Started 'Couch to 5k today' Anyone keen?

[Butterthebean 8,146]

Click the tab at the upper left of their home page that says "learn good form" and it will take you to the video.

[adcrag1 15]

Glad that you're back on the exercise track. Sometimes a break is good so long as you come back. See in the gym!!

[gamergirl 4,610]

Okay finished w1d3 today. Good news is that my husband started with me today! It's blazing hot outside so we decided to go to the gym (the one we pay for but haven't used In embarrassingly long). He is in MUCH better shape than I am. It was his first day and the man lapped me! Woo hoo! I was so proud of him. It was fun to go to the gym together, but be able to go at our own pace. My son will be doing it at the co-parents's house today so we're all going get our day in. Good to get the family involved.

I plan to repeat the week with him so we can start w2 together.

[Sleeved in Seattle 280]

I'd love to start this, I've always wanted to be a runner, but my knees are creaky and tend to hurt after rowing, so I'm