I'm trying to get at least a mile of running in every day...so far, so
bad (yesterday was a no run day).

Anyway, 2.1 mile run/walk with 1.35 of that running & .75 walking.

1 mile run in 13 mins, then walks at 3.6 on an incline of 1.0 (first
incline ever...so something new) for a total of .75 miles. Did a .25
mile run in there with some of that run at 5.0 & 5.4 (I love my
strides at 5.4 & it feels natural, but I can't keep it going for
long), and .1 at the end of the 2 miles at 5.2.

An okay run. Started out wanting to stop at .25, then at .5, then at
.75, but once I hit .75, it seemed silly not to finish off the full mile.

I feel like I've gone back in time here...rather than getting more
endurance, I'm ending up with less. UGH! And now I'm starting to worry
about my 5k on the 13th. What if I'm not ready? What if there are
hills like with Shana's last race?

So...an okay run today, but not one that has left me feeling
especially confident.

Salt 'n Pepper got me through my run today...at least, they got me
past my own self-sabotaging inner voice...

My first goal was 1 mile, but then I decided that was too wimpy & I
need to get serious, so I pushed myself to do 1 1/2 miles or 20
minutes, whichever came first. I'm pretty happy with that & may just
try to hit 1 1/2 miles all week before pushing it any more.

My run/walk shaped up like this: walked .1, ran 1.5, walked .1, ran
.5, walked .1, ran .1, walked to round it out to 2.6 miles. The two
miles mostly running I managed in 26:50, which would make for a decent
5k time if I could keep it going for another 1.1 miles. But I
can't…not yet anyway. Speeds at 4.4 to 4.8. 4.4 for the first 1/2
mile, then 4.8 for the remaining mile. 5.2 for the last .1 of the two
miles and for the tacked on .1 mile at the end. 3.6 for the walks, but
this time I hit "cool down" just to see what it was like, so I did 2
minutes at 3.0 before I got bored & got off the machine. Feeling good
& ready to run again.

When I hit the 5.2 mile run, I had really good momentum & nice strides
for the first time in I don't know how long. I actually felt graceful,
which never, ever happens...note: for me graceful means "I didn't fall
down & make a spectacle of myself." Glanced over at the stats for the
woman next to me & felt tres superior...she was walking at about 2.8.
Gee, I thought, I remember walks at 2.8. Then I thought, does she
think I'm a runner? Is she wishing she was a runner? Thoughts of "I'm
a runner, I'm an athlete," ran through my mind. Yup, feeling really
full of myself at that point.

I was feeling like one of those "cool kids" Keetha mentioned in her
post. Then she got off the treadmill, grabbed her cane, and walked
off. Yup...it's just like high school all over again, I'm still not a
cool kid, I'm still a moron! :)

Happy runs ya'll! :)

Shana really is a cool kid...a fast one too. But you'll get there, and
probably long before I do ;) so hang in there & just enjoy the
challenge of each new week.

:)

--- In PDXcouch25k@yahoogroups.com, "Keetha D. Reed" <keethadreed@...>
wrote:
>
> Shana, I am so impressed with you and your stats and the 5K re-cap.
That's awesome!
>
> I feel like I'm trying to sit at the lunch table with all the cool
kids by posting here. I mean, I am struggling, STRUGGLING, I tell you,
with 90-seconds of jogging! The idea that next week, I'm to jog for
three entire minutes makes me feel a bit faint. And disheartened and
discourgaed. My knees still hurt from yesterday's workout.
>
> Wish me luck!
> Keetha
>
>
> Keetha DePriest Reed
>
> http://writekudzu.blogspot.com
> http://kudzukitchen.blogspot.com
> www.pecanst.com
>

Okay, you're so on your way to a 10k! I'm trying not to be jealous
here, but you're making it difficult! :)

Keep rocking the runs...surely you've run through all your shoe tread
by now?!

:)
--- In PDXcouch25k@yahoogroups.com, "shanaob" <ShanaOB@...> wrote:
>
> If I went from couch to 5k, is there any way I can go from 5k to
> becoming the smoking hot Jamaican chick who I was watching on the
> Olympics tonight?  Damn.
>
> So my run for the night.  Went to the gym, hit the treadmill.  Ran
> my first mile at 5.0 miles per hour, 12 minutes.  Ran my second mile
> at (wait for it) (wait for it) (wait for it)... 5.3 miles per hour!
> The entire freaking mile!  That's something like 11:19 minutes.
> After that, knocked it back to 5.0 for the third mile.  For the
> final .125 push to make it an official 5k I ramped it up to 5.3 for
> a minute, then 5.5 until I hit the 3.12 mark.
>
> So that was 5k in 36 minutes 35 seconds.  Uh huh.
>
> Then I hit PAUSE and drank a bottle of water for a minute and a
> half.  And mopped up my sweat.
>
> Resumed running with a light jog at 4.5 miles per hour and stayed
> there for about 20 minutes, which put me at 4.5 miles run, dropped
> it into a 3.0 mph walk for a couple of minutes to simmer down and
> finished up at 4.7 miles total workout.
>
> I am so going to regret this when 4:45 comes around for boot camp.
>
> How's everyone else's running going?
>

Awesome run! I bet you can beat that time with the next one, provided
there are no hills to slow your bad self down again!

