Running tips

My best tip? Look down the road at when you'll finish C25K, and register for a 5K. There is no better motivation than knowing at the end of the program you'll pin a number on your front and put your training into practice! I did my first race a year ago, and I was hooked. (And by "race" I mean "I enjoyed having a lot of fast runners around me while I slowly ran in the same direction, praying I wouldn't be last.)

I'm still slow, but I will never stop running!

Awesome running music! I find if I chose songs with an amazing beat I feel more motivated!

congrats at starting the program it really does work.. i am 37 and never ran before last november ever. i'm running around 15 miles per week now. The best advice i can give you is dont give up. From what i have seen and from my personal experience somewhere around week 5 or 6 you will have a fail day. it'll be one run that you go to do and for whatever reason you wont be able to get through it. dont give up just redo that day until you get comfortable with it, kinda take on a conquer it all attitude. Other than that is you should have and trouble with chin splints there is a great technique to workign them out. Sit in a chair with your feet straight out in front of you. Write the alphabet with your toes in the air. If you do this 2 to 3 times a day you will get over any chin issues that may come up. Stay hydrated and you'll be fine.. Good luck to you..

I'm more of a jogger than runner, but I love listening to music when I go to the park. You can download a podcast on iTunes called IndieJogCast. It's really neat and the itensity of the music goes with what speed you're running!

stretch your legs especially
hamstrings arms, core and even
your neck loosen up if possible
listen to some rap or hip hop I'm more of a rock girl also
don't drink a lot of water before an
activity it will make you water
logged and could make you slower
and make the task harder.
also
focus on something else, if your
legs start to hurt.. sing a song or
count numbers. i always spell when
i'm running. plus it gets in me in a
nice pattern to run/breathe. also,
try not to look down.. its harder to
run when you're focused on the
ground!
Best of luck!

Things I find work best for me:

Good fast beat music (and get new songs as rewards)
I almost exclusively run outdoors & in the AM before anyone wakes up
Early on I learned to focus on my breathing - 3 count in, 3 count out.
Take it slow, it's not a race
Repeat weeks/days if necessary
Let your mind go while running
I need to stretch before & after each run - although a lot of people only stretch afterward
I started out with eating something small before a run (1/2 banana), but later stopped eating anything... so follow your body signs
Because I run right after I wake up, I lay out my clothes to avoid any "excuses" in the AM

I just started the Bridge to 10K - the program that you can do after you finish C25K and I like it!!!! ME?!?!?! Running for 30 minutes at the end of C25K? I thought it was a joke....it was no joke.

Yes, of course, stay hydrated. I'm not a big fan of those belts that hold water bottles (they kinda remind me of fanny packs), so I make sure to drink 30 min before a run (then pee! lol) and at least 4 cups of water after.

Try out different things - Try a treadmil then try running outside and see which one you like better. Chances are, you'll love one and want to do that all the time but will still be able to do the other when forced.

Remember that no one is looking or judging you! This was SO hard for me to grasp. I would think that people were analyzing me and wondering why that fat girl even bothered. Sooooo not the case. I love running the trails and seeing people run. The majority of the runners will wave or smile at you and it totally makes you feel like you're one with them...aka, a runner! It's great.

Do not be intimidated by the increases in running time. YES!!! You can run 8 minutes straight....YES!!! 20 minutes of running is doable. If you need to, slow down, but do NOT stop!!! Push yourself! Runners push themselves, and you're a runner!

Best of luck to you!

I see two sweet little ones in your pic, so, if you are pushing them in the stroller, make sure to take snacks or toys for them because otherwise you will hear "why are you going slow? go faster! can we go to the park? why aren't you talking?" the entire time. Or, at least, that's what mine do.

Get some good music, drink lots of water, take in some protein after your run, and go when it's cool out.

I started the program early June, I have never been a runner and find that I am enjoying this. I am struggling with week 4, and will repeat it. For me I enjoy that time to myself, I wake up at 630am and am out the door by 645, mind you I have never been a morning person. But I enjoy the quiet, seeing the sunrise, hearing the birds, seeing rabbits and the occasional deer. I always have my i-pod with me, I am a big fan of the Outlander book series and listen to it on my ipod now. I also track my run with the Endomondo app, seeing what calories I've burned gives me satisfaction.

I'm about to finish up C25K and start the bridge to 10K. Having *just* gone through the program, some of my tips would be:

Drink water 30 minutes to an hour before you run.

Don't take a pain reliever before you run unless you actually need it. Pain relievers can mask your body's warning signs. And if you actually need to take a pain reliever because of running, you might want to consider giving yourself an extra day or two between runs instead. Several times throughout the program I waited more than one day in between runs to let my body adjust. I personally think it's better to take an extra day or two off than to take more pain killers and try push through it. I'm not training for the Olympics here. I'm just trying to be healthier, and pushing my body to the point of pain goes against that goal in my opinion. Struggling with things like breathing is ok. I'll push through that. But HURTING is not ok. I've learned the hard way not to push through pain.

Weeks 4-6 are the hardest in my opinion and they may increase too fast for people who have never run before (or people like me who haven't run in 20 years). They also seem to be the weeks that more people get hurt. Take those weeks as slow as you need to and increase at the pace YOU are comfortable. If you only feel like you can increase your time by a minute or two instead of jumping all the way to 20 minutes, that's still progress. Remember: the program is a guideline only. You don't have to follow it to the letter.

Try to run as *SLOWLY* as you can, especially on the days that you are increasing your run time/distance. It's not a race. If you decide you want to work on increasing your pace that can come later. For now, you just want to focus on making it to each smaller goal. When I felt frustrated at going slow, I tried to remind myself that I wasn't planning on trying to WIN a 5K, only FINISH a 5K.

If you decide you want to enter a race to give you something to work toward, I would recommend choosing one a month or so away from the time you expect to be done with the program. That's what I did and I am *SO* glad I did! It allowed me to not feel pressured to finsh "on time" and gave me the freedom to take a few extra days off when I felt I needed them.