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

cosmo - go with what feels comfortable for YOU.

I don't know what speed I'm going at really becuase I run outside and it changes, ALOT.

Though, I try to work it out by my time, I also take into account my 'walks'. I'm guessing I walk at 3.5 - and running anywhere between 6-7mph.

So no. Not to slow at all.

thanks 

I just started this past week, but when I'm logging this into the activity log, how do I do it?  I mean, they have the jog/walk combo, but only if the jogging portion is less than 10 mintues, and that's usually not the case for me?  Should I just log them separately?  Like, for example, 36 mintues of walking and 12 mintues of jogging?  Any info would be great.  Thanks!

Cosmo - I agree, do what you feel is best for you. I could not keep up with some here, and I'm not going to try. I'll get there when I do and that is what my body can handle. I try to push myself, but not over do it.

Ocean - I enter my jogging and walking separately. I put in x time for running and then enter x time for walking. I kind of have to guess my speeds by my time. I'm not sure it's the right way or even the best way, but it's my way.

I only made it to the track once this week. I have just been too sick. I know this is going to put me back and that makes me sad. I may do week 4 again so I am ready for week 5. I tried week 4.5 on Wednesday (walk 2 run 6) and I did my first mile in 12 minutes, second mile in 13 minutes and third mile in 13 minutes, then the last .21 miles I walked (I was so tired!). My heart and breathing were fine, I was just too physically tired. I probably should have stayed in bed that day. So I'm trying to rest and get better so on Monday I can go out again.

Hope you are all doing well!

~Shannon

ocean - I enter my runs and walk seperate!!!

So, no run today, it's REALLY raining today, horribly and I have to find a dry-ish spell for my walk, so I think finding two dry-ish spells is out of the question! haha.

So, yeah, must do my run tomoz, which I think I'll just jump straight onto week seven and just hope for the best. It's good to push myself, and I really want to push myself! lol.

I will let you all know how that goes!

Hiya guys!!!

I just did 20 minutes without stopping! YEY!!! :D I just kept going, and when I wanted to stop, it was like, 20 minutes. VERY pleased with that! did walk for 2 minutes though!

Hope everyone is okay!

all I need to do now is just manage it without the walking breaks! I mean, it only adds up to 3 minutes walking! I will try my hardest with that one. I can't wait until I can do the whole lot without stopping. Will be fab!

I just started this today! I decided to start at week 2 instead of week 1 (I was feeling ambitious).

I have never run anything longer than 1 mile (save for on the elliptical, but I don't count that) - and the last time I ran the mile was 5 years ago.

So, I've decided to start the program on the treadmill and once I feel comfortable in my own body I'll move away from the gym.

I finished in 40 minutes flat. I was, personally, very pleased with that. I was super winded at the end and during I felt like I was going to die, haha--but once I finished I had such a feeling of accomplishment!

I can't wait to move forward and progress!

Doing run 2 of week 2 tomorrow morning!

Did run 2 of week 2 today!

I was pretty sore this morning, my left hip particularly, so I decided to take the run a bit slower today.

I was expecting my slower pace to add a couple minutes (I was expecting 43min) to my overall time.

I must have just paced myself a lot better than yesterday because I didn't feel like I was dying, I was in control of my breathing the whole time, and I only added 10 seconds to my total time. 40:10 total! I was very proud of myself. I ended strong, fast, and feeling good.

The 500+ calories I burned made up for the icecream I had later in the day .

I think I'm gonna give my body (especially my hip) a rest tomorrow and do cycling class and running on Tuesday.

I am loving the program so far--and amazingly looking forward to my next run!

Sorry I went MIA. I haven't been feeling well, and I took another week off! I decided to do week three again since it has been two weeks. I was tired and my legs were heavy and my calves hurt. I also got a pain in my lower neck, right above my right callerbone. But I did it, I did walk more at the end then run, but I went the whole 3.21 miles. It took me 45 minutes. I am sad that I am going backwards, but glad that I got myself out of bed and went to the track. I can't run Friday or Saturday this week, so I may only get three runs in. I hope that is enough.

~Lozzle, WAY TO GO!!!! Congrats on making it 20 minutes! That is wonderful. How are you doing this week?

~Tempting, way to be ambitious! I'm glad it is going well for you. I hope your hip feels better soon.

I will be doing my next run tomoz, I have a really long period of not doing much at college, like, 2hr 30 min lunch break, so will go home, go run, should be good! Might, if I get the time, bang my weights in there too.

Been pretty hectic this weekend and week so far with school starting!

 

Didn't get around to my week 2 run 3 yesterday like I had planned, but I managed to do it tonight.

