awesomesue

Any tips to help make the dreadmill not so, um, dreadful would be awesome. LOL That would help me not avoid it or loath it as much. Running on the tm is better then not running at all however it is a lot easier for me to justify waiting for tomorrow.

Thanks! I was super excited.

Here is the best part....you keep coming back and keep trying. That is a win vs throwing in the towel and saying to heck with it because you are not meeting all your goals. You are working on them. I say that is determination/persistence. So you have proven despite Mondays for you, you still keep trying the rest of the week. You had trouble running so you found an alternative. IMO that is awesome! This is corny as heck but when I was a teenager decades ago I had a plaque given to me. I liked it but hid it from my friends thinking it was uncool, not that I was cool by any stretch of the imagination. It said "Aim for the sun. You may never reach it but you will soar higher then if you never tried." Many many years later I returned to college. In one of my last courses we had an instructor set an impossibly high standard even according to him. He said he did this so we will do more then we thought was possible. Also he wanted to prove to each of us that we are capable of more then we believed. I pulled an A and realized I could do grad school. I had other friends that also walked away feeling more confident. I had friends struggle but they still learned they can do more then they believed even if they did not get the A they wanted. I will never forget that course and what all of went through.

Definitely let me know how it goes phobucket. I figured I had time to train up to the distance so that is why I am doing it. Plus it will give me an extra level of confidence. However it gives me a cushion if I need to back off mileage. Pretty exciting to think about running a first half marathon. I can not imagine the relief when I finally cross that line. Running, walking, crawling or rolling (hopefully not LOL!)...I will get past that line.

Great start to week 5! Walked 2 miles at lunch (not part of goals) which felt really good on my legs. I was sitting at work more than usual and they were getting tight/stiff. Strength trained (20 min hotel room workout), and I stretched for 15 minutes late in the evening. I also worked on 5 min of planks/handstands and almost held a plank for an entire minute. Wow. I made some weird noise that had my husband in another room asking if I was okay and even my daughter in her room upstairs did the same. LOL I was determined to hold as long as I could even if meant strange sound effects. More storms expected for today (day 2) so again running may be thwarted. I loath the treadmill. For me running is purely for me and when I hop on a tm it becomes about getting in the distance. Strange there is such a mental shift between the two but there you go. Things improve tomorrow so I see running and biking to work in my very near future. Today I predict a walk at lunch even if it is pacing in buildings and more stretching tonight. Due to storms and having a late night as a result I missed my alarm clock. If I had been up I could have ran this morning but I wasn't and didn't so I can not dwell on what I should/could have done. Just need to focus on right now and what I am doing and what I can do the rest of the day. Week 5 totals: 1/2 strength, 0/3 running, 1/2 stretching

Thanks again! I looked at my husband and said we could invest in ourselves now or pay doctors later. He agreed of course now was better then later. LOL He is the one that found NF. He likes running but not distance. Started seeing you could get great benefits and have fun sprinting. Thus he stumbled on NF, kept reading the site and talking to me. Next thing I know I was reading it and here we are today. We had to wait about 6 weeks after he joined for me to due to our finances not that NF is expensive. There is so much info provided in general I was learning a bunch before I joined. Throw in the awesome forums I was slow to jump on and wow...so much good stuff going on here! He was loving the academy so much and it seemed like investing for me to join made sense.

Thanks! I was shocked when recording everything just how many miles were covered. 1 here, another there, really add up. Plus it was good to do a longer run for me. Looking forward to running 5 this weekend.

I like the distance idea like your wife. I try and stretch several times a week (slow full body stretching in the evening) and strength training 2-3 days per week. I bike to work most days. I am on my feet at work and with little effort can nail 5 miles a day but I still try and walk 2 miles outside of work. We are visiting my parents so I am running in the mornings before they get up. We are early risers in general and this is a nice way to enjoy the area and some quiet time.

I looked at his plan. Read one of his books too. Definitely like much of what he had to say.

Very cool. Nope not on the Garmin website. I keep track on dailymile mostly and now using my battle log. Lately I have been lax with tracking. Not so anymore. Pen and paper along with dailymile really helps me think about my food and how much I do/push myself. While working toward the needed mileage I will be in Florida missing possibly 2 long runs. I have accounted for this in the schedule I am working with however I will still be running a couple miles a day in the meantime and maybe a 5 mile run while there. We are driving there and it seems kind of tricky on how it will all work out. I do leave it sort of open and I may fit in a mile run one day a week in general. My husband has been working on sprinting and it is really fun so I may do that one day a week for no more than a mile. I had been running 3 days a week after backing off when I found I could not run the original half. I ran 4 yesterday and it was not unduly hard. Challenging yes and I was tired but not overwhelming so I feel comfortable going back to how I was doing things. In looking at my schedule it appears I have a couple weeks built in that I do not run as far before Florida and then while in Florida. I am curious to see how they help now! Basically here is my plan for the next weeks: 1: Run 2.5mi for 3 days and long for 5 2: Run for 3mi for 3 days and long for 6 3:Run for 3mi for 3 days and long for 7 4: Run for 3mi for 3 days and long for 5 5: Run for 3-3.5mi for 3 days and long for 8 6: Run for 3-3.5mi for 3 days and long for 9 7-8 (Florida): Run 3 miles 3 days each week and 5 one day 9: Run for 3.5mi for 3 days and long for 9 10: Run for 3.5mi for 3 days and long for 10 11: Run for 3.5mi for 3 days and long for 11 12: Run for 3.5mi for 3 days and long for 12 13: Run for 3.5mi for 3 days and long for 13 Taper week into the Half Marathon Of course I am always open to suggestions/critiques/tips.

