Sorry. Starting the weekly thread a little late. And I'm getting more and more obsessed with the idea of getting a Garmin for my birthday at the beginning of March. (Modified to include my W5D1 report) Today was W5D1 for me, and it was a PUSH. Wow. And usually I do the 5 minute cooldown at 4mph (treadmill), then a minute at 3.5, a minute at 3, etc. down to a minute at 2.0. By the end of that, my heart rate according to the machine is usually in the low- to mid-120's. Well, today I couldn't seem to get my heart rate below 135, even when I walked for THREE minutes at 2 mph. I also felt a funny feeling right below the inside of my kneecap, which makes me think I was starting to run on my bones instead of my muscles. It didn't hurt, exactly, but it certainly didn't feel right, and I don't want to be developing an injury. I take it that's a sign I'm pushing too hard? My goal is to do the whole C25K without repeating weeks, but for W5D2, I think I may have to slow down my run. I've been doing the run parts at 5.4 mph, and my goal is to finish my first 5k at the end of March in under 36:00 (trying to be extra-conservative), so I'm running faster than tempo already. I have some leeway, then, in pace.

Thanks, Wingz. That running calculator is really interesting. Of course, being the stubborn person I am, I didn't take your advice (although, in my defense, I didn't get your post until after my workout). I went into the gym today thinking I'd start out W5D2 at the same pace as usual, and just listen to my body. If my knee felt funny, or I just felt horrible again, I'd slow it down or (god forbid!) stop. Well, today felt GREAT! I mean, it was a challenge, but I got through it just fine, and my heart rate slowed even FASTER than normal! My knees were a bit sore, but I had biked to and from work (save the earth) and it's a bit chilly. They certainly didn't twinge at all. I did the whole workout at my regular speed! Maybe I'm being unwise. Okay, PROBABLY I'm being unwise. But if I feel okay, I'm going to keep on truckin'. It really seems to me like, in training, there should be a balance between listening to my body and HTFU. I'll try my best to toe the line and not get injured, but I'll also try my best to push myself out of my comfort zone. Yay for a good run today! And thanks again, Wingz, for your advice and the link. And feel free to roll your eyes at me.

Hey all--I tried to post yesterday but my internet connection ate my post!! I ran Week 9 Day 1 on Tuesday, but haven't run since. I ran outside instead of my usual treadmill run--I was running on asphalt and dirt AND also running way too fast when I checked my Garmin at the end. It was my first run with my new Garmin 205. So those two elements gave me a case of shin splints, the first lasting soreness/injury I've had since starting C25K. The soreness didn't go away till Thursday, but I was tremendously lazy on Thursday. And I've been lazy ever since. I will re-do Week 9 starting Monday Jan 21. Thanks for reading!

My running report for this week is blank. I had an out-of-twon friend visiting Mon-Tues, then another one Wed-Fri, worked all day Sat, today (Sun), and tomorrow. Emotionally, I needed the rest. Physically, though, ugh. I am working towards trying to train adequately for a trail half-marathon that's taking place in late April. To do this, I created my own evil plan. (It's always all about the "evil plan," bwah hah hah ... ) In it, I am gradually increasing my weekly mileage... with a goal of around 20 MPW. I'm doing a long run every week... on trails since that's the surface I want to run on. The long run is gradually getting longer too. In essence, I don't think training for a half-marathon is that much different than training with the couch-to-5K program. The *volume* of running is more, but the same principles apply. 1) Increase distance too quickly and you'll get hurt. 2) Distance is more important than speed. 3) Patience patience patience. 4) You have to follow a steady, gentle progression in order to get where you want to go without hurting yourself. 5) Listen to your body - when it tells you it needs to rest, do so! Next week, I'll be running what I thought I was going to run this week. Hopefully my little break won't hurt. Janell

I wish I had followed everyone's advice and been more patient. I've been off RA for a couple days, partly because I'm embarrassed to report that it looks like I've injured myself. I'm afraid it might be a stress fracture. I'm really really bummed and embarrassed, but I'm going to FORCE myself to take a week off, do RICE, and hope the hot spots on my shin bone go away. If not, I guess I'll have to go to the doc.

I got a stress fracture in week 4 or 5 the last time I did C25K, two years ago. I actually thought it was a knee problem -- my knee hurt, and my regular doctor thought it was bursitis. Then I went to see an orthopedic surgeon a few weeks later (he was a popular guy and I couldn't get an appointment any earlier), and an MRI proved that it was actually a stress fracture in my tibia right below my knee. I had continued to follow the program as usual and it was healing on its own, so the orthopedic surgeon told me to continue with what I was doing, just to get off the sidewalk and onto the concrete. However, he said that I couldn't increase my mileage for a while (so I couldn't start the Hal Higdon program I'd planned) and he didn't let me run the 5k I'd signed up for to celebrate the end of C25K. So I finished W9D3 and stopped running altogether. That's my stress fracture story. Don't end up in my situation, obiebyke! I wish I would have spent the last two years running, rather getting fat again. I should have rested more and I shouldn't have let the injury get me down. Weekly checkin: I did W5D1 yesterday and it sucked. Terrible shin pain when I did walk intervals, but not when I ran (!). Thing is, I feel fine today. I think I'm going to take an extra day off anyway, and keep doing shin exercises.

Whee! Week 9 Day 1 successfully repeated! Treadmill again - warmup/cooldown - 4mph @ 4% incline, 3 miles straight in 36 minutes No problems!