Tuesday, January 5, 2010

A little of what I have learned.

Life with Bubba, Chicky and Nika

Today is day two of my training for C25K -- otherwise written as W1D2 ... week one, day two. I plan to post weekly updates, so more on my training later.

For now, I wanted to post all of the information for the training program in one place. Right here.

The premise behind C25K is that it is a program designed to get just about anyone from the couch to running 5 kilometers -- or 30 minutes -- in 9 weeks. There are several different C25K training programs out there, however I am using the program designed by the people who first came up with it ---> Cool Running.

You can find the training program here.

You will see that as you go through the weeks, you increase your intervals of running and walking. Week one starts you off running 60 seconds and walking 90 seconds for 20 minutes ... which I believe ends up being about eight reps.

Instead of using your watch to time your intervals ... you can download a podcast. The podcast has music to get you in the mood ... and a voice over to tell you when it is time to run and when it is time to walk.

Awesome.

You can find Ullrey's podcast here.

And here is a sample of Ullrey's podcast ...

I found that I was not a fan of the music on Ullrey's podcast ... so I found an alternate that uses hip hop music. I am not necessarily a hip hop fan, but it gets me in the mood to run more than Ullrey's music does.

You can find the hip hop podcast here.

And here is a sample of the hip hop podcast ...

The one most important thing I have learned through all of this is that your shoes matter. They matter! I understand that some people do not have it in their budget to get fitted for a proper pair of running shoes, but I encourage you to do it as soon as you can. Wearing the wrong shoe can cause injury ... and we do not want that because you are going to cross that finish line with us.

When I went to be fitted for my shoes, I first ran on a treadmill while they videotaped the back of my foot to see if -- or how much -- I was pronating. I did pronate slightly and needed a shoe with a little help. After being videotaped with the proper shoe on my foot, I had no pronation and my feet were a perfect 90 degree angle to the ground.

It matters.

Two more important things regarding your feet ...

1) Your running shoe be a half to a full size larger than your normal shoe size. Yup ... that means my amazon shoe is a 10 1/2. Ha. Your feet sweat, swell and move around when you run ... you have to give them room to do so.

2) Wear dry fit running socks. The socks that they sell in running stores are there for a reason. You will notice an incredible difference ... so just know they are worth the investment!

You can find more tips for beginning runners here.

And the Lord knows I still have a lot to learn about running. So feel free to share what you have learned so that everyone can benefit. We will do this!

Don't forget to link up on Mr. Linky below if you will be blogging about your training. I have also created a facebook group so that we all have a mutual place to share our stories, ask questions and support one another.

You can find the Operation C25K facebook group here.

And don't forget to enter for your chance to win a $100 gift certificate and an iPod Shuffle ... the contest ends tomorrow!

Oh ... whenever you need an extra boost to get up off that couch, then watch this.



13 comments:

  1. Hi! I stopped by your blog today from Threads of Faithfulness. I am also the mother of a delightful daughter with Down Syndrome. Megan is 22 and has filled our life with so much joy. She is busy with Special Olympics, has a sweet boyfriend, Alex, who also has Down Syndrome, and has fun "hanging with her friends". Your children are adorable!

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  2. LOVE that last video. Seriously awesome. Also, he is CUTE! (think he's single? :-D)

    Ok I may not do couch to 5k but I can certainly do my 30 day shred. Seriously. That lady scares me and I want to get back into shape.

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  3. Shoes are important, but DON'T FORGET TO STRETCH! I had to stop running for several months because of plantar fasciitis, but since I've been making sure I stretch thoroughly before I get on the treadmill, it hasn't come back. Unfortunately, I feel like I'm back at square one, since I had gotten my speed up to 4.5 mph for 4 miles, and now I'm all the way back down to 3.0 mph. (I use my heart rate as an indicator when I work out since I have high blood pressure). But at least I know I'm capable of getting there -- and hopefully beyond. My goal is 6.0 mph, or a 10 minute mile.

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  4. Bethany,

    I actually have a running tip! I used to run cross country in high school and our coach always told us to drop our arms. When you run your hands should be relaxed and swinging past your hips, not clenched and up by your chest. It takes a lot of extra energy to keep your arms up high and your fists clenched.

    That's all from me!
    Ann Bremer

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  5. Thanks for the tips...hopefully I can upgrade my shoes soon. I know that is most of my problem...ok...so really most of my problem is that I am about 40 pounds overweight but really I do agree that the shoes are important. Here we goooooooo...we can do this ladies!

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  6. Yes, shoes are key! I always go back to my parents and stop by VA runner for my new shoes every year. Best of luck with the running. I've always been a runner but I admire you for starting this, keep up with it and you just may learn to love it!

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  7. For those of us that are a little more endowed in the bust area, a high impact sports bra is a necessity. First day, I didn't wear it and my chest and back were a little sore. Wore it today and no pain at all! (Though my hips and thighs are suffering the ramifications of todays work out! LOL) We have to keep those things corralled or we will all be running our first 5K with a black eye or two!

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  8. Yup, Robert Ullrey's podcast music isn't the greatest, but it got me going. I ended up using my own music around week five or six when I really didn't need the voice over for time anymore. Made such a big difference, especially since the music got worse around that time too.

    Are you running inside or outside?

    I guess my tip would be about side cramps. I used to fairly frequently get a cramp on my one side that drove me nuts. My friend (who has been running for years) said the cramp is usually from poor breathing. She said if I regulated my breathing then it would help. I googled it for info, tried it, and sure enough it worked...no more side cramps!

    I look forward to hearing about your progress.

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  9. OK, on the hip hop podcast sample, is he singing about S**t popping and S**t stoppin?? Say What? I think I would be laughing too hard to run,, LOL I'm getting old I guess

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  10. I totally agree on shoes! I am on my second pair of properly fitted shoes and it makes running just a little easier when you aren't thinking about the pain in your feet, knees, hips, etc.
    Tip - see if your local running store has an email list; I joined mine and was notified with dates/hours that shoes would be HALF off!!! Totally worth the wait in line!
    -Meegs

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  11. I love this Couch to 5 K contest! I go through spurts of running and working out regularly and then slacking off - this past year and a half I have slacked a ton (mostly since Whitney was born... then I worked out for a couple of months, then my mom had open-heart surgery this summer - 6 months and 1 day after Whitney's open-heart surgery- and I have slacked ever since!) I took the plunge and signed up about a month ago for the Indianapolis mini-marathon (http://www.500festival.com/marathon/) It is May 8, 2010 and is the largest half marathon in the U.S. I have run this 8 other times (and done the 5K pregnant with Whitney and Anne) but have never been very good about actually "training". I need to commit, and you have encouraged me to do this!!! Somehow with all of the therapy appts, dr. appts, etc... I need to make time to exercise and I am going to do it :) Glad you (and everyone else who committed) are too! Looking forward to working out regularly with you guys!
    ~Laura

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