W2d2 tody - felt GREAT! Wanted to keep running!

just finished w2d2, broke in my first pair of actual running shoes - felt a lot better

feeling those aches and pains today though. not really joint pain, luckily, but up and down my shin, just points of soreness. i really need to focus more on hitting up the stationary bike or something on my in-between days

debating on whether or not i'll need to re-do week 2 right now...i'll make that decision after day 3. i've almost got a good breathing pattern down, it's more just my legs catching up the endurance level

w2d3 today

toughest run by far. ridiculously humid, which i think messed with my breathing, and i was limping by the end from the shin splints. one thing i've also been noticing is when i start to get tired (which is usually in the 6th or 7th minute of running for me right now) my left leg just sort moves forward and slams on the ground, heel and toe at the same time, and it was killing my knee, even with the better shoes. i concentrated on making sure i was rolling into each step, felt a lot better - but i hope i can get to the point where that's second nature

may just go for a walk tomorrow to make sure i don't get stiff, stationary on monday, and then decide if i need to re-do week 2 or not...i technically ran all 27 minutes with some change, but i just don't know if my shins are ready yet

if it ever stops being so humid every morning, that'll help too...

I repeated w2d3 today after a rough workout yesterday. I waited too long between days. My breathing and speed felt great but my shins are really aching. I am icing right now, will take tomorrow off, and run on the treadmill on Wednesday to help save the legs.

dang lb. i'm gonna try for w3d1 tonight, feeling kinda nervous but i think i can do it

w3d1 today! most rewarding day of the program so far. i focused a lot harder on my running form and the impact of my feet, and my knee and shin pain was DRASTICALLY less than before. it was still there, but some good stretches afterwards just left a couple spots that some ice will take care of

i felt like i was going a lot slower, but my pace actually had several seconds shaved off according to my app. felt really accomplished after this run, and looking forward to the next 2 days of this week

W3d1 felt awesome! A great run in my new minimal shoes

b, did it make it any tougher? did you need to focus on your stride or your form any more than usual?

It was a weird sensation, like running barefoot without the pain. I'll go back to my regular shoes tomorrow and switch them out a few times before I completely transition. I must say I felt faster and less tired in the minimus'.

hm interesting...i'm going with thinner mesh running socks, but i still need the support of full shoes

might try out the minimal shoes at some point once i'm more comfortable running distances in anything

w3d2...a little slower pace but didn't feel winded at the end. still had to limp back home a little though...

there's a long downhill stretch on my path, and i'm quickly learning to hate downhills far more than uphills. the latter just takes strength and a little willpower, the former destroys my legs with the impact. any tips?

W3d2, took the minimals out on the road and felt good. Shins still a little sore but can feel them getting stronger if that makes sense. Today's run was pretty much fun, only felt winded at the very end of the last 3 minute jog!

w3d3 this morning, pretty much same summary as el bee's. i'm getting more deliberate about my stretching (pre and post) and my form, and my shins are becoming less "pain" and more "sore"

was winded in the last 30 seconds of running, but i think some of it was what i ate last night...chinese takeout just seemed too tempting!

think i'm ready for week 4 though!

woo, w4d1 this morning! felt great! i'm learning to just slow my pace a bit if i start getting winded. some of the second 5-minute run was uphill and i was on the verge of wheezing until i just consciously slowed down and pushed through

best thing though was that my legs felt great! i think they're caught up! now it's just endurance and mental. my goal is to up the pace just a bit if possible for the rest of the week, and then be fully ready for w5d3 (first 20 solid minutes of running) without needing to repeat any days

Finally finished w3d3 today and felt good, probably will repeat tomorrow since I took too much time off this weekend but Sunday I didn't feel good and yesterday I bought a car

Looking back a few pages and beyond, there were a lot of people involved in this thread not to long ago! Anyone else chugging through the program besides me and bee?

I'm doing it! On week 3. I had to repeat week 2 because I only ran one day the first time. This is my second time doing the program, and I love it! The last time I did it was two years and a baby ago.

awesome spike!! keep us updated!

did w4d2 this morning, i overdid it on the first couple runs - 8:26 on 8 minutes of running felt good during, but then i jumped up to 9:20 for the last 8 minutes and was huffing and puffing near the end. overall it was my best pace so far in the program though!