Congrats!


--- In PDXcouch25k@yahoogroups.com, "shanaob" <ShanaOB@...> wrote:
>
> I've already been blasting the internet with my crowing about how
> well I did in yesterday's 5k, but I thought one more toot of my own
> horn here on Yahoo and then I'll give it a rest : )
>
> Weather was muggy, but overcast, which was yucky but better than
> sweltering sun.  Race started at 9 am, was 30 minutes away from my
> house, and I did not preregister, so we left at 7:30 am.  A friend of
> mine from court reporting school ran with me.  She has not been doing
> couch to 5k, but she has been doing her own version of it with timed
> intervals.  She's 30, so 12 years younger than me, and very trim
> though she claims to be "out of shape," "shape" being a relative term
> as she is a former Marine.  Her "out of shape" and my "I wish" are
> about the same thing.  Anyway, she's a former distance runner, has
> not run in years, and has just been easing back into it.  This 5k was
> her first run over three miles and she beat me by almost three
> minutes (not that I'm counting, haha!)
>
> The run was the Mt. Hood Jazz Fest Fun Run, first annual, and was
> held on a very lovely community college campus (Mt. Hood CC) as part
> of the jazz festival.  There were vendor booths, artists, food, beer,
> etc. at the festival, the race being kind of the "kick off" for the
> day.  One special treat that I LOVED was the fact that there were
> jazz musicians scattered along the 3 mile route playing for us as we
> ran.  That was unexpected and so nice!
>
> So, the nitty gritty.  I started out too fast and knew that I was
> going to run out of steam, but it's really hard to slow down when
> you're part of a group that's moving along at such a nice clip.  And
> man does it suck to have people whipping past!  So I was having my
> internal debate about slowing down, trying to formulate a plan, and
> literally before I could even figure out what I wanted to do to pace
> myself, I see the one mile marker.  I was elated and couldn't believe
> I had run a mile already, checked my watch and it was 10:08 minutes!
> That is by far the best mile I have ever run.
>
> I ran past the first water station because I usually don't stop and
> drink anything when I am running 5k anyway.  Somewhere between mile
> one and mile two there was a hill (the first of many) and, get this,
> I RAN UP THE HILL.  I couldn't believe it.  I hate hills, but I had
> nice momentum and I kept it up.  But here's the kicker.  Get to the
> top of the hill, round a corner, and there's another effing hill.  I
> didn't have it in me to make it up that second hill, so I walked up
> the hill.  There was a water station just over the top of the hill,
> so I walked to the water station, drank a cup and then started
> running.  The walking segment up the hill and through the water
> station was about one minute.
>
> Got back to a brisk jog and hit the two mile marker at 21:15.  I was
> losing steam and the crowd had broken up so it was easy to slip into
> a nice slow jog at this point.  Eventually I could hear the finish
> line up ahead, but couldn't see it because, guess what, another
> freaking hill.  I walked up the hill, and the thought of running that
> sucker was pretty funny because I barely walked it!  Got to the top
> and could see the finish line in the distance, so I started running
> at a good pace.  Crossed the finish line with my arms thrown up in
> the air, which my friend who was watching thought was hilarious.
>
> Grabbed a bottle of water and chugged it.  Grabbed a second bottle
> and sipped it.  Got out of the crowd because I thought I was going to
> throw up (I didn't).  There was a nice buffet for the runners of
> fruit and bagles, but the thought of food was too much, so got away
> from that area.
>
> We walked around the festival for a little while and I got a
> smoothie, which totally hit the spot and made me feel human again.
> Enjoyed some music and checked out the artisans (I bought a very
> lovely bracelet).
>
> So I am really pleased with my second 5k.  I beat my goal (38
> minutes) and beat it good!  I am happy that I came in in the top half
> of women my age and the top half of women overall.  I have another
> local 5k that I am planning to run in September and I hope I can do
> as well in that one.  I'm not going to up the goal, though, because I
> felt really maxed out by this race, I don't think I want to be
> running any faster than what I did yesterday.  Having started running
> at age 42, I am happy right where I am.  I'd like to work up to
> longer distances, but I am pleased as punch with an 11-12 minute
> mile, thank you very much.
>
> My race stats from the Web site are posted below.  Thanks C25k'ers
> for all of the support!
>
> Shana, Vancouver, WA, Female, 42
> Chip Time: 0:35:52
> Chip Pace: 11:33
> Age Division: 4 / 9 (I was 4th out of 9 women in my division)
> Place Overall: 64 / 108
> Sex Overall: 24 / 53 (I was 24th out of all women, of which there
> were 53)
>

If I went from couch to 5k, is there any way I can go from 5k to
becoming the smoking hot Jamaican chick who I was watching on the
Olympics tonight?  Damn.

