Monday- casual long run day. warm up of 4.5 mph jog for 5 min. Stretches. run 45 minutes at 5.4 mph. This is my 125-135 bpm pace where I feel there is no stopping me. I can run over an hour at this pa e, but start to feel weak (not tired) from using up the stored energy. Cool down by jogging at 4.5 for 2 min and then walk at 3.5 for 3 min.

Tuesday- Bob Harper's inside/out "hard" DVD workout with 3 lb weights. This workout is currently kicking my butt to the moon and back. Will increase weights as I get better at it. This workout is tough! Look it up on Amazon.

Wednesday- high intensity cardio interval training day. warm up with 4.5 mph jog for 5 min. run 30 min interval training. 5.4 mph is my easy run pace. Every 2 minutes bump up .2 mph until 6.2 mph. Stay at 6.2 mph for 2 min. Bump down. 2 until at 5.4 mph. Stay at 5.4 mph for two minutes. Repeat until 25 min and bump back up to 6.4. At 28 min bump up to 6.8 and for the last min, but out 7.0 mph. For cool down, bump slowly down to 5.4 mph every 30 s. Next bump down to 4.5 mph in a min. Finally walk at 3.5 mph for 2 min. I did this today and it was not too bad.

Thursday- bob harpers inside out DVD again with light weights.

Friday- fast 5k day. 5k in some time under 30 minutes. Try for 27-28 min. This will be a fast run as opposed to slow run on Monday and interval training on Wednesday. Best time so far for 5 k is 26.5 min achieved over last weekend, but it was not easy at all. I feel the interval training will help me run faster with less effort so a fast 5 k is not so grueling.

Saturday- a fun exercise outside like 5 mile walk with dog or a hike or yard work or something that is different from the week days. Not too intense.

Sunday- rest

I feel like a couple months of this type of training will get me ready to enter 5 k and 10 k races where I have a shot of doing well.

I love my new running shoes. They make a big difference with being able to sustain good running posture for a long time without feeling tired ( if not running intervals or fast). Also just got a bluetooth jaybird transmitter and high quality ear buds. This set me back over $200, but well worth it to get high fidelity music in my ears where I cannot even hear the treadmill as I am running because of noise canceling. Love em!

Well, Fiddleman - you da man! I'm tired just READING your workout routine! I thought I was doing ok doing 45 min. on the treadmill daily, but - geez! You rock!

I think you're golden. I'll probably NEVER do that much. Maybe. I won't say never.

So. I'm rolling out the carpet for you.

Accidentally posted this to food instead of fitness. Does anyone know how to move the post or is this something a VST admin (eg *susan*) needs to do?

Nice. Wish I could run that fast.

I need to get better at weight training and stamina. After about 10 minutes into the "inside out" strength training with Bob Harper ( a very intense routine that involves just personal weight and light barbells), my focus disappears and I give up and switch back to cardio like elliptical ( not running because need to take a day rest in between runs).

How can I get better at strength training? I am the prodigal newbie when it comes to strength training, but have lots of good books (e.g new rules for lifting, mens fitness, etc - have not read them all ( and some good dvds.

Do I need a personal trainer to improve my stamina and endurance? I do not have a lot of extra funds to hire a trainer and same reason why I do not have a gym membership (I have my own equipment and barbells).

New rules of lifting is a great book for beginners. I would pick one of those plans out of there and follow it for a few months. Lifting weights is extremely tiring at first. But the endurance comes fairly quickly. If you can get past the first month you will feel much better. I would try to spend an hour 2-3 times per week doing one of those full body routines. That will build you a nice base and you can get more advanced later. "Starting Strength" is another great book. It's primarily for building strength in young athletes, but it works for anyone. If building pure strength is your goal, that's a good program.