Learn to Run - Who wants to do this with me??

*** New People Always Welcome ***

Hey all! A few years ago I started a "learn to run" program at my local running store. About 1/2 way through I got shingles (nasty!) and I had to quit.

Now I want to start again. I am starting on Sunday, March 11 and would love it if anyone wanted to do this with me :)

It's an 8 week course. You should do it at least 3x a week so you're ready for the next week, & don't forget to stretch before & after.  (I actually really like 4x a week & it really prepares me for the next week's numbers)

Take your car & figure out a 3.1 mile or 5 km route & then run/walk for the minutes it says below until you reach 3.1 miles or 5 km.

Week 1 - Walk 3 mins, Run 1 min
Week 2 - Walk 3 mins, Run 2 mins
Week 3 - Walk 2 mins, Run 3 mins
Week 4 - Walk 2 mins, Run 5 mins
Week 5 - Walk 2 mins, Run 7 mins
Week 6 - Walk 2 mins, Run10 mins
Week 7 - Walk 1 min, Run 14 mins
Week 8 - Walk 30 seconds, Run 18 mins 

It also says for week 8, if you find that you don't HAVE to stop running after the 18 minutes, then by all means, carry on without the walking break.

Dee

Excellent Running Tips - Compiled by inci_vinci (from suggestions/experiences contained in this thread) on page 46, post # 913.  All new runners would benefit greatly by reading these prior to beginning. Good luck all!!!!!!!!! 

Oh and while you're at it, drop over to the Mission: Run Around the World thread & add your miles there!!!!

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GRADUATION LIST: The following people have started this running program (or one similar) & can now run 5K (without walking), congrats to all of you!!!!

• nightc1
• deejlb
• punkybrew
• pozesara
• elagain
• shavenyak
• sarah_11235
• jillithan
• inci_vinci
• missyrayn
• zarelha
• sicknes69
• dhwebb
• bignate0100
• marneedear
• tabathar
• wxforecaster

Dee - I only burn about 500, according to the treadmill at the Y. Calories burned don't change much with speed, just distance and weight, so it seems like I should be burning more than you are. What does the activity log here tell you?

I may go run at the park tomorrow - I just need to put together a playlist to time myself. I hope I have enough 1:30 songs!

I am all for playlists, Yak! Totally the best way to run :) The best part about these shorter intervals is one song per run. We can run the length of one song, right? I'm curious as to how it will feel when I just have to run for, like, 18 minutes. But I don't want to get ahead of myself.

Well, we just had a break in the rain so maybe I'll try out my new week 3 playlist! Exciting stuff :)

(side note: Queen's "we will rock you" is a great 2-minute length song. Really gets you pumped!)

No time to run today. Took too long to get my pics & postings done. And I guess we have to leave by 2:30 instead to get the oil changed b4 we go! No problemo! Tomorrow's new #s and I'm ready & excited!!!!

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shavenyak - I haven't checked the log here to see what cals I burn. I actually use fitday for my food & activities, and there it says it's way lower, but I put in how many mins running (16) & walking (24) at the speeds I think I go. So who knows.

punky - I can't even fathom running for 18 mins, but I really really want to too!!! Good luck with week 3 #s if you do it today!!! Let us know!

Well, I did week #3! It wasn't any harder than my last run. The only thing that held me back was knee pain. My mix was good and the run went by so fast this time!

I ran pretty slowly, I think, and tried to run on the mushy rain-soaked grass as much as possible to help my knee out so that slowed me down too (but was also a good workout). I think I ran/walked the whole 3.1 in about 40 minutes (that inlcudes time stripping off a layer).

One thing I learned on this run was that running on an empty stomach is one thing, but running hungry is another! I was starving! I knew I was a little hungey when I left but didn't think it would bother me. I ran by a diner, a Wendy's, an Indian place, a Vietnemese place, a McDonalds, a college cafeteria... all these food places made me soooo hungry! The last stretch was without food stores. Thankfully. And by the time I got home I was still hungry but not ravenous and was able to drink half a liter of water and stretch before eating.

I think, though, for the future, trying to keep my runs about 2 hours from meals (and not 4 hours) is better for my psyche.

Now I ice and rest and maybe hit up a bike tomorrow but am staying off the pavement (and the elliptical) for at least a day or two!

And yay Dee! I posted in your journal :) You look awesome!

punky - thanks for the great comment in my journal! I appreciate it!!!
And a big wooo-hooo to you for doing week 3 #s!!!!! That's so awesome! I'm glad to hear it wasn't harder than your last. I was wondering how the extra minute would be.
Sorry you have knee pain. Do you have a brace you can velcro on or something to help?
You're right about running in grass being a harder workout. Most of my one route, I have the choice of gravel or the road edge which is grass too. The grass is harder for sure!
So have you ever ran on an empty morning stomach before you've eaten at all? I was gonna try that one day cuz usually the first thing I do in a day is exercise, but I wasnt' sure how the run would feel first thing.


