impersonally

I agree about the resistance band idea. I also didn't have anywhere high up to hook the resistance band, though. So I used to weigh down my coffee table with free weights, hook the resistance band around the leg, and lie down on the floor to do the "pull-up" motion, if that makes any sense ... I'm not sure that worked that…

For those of you familiar with the Furman FIRST program -- I am looking at it now and wanted to make sure I'm understanding their acronyms. ST, MT and LT are short / mid / long tempo based on the tables they have for your 5k time, is that right? And what is PMP? I like their idea of doing fewer running sessions but making…

Awesome to hear from other runners :) I have some joint issues too, mostly knee pain when I run a lot. That's why I'm going to try running 3-4 times per week instead of the 5 in the Higdon novice 1 plan. I'll have to take a look at the novice 2 plan (and the FIRST plan that was mentioned). I have used a knee brace in the…

Hey, any start to running is good in my book! :) I agree, Galloway's plan seems like very little running during the week. Then again Higdon's plan seems like maybe too MUCH running (although, I guess it is for a marathon, so maybe that's not really a valid complaint!). I used to hate indoor running, but recently I've found…

I definitely think training for a half-marathon is just as important :) no question there. I just looked up Jeff Galloway's training plans, thanks for the info! His Magic Mile idea is really interesting and I might figure out some way to incorporate that. I noticed that Galloway's plans have you running the full distance…

I'm loosely following the Hal Higdon plan, too! I used it for my first half-marathon and thought it was really good. I also started it the last time I was training for a marathon, and made it up to the 17-mile long run before I quit. Looking back I really should've just finished ... His plan has a bit too much running for…

I'm training for a marathon this year. I've flirted with it a couple of times before, but this time I signed up early for one in May so I'll hopefully actually do it this time :) I've done a couple of half-marathons in the past. I get knee problems when I run really frequently, so if this is my first and only marathon I'll…

If you're on any type of birth control pill, and have been for a while, that could affect your cycle. Some people who have been on birth control pills for years get light or no cycles. (This doesn't only apply to those pills that are designed to "skip" your cycle -- any birth control pill can do it.) Any other switch in…

I'm also interested in the Zumba or Zumba 2 games, but haven't bought one yet. The reviews on Amazon are better for Zumba 2 than the original, though. The only Wii exercise game I have is EA Sports Active 2. It's ... not my favorite, but it might be a better start for beginners. For me, there are several exercises it…

I agree. 1200 is around the bare minimum for a healthy individual (woman ... for men I feel like it could even be a bit more, but honestly since I'm a woman I only pay attention to what applies to me ;). If you exercise, I believe you should eat back at least some of the calories. I eat back around 75% of my exercise…

I agree, except I usually start with a weight where I can do a few more reps, like 10-12. But I definitely follow the same plan of increasing the weights when I've reached the maximum reps that I want for that exercise. I'm torn about switching exercises -- I definitely appreciate the challenge to my muscles with different…

I had been lifting about three days a week as well, and I like to work a different body part each day -- abs/back, legs, arms, for example. Now I only have time to lift two days a week, so I've been combining abs+legs and leave the other day for arms+shoulders. I also run a slow mile before I lift for warm-up, and a fast…