Hey everyone! Well this week has been INSANE at work, working really long days, mentally exhausting, so unfortunately I haven't been able to run yet (hoping I may be able to squeeze one in tonight between work and school board meeting but not sure how the day is going to go yet). Anywho, running has definitely been on my brain though cause yesterday I signed up for my 1st 5K!!!! I'm so excited! It's August 30th, so I have some time left to finish C25K and then get up to the full distance (I'm running a 12 mm pace so it'll take me a few more weeks to get up to 37 minutes or so). I also have to start more road training, since all of my runs have been on a treadmill. I'm also going to have to be really disciplined the week prior to the race, because we'll be on vacation in Maine (the race is scheduled for the last weekend of our vacation). It'll be a challenge I'm sure, but I have no doubt that I'll finish. At my 12 mm pace I'm looking at 37.2 minutes, I would LOVE to finish under 35 but I'm really just concentrating on finishing and not worrying too much about time for this first race. Yay, this is so exciting!!

Jenner, you're going to do great! Keep up the good work!

W1D1 is in the bag. I'm glad to be exercising again!

W1D1 is in the bag. I'm glad to be exercising again!

Welcome! I've got you on our graph, so stick around!

Now for the Big Kahuna on Friday...8 minues ---> 20 is a bit of a jump, no?

At first, I thought the same thing. But then I realized that D2 was two 8 min intervals linked by a 5 minute walk. So, with a brief break, D2 has you running 16 minutes (plus the walking!) for a 23 minute workout start to finish. When I did the D3 run during week 5, I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. I just reminded myself to stay at a comfortable pace and keep moving. I really liked being able to finally just run without any stops. Since you found D2 to be fairly easy, I think thats a good indication that you are ready to do the 20 minute run without any problem!

What does the graph represent? Miles for the week? Thanks.

Nah - just which week of the Couch-to-5K program or One Hour Runner program you're on.

Now for the Big Kahuna on Friday...8 minutes ---> 20 is a bit of a jump, no?

Well, I had a terrible time with the jump from 8 to 20, but don't let that scare you! Really, I think I never made the connection between pacing yourself for a longer run. I think if I could go back and do it differently, I would have slowed my pace WAY DOWN for the 20 minute run. Instead I tried to go as fast as I had been going and tanked around 12 minutes, which was 4 minutes better than the longest run to that point, but not what I was shooting for. I say all that to encourage you, not discourage you. I can tell from your posts that you are a lot smarter than I was about pacing. You'll do much better than I did and I can't wait to read about it!

I love crazy weeks like this when everyone has great stuff to report. Jenner, you'll get faster with time and you'll have a blast with your 5K. I finished C25K earlier this month and I'm running my first 5K in early August. About a month between. Chup, it only gets better. Welcome to the C25K Gang. Goddess, you've trained for this big run. You'll be fine. It sounds scary, but you can do it and it will give you a huge confidence boost going into week 6. Meltchett, how awesome that you are graduating from C25K this weekend! I'm finding switching up my route and running new paths I haven't before is really freeing me up to add more distance.

Goddess - Yes, it is a big jump going to 20 minutes, but not as big as it probably is in your head. It took me a couple tries to get it done - which was discouraging - but then I was REALLY excited when I could do it. In retrospect I might have been able to do it the 1st time - but I had a cold and it was humid outside - and honestly I think it helped make progressing forward easier in the long run because I was essentially repeating the same work out several times. You can do it - and if the 1st try doesn't do it, you can try again There's no shame in having to repeat a workout (or a week for that matter) as long as you keep trying and making progress. Sometimes when I got upset about how slowly I was running or that I was having to repeat a week, I would remind myself that most 250 lb. 37 year olds don't decide to start running, and that I am essentially running with a 6th grader on my back whose weight would slow anyone down! Keep up the good work.