38:30 :) I managed to cut 1:30 off my starting time of 40:00. I am hoping to do my final run tomorrow or Friday (only reason I wouldn't tomorrow is I may go to cycling class).

My goal is 38:00 for my week 2 run 4 to set myself up well for starting week 3.

This is the best motivator I've found yet--I am so surprised that it would be exercising that would motivate me the most to be healthy!

Week 2 run 4 just completed!

38:24 - - I am feeling better everyday!

And, today I reached a major goal -- 10lbs lost! I'm down from 171 to 161. Only 1 lbs away from my lightest last summer when I did weight watchers. 21lbs away from my final goal! It's happening a lot faster than I was expecting!

tempting fate, you're doing brillaint!!

I DID IT!!!!!

I DID THE 5K ROUTE WITH ONE MINUTE OF WALKING AND 29 MINUTES OF RUNNING!!!!!!!! 30 MINUTES! DONE AND DUSTED!!!

I THINK I GRADUATED!!!!!!!!!!

Congrats lozzle!!! That's fantastic!!

Unfortunately I haven't been able to make it into the gym since last week...so I haven't started week 3 yet. I'm about to head there now, so I'll update later with how well my first run of week 3 goes!

Congrats again lozzle!!

Just got home from week 3 run 1! I was really concerned, but it ended up going really well (at least I think so!)

I was no more winded/tired than my week 2 runs and I finished a bit quicker! 37:45...

I honestly think I could have finished a bit quicker, but the treadmill I was on was refusing to show me time and distance at the same time so I wasn't really pacing myself as best as I could have been.

I plan on doing week 3 run 2 tomorrow night after my night class--hopefully it goes well! Tomorrow is also a weigh-in day for me, *crosses fingers* I hope my cheating weekend didn't hurt my progress too much.

Week 3 run 2 tonight! 37:34...quickest time yet...but it was definitely the hardest run for me yet.

Didn't weigh in so well today. Meh. It was my own fault. I'm still staying positive because I know what it is I did wrong last week and how easily it can be fixed!

Sleep now.

Lozzle~~Way to go!! That is so wonderful. It has been so great watching you progress and giving us all support.

Tempting, I'm sorry you have been left all alone. I'm back, again, and here to encourage and support! Although you scare me with how well you are doing! You really inspire me to push myself.

I have pretty much taken the whole month off, so my plan is to start all over with week one tomorrow. I'm hoping it goes well. If it goes really well then I bump myself up to week two for my next run. We'll see.

My husband's kicking me off the computer, so I'll let you know later how it goes!

~Shannon

I made it to the gym today. It is too cold here now to run on the outdoor track. The up side is it is easier to push myself and keep consistent on the treadmill, it just is tedious after awhile.

I decided to try week two again and see if I could keep up with that. I increased my speed for both my walk and my run time. I was hoping to have my time in the lower 40's, it ended at 43:32.

Tempting, I hope you are doing well. I would love to see you time now. You are a big part of the reason I increased my speed. I felt so slow compared to you I decided to try it a bit faster. I know I have a way to go to get your speed in, but it is nice to have a pattern to follow.

I'm not sure if I am going to run again tomorrow or wait a day. I'll post after I run again.

~Shannon

I never updated my last run from 09/18. I decided to just give it a go and try the "run until I was tired, walk until I was bored" method. I ran 36:25. I was very happy with that. If only I had kept it up and continued going to the gym.

I finally got back to the gym last night after almost two whole weeks of being lazy. I did the same method again (I think I may stick with this, it seems to be working for me) and got 36:34. It may have been slower, but I was awfully proud having not worked out in so long. I've almost cut 4 whole minutes off my time from when I started.

Shannon-it's great to see you back on here! I'm glad I helped motivate you, but don't push it too hard! Endurance before speed :) This is something I need to keep telling myself, as I fear that I may be pushing myself too hard (to keep up with my friend who runs a 30min 5k) and that I will ultimately end up crashing. Can't wait to hear how your most recent run went!

Tempting - yeah you are back too! Over a year ago when I started running I did the run 'til I was dead method. It worked well for me. I've thought about going back to it, but I do enjoy this too, so I'll keep at it.

Today was Week 2 (again) run 2 (again). My time was 41:46. I walked at a 3.9 and ran at 5.5. At the end I just kept running because I so want my time to be looking better!

I think I'm going to run again tomorrow. I hope I don't crash. I don't think I'll get four runs in this week if I don't. I'll let you know how it goes!

Thanks Tempting for being my running buddy, it sure makes a difference to report to someone!

~Shannon