but I never felt that "oh, this is a breeze!" feel at all. When I reached 10K and stuck to that 3-4 times a week, I started feeling good about it. My music list was full of energy and awesome beats, my body had adapted, and I really started to enjoy it. The first few mins is still tough, but the caffeine helps, so that's ok! TIP 6 This may not apply to everyone, but I found using a treadmill to be a life saver. I did the "interval" setting where you could set two speeds, one walk and one run, and it made it so much easier for me as I toggled between the speeds. I also like to have the company of people around me in a gym. I tried several times running outside and failed - I'm not sure why, but I couldn't get in to it. Being at a gym somehow gave me more accountability and put me in the right mental state. I really needed all the help I could get, and I needed the treadmill. My summary is that I went from absolutely HATING running in the beginning to suddenly looking forward to doing a 1/2 marathon. I mean, to me that's shocking that I went from one extreme to another, but I did! Hopefully these tips can help others because they are what I found was the most helpful for me :-)

Hello Fitness / Running Experts, While doing running portions of C25K, 10K or marathon run/walk programs, 1) can one be running too slowly? 2) if they are too slow, is it really running, or is it fast walking mistaken as running? I believe I can instinctively say that I am doing running, although it's very slow. How do I make sure that it is not slow to a point where it is impacting relevance of the program or below the minimum running speed expectations of the program. How do I improve upon such issues? Thank you for helping! Background: I started with C25K and then on week 3 switched over to marathon and then took a break before I could finish week 1 there. Now I really want to finish C25K first, then 10K and then marathon. I am 5'5'' and 255 lbs. Have been trying to fasttrack C25K. I realize that best food option for me is eating a "whole food plant based" (aka WFPB) diet, low fat and with a caloric deficit (lesser intake of calories that what I would burn (including exercise)... this along with exercise would be the key to my weight loss and fitness. Having sustained control on my food addiction has been the biggest challenge for me. Regards

Hi All, I'm Ian from South Wales, I'm going to start the 10k program tomorrow, let myself go a little bit and having struggled with mental health issues & suicidal thoughts. I've decided taking up running, losing a bit of weight and getting fit may help with my what's in my head!! Haven't really got anyone in my life that really encourages me. So thought I'd stick a flag up in here and see what happens. Take care Ian

Hi y'all, i'm a newbie runner and i need some help on how do i incorporate a speed work with the 10k app run schedule. Thanks in advance!

I have used the C25K app and now am on the 10K free app. Out of curiosity, I downloaded the 13.1 app. But this seems a totally different kind of app. Very little running. Run 4min/walk 2min? What is that all about? I can do that in my sleep. I expected the app to be more brutal than the 10K app. Am I missing something?

HI My name is Maryjane. I decided that 2015 will be a healthy year for me. I started a new diet and doing exercise daily. My goal is to be able to run a 10K with my mom and sis next summer. I am starting this training and also a lot of strengh exercises and some weights. Achieving thiss goal is my priority!Let's get physical!!