Kept to the plan yesterday. Stretched in the evening, ran 4 miles earlier (it was rough but I did it with a bit of walking), and over the course of the day walked 4 miles (2 1mi dog walks and one 2 mile walk just because it was lovely out). Perfect ending to a great week. Taking a rest today. Will most likely stretch, walk a couple miles at lunch since I did not ride my bike into work due to projected thunderstorms during my ride home, and I am keeping the possibility of some strength training open for later depending on how my body feels. I am on my feet most of the day at work so again not sure if I will strength train today or not.

So in the past 3 days I had 2 runs (2 mi and 4 mi), walked a total of 10 miles, stretched 2 days (15-20 minutes of total body stretching before bed), and did 5 rounds of the Konami Code workout. A bit of popping and creaking today but it is all good.

My hound dog snuggled nose down in a blanket which is his favorite thing to do besides run with me.

Love the pict's and as always what else can I say but AWESOME job. Only a few pieces of candy is better than the whole bag. Win! Rest days are good days. Amazing sunset. I could sit there for hours.

Thanks so much everyone! Are you logging your training virtualmonkey? I would love to follow your progress and you too Karrie. I definitely run for distance but yeah an hour for 4 miles is not the easiest to digest mentally. it will get better and I will improve with time/experience is what I keep running through my mind so it is not as daunting. Most plans have said to work on completing the first distance and not worry about time but I see your concern Karrie. That would stress me out too. Of course I know I want to finish and not be last either. LOL I know someone at work that runs marathons. She has a training partner that she runs with weekly. Her partner recently switched to a run/walk in his training and has PR'd his last marathon. For me I am working on distance for sure but I am also using walk breaks as needed for 1-2 minutes. Until I can run nonstop (which is a goal to be able to run 5 and then 10 miles without a break) I am amazed at how much this helps me complete the distance and not be toast later. Not that I track time like more serious/skilled runners, afterall I am working merely on distance right now, I do use an app to track distance and it does show average pace. Adding a bit of walking increased my pace by 1-2 minutes per mile. No joke! I walk briskly but it allows my legs a moment to recover and for me to drop my heart rate.

Wow she is rocking it! Krazy is fitting, but crazy is good right?

ooppps posted early...meant to quote!

Sometimes updating is so fun! I have had so much fun with my family. We have been more active and simply enjoyed our time together. Hoping to get in some fishing this evening. In the past couple days, outside of my normal walking, I managed another 6 miles. I went on a fantastic bike ride for fun yesterday. No one else wanted to ride but that was okay. It was gorgeous out. I rode for about an hour covering 12 miles. I also stretched again, ran 2 more times, and strength trained. I want to strength train again today but since I put off my second session until yesterday I will not push it. I can not believe it but goals are met with 2 of them crushed. I still have another run for today which I am heading out shortly to do! I want about 4 miles and basically if I still feel really good I will run more to see what I can do currently. That means more stretching tonight. So with my plans for today included her are my totals: Week 4 totals: 5/2 stretching, 4/3 running, 2/2 strength....AWESOME! I want more please. LOL No weight loss this week but I am stronger so I am thinking I put on muscle. My push ups have noticeable improved this week and I can see a difference in the shape of my arms and calves. I went from 8 lb bent rows to 15 lb so I take that as a definite win! Turns out I have exercise induced asthma right now and I have yet to remember to use the darn inhaler which has cut runs short. I will be using it today. I have had to keep runs shorter and not challenge myself on bike rides due to working so hard to breath. I have felt I had more in me, more in my legs but again breathing is good! Finally started that darn battle log. I will be posting today after my run to track distances and so on. I decided I am going to work on handstands. Hey I realized in the midst of this challenge I do have time to do these things. 5 minutes a day is no big deal to work on handstands. I feel better mentally with how I have been able to prioritize things. I like waking up earlier although workouts do not necessarily happen. I am happy to be waking up and out of necessity will start running and thus doing other workouts at that time. Last week on a couple nights I had plans to do something goal related and yet things went cockeyed and ultimately did not have time unless I wanted to be too tired to do it well. That helped me realize that it may be best to workout early in the morning. That way there is less chance of not doing it due to suddenly needing to go here and there and take care of this and that sort of events. Also anything I do in the evening (fun bike rides, walks, extra workouts within reason) would be a big bonus to my overall health. Now both my husband and I have signed up for the academy. Pretty cool. I had the crazy idea to work on some goals together. No matter what and how much we support each other our fitness goals and how they are achieved are an individual act. However I realized there are some goals that take both of us to prevent excuses. So we are going to set little goals such as: 1. Not waste any food for a week. This means eating what we have before it goes bad despite how much we do not feel like having it. Being creative at those times to find ways we are happy we ate it. We are both competent in the kitchen.No eating out for a week.Going to the rec center twice a week with kiddo as a family (good time together although we plan on own visits)I think you get the point. Just pick one and work on it for a week or two. Meet that goal and try it for another week or add another goal or try another goal . Little successes. Money is super tight for us (one income) and we struggle to pay bills. So not only would this be a bonus for our health but we will benefit from saving money too!