So my run for the night.  Went to the gym, hit the treadmill.  Ran
my first mile at 5.0 miles per hour, 12 minutes.  Ran my second mile
at (wait for it) (wait for it) (wait for it)... 5.3 miles per hour!
The entire freaking mile!  That's something like 11:19 minutes.
After that, knocked it back to 5.0 for the third mile.  For the
final .125 push to make it an official 5k I ramped it up to 5.3 for
a minute, then 5.5 until I hit the 3.12 mark.

So that was 5k in 36 minutes 35 seconds.  Uh huh.

Then I hit PAUSE and drank a bottle of water for a minute and a
half.  And mopped up my sweat.

Resumed running with a light jog at 4.5 miles per hour and stayed
there for about 20 minutes, which put me at 4.5 miles run, dropped
it into a 3.0 mph walk for a couple of minutes to simmer down and
finished up at 4.7 miles total workout.

I am so going to regret this when 4:45 comes around for boot camp.

How's everyone else's running going?

I've already been blasting the internet with my crowing about how
well I did in yesterday's 5k, but I thought one more toot of my own
horn here on Yahoo and then I'll give it a rest : )

Weather was muggy, but overcast, which was yucky but better than
sweltering sun.  Race started at 9 am, was 30 minutes away from my
house, and I did not preregister, so we left at 7:30 am.  A friend of
mine from court reporting school ran with me.  She has not been doing
couch to 5k, but she has been doing her own version of it with timed
intervals.  She's 30, so 12 years younger than me, and very trim
though she claims to be "out of shape," "shape" being a relative term
as she is a former Marine.  Her "out of shape" and my "I wish" are
about the same thing.  Anyway, she's a former distance runner, has
not run in years, and has just been easing back into it.  This 5k was
her first run over three miles and she beat me by almost three
minutes (not that I'm counting, haha!)

The run was the Mt. Hood Jazz Fest Fun Run, first annual, and was
held on a very lovely community college campus (Mt. Hood CC) as part
of the jazz festival.  There were vendor booths, artists, food, beer,
etc. at the festival, the race being kind of the "kick off" for the
day.  One special treat that I LOVED was the fact that there were
jazz musicians scattered along the 3 mile route playing for us as we
ran.  That was unexpected and so nice!

So, the nitty gritty.  I started out too fast and knew that I was
going to run out of steam, but it's really hard to slow down when
you're part of a group that's moving along at such a nice clip.  And
man does it suck to have people whipping past!  So I was having my
internal debate about slowing down, trying to formulate a plan, and
literally before I could even figure out what I wanted to do to pace
myself, I see the one mile marker.  I was elated and couldn't believe
I had run a mile already, checked my watch and it was 10:08 minutes!
That is by far the best mile I have ever run.

I ran past the first water station because I usually don't stop and
drink anything when I am running 5k anyway.  Somewhere between mile
one and mile two there was a hill (the first of many) and, get this,
I RAN UP THE HILL.  I couldn't believe it.  I hate hills, but I had
nice momentum and I kept it up.  But here's the kicker.  Get to the
top of the hill, round a corner, and there's another effing hill.  I
didn't have it in me to make it up that second hill, so I walked up
the hill.  There was a water station just over the top of the hill,
so I walked to the water station, drank a cup and then started
running.  The walking segment up the hill and through the water
station was about one minute.

Got back to a brisk jog and hit the two mile marker at 21:15.  I was
losing steam and the crowd had broken up so it was easy to slip into
a nice slow jog at this point.  Eventually I could hear the finish
line up ahead, but couldn't see it because, guess what, another
freaking hill.  I walked up the hill, and the thought of running that
sucker was pretty funny because I barely walked it!  Got to the top
and could see the finish line in the distance, so I started running
at a good pace.  Crossed the finish line with my arms thrown up in
the air, which my friend who was watching thought was hilarious.

