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[prairiedaun]

The Olympics and my anxiety about the doctor has inspired me. I'm going to try this Couch to 5K thing. I realize that I may need to repeat some weeks, but if things go according to plan I could actually get to 5k/30 minutes around my birthday and that seems like something pretty cool. And if not... well. I guess it doesn't hurt to try (unless I

Comments

[go_gentle]

good music helps me a lot. i actually, uh, make my own mixes and hardcode the beeps in, but whatever works for you.

week 4 sucks. (maybe not 4, but one in there.) it sucks for everyone. if you get to the end and it still sucks, do it again. it's not you, it's the program. better to get it solid-ish than kill yourself on week 5.

soreness is different from pain. running through soreness is okay. don't run through pain. that leads to more pain.

[prairiedaun]

I'm going to have to figure out the timing/music situation.

thanks for the info about week 4.

[go_gentle]

there are a bunch of sites/podcasts, i think, that will have that pre-done for you with an appropriately-tempo'd mix. not that i know where to find them, though google probably does. but if you want to diy it, audicity is fairly straightforward to use.

good luck!

[prairiedaun]

The NHS one I tried this morning was pretty good, if really generic.

[shihadchick]

Yeah, what Go Gentle said -- one of them, either week 4 or week 6 is a GIANT jump forward all of a sudden and it SUCKS. I couldn't actually get through it at that point, but I do also have an alternate but similar spreadsheet to bridge the jump between "run for 5 mins" and "run for like 15 mins" (which, who thought that was logical??) Let me know if you want a copy? <3

[prairiedaun]

I may take you up on that. Based on today, I wouldn't be surprised if week one takes two weeks, but whatever.

[shihadchick]

No probs! Just hit me up whenever. And it's definitely good to take at the speed that works for you, I think. I know I was stuck on week one for about a month because seriously, I couldn't run for more than about 20s when I started. So the fact you could do most of it the very first time is pretty bad-ass in and of itself, I think.

[prairiedaun]

I'm pretty sure I'll have to dial it back a bit tomorrow, it really feels like I overdid it. :(

But still, exciting!

[alaira]

This is super crazy awesome, and so are you! I haven't done the couch to 5K one, but I have done (several, ahem) Learn to Run clinics through Running Room. It really is amazing how much you can accomplish in a few weeks!

Remember to stretch when you get home. Okay, so I usually have a glass of water, collapse on the couch for a bit, and then stretch. It still works.

[prairiedaun]

Part of me is intrigued by the Learn to Run clinics, but the big thing for me with the C25K is I can do it on my own, away from other people. At least until I feel like I'm not embarassing myself. (I am usually a loner until I feel like I won't fall flat on my face in whatever I'm supposed to be doing with a group.)

I have been stretching. And eating bananas when I get home seems to be the best thing ever. And the shorts I bought today (oh god, I bought running shorts /o\) have pockets so now I shouldn't worry about what to do with my keys.

[alaira]

Hee, I think that /o\ about buying running shorts is on his head. \o/!

I totally understand wanting to get a handle on things before you start out with a group. For me, I needed the group around to keep me honest and to make sure I kept it up - see, currently, where I've gone for a run all of five times in the past year. :(

[prairiedaun]

are there any running groups you could look into in Edmonton? is the Running Room there too?

[coleman_genie]

Good for you! I never tried any learn to run programs, but I gather that a lot of people have had good success with them. For me, one of the biggest motivators for running is data. I have a Nike+ sensor to go with my ipod and I love being able to have a record of runs, times, paces and be able to see my progress over time. I sync the data with DailyMile, which is a nice site that lets you record that kind of stuff, even without a sensor or gps.

Agreed that one of the best things about running is that you can do it by yourself, without a lot of extra equipment. Good luck!

[prairiedaun]

of course you like the data. ;)