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EdTheGinge
EdTheGinge Posts: 1,616 Member
What's your running story ???
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  • VeeBethTris
    VeeBethTris Posts: 301 Member
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    Hi Ed :) thanks for starting the group. Well my running story is brief, so far, but barring injuries, I pray that this is just my beginning. I have always wanted to do a 5k, lost a bunch of weight walking last year, joined the Y on New Years, started the C25K the same day, and did my first 5k 3/9/13 in a 34:50. Not fast by any stretch but not slow for a beginner, and I am 50. I want to do a few more 5ks, then a 10k, and see how I feel. I am doing my first Sprint Tri in 3 weeks and that will be a true test of my fitness. I did a Y Tri challenge at my local Y Sunday, all indoor, and came in 5th overall in women's. NOT in my age group but overall :) During the running challenge, a trainer at the Y came up to me and asked me how long I was running. She told me I had a great gait, nice and light on my feet, made me feel great. I may be a 'runner' after all :) What's your story?
  • EdTheGinge
    EdTheGinge Posts: 1,616 Member
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    Haha that last bit is awesome, bet you loved hearing it.

    My story, well I lost 70lbs in about 4ish months and obviously had people saying how unhealthy that was and that I'd put it all back on once I started eating certain foods again. So I hit my target 24th Dec, enjoyed Christmas and then feeling guilty I went out for my first run in a few months (about 8mile) and thought 'hey let's do a half marathon' so I signed up for my local one which took place 24.03.13 and trained once a week and occasionally twice if my legs would allow.

    I managed to complete my Half in 1hour 45mins 34secs but enjoyed it and am hoping to get more in before the year is out. I want to complete a marathon by the time I'm 30.

    Welcome
  • sportzmom23
    sportzmom23 Posts: 103 Member
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    I am a former runner, high school track and cross country...then I fell off the wagon and became a married mom. Three kids later i was back to my starting weight, but not in shape. Started getting frequent migraines, started meds and gained 28 pounds in 6 weeks. Got ticked and depressed gained some more . Started running again on and off, nothing serious. Two years ago i was able to get off meds, and my home town area started a Half marathon. I wanted to participate, so i started training, had hip spur issues. Got that cleared up, plantar fasciitis last year. Finally got the foot issues cleared up, and started running while hubby was in pt for hip replacement. Did good til,the snow started, and I got lazy. End of January I was again saying i wanted to do the half (third year now) so I told a bunch of people, one was my brother who goaded me til I signed up. My goal, to finish it. Walking or running. I started training again, seriously now. My time won't be great, but I WILL finish :-)
  • SquidgySquidge
    SquidgySquidge Posts: 239 Member
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    Well done VeeBeth and Sportzmom23 :smile:

    My story is...I have never been hugely overweight, just flabby and lazy.
    When I went up to a UK size 12-14 (big for my 5'3 frame) I'd had enough.

    So I jumped on the NY resolution bandwagon and came to MFP.
    Wasn't feeling it for the first week then I made some friends like the lovely Ed and they have kept me motivated.
    MFP is now my favourite site, I used to be on Facebook all the time but MFP is way better :tongue:

    Anyway, I am lucky to have a local athletics group in my village and there are a large group of runners.
    I meet them twice a week at the village green, then we split into groups - walkers, walker/joggers, joggers and runners.
    Since January I have gone through the first 2 groups and promoted myself to the grand title of Jogger :smile:

    I ran in the Dublin 5k for Operation Transformation, done it in 37 minutes although I had a little cheat and walked up the hill haha.
    Since though I have been running 5k around the village once or twice a week.
    I'm signed up for a 10k in June...
  • EdTheGinge
    EdTheGinge Posts: 1,616 Member
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    Go Sportzmom go :)

    Give a helllllllllll yeah to Chelle
  • NCchar130
    NCchar130 Posts: 955 Member
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    I ran in high school and some in college (not competitively, just for exercise) and loved it. Yo-yo dieted my way up to 217 pounds before joining MFP. Had back surgery to repair a lumbar disk in 2009 so when I started losing the weight in July, I decided my reward to myself for getting under 200 pounds would be to start running again because it was something I really enjoyed back in the day.