Grabbed a bottle of water and chugged it.  Grabbed a second bottle
and sipped it.  Got out of the crowd because I thought I was going to
throw up (I didn't).  There was a nice buffet for the runners of
fruit and bagles, but the thought of food was too much, so got away
from that area.

We walked around the festival for a little while and I got a
smoothie, which totally hit the spot and made me feel human again.
Enjoyed some music and checked out the artisans (I bought a very
lovely bracelet).

So I am really pleased with my second 5k.  I beat my goal (38
minutes) and beat it good!  I am happy that I came in in the top half
of women my age and the top half of women overall.  I have another
local 5k that I am planning to run in September and I hope I can do
as well in that one.  I'm not going to up the goal, though, because I
felt really maxed out by this race, I don't think I want to be
running any faster than what I did yesterday.  Having started running
at age 42, I am happy right where I am.  I'd like to work up to
longer distances, but I am pleased as punch with an 11-12 minute
mile, thank you very much.

My race stats from the Web site are posted below.  Thanks C25k'ers
for all of the support!

Shana, Vancouver, WA, Female, 42
Chip Time: 0:35:52
Chip Pace: 11:33
Age Division: 4 / 9 (I was 4th out of 9 women in my division)
Place Overall: 64 / 108
Sex Overall: 24 / 53 (I was 24th out of all women, of which there
were 53)

Nice run! I can't wait to see what your time is on race day!

--- In PDXcouch25k@yahoogroups.com, "Shana" <ShanaOB@...> wrote:
>
> I think I had my best 5k time on the treadmill tonight.  I'm pretty
excited.
>
> I am such a fickle runner.  What works one day doesn't work the
next.  What is fun one run, sucks next time I try it.  I go round and
round and round trying to motivate-slash-trick myself into running
without quitting, trying to go further.
>
> Last time I ran, I decided I needed to create a new playlist because
I was sooooo bored with the one I was using.  You know, the one I
invested WAY too much time in designing with all of my perfectly timed
songs for speed intervals.  Well, I am too lazy to have actually
created another playlist, so I went to the gym and used the same one,
again, and ta da, it worked perfectly.
>
> I ran 1 mile (my first three songs) at 5 mph.  Then I did my
intervals, three minutes each, using 5 mph as my "baseline" and going
+3 and -3 from there.  So, three minutes at 5.3, then three minutes at
4.7, three minutes at 5.3, three minutes at 4.7 and then again.  Three
was my lucky number tonight, because I did that six minute set three
times and was at about 2.5 miles into my run!  Finished my run at 5.0
mph for the last half mile, then kicked it up to 5.3 again for a few
minutes to hit the 3.1 mark.
>
> Run stats: 3.11 miles in 37 minutes 14 seconds, average speed 4.9
miles per hour.
>
> Nice to see some new folks hitting the yahoo group.  Welcome : )
>

Wow! That's incredible! Do you blog about your diet/exercise? I'd love
to read more about what you do, have done, to achieve this!




--- In PDXcouch25k@yahoogroups.com, Manda <ahill1979@...> wrote:
>
> 304.5/188.5/149
> The 304.5 is what I weighed when I started losing weight.
> The 188.5 is what I weigh now.
> The 149 is my goal weight.
> Running has had a big hand in my weight loss.  This group motivates
me to
> just do it.
> Amanda
> 304.5/188.5/149
> On Thu, Aug 14, 2008 at 9:29 PM, Lori <bigprofessor@...> wrote:
>
> >   Woohoo! Congrats on beating week 3, day 1!
> >
> > Hey, what are the numbers below your name?
> >
> > :)
> >
> > --- In PDXcouch25k@yahoogroups.com
<PDXcouch25k%40yahoogroups.com>, Manda
> > <ahill1979@> wrote:
> > >
> > > Hi, welcome to the group. I hardly ever post here but I do love the
> > group
> > > and I love reading other peoples running success stories. I think
> > that you
> > > should go ahead and try Week 3 Day 1. If it is to much then you
> > could go
> > > back to Week 2 for another week. Last night was my first time doing
> > Week 3
> > > and I really surprised myself and was able to finish it. You might
> > surprise
> > > yourself.
> > >
> > > Amanda
> > > 304.5/188.5/149
> > > Running to lose
> > >
> > > On Thu, Aug 14, 2008 at 3:06 PM, keethadreed <keethadreed@> wrote:
> > >
> > > > My name is Keetha - Shana kindly invited me to join.
> > > >
> > > > Last week I started the Couch to 5K and I am mortified and
> > disheartened
> > > > by how hard of a time I'm having with it! I am pretty much the
same
> > > > size I have been since college but whoa am I out of shape.
> > > >
> > > > Yesterday, Workout Two of Week Two, I did AWFUL. I think I
> > finished one
> > > > of the 90-second jogs. I'm dreading tomorrow!
> > > >
> > > > Last Friday I thought was a turning point because I actually,
truly
> > > > *enjoyed* the first 60-second jog. I'm already nervous about next
> > week.
> > > > Run for three minutes??
> > > >
> > > > Should I repeat this week's workout next week instead?
> > > >
> > > > Thanks!
> > > >
> > > > Best,
> > > > Keetha
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > --
> > > ·´`·.(*·.¸(`·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·*).·´`·
> > > «·´¨*·.¸¸. Manda .¸¸.·*¨`·»
> > > «·´`·.(¸.·´(¸.·* *·.¸)`·.¸).·´`·»
> > >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
> --
> ·´`·.(*·.¸(`·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·*).·´`·
> «·´¨*·.¸¸. Manda .¸¸.·*¨`·»
> «·´`·.(¸.·´(¸.·* *·.¸)`·.¸).·´`·»
>

