loratliff Member

I've tried a class and really enjoyed it. It's a nice mix of strength and cardio—you won't get bored, and you can work at your own pace/effort level. I'm definitely going to make it part of my off-season cross-training routine.

How's it going, OP?

That's great. You know what helps me sometimes? Smiling. Seriously, find something stupid to smile at or about during a hard interval. (I know it's cheesy, but there actually are physiological benefits!)

I'd stick with your taper. Better to rest and get any physical issues squared away than try to eek out one last long run. You know you can cover the distance at this point.

I firmly believe that anyone can become a runner. I started running almost exactly one year ago to the day. I ran my first marathon on Sunday. I posted my full story just a few days ago: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10264725/couch-to-marathon-in-364-days

I'll go up to 10 miles without water/fuel. If you need water for that length of time, it's probably that you're dehydrated before you even start running. I'll carry a handheld for longer training runs, but for races, I'll rely on water tables. For runs longer than 10 miles, I'll take a Gu about every hour or eat a few…

For those who have asked: When I started my MFP journey in May 2014, I weighed 183.8 pounds. I'm 5'7". I was probably even a few pounds heavier but it took me a few weeks to work up the bravery to step on the scale! I lost about 17 pounds just from logging and tracking food, but was still minimally active. I live in NYC,…

I definitely read there—great group! :smile:

What model is your Forerunner? I've run in Brazil and Europe with my FR220, didn't do anything special. Turned it on, it found satellites, and voila! Mapping data and everything was fine.

I'm all for it, for the very reason gdyment highlights. Right now, I'm not going to be competitive in my age group, but for my height/weight, I'm reasonably fast.

I did Couch to 5K, to 10K, to half-marathon, and well, you get the idea. ;) Currently training for a full marathon now, with my longest training run to-date being 17 miles two weeks ago. When I started C25K, I couldn't run for 30 seconds at a time!

Tapering for a half isn't nearly as necessary as it is for a full... I just ran a half this past weekend (as part of a training plan for a full) and my plan was this, just for reference. Saturday, last long run (1 week before): 11 miles Sunday: easy 4 miles Monday: off Tuesday: 6.5 miles, intervals Wednesday: easy 8 miles…

I have JayBird Freedom Sprints (I think they're the "cheaper" version of the JayBirds), and they're pretty good. They generally are very secure, battery life is good, and they're constructed in a way that, while the sound is very good, you can still hear background noise—useful when you're running on city streets like I do.

I'm in the same boat. I don't notice it while I run, but they're definitely there afterward. I try and put on as much BodyGlide as possible and generally just suck it up.

I've just started carrying a handheld on anything longer than 10 miles, not entirely for hydration but because sometimes I just want to "refresh" my mouth. I'll also carry one packet of Honey Stinger Chews and eat a couple every 45 minutes or so simply as it's "something to do", LOL.

LOL! Other than that, how do you like the 225? I have a 220 and am trying to decide if the upgrade is worth it.

Agreed. If you are concerned, only eat back half of your exercise calories.

My long runs are 10-12 miles now, and I STILL think that week 5 of C25K was, mentally, the toughest obstacle I've encountered as a runner. Just remember that. Now you can DO anything.

Hehe, my shorts ride up too... No shame, I just pull them out of my crotch as needed. (BodyGlide helps too!)

I like leaving them open for the first day so they dry out (makes them less painful), then I cover with either a blister band-aid or some of the second skin-type stuff.

C25K is life-changing. I started it in October. Since then, I've run a half-marathon, a 15K, a handful of 10Ks, 5Ks, and various other races. Be careful—it's addicting.

Thank you—finally glad to read someone else enacts the same strategy! That's what I do and a friend recently thought it was crazy for eating a fried chicken dinner the night before a race... It's the best way to ensure that your bathroom trip is in the morning and not during the race. Anyway, before a half, I mostly focus…

5K: 3.1 miles 10K: 6.2 miles Half-marathon: 13.1 miles Marathon: 26.2 miles

Keep foam rolling. I love my compression socks—I have CEP brand. I find that I get the most relief from them when I sleep in them the night before and after a hard run.

I usually lose *more* weight, more consistently, when I eat back my exercise calories... Your body needs fuel when it works out! I'm still trying to lose at about .5 pound a week, but given than I'm about to start marathon training, I'm more interested in eating well, when I'm hungry, than monitoring every single calorie…

This started happening to me about the time I really got serious about running and strength training. When I was sedentary (but simply limiting intake), I would lose 1-1.5 lbs. per week like clockwork. Once I started getting really fit, I'd fluctuate from my base weight upwards to 3 lbs. or so and then finally, one day it…

I did distance as well. If it was hard, I just ran slower. It got easier. Week 5 seems terrifying on paper, but once you do it (you can, and you will!), it's the best feeling ever.

This. I ran a 10k last weekend and had a brutal headache all afternoon... It was the first race of the season where I had truly sweat a lot. If you sweat heavily and get even a little behind on your hydration, it can be tough.

Great advice, jchite! I go into every race with a time goal AND a non-time related goal; that helps take some of the pressure off.

I started C25K in October... I couldn't run more than 30 seconds at a time when I've started. Now, 6 miles is a "short" run. I ran a half-marathon in March. If you're looking for something to turn you into a runner, stick with c25k... You won't regret it.