I guess we're leaving at 4 afterall. Oh well, might have been able to get that run in but now I'm all showered & perrty & can't run. Tomorrow will be soon enough.

Unfortunately, we didn't make it to the park today. I spent the day putting up ceiling fans, exchanging a broken BBQ grill, and buying new patio furniture... spring is definitely in the air at our house. On the bright side, the extra day off means I will have no leftover soreness to deal with next time.

I did find lots of 1:30 songs in my iTunes library. Unfortunately, many were either The Wiggles or Laurie Berkner. :) Pretty much everything else was punk, which will be great for running, but I did put "What Would Brian Boitano Do?" from the South Park movie on there. The 2:00 runs will at least open up some new opportunities for music.

Oh, and the soup can thing worked great - thanks punky!

Haha! Yeah, Yak, I think some of my 1-minute songs were from the Xena Warrior Princess Soundtrack ;)

But punk songs are a majority of what I run to as well. The Ramones Teenage Lobotomy is a good 2:00, FYI and Sleater Kinney has a song "modern girl" that is a fun 3:00 run!

I have to say, I'm soooo sore today. But not from my run! I'm pretty sure I pulled a muscle in my neck :( All this packing and moving htings around I don't really know how I did it but I iced it before bed and again this morning and the swelling is down. Blech.

Good luck on the next run, Yakman! I wrote back to you on journal BTW ;) :)

Okay its been awhile but I'm back and all better and running tomorrow.. still on week 1's numbers for one more tiome but im excited to get back on it!!! you guys are doing so awesome!!!

Just got my first week 3 run done!!! It felt really really great! ANd you're right punky it wasn't any harder than two minutes. Can you all believe that we're gonna be doing 5 minutes next week!? That's nuts! I hope the transition from 3 to 5 is just as easy.

So I've given up on the tight laces thing. Today I had to stop & loosen them right down to the bottom of the laces. It just works better for me. I don't really like running ( or walking ) when my toes are tingly & numb-like. Anyway, I felt just as supported & it was fine :)

So everytime I run, when I get back, it's always meal time for me. I eat every 3 hrs so given that I wait 2 hrs after a meal, when I get back it's time. What do you guys eat when you get back? I tend to eat something really carby. I feel like I need it and it fills me up after a good run. Please share.

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shavenyak - glad you found some good tunes. I haven't ever owned an ipod but it seems like a good idea. However, I have my dogs with me & I let them go for about 1/2 the run so I really have to watch & listen for cars/trucks. May not be the greatest idea for me. Glad to hear the soup can worked good. No pain is good!

punky - that sux that your neck is sore! I know how you feel. It's more than time to get myself to the masseuse. I'm hoping she can workout my shoulder & work on my sciatica - it's a b*tch! Glad to hear it's better though. Ice works on all aches or what? It's good to know if I ever get sore. THanks.

senioritakel - welcome back! We missed you! Way to get back at it. It's been a blast so far, so let's keep on goin!

I'm so glad you're back seniorita!

Congrats Dee! As for icing - it works for acute injuries with swelling the best (acute=recent). Keeps inflammation down. Anti-inflammatory meds can help too (like Aleve and Advil and ibuprofen). But for the older stuff that's just really sore, heat and massage is much better (and drugs still help) :)

I think I can run with my neck all crappy - I just won't be able to look from side to side. And my knee doesn't hurt at all! I iced it three times yesterday and think I nipped it in the bud :)

Ack - 3-5 minutes. It's going to be hard, methinks!

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Edited to say I did week 3 run #2 and it went really well! Somehow the last 4 of my running segments were all downhill :) I actually didn't even finish my playlist! I think I shaved a good 2 minutes of off yesterday (but also didn't run in the grass this time).

My neck is still killing me and I think it's time to change from ice therapy to heat and am going to take a long lovely hot bath :)

Also - I'm retiring my scale after tonight's weigh-in. At least for two weeks.

Awesome job doing run #2 already. Just knowing you're out there doing this makes me wanna keep on going, plus I'm really liking it too :)

I'm glad your knee is pain free! yay! & sorry your neck sucks. Go get a nice massage & it'll be gone fast!

& great job shaving 2 mins off your time! I think I did today too. I had a dog come out at us and I had to stop for about I'd say 30-45 seconds (me smart, never run when dog run! lol! He will chase & bite! lol!) ANyway, the time kept ticking & my end time was 38:27.

Even though we're not running the whole thing yet, isn't it nice to see the time drop?? Ya, I love it!!!

Oh Tuesday we have a show in Lake Louise, AB and I just know I probably won't get the run in so I'll probably do it tomorrow instead, then Thursday & Saturday!

After a weekend of one fiasco after another, I got back to it today. Ran outside through the neighborhood - the hills were harder than I thought, and the 85 degree weather wasn't helping. It took about 44 minutes, I didn't time it exactly and the distance is actually a bit longer than 3.1 miles. Next run will start week 2 for me. I'm going to try to get 4 in for week 2 before moving on.