Woohoo! Congrats on beating week 3, day 1!

Hey, what are the numbers below your name?

:)

--- In PDXcouch25k@yahoogroups.com, Manda <ahill1979@...> wrote:
>
> Hi, welcome to the group.  I hardly ever post here but I do love the
group
> and I love reading other peoples running success stories.  I think
that you
> should go ahead and try Week 3 Day 1.  If it is to much then you
could go
> back to Week 2 for another week.  Last night was my first time doing
Week 3
> and I really surprised myself and was able to finish it.  You might
surprise
> yourself.
>
> Amanda
> 304.5/188.5/149
> Running to lose
>
> On Thu, Aug 14, 2008 at 3:06 PM, keethadreed <keethadreed@...> wrote:
>
> >   My name is Keetha - Shana kindly invited me to join.
> >
> > Last week I started the Couch to 5K and I am mortified and
disheartened
> > by how hard of a time I'm having with it! I am pretty much the same
> > size I have been since college but whoa am I out of shape.
> >
> > Yesterday, Workout Two of Week Two, I did AWFUL. I think I
finished one
> > of the 90-second jogs. I'm dreading tomorrow!
> >
> > Last Friday I thought was a turning point because I actually, truly
> > *enjoyed* the first 60-second jog. I'm already nervous about next
week.
> > Run for three minutes??
> >
> > Should I repeat this week's workout next week instead?
> >
> > Thanks!
> >
> > Best,
> > Keetha
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
> --
> ·´`·.(*·.¸(`·.¸ ¸.·´)¸.·*).·´`·
> «·´¨*·.¸¸. Manda .¸¸.·*¨`·»
> «·´`·.(¸.·´(¸.·* *·.¸)`·.¸).·´`·»
>

Hi Keetha & welcome!

This group has been incredible for my progress to a 5k! Something
about feeling accountable to the group & reporting on & reflecting on
your runs really can keep you going when the running isn't easy...&
some days, it just isn't, no matter who you are or how long you've
been doing this.

During the main part of the program, we repeated weeks whenever we
felt like we needed more time to adjust. Sometimes that meant tacking
on an extra day or a whole week or more than that.

You should push yourself, yes, but don't worry about what awaits next
week until you feel like you've been able to really handle the week
you're on. & celebrate those victories! When you've beat the 90 second
runs, you're going to feel awesome & when you look back on those runs
2 months from now, you're going to feel amazing!

Take it as it comes...the thing the program does nicely is it builds
gradually. I've tried running before & when I couldn't do a mile after
my first week, I'd quit. With the C25K program, you really HAVE to
build gradually & that way, you can see your successes more than feel
a sense of "why can't I run a 5K right now" failure.

You'll do great! Just keep going & keep posting about your runs here!


--- In PDXcouch25k@yahoogroups.com, "keethadreed" <keethadreed@...> wrote:
>
> My name is Keetha - Shana kindly invited me to join.
>
> Last week I started the Couch to 5K and I am mortified and disheartened
> by how hard of a time I'm having with it! I am pretty much the same
> size I have been since college but whoa am I out of shape.
>
> Yesterday, Workout Two of Week Two, I did AWFUL. I think I finished one
> of the 90-second jogs. I'm dreading tomorrow!
>
> Last Friday I thought was a turning point because I actually, truly
> *enjoyed* the first 60-second jog. I'm already nervous about next week.
> Run for three minutes??
>
> Should I repeat this week's workout next week instead?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Best,
> Keetha
>

I'm so impressed with your workout schedule that I've been scouring
the internet looking for a bootcamp around here. Turns out the company
that runs them in nearby counties is planning to have one in my town,
so I'm going to wait & see what happens with that...at the moment it's
listed as TBA. But I need to do more cross training, so that's my plan
for next week & post stomach bug. :(

Is this friend you're running with the friend whose running
intimidated you before? I'm excited about your next 5k...I bet you're
going to burn it up!

