W8D3 pseduo-run last Friday afternoon. I was feeling better going into it, seemed like my shin splint issues were better than they had been...until I started to run. Made it 10 minutes before I could feel the pain starting (it still wasn't unbearable, but I could feel the beginning of it) and I said, the last time you ran through pain like this you benched yourself for a week and a half (that would be back in W3 when I hurt my knee). So I made the smart decision to stop them, hop on the bike for awhile so I could feel like I got my workout in, and call it a day. So I iced my legs that night, popped solve aleve. Woke up Saturday with very little residual pain (which is great cause normally it hurts worst first thing in the morning, walking downstairs)....then I headed out for a round of golf with DH and after 2 or 3 holes my legs were really hurting....I had to walk super slow and I was frustrated and pissed off all at the same time. Got better around the 9th hole and finished out 18 pain free. This morning I'm at the point I was last Friday (I think) in terms of what my legs feel like, so I'm going to take one more rest day and attempt W9D1 tomorrow. The last week! OMG I'm psyched that I made it this far, and just hoping and praying I can finish without injury. The most important thing though is to stay injury free, so I'm not going to push myself this week beyond what I think is safe. On a related note, my sister (a PT assistant) is going to show me some techniques for taping my legs to help with my 5K on 8/30. Unrelated tangent: Yapper, is that your dog in the picture? Hehe, looks just like mine all passed out in the comfy couch

Ran W3D1 (modified, accidentally ran 3 sets) of C25K with Copper this morning. I feel tired but not exhausted. Once again a truck whizzed by on short length of road that I cannot avoid and the dog ran into me. This time we were walking and no harm was done. I may have to switch to running earlier in the day or head to a track. The good point there is that I would no longer feel compelled to check the progress on a decaying squirrel on that same stretch of road.

Hey Jenn - You and I are at exactly the same place in Cto5k! Regarding the shin splints: Somewhere on RA, I read the following advice. While sitting, keep your heel on the ground and tap your toes. I do this at work while sitting all day long and it's so simple and has really helped release the tension in those little muscles at the front of my lower leg and the result is that the feeling of having impending shin splints has gone away for me. So simple, but apparently effective. How often does that happen? Two other things that I did were to switch over to a local trail. It's partially paved and partially packed sand/fine gravel. I also got some superfeet greens to put in my shoes. At the end of W5, I was really starting to feel some pain in my knee, my PF was acting up a bit and my shins were starting to get sore. Those first five weeks were run on cement sidewalks (just about the hardest surface for running). I also got a foam roller, though I haven't been using that religiously. How did you do on that round of golf? I haven't played in a few summers - I had to back off because I was making myself crazy. The more I practiced, the worse I seemed to get. I just love going out to play on a quiet day, walking a pretty course, etc. I do miss it.

My wife and I are doing C25K together. ...snip... We also signed up for our first 5K, held on 9/14/08. It's nice to set up goals past the end of the program to motivate us to keep going.

I wish my husband would have done the program with me. But he "hates" running! Or that's what he says. I think it's great that you two are doing it together - I'm sure it makes it easier when one or the other isn't quite into it on any given day. I totally agree with you about the race and long term goals. This is the third time that I've started Cto5k and the first time that I'm going to finish it (at the end of this week!). I have a race scheduled for September and some tentative goals for annual races that I'd like to do next summer. This is the first time I've done the program and logged it here online. I think the support from groups like this has also really helped me focus on staying with the program.

Thanks for the comments! It's too bad that neither of your spouses have been interested in joining you on the runs. It definitely helps keep me honest and on-track. Another reason that we enjoy it is that that we both work rather long hours, so by running together we steal a little more time to be with each other. That makes it much easier to get up when the alarm clock goes off on running days.

I didn't think to check my watch until well into the sixth minute, either time.

Oh, I LOVE when that happens. It's the best feeling when you forget about the time and when you look down you realize how long you've been running and that you're almost done! Good luck killing that 20 minute run. You'll do just fine.

W6D2 done today. A little rougher than I expected, but it was partially because I was running too fast by accident for part of it. I have to say that while I love the Ullerey podcasts in general, today's was a little scary. For the non-uniform weeks he does all 3 days in one - so after I'd started cooling down after my last run, and was fairly pooped, Robert popped into say "day 3, just a few more minutes left" and I was like... ugh can't wait for the 25 minute run day 3. On spousal running - My wife has no interest in running whatsoever which is kind of sad, as I think it'd be really fun to go on a nice long easy Sunday run together (you know sometime in the future when I can actually do a nice long easy run). But she does go the gym and hit up the eliliptical, do pilates etc. all the time and is honestly in way better shape than I am - she just thinks running really wrecks her knees. I think if she eased into it really slowly, she'd be fine... but I don't think I'm going to win her over anytime soon. Unlapsing - sorry about your bunny, that's really sad