C25K day 1, down... and hi

[kathryne]

I've been reading the blogs and getting the emails here for a while and thinking about what I wanted to start doing and when would be the perfect time, etc etc... and then I came home really pissed off today, and went out for a walk, and just decided to click into the C25K app I'd downloaded. And damn, that kind of sucked, but I feel so much better for having done it, so. I guess I've hit the point where I'm ready to do something different.

A bit about me: I'm 28 and just finishing up a PhD in media and cultural studies. That means I spend 95% of my time sitting at a computer. Trying to finish the damn thing has meant that this year so far has been a real wash in terms of eating well. I've been in less-than-great-shape for a while, but now I'm starting to feel it and notice that it's harder for me to do certain things. And that's not okay! I'm determined to stop waiting to lose weight before I do interesting things: I'm going to do interesting things AND lose weight.

Goal for the moment is to complete C25K. I know I won't do it in eight weeks, but hopefully not much more than that. After that, who knows! (Well, the summer's other goal is to GET the PhD.) I have a wedding to attend in October that I'd like to look kickass for, so I will probably set a secondary goal then and maybe get into some lifting/exercise classes...

[Book]

That's a great way to introduce yourself to NF! Best of luck on the C25K. My fiancée did it and loved it. Keep us in the loop!

[joeyb]

With C25k, just slow down. Start at a slow speed, build up the endurance, and work on speed later. You'll actually start to enjoy your runs if you are able to do that. Also, don't be afraid to move onto the next level. Maybe you can only do 4 of the 6 intervals once you move up. That's fine because the next time you will be able to do all 6.

[kathryne]

Thanks, guys!

It's hard to try and slow down, even though I'm nowhere near good enough shape to run fast. I know I need to work on endurance, but I just want to leap right into moving quickly. Definitely working on that - thanks for the reminder, joeyb!

[msuroo]

Thanks, guys!

It's hard to try and slow down, even though I'm nowhere near good enough shape to run fast. I know I need to work on endurance, but I just want to leap right into moving quickly. Definitely working on that - thanks for the reminder, joeyb!

When I first did C25K, the only speeds I had were ambling or booking it. I think this is one of the problems with the C25K approach (or at least, it was for me) - since there was always a walk break right around the corner, I pushed it too hard during the running sessions. I actually ended up hurting myself from running too hard. Anyway, C25K is great, so I'm not saying to ditch it or anything - just go slow...way slower than you need to (it took me a really long time to get this right).

Also, keep us up to speed on your progress in the Scout's Field - and help us Race Across the Sahara!

Welcome to the Rebellion!