& hey, your treadmill is messed up. There's no way you shouldn't have
increased your average pace with the 5mph run. Geeze! Maybe try a
different one at the gym next time?


--- In PDXcouch25k@yahoogroups.com, "Shana" <ShanaOB@...> wrote:
>
> I ran at the gym on the treadmill tonight.  I am doing a 5k with a
friend on Sunday and figured I'd better get in a couple of runs before
then.  Boot camp is fun, and definitely a workout.  I am feeling it
like hell tonight in my arms, legs and back... in the back not in a
bad way like a sore back but in the upper back muscles that I would
love to have toned and eliminate the bra rolls and back fat because,
ew, gross.
>
> But back to running.  Hit the treadmill.  Ran 5k exactly.  Stats
were 39 minutes 14 seconds, 3.10 miles, average pace 4.7 mph.  I don't
understand the average pace, though, because I ran the first two miles
at 4.7 mph, then I bumped up to .5 mph for a good chunk of the last
mile.  When I dropped down from 5.0, I went back to 4.7 and never
under that so wtf?  I should have a higher average pace.  Whatever.
OK.  Over it now, stupid treadmill.
>
> So Boot Camp again for me in the morning.  Plan for the week is run
tu/th and boot camp m/w/f.  Rest saturday/race sunday.  I have a weigh
in tomorrow which will be interesting.  My food has been pretty good,
exercise has been good, but after the few days of post-vacation scale
weirdness it seems to have kind of settled on 148.8, which isn't great.
>
> Time to hit the hay.  4:45 am comes real damn early!
> Shana
>

My name is Keetha - Shana kindly invited me to join.

Last week I started the Couch to 5K and I am mortified and disheartened
by how hard of a time I'm having with it! I am pretty much the same
size I have been since college but whoa am I out of shape.

Yesterday, Workout Two of Week Two, I did AWFUL. I think I finished one
of the 90-second jogs. I'm dreading tomorrow!

Last Friday I thought was a turning point because I actually, truly
*enjoyed* the first 60-second jog. I'm already nervous about next week.
Run for three minutes??

Should I repeat this week's workout next week instead?

Thanks!

Best,
Keetha

I was thinking about how much I'm going to miss running up here. Now
I'm kicking myself that I did those last two runs inside...what's a
little humidity when you have this beautiful scenery, anyway? Argh!

Anyway, I ran the 1st two miles (with some walks in there) in 27 mins.
Something about not having the clock ticking away or any of the other
treadmill bells & whistles makes me more likely to stop & walk when
I'm feeling winded. And I did feel pretty winded. I don't know if it's
allergies or what, but my lungs felt really heavy & were burning like
crazy.

So I finished the 2 miles & had planned to turn around & head back to
the car, but I kept on walking. Then I ran a bit, walked a bit more,
ran a bit, walked a bit. I ended up doing 6 miles total. Most (or at
least half) of that was just walking & enjoying the sights, sounds, &
smells, but every once in a while (say every .25 miles or so) I'd
thrown in a run for fun. & I still find it weird that I'm using
phrases like "run for fun." Who knew?

But it was beautiful: sunny, breezy, about 65 degrees. So I kept
walking, thinking that this time next year I want to be running a 10K,
so I figured I'd see how far (approximately) that would be. It's gonna
be a nice run next summer...I just have to make sure I'm ready for it.

Okay, now I've revised my blog post on the run & I'm feeling a little
sad. On the one hand, I'm looking forward to a full fall, winter, &
spring of training, but on the other, I'm just pushing summer out the
door as fast as I can, apparently. When hubby gets completely moved in
(which isn't to say unpacked), I'm going to find some fun things for
us to do to wrap up the last few weeks of summer the right way.

Hope ya'lls runs are going well! I know Shana's bootcamping it for a
bit...how's that going?

Today's was a 3.5 mile run/walk.

Ran first 2 miles in 25:27, which is purty dern fast for little ole
me. Although I threw some walks in there as well at 3.6.

Ran the full 5k in 42:20. Kept my running speed between 4.6 & 6.0.
Yes, 6.0 was one of my speeds, but only for .15 mile. Still, it's
important to note that I didn't drop dead at 6.0 mph, so I can put
that fear to rest now.

I'm feeling more comfortable running in the 5 mph range these days
with 4.6 feeling like a light jog & so, kinda useless if I want to get
the miles covered & done with. I did a lot of those first 2 miles
around 4.7, but spent some quality time with 5.4, which I like a lot.
With the last mile, I walked a good bit, then figured I needed to push
it to get a decent (although not Shana-esque, clearly) time for the
5k, so I hit 5.4 for a bit. Did the full 3.5 in 48:30, so clearly
there was a lot of walking at the end.

