Yoga's good stuff. I keep trying to convince myself to do it but I'm not tough enough. Ran in a 5K Sunday, and boy was it great! It was a tough course, the wind was blowing, the hills were scary... I think they had teeth! ... and I ran more slowly than I did a few months ago. But you know what? After I finished, I got to catch my breath, go back a few blocks, and then run a friend of mine in to the finish line. I finished in 36 minutes... she in 46... which was good enough for 3rd in her age group (I think 65-70,though I didn't enquire too closely...)! A few months ago, I had a really terrible 5K race. I ran too fast, walked, ran, walked, always pushing, pushing, pushing. I almost threw up at the finish. It was miserable and I hated the entire thing. Well, almost the entire thing. The last 200 yards or so, a faster friend of mine who'd already finished his race met me on the course and ran to the finish with me. Having someone there who's cheering you on and telling you how wonderful you're doing when you feel like you just want to quit... is a wonderful thing. And I got to pass that wonderful thing on this weekend. She told me later that she probably would have just walked in, and that she was so glad I'd waited for her and run her in. It made a difference to her. So, guys, pass the torch on. Sometime in the future you'll be racing 5K's. And, sooner or later, you'll know someone who is slower than you. After you finish your race, if you have time, go back a block or four and meet them for their final run in. That last tenth of a mile is the toughest because you're already tired. Seeing a friendly face can really pick your spirits up... and your pace! You'll be there someday. Don't miss your chance! It feels really good to do that for someone.

Week one, day 2. I am able to run the full 60 seconds on the first interval, and I'm estimating about 40 seconds on the other 7 intervals. I hope to make that 50 seconds on Friday, so that I only have to do week one one more time.

Good job Ladyveg! You're already improving by leaps and bounds. Tomorrow I'll be back up to the last day I managed before being out with an "injury." Feeling good this time. A question: My original first race date was March 23rd. Now, with the 2 weeks off, I might not be up to running 5k nonstop in training by then. But I'd still like to run it, maybe, just for fun and to get a race in. I expect I'll be CLOSE to 5k runs, but not quite, and I know I should technically be running OVER 5k to make a race comfortable. The question is: Should I give up that March 23rd race? Or would it be okay to use that as a fun challenge/test for myself? Just not worrying about time? Happy silly v day, folks. Me, I've never been one for having one day of the year of love obligation... (Yes, I'm a Valentine's grinch! )

ladyveg... I can't see your log, but you might want to consider the possibility that you're running your intervals at what is too fast of a pace for you right now. It's not to say that your pace won't change with time, just that sometimes in order to be able to run for longer distances you have to slow down for a while. Everybody's body is different. When I started, if I ran faster than an 17-18 minute mile (yes, 17 to 18 minute mile!) I got out of breath really quickly and couldn't keep it up. Once I let go of my pride and slowed down to where I needed to be at the time, things got better. A lot better. I'm still way back at the back of the pack, but now I can run about a 13 1/2 minute mile comfortably. It just took some time.

Unfortunately, one side effect of slowing down drastically is that it changes the way you run... which uses slightly different muscles. Keep an eye on the soreness - hopefully it'll go away in a few days. And... (chuckles to self) ...because I have had such speed issues, it was over a year before I managed to finish a race ahead of all the walkers. Lucky for you I'm unusually slow and chances are pretty good you won't have this problem. If you do, make sure to join the group specifically set up for "turtles" - Back of the Packers. I love running - there's room enough for all skill levels!

Lookin' good, ladyveg. I find using the log to be a big motivator, so give it a try. Don't worry about all the walk intervals in the middle. If you can figure out about how far it is to run around the gym, you can figure out your walking and jogging rates with a simple watch. It's even easier if you use a treadmill. I like to at least subtract the 10 minutes total used warming up and cooling down, which I do just by dividing my walking rate by six and subtracting that from the mileage. I'd be curious to know if/when you decide to start logging and if you like it. And make your log public--it helps us help you! As for me, I did my W5D3 run today, the one that injured me last time. It was no problem--no pain, and I was even able to kick the speed up for the last few minutes to finish strong. Woohoo! Happy long weekend, everybody.