W3d2 for me. I think weeks 3&4 are my favorites! The last time I did this, in fall 2010, was my first ever go at running. I did two 5ks (Gruene Thanksgiving and Blue Bell) before I got pregnant with baby #2. I don't run in the super hot summer. I don't get much sleep but talk myself in to lacing up anyway. Really love the way this program builds confidence!

i'm really enjoying week 4, it's the first one that's really tested me but it's also the point at which i can start feeling my body get used to the demands of running (this is my first go at actual running right now). my shin splints are virtually gone

w4d3 today, felt good. nice cold weather. i'm starting to figure out how to pace myself at the beginning, i'm still going too fast and and it's not obvious at first how much that affects my last few minutes of running, but i'm learning!

also, signed up for my first 5k! it falls on my schedules week 9, day 3 run, so it should be a nice capper to the program. i'm nervous but excited!

I'm still here, I repeated week 3 after trying w4d1 on Tuesday. Definitely wasn't ready. Will try week 4 again tomorrow!

hey

damnit, i forgot what the topic was

SOP for that is as follows:

oh crap i wasn't in the GB. well those beach models were healthy and fit, at least

[This message has been edited by Elliot P. Campbell (edited 10/28/2012 2:47p).]

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Looking back a few pages and beyond, there were a lot of people involved in this thread not to long ago! Anyone else chugging through the program besides me and bee?

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Just started this yesterday. Really liked it although my ear buds must be too be too big cause they kept falling out. All in all once I get better buds and a new leash for Kylie (the retractable is a pain) I'll be set. Gonna keep posting on here with updates to keep me honest.

montana

i had the same problem with earbuds too, so i just bought a cheap pair of wrap-around headphones and they work great.

I know what you mean about keeping yourself honest, this thread is helping with that for me! keep us updated!

I ran hungover yesterday; actually felt pretty good. Week 4 starts tonight in earnest; I know I can do it!

hey LB, you wanna run Deck the Trails with me on december 1st? it falls on the end of my week 9 if i stay on track, so it'd be your week 8 day 3 i think

Sure! Just Google it and sign up?

http://www.runproject.org/race/deck-trails

it's part of this RunProject initiative and sponsored (mostly, i think) by the Run On! chain

it's also half XC/half pavement form what i can tell, which seems like it'd be good for a first 5k so that's why i signed up.

let me know if you do!

uni - definitely. I honestly wasn't going to run today, then I saw your post.. and boom ran back-to-back days.

Although I ran without my dog today and was significantly faster. I did do the W1D1 again simply because I wanted what the difference was and I'm thinking I might do a every other day rotation with my pup.

That said, my quads were semi sore today, I know for a fact tomorrow is going to be brutal. Are you and el bee doing every day, 5/7, 4/5 day rotations?

I'm hoping to get to a 5k right after new years, I imagine continuing this through the holidays might be harder than expected.

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toughest run by far. ridiculously humid, which i think messed with my breathing, and i was limping by the end from the shin splints. one thing i've also been noticing is when i start to get tired (which is usually in the 6th or 7th minute of running for me right now) my left leg just sort moves forward and slams on the ground, heel and toe at the same time, and it was killing my knee, even with the better shoes. i concentrated on making sure i was rolling into each step, felt a lot better - but i hope i can get to the point where that's second nature

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I got really bad shin splints my junior year in high school, this was also the year I ran track and played tennis in the same season. I would get out of school run track from 3:30-5:30 then tennis from 5:45-7:30. Craziest season of my life. But the point of my story is that there isn't much you can do about them except power through, but there are a couple things I used to do to make it better.

If you are running in the city, try and avoid concrete. Look for running paths. This is probably the biggest thing outside shoes and form.

Ice your shins after you workout. When you get done and am watching tv before you shower get a bag of ice and ice the hell out of them. I'm not sure of the medical reasoning but makes them fell 100x better.

montana, thanks for the advice! there is a nice little running trail in my apartment complex that has softer ground (not pavement but not near as soft as grass still, idk what to call it really) that i've been using. and i've gotten a heckuva lot better at my form in the past couple of weeks, now my breathing and my overall endurance is what needs to be improved!

just did w5d1 - my pace was a lot slower than last week but i tried to do that on purpose. felt like i could've gone a lot further as a result though, which i think is more important right now!

Okay, I did w4d1 last night and it was tough, but I feel more mentally prepared, W3 to w4 has by far been the toughest transition for me. I'll be back at it tonight and hopefully it will start to get a bit easier.