My average speed was 4.3mph, with an average of a 14-minute mile. Not
great...the walks are really hurting my time.

So my goal is to get a decent time for this 5k in September, but I'm
not sure what I think a decent time is yet. At the moment, I'm
thinking 38 minute range, but that seems awfully fast given that I
think my time today is my fastest 5k yet. Still, that's an incentive
to cut out the wimpy walking. If I could average a 14-minute mile with
the walks, maybe it wouldn't be difficult to get down to a 12:30
minute mile for running the full 5k, which I haven't actually done
yet? damn, seems out of reach for september.

I guess there's some outside running potential at the new house...a
bike path that just ends in places, dipping you out onto a pretty busy
street, but it might work during off-peak driving hours (and in the
motor city, that's usually around 4am to 4:10 am. :)

I don't know, maybe these seemingly random things we do with time and
speed are less random than we think? Maybe our brains know how/when to
push and how/when to back off when we're training? I'm thinking more
about your speed issue than my distance issue...my issue stems from me
being a big wimp...your issue might just be your brain's way of
keeping you from pushing too hard, too fast.

I don't know...I'm still flat out shocked every time I finish a run.
--- In PDXcouch25k@yahoogroups.com, "Shana" <ShanaOB@...> wrote:
>
> I'm struggling with the same thing.  I can run at 5.0 mph without
dying, yet I set a time limit and then slow it down.  And I shouldn't.
  I need to make that my new base line speed and get on with some
progress.  My goal yesterday was 20 mins at 5.0 and I did 24 mins
because the two mile mark was so close.  Time for you to start
tricking yourself again with the "but if I got two more minutes, I'll
be at X miles, and if I got another three, I'll be at..." remember
that game?
>
> You're doing a great job of getting back in the saddle!  How is the
new house?  Is it in an area with good outdoor running potential?
>
>   ----- Original Message -----
>   From: Lori<mailto:bigprofessor@...>
>   To: PDXcouch25k@yahoogroups.com<mailto:PDXcouch25k@yahoogroups.com>
>   Sent: Thursday, August 07, 2008 10:31 AM
>   Subject: [PDXcouch25k] another, another run & still praising
saints, clearly
>
>
>   Got to hubby's house early last night, around 9:00, so I was rested &
>   ready to run this morning.
>
>   Went to the rec center since it's pretty hot here, but they're
>   predicting a real cool down for the weekend, so hopefully I can hit
>   the pavement.
>
>   Okay, so my goal was to run for 1.5 miles without walking & I managed
>   to do that. I walked/ran total of 2.6. Ran 2.25, walked .35.
>
>   Started out walking for .1, ran the 1.5 miles, walked .1, ran .25,
>   walked .05, ran .5, walked .1. Not counting the warm up walk &
>   focusing only on the time in the middle when I did mostly running, I
>   did a 2 mile mostly-run in 26:15, which is pretty good for me.
>
>   Kept my running speed between 4.4 & 5.2, but I did try to average 4.7
>   for most of the runs & cranked it up to 5.4 when I got bored near the
>   end of each running session. Walking speed at 3.6 (3.3 for the last
>   .1). But if you look at the walk between my .25 & .50 runs, it makes
>   no sense! Why the hell did I stop for a wimpy .05 mile walk? I
>   shouldâ?Tve just kept running for that short bit. Especially since the
>   .5 mile run felt pretty okay. Geeze, whyâ?Td I stop? UGH!
>
>   This is something I need to work on & now! It's like I have this
>   mental block & every time I run, I want to do more, but then I stop
>   just short of doing more. What's wrong with me? I mean, I was huffing
>   & puffing pretty good there, but the 5.4 runs felt just fine, pushing
>   it, but fine & 4.4 felt much too slow. & the .5 mile run felt just
>   fine, but I didn't push beyond that to see if I could go further than
>   .5. I got to that point & "rewarded" myself with a walk. Yeah, that's
>   the problem right there, I think of the walks as rewards for pushing
>   myself & I need to see that the runs are my rewards.
>
>   Okay, sorry for the long post, but I think I just figured out
>   something important there. Let's see if it makes a difference in my
>   next run.
>

Got to hubby's house early last night, around 9:00, so I was rested &
ready to run this morning.

Went to the rec center since it's pretty hot here, but they're
predicting a real cool down for the weekend, so hopefully I can hit
the pavement.

Okay, so my goal was to run for 1.5 miles without walking & I managed
to do that. I walked/ran total of 2.6. Ran 2.25, walked .35.