Hey you did not give up inspite of your headache and still did something good for you. Way to go!

Okay I am excited and terrified since on Oct. 4 I will be running my first half! The most I have ever run was 7 miles a month ago but my average run is 2-3 miles. I am super slow right now. I have only been running for almost a year. I am still working on improving my health/fitness. I have looked at different programs to follow but am not sure which one to follow. I have to listen to my body closely (have RA) and I seem to want to combine two different programs. Do you have to follow one set program or can you gradually increase miles each week and be okay? My goal is to finish and I have little doubt I will be able to complete that distance. I am unsure the best way to get there.

I have been keeping a pen and paper log but I decided I wanted to post here to help with accountability. Right now I am working on being healthy and running my first half marathon. I have RA among other fun things but currently it is all under control. Better yet, the healthier I am the better I can handle those times when things are not in my control. LOL My longest run has been 7 miles but I backed off training. This week I will see where I am at distance wise. I have been running for almost a year. I will be doing a half in October...wish me luck! Current measurements (inches): Neck: 16 1/4 shoulders 18 3/4 chest 44 1/4 biceps 12 waist 43 1/2 hips 47 1/2 thigh 25 3/8 Weight 198.4 lbs

Home yesterday with a bad headache. Ugh. Felt a tad better in the afternoon so I tried a run. I forgot to use the inhaler (exercise induced asthma at times) that I just got for the first time. It was humid and breathing was not fun. So the fun was only 2 or the 3 miles I wanted to do. Tomorrow will be 3-4 miles so no worries. As an added bonus I stretched again last night so that goal is crushed for the week! Week 4 current totals: 3/2 stretching, 1/3 running, 1/2 strength I have realized that I was fairly active before but I was not doing what I wanted but what I thought I ought to do AND I was not challenging myself enough to keep it fun. My main goal was to do something active daily but I was already doing that. I walk so much and bike. I was running 3-4 days a week with a sprinkling of strength. But NOW I keep my workouts challenging and have fun with it. I still have flexibility in what I do but how I do it is what I focus on. Good quality and challenging is what keeps me interested. Doing all this makes it so much easier to eat better. I know when I was originally working on a half marathon I was dropping weight because I ate so cleanly. I wanted the best fuel for my body. Now I just crave that because I want to push my workouts. Keeping RA at bay and being able to really push myself is such an amazing feeling. Took pictures yesterday of where I am at and was not too keen on looking at them. I then went for my run super self conscious of how I looked. Then as I started to run I was happy. During my warm up walk (walking to the area I wanted to go for a shady run) I was thinking I was running to loose weight then I realized um NO! I run because I sincerely enjoy it. It is FUN! Of course I have become and continue to become fitter as a result but running is so much for me. When I push a new distance (super easy since I still am a new runner) I love the determination I can call on to complete it. I also love the emotional release at the end when I find I could do it. This sounds silly but I walked through the grocery store to grab a couple items after completing 3.5 miles for the first time teary eyed (cried a little for joy before going in). You would have thought I won a marathon. LOL Husband took pictures as well. It is now something we use to motivate ourselves. When temptation snuck up (quick and easy fast food as we were heading out to visit family) he said "don't make me get those pictures back out!". I laughed so hard and made a very good food choice. We raided the fridge and made a tasty meal.

Way to go! That gym membership sounds like it was such a fantastic investment.

Don't you love all the support and encouragement found on this forum? I will definitely take your advice and do sprints with hills. Most of where I run has what I consider hills. LOL

It was a blast last night. Still feeling it but in a good way. I have to say after not being able to do the man-makers but being able to do the individual components just tells me that if I keep at it then before you know it I will be doing it in one fluid movement. Just another challenge like leveling up my Angry Birds Workout. Yep I did stretch again last night as promised. Felt amazing. Thanks for all the encouragement so far. Certainly helpful in addition to reading about others and their struggles/successes. Just heard back from the event organizer and I am going to be doing the half marathon on October 4th (http://www.runlikeagirlcolumbus.com/). Super excited and now need to fine tune (almost spelled it "toon" LOL) my training plan. Wow, absolutely excited. Just thrilling to think of working toward that event and eventually an ultra and a triathalon.