Yak! - Congrats on finishing week one! It's so exciting knowing you've succeded in one stage and are ready for the next challenge, isn't it? Good luck, I found it hard at first but by the 4th run felt I could readily do three minutes and walking 3 minutes started just feeling like too much walking. Plus you get a better playlist selection for the next couple weeks :)

How'd the run go, Speedy Dee? ;) I'm off to hit #3 of week three today I think. It's actually hot out (it's true what they say in Michigan, you don't like the weather wait five minutes). It was a blizzard this time last week (when I ran outside I wore three layers!) and now it's like 75 and sunny. I won't hold my breath though. It's been known to snow in May out here ;) It'll be interesting moving to Washington where the weather is much less volatile (hot and cold-wise). But it's mountainous so I better get fit fast if I want to keep running up those hills!

Okay... I better dig my summer clothes out of the garage and find some shorts to run in so I don't pass out from the heat ;)

Ugh that run was HARD! But I did it :) Even though that was #3 I really don't feel ready to amp it up to 5 minutes yet. I think I'll try to get in 2 more before the bump. And maybe do some upper body stuff Sgt. Yak suggested.

So... anyone feeling like a "runner" yet? I live in a super runner-heavy city with people running every all the time - all ages and levels of hardcore-ness. You can tell the hard core people becuase they have allt his gear. Or are wearing Boston marathon windbreakers ;) that's usually a dead giveaway! So I don't feel like a real runner yet, but I think I'm feeling less intimidated by all those people zipping past me on all my runs!

Did my run yesterday and it was about the same as Sunday. I am having a better time keeping my laces looser. No tingly toes now. Next run is Thursday, then Saturday. Well actually maybe not saturday cuz I get my puppy that day. WE''ll see. I want to get at least 4x a week for sure cuz I'm not sure 3x will prepare you for the next week.

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shavenyak - one week down, 7 to go! Way to get it done! Are you really liking it??

punky - speedy dee? I wish! lol! I'm so anxious to get to the point where we can run the whole thing, it's driving me nuts. Although last run I wondered if the 3 minutes would ever be up at some points! lol! I guess we're always gonna have runs where we feel like we have less energy & wonder how we'll take another step. I agree with you about the move to 5 mins, I really want to get in 4x this week, but I can't see doing 5x. I think on Thursdays run I'm gonna try to do a few times with 4 minutes.  See how that goes.

Off to a show today, and back in the middle of the night tonite. Have a great day all!

Dee

Oof, my first week 2 run was hard. I'm going to assume that either the back-to-back days, or having to squeeze weightlifting and running into the same day, or a combination of both, were detrimental to my performance. But I knew I wouldn't be able to do anything tonight, because I'll be going out for a friend's birthday. So, hopefully Thursday will be easier.

punky - I actually went and bought some actual running shorts and shirts (high-tech stay-dry stuff, because here it won't be long before we're seeing 80s for lows), so I do feel a bit like a 'runner'. But watching the people who can run for 30 minutes straight makes me feel like a poser (and a weenie).

dee - yeah, I'm enjoying it. It's weird, the beginning of a run feels awesome, and finishing feels great, but there's almost always some point in the middle where I go, What the @#$$% am I doing? I don't wanna do this! I wanna go sit down and have ice cream....

but there's almost always some point in the middle where I go, What the @#$$% am I doing? I don't wanna do this! I wanna go sit down and have ice cream....

Haha! I totally feel you! Yesterday, a little more than half way through my run, I debated asking someone to borrow their cell phone to call someone to come pick me up ;) But I sucked it up and finished and it felt good in the long run.

Today is #3 for week 3. Just reading your guys' posts and knowing you're doing it to definitely helps keep me going!

We got back around 5:15 am & I crawled back into bed & slept late. It felt good. I'm skipping weights again today to see if that continues to help my sciatica. But I'm gonna get my #3 run in. Looking forward to it. It seems cooler than normal today so we'll see if I can pick the right amount of layers & see how it feels to breathe that cold air in. I really want on my next run (not this one) to run for 4 mins at a time. I'm so afraid that 5 is gonna kick my a$$.

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shavenyak - I TOTALLY know what you mean by what you said!It's funny cuz  I think that crosses my mind every single run too, but like you said, when you get done that thought is long gone. I wonder why that is?? Oh and I tried running on weights days too & It's super hard. If you're gonna do that, run first & then do weights later.

punky - gosh, am I gonna catch up to you this week? lol! I'm doing run #3 today. I love the virtual competition! Keep me going k??? All of you!

Dee

i just joined and i am sooo excited about this!  i've beent thinking about taking up running and didn't know how or where to start.  This is perfect!  THANK YOU DEE!!!

you're welcome gordis ! ! We're all kind of on different weeks. Myself & Punky I know are on week 3 so we're not that much ahead of you. And I think shavenyak is just starting week 2. If you're anything like us, you're gonna get addicted and fast! Have fun, good luck & let us know how its going, K??

Dee