    I thought I should start slow so I started C25K before getting good shoes (I got under 200 faster than I expected) and immediately pulled my hamstring. Waited for that to get better, got the right shoes, and decided to see just how long I could run and found I could go 20 minutes continuously already (this was in October 2012) so I skipped C25K and just started doing it. I tried to add on a minute or more each time until I reached 30 minutes. Then I started trying to complete a 5k run, even if that meant walking part of it. On my own, I have completed the 5k distance in about 30 minutes.

    Unfortunately, since December, I have had additional hamstring pulls, hip bursitis, and IT band inflammation. I went to an orthopedist in January of this year fearing I had reinjured my back (the affected leg is the same one with permanent nerve damage from my disk problem), went to physical therapy for a few sessions, bought a foam roller, stretch like crazy, but continue to have issues with all of the above.

    The last 5 weeks or so I've been focusing more on strength training and doing intervals with a jump rope for my cardio. I try to run at least once a week though or do a walk/run. I want to run a 5k race and a trail race this year. Looking forward to trying out trail running in the next week or two.

    I love to exercise but there just isn't a high comparable to a runner's high. I hope to get these injuries resolved because I'd love to run a 10k too!
  • kaperlinger
    kaperlinger Posts: 66 Member
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    I have never been a runner. In high school I played volleyball, basketball and ran track. By ran track, I mean I particpated in the sprints. I did get talked into an 800 a few times, but never anything further. I was prone to walk/run on the long runs at practice. I decided I finally wanted to lose weight this past September. I started out with a run/walk on the treadmill. Before I knew it I was able to run 8-9 miles once a week and average 5-6 miles the other 5 days. This last month I've battled illness and knee injuries. My goal when I joined my work weight loss group in January was to compete in a 5k and a 10k within our 6 months. When I realized I actually ran more than or at least that most days of the week I got it in my head to run a half marathon. The recent knee injuries have me second guessing myself, but when I get healthy I for sure want to compete. I didn't know I could enjoy running so much. It has become something I take pride in and I do it for myself only and that sense of accomplishment.
  • juliec33
    juliec33 Posts: 238 Member
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    Hi All!! I'm much more of a plodder than a sprinter. Sometimes I love to run and sometimes I hate to run.....but I always love the feeling I have after said run. I am also continually amazed at the people that you meet through running. Runners are really a wonderful group of people for the most part.

    I guess you could say that peer pressure set me on my path to running. I joined a bootcamp a little over 3 years ago....the majority our classes include a 1 mile run. I made some friends in the class and all of them run (one guy even qualified for Boston). I had found some genuinely wonderful people that were living the healthy lifestyle that I aspire to and I wanted to be one of them. I started running (my first goal was to be able to just make it around a very small parking lot) and they were accepting and encouraging to this turtle in the midst of hares. Fast forward 3 years - with multiple 5Ks, one 10K, two 8 milers, one 15K, one mud run, and 3 half marathons under my belt; I'm still the slowest in the group but that's OK. I finished my 3rd half on 3/24/13 with a time of 2:40.09. I won't win any races with that time but I was proud of it.......3 minutes better than the same race last year - and a new PR for the distance :-)
  • smikulicz
    smikulicz Posts: 15 Member
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    Hi everyone! I joined MFP at the first of the year to keep me honest in my eating habits after a bit of holiday over-indulgence got the best of me :-) (Have to say, I love the site and the holiday weight is gone.) I lost 50+ lbs nearly 12 years ago and took up running in 2009 after a year or so of boot camp-type classes. After the timed one mile runs of that boot camp, I started to realize that maybe I actually could run. For some reason, I jumped right in and signed up for a half having never run a race before in my life - and I've been hooked ever since. Fast forward to today, and I've done countless 5k's, halfs, and am currently training for my 6th marathon. I'm not the speediest of people - that's something I've been focusing on as of late, but I do my best and each time I race, my time is a little faster than the time before.
    I've made so many friends running, and I have to say that it's been a huge part of how I've kept the weight off over the years. I love talking to people who are just starting out - I remember my first 5k (34 minutes) and I love talking to people who are training for their first races.
    To the triathletes out there - more power to you. I've always wanted to do one, but need to get over an intense fear of drowning :smile:
  • Elliehmltn
    Elliehmltn Posts: 254 Member
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    Hi, nice to see a new running group!

