So I'm Kathleen...and I just ran my first 5K today. I don't have the results yet, but they are somewhere around 37-38. Hopefully they will be posted soon.

Before working much towards the 10K, I'm going to focus on some speed work. I'll be working with a personal trainer for the first time in my life. Last week when we met, she said its really important to keep setting new goals or you will lose your motivation.

I think I can already run a 10K. I'm an endurance person, and when I finished my run (jog) today, I could have done the course again. That's why I need to work on speed...that's my mental block. And, as I work on speed, I probably will find the distance doesn't come as easily. (I'm a swimmer, which is why I have good endurance...running is new to me.)

I think when we discussed it last week, I will still have one day a week to work towards distance. I meet with her again at the end of this week.

My major accomplishment so far is to run a 5k in 40:40 with my two toddlers in a double stroller.

That is really impressive! Especially thinking of pushing that stroller UP the hills!!

I talked with my swim coach this morning (who is a runner) and she suggested I start with about five hill sections and doing that once or twice a week.

I know how far I can run in about 35- 40 minutes, so I'll take that same route and know where to add in the hills. I'll use the timer from week one at that part...run the hills for 60 seconds, then jog back down during the 90 second walk part. The goal is that each week I will get further up the hills in those 60 seconds. She said this will also help with my speed. This will make my run about 12-13 minutes longer (so a total of 45-60 minutes). If I get too tired, I have some ways to shorten the route.

I need to look at a B210K app to see what that program will look like and how I want to integrate that in with the hills.

Hi. I'm Lori.

I finished C25k the last weekend of December 2012 and jumped right into 5k to 10k. I used the active.com app for C25k so I am using that for 5k to 10k. I got to W6D2 on February 23 without issue. I just could not face running 50 minutes plus a five minute warm up and cool down on the treadmill. I hate running on the treadmill with a passion to rival the fiery hells. I want to be outside. I am good down to about 30ºF. But six weeks of snow every week has left the sidewalks of my running route impassable. So 5k to 10k is on hold until New England realizes tomorrow is the first day of Spring! I've contiinued to run twice a week. Since I am comfortable at 11 minute miles I've been setting the treadmill for 35 minutes to try and get a 5k in at 33 minutes or better.

I'll finish the program because I can't stand the thought of being a quittter. I am not sure if I will pursue increasing my distance, or just my speed. I lose interest in running around the 45 minute mark. I am not necessarily too tired or sore, just bored. I have kicking music on my iPod and run a pretty course. I am going to try changing up the course I use to see if that gives my interest a jolt. At least to get through the next three weeks of the program.

Good luck everyone!!

Hi, Lori.

Do you do other exercise?

Hi Kathleen -

I am very fortunate I have a gym at work. They offer classes everyday at either noon or 1:00. I usually get in six days a week exercising. My usual week is Monday run (has been treadmill, but will be outside by the Charles once the snow stops), Tuesday strength training - machines, Wednesday yoga, Tursday muscle blast (high energy, dynamic, hit every muscle group in 40 minutes class), Friday Zumba, weekend longer run (again, has been treadmill in gym at my complex, but will go back to outside ASAP).

I started running to train for a 10 mile race at Disney World in October. We've squashed that plan, although we are still making our annual pilgramage to mecca aka Disney. :blushing:

This week I skipped all weekend and yesterday. RIght now I have a stomach ache so am iffy on going downstairs to lift. I think I will anyway. I feel yucky having not worked out since Friday.

I enjoy running for an hour when I have time. What I'm really bad at is pushing myself at an "easy run." I could probably go a lot faster and maintain a conversational level of energy, but it's hard to stay motivated at that level for long. I'd probably do well to have a running partner, but that's a complexity I can't manage right now.

I'm not sure how I'd do running with my husband. Other than 2 5k's, we haven't run together since the early parts of C25k. I have my ipod loaded with my running mix. I try to have very up tempo songs ranging from 4-5 1/2 minutes each. It is a very ecclectic mix heavy on the 80's hair bands of my teenage years. I lose myself in my music and just go. Running to the tempo keeps my speed higher than what I do on the treadmill without me realizing I am going almost a minute per mile faster.

Hi, Petra. I'm glad you posted, too. I saw your photo listed on the "recently joined" lost over on the side.

Seems like lots of people want to work on speed immediately after finishing the C25K program. It's like we need a bridge to the bridge210K.

Hi my name is Mary and I finished the C25K program in Dec and really haven't run much since Christmas. The weather here was brutal and while I have access to a gym I just didn't go. Now it is Spring and although it doesn't look like we will see spring like temperatures for a few weeks it is in the mid 40s so I have no excuses. I have a love hate relationship with running, I love what it does for my weight loss and I see the changes in my body that I enjoy but when I'm running I have to constantly push myself to keep going. I am always reading about people who say they had a great run, and just forgot they were running. This has never happened for me, every step is still a fight but I want it so I keep going. I am still very overweight so I just keep thinking that as I lose weigh it will get easier!