Started out walking for .1, ran the 1.5 miles, walked .1, ran .25,
walked .05, ran .5, walked .1. Not counting the warm up walk &
focusing only on the time in the middle when I did mostly running, I
did a 2 mile mostly-run in 26:15, which is pretty good for me.

Kept my running speed between 4.4 & 5.2, but I did try to average 4.7
for most of the runs & cranked it up to 5.4 when I got bored near the
end of each running session. Walking speed at 3.6 (3.3 for the last
.1). But if you look at the walk between my .25 & .50 runs, it makes
no sense! Why the hell did I stop for a wimpy .05 mile walk? I
should’ve just kept running for that short bit. Especially since the
.5 mile run felt pretty okay. Geeze, why’d I stop? UGH!

This is something I need to work on & now! It's like I have this
mental block & every time I run, I want to do more, but then I stop
just short of doing more. What's wrong with me? I mean, I was huffing
& puffing pretty good there, but the 5.4 runs felt just fine, pushing
it, but fine & 4.4 felt much too slow. & the .5 mile run felt just
fine, but I didn't push beyond that to see if I could go further than
.5. I got to that point & "rewarded" myself with a walk. Yeah, that's
the problem right there, I think of the walks as rewards for pushing
myself & I need to see that the runs are my rewards.

Okay, sorry for the long post, but I think I just figured out
something important there. Let's see if it makes a difference in my
next run.

Oh no, that doesn't sound like a very good homecoming!


--- In PDXcouch25k@yahoogroups.com, "Shana" <ShanaOB@...> wrote:
>
> Sounds like you are back on track.  I mean, come on, a whole 3.2
after not getting in much running in how long?  That is awesome!
>
> I have a couple of 5ks on my horizon as well that I want to buckle
down and train for.  I'd like to come in a tiny bit better than my 13+
minute mile.
>
> Heading home from the vacay today.  Got a phone call from my 19 year
old son the first day we were gone that the basement had a tiny
"flood" (code word for sewer backup from tree roots in the sewer
line... so disgusting).  The only thing that could make the "flood"
worse I am sure is the shoddy clean up effort that I know my son put
forth.
>
> I so do not want to go home!
>
>
>   ----- Original Message -----
>   From: Lori<mailto:bigprofessor@...>
>   To: PDXcouch25k@yahoogroups.com<mailto:PDXcouch25k@yahoogroups.com>
>   Sent: Monday, August 04, 2008 4:37 PM
>   Subject: [PDXcouch25k] another run...saints be praised!
>
>
>   I got another run in on the 25th (I think it was the 25th) at hubby's
>   but forgot to post, but none last week, so today's run was really
>   important.
>
>   Did a total of 3.2 miles (would've stopped at 2.2, but the OCD kicked
>   in & I rolled with it). Walked .1, ran 1.0 (first 5 minutes at 4.2,
>   next 5 at 4.4, remaining 3 1/2 minutes at 4.7 to 5.2), walked .1, ran
>   .5 (began at 4.6 & kicked it up to 5.7), walked .1, ran .3 (kicked
>   this one up to 5.8 before I lost it). Did the first two total miles in
>   27:25. Walked & alternated runs for the remaining 1.1 miles, pushing
>   the speed up all along (although my walking speed is always 3.6).
>   Walks totaled .7 & runs totaled 2.5.
>
>   I still need to get my stamina up, especially since I've decided to
>   register for the annual 5k at the YMCA on Sept 13th & there's a 5k on
>   my campus in October that I'd like to run as well. Anyway, it's a goal
>   & I need a goal to keep me on track (literally!).
>
>   Happy runs ya'll!
>

I got another run in on the 25th (I think it was the 25th) at hubby's
but forgot to post, but none last week, so today's run was really
important.

Did a total of 3.2 miles (would've stopped at 2.2, but the OCD kicked
in & I rolled with it). Walked .1, ran 1.0 (first 5 minutes at 4.2,
next 5 at 4.4, remaining 3 1/2 minutes at 4.7 to 5.2), walked .1, ran
.5 (began at 4.6 & kicked it up to 5.7), walked .1, ran .3 (kicked
this one up to 5.8 before I lost it). Did the first two total miles in
27:25. Walked & alternated runs for the remaining 1.1 miles, pushing
the speed up all along (although my walking speed is always 3.6).
Walks totaled .7 & runs totaled 2.5.

I still need to get my stamina up, especially since I've decided to
register for the annual 5k at the YMCA on Sept 13th & there's a 5k on
my campus in October that I'd like to run as well. Anyway, it's a goal
& I need a goal to keep me on track (literally!).

Happy runs ya'll!