    I'm getting back into running after winter layoff. I've been running on and off since 1983. I woke up one day realizing I was over 30, overweight, and maybe going crazy, and bought some running shoes and set out to run the distance between two telephone poles. I couldn't make it. It took me several days to be able to run that distance.

    I kept at it and don't bother counting telephone poles anymore :drinker:

    About 15 years ago I got into triathlons, and from there got more into just biking, but I'm working my way back into running. Running events like 5K's and10K's, and bike events like century rides, are so much less expensive than triathlons. Plus, I don't like swimming all that much.

    I have 3 grown children and 4 grandkids. I'm old :wink:

    But I'm still moving.
  • worstmomof4
    worstmomof4 Posts: 7 Member
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    Hi all. What a great group. I have been using MFP off and on for almost 2 years. In June of 2011 I started a weight loss journey and 15 months later in Sept 2012 I had lost 77 pounds, but still wanted to drop 20-35 more pounds.
    Growing up I was a 3 sport year round athlete through college(volleyball, basketball and track), was thin, tones and in shape, but never a "runner", just sprints. Then I had 4 kids, was tired, and barely struggling to get through the roller coaster life of parenting. I became a stress eater. I gained a lot of weight over 11 years.
    As far as my running story:
    I went on my first ever walk/run (SLOWLY) in Nov of 2011 and two weeks later on Thanksgiving I ran/walked my first 5K with my then 11 year old. Two weeks after that I ran my first 5k without stopping. I signed up for some local runs (a 3mile hill run and a 15k Shamrock). I was able to run longer, but still around a 12 minute mile. In May of 2012 I ran my first Half Marathon. I had felt nothing more than the need to show people that you can be overweight and still run or run/walk for fun, in races, or for exercise.
    This past Oct I fell completely off the wagon. I am now sitting at 50 pounds lost. I resorted back to old ways. Eating out and no exercise. :( A month ago with the Shamrock around the corner I decided to buy a new pair of runners and hit the pavement again. I wasn't real committed until that 9.3 mile run came. My friend and I ran/walked the whole thing and finished. It was so fun and was a great reminder why I loved running. And a great reminder that training for these races are SO much fun. So here I am overweight, but recommitted to eating healthy and get back in to running. I am currently only able to run about 1.75 miles without stopping and at a 13.5 min per mile pace. :( It's almost more of a mental battle because I was in a place where I could run longer without stopping. Some runs are good and others are not so great. I haven't signed up yet but hope to for the same Hlaf Marathon I did last year. Which is in 7 1/2 weeks. I look forward for some running support on this discussion board. Thank you for starting it. And I feel even more inspired after reading everyones posts.
    :)
  • jenniferldorris
    jenniferldorris Posts: 15 Member
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    SO excited to have a running group to visit with so a BIG thanks.

    I am a distance runner mostly but participate in any distance from 5K to marathon distance. I have completed 10 marathons and have qualified for Boston. I love running talk and helping others meet their running/fitness goals. My last race was the half at Little Rock a few weeks ago. I finished 1:54:37 not my PR but a decent time.

    I did my first triathlon this past Saturday swimming 300 meters without any swim training, cycled 5 miles and ran 2 miles I finished in 55:47 not bad for my first!