Anyway, I'm not sure where to start at this point, should I redo part of the C25K app or should I just use the distance app and see how far I can run or should I move on to the Bridge to 10K? I like the idea of the 10K app, I like having a goal and I like that it changes weekly but I worry that I need to work on my endurance a little before I move on. I am considering running the Princess half marathon in Disney World in Feb so I need to keep running but I have time to work my way towards that goal.

It's nice to see people posting on this board again. Since this group was started I had another baby, who is now 7 months old. I'm still working on getting back in shape. Been running about 3 miles 3-4 times a week, not very fast, probably 11m miles.

I'll try to keep up with this board a bit better.

Currently doing my own butchered up version of c25K and b210K combined in to one awful experience. I've had some health issues, which the doctors are still trying to nail down, but I'm keeping it up the best I can.

Hello all. Glad to have found this group! You can put me in the "working on speed" camp. I started C25K in October and did most weeks twice, and took a week off, so I finished a couple weeks ago. Just in time for my first 5K race -- the Shamrock Run in Portland. It was super fun and I felt like I could have done the course again!

That experience made me realize I was ready to start looking at the 10K. My only thing, though, is that I am VERY slow. 15 minute miles are about as fast as I go. I think of my run as a "jog in place, with a little bit of forward momentum." When I read through the B210K program it looked like it would allow for speed work once a week, so I decided to go with it. If anyone knows of a great training program for improving speed, I'd love to hear about it.

Which reminds me -- I always run with active.com's C25K or now B210K program on my phone. I also have Runkeeper running because I like how it monitors elevation, pace, etc. and how it keeps track of it all on the Runkeeper site. But running both programs (plus my music) kills my phone and I'd love to pare it down. I'd love to hear what apps people use (if any) to monitor their training.

Sup everyone...Hey to my girl Vardaeml! 35:40! That was my time this past Saturday...

So anyway...for those who don't know me, I just finished my first ever 5K run on my birthday, this past Saturday. The time above was my finish time. Not to shabby for someone's first run. I am continuing on to 10K distance. I am scaling back just slightly, working on a program to get me running 4 days a week. One long run, 2 normal runs and a recovery run (which I will pair with my strength training). All in all I will be working out 6 days a week again.

I am going about this a little different. I am actually increasing my distance to get me up to about 25-30 miles a week running and then will look into increasing speed. I want to get that base milage built up and just get the time on the feet if you know what I mean. I am finishing this week out with two final 3 mile runs and the distance increase starts next week. It will take me about 4 months or so to build up the base (I posted a link and the article to what I am doing on another thread in the group).

My ultimate goal, for those who don't know this, is either half or full marathon. I haven't really decided what I want to do. I do know that I want to complete a 10K by the end of the year. Anyway....good to see the old faces who have ventured over from C25K, and nice to see new faces as well. Let the running begin! Ha ha! Btw....I have offically become obsessed with running!

Hi! I finished C25K about three weeks ago -- I'm in the in between stage where I can run for 35 minutes but I don't actually make 5K yet. It's getting closer though. My pace is between 13-14 minutes per mile. My first race is in a few weeks and I'm thankful it is a "run / walk" 5K. I'm racing with a good friend who is a few weeks behind me in the program.

I have been running about 2 years and started and stopped C25K three or four times-- I'm still kind of surprised I finished it. I never thought I would enjoy running as much as I do, I love being out in nature, I'm a bird lover. I ran all winter in New England and found out I like winter running much better than summer.

Personal wise, I live in New England, I'm 37 and sort of wish i had discovered my running side ten or fifteen years ago (when my ankles were younger -- heh) I'm a mom with 2 kids (6 & 9) glad I saw vardaeml's post and joined cheers!

I have heard of the eastern states 20, that's not far from here. It would be fun to go and cheer them on.

I think of my run as a "jog in place, with a little bit of forward momentum."

Hi! My name is Beth, and the above describes my situation exactly! At that pace I am capable of a 45 minute "run", but my distance covered has still not quite equalled 3.1 miles. I've come close, but no banana. I am signed up for 5K on the 5th of May.

I started C25K on Dec 28th and then got off-track for a few weeks. I picked it back up steadily in Feb. and joined a women's running club. I technically didn't finish because I skipped from the 20 min runs in week 5 or 6 and went straight to a 46 minute run.

I run 3-4 times a week but my cross training habits are spotty. I want to exercise every single day, but the reality is that I work full time at a job that demands more than a 40 hour week and I have three kids aged 13, 12 and 11 that also have very active schedules. I do not believe in eating out more than once a week, so fitting in home prepared meals also figures into the equation. My husband is very supportive (thankfully!) and shares equally in all the facial duties/activities. I do cherish my run time!!!

I'm also trying to get back to my pre-baby weight 11 years after my "baby" was born! My goal is my high school weight which was just inside the range of a healthy BMI, but never slim.

Some days are good some days are not. I have experienced that feeling of getting a groove after the first mile a few times before, and that helps keep me motivated. But the last few times out (I run outside in my neighborhood mostly against hills and wind in Northwest Pennsylvania), I have felt very clunky and "un-oiled" and never hit my stride. I'm hoping for better tomorrow.

"familial" NOT "facial"...darn auto correct!!!

Oh. Hmm. I was wondering what kind of facial duties your husband had. LOL.