    Thanks for starting the group!
  • EdTheGinge
    EdTheGinge Posts: 1,616 Member
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    I got fed up of inactive running groups so here we are. Welcome and I love hearing the stories, top work everyone and feel free to set up posts.
  • donniesaurous
    donniesaurous Posts: 176 Member
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    4 months ago I couldn't even run for the bus! but on my late grandmothers 80th birthday I realised she would be so cross at me for using her death as an excuse to let myself get big and unfit! so I started a couch to 5k plan and it was tiring but at the end of 9 weeks I could plod along for 30 minutes! I was moving slowly but consistently but hadn't reached 5k in 30 minutes so i started over on week 1 of the pod casts again, but this time plodding where i used to walk and jogging where you're told to run. I'm half way through week 8 of the second set of pod casts and I can now jog 4.4k in 28 minutes! I've got another jog today and I'm going to push for another 100m!!
  • EdTheGinge
    EdTheGinge Posts: 1,616 Member
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    4 months ago I couldn't even run for the bus! but on my late grandmothers 80th birthday I realised she would be so cross at me for using her death as an excuse to let myself get big and unfit! so I started a couch to 5k plan and it was tiring but at the end of 9 weeks I could plod along for 30 minutes! I was moving slowly but consistently but hadn't reached 5k in 30 minutes so i started over on week 1 of the pod casts again, but this time plodding where i used to walk and jogging where you're told to run. I'm half way through week 8 of the second set of pod casts and I can now jog 4.4k in 28 minutes! I've got another jog today and I'm going to push for another 100m!!

    Sorry about your Gran, sounds like it truly motivated you. Sounds like you're kicking butt, baby steps and in know time at all you'll be flying around without thinking about it. Go out there and rock it today !!!
  • ContraryMaryMary
    ContraryMaryMary Posts: 1,659 Member
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    I'm never going to win any races but my pigheadedness will see me finish every one I enter. Ten kilometres is probably my favourite distance but I need to do a bit more work to get back to my pre-pregnancy PB of 56 minutes. I'm currently training for my 7th half on May 4th. More hill work required, and I need to start doing some serious speed work! It's so hard (and boring) by yourself. At least I have a great running pack for my long runs. Looking forward to hearing how everyone else tackles the challenges of training.
  • EdTheGinge
    EdTheGinge Posts: 1,616 Member
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    I'm never going to win any races but my pigheadedness will see me finish every one I enter. Ten kilometres is probably my favourite distance but I need to do a bit more work to get back to my pre-pregnancy PB of 56 minutes. I'm currently training for my 7th half on May 4th. More hill work required, and I need to start doing some serious speed work! It's so hard (and boring) by yourself. At least I have a great running pack for my long runs. Looking forward to hearing how everyone else tackles the challenges of training.

    I tackle training by sticking the tunes on, running watch on with Virtual Pal and for some reason smile as it relaxes me. I give myself something to work towards so I don't have an excuse not to train, hence the half marathons. I have another one in just under a week (that'll be 2 in 2weeks) and I'm hoping to beat my time of 1hour 45mins 34secs from sunday.
  • donniesaurous
    donniesaurous Posts: 176 Member
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    Smashed it! just shy of 4.6k in 28 minutes! though I'm going to ease up again on Friday, it was a hard slog at that pace!
  • EdTheGinge
    EdTheGinge Posts: 1,616 Member
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    Smashed it! just shy of 4.6k in 28 minutes! though I'm going to ease up again on Friday, it was a hard slog at that pace!

    So it took you the same amount of time to do 4.6km as it did when you did 4.4km, awesomeeeee stuff
  • stefa711
    stefa711 Posts: 196 Member
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    Hello Everybody!

    I am currently training for my second full marathon, however I'm training "from scratch". I ran my first marathon when I was 16 (seven years ago, yikes!). I guess I just let life get in the way!

    Anyway, I truly love to run and now I'm trying to get back to my former glory. I'm doing pretty well with my training so far. I was pretty upset with myself this morning, as I didn't do as well with my tempo run as I'd expected. Oh well, everyone has bad days and today was mine.

    My ultimate goal is to run marathons for the rest of my life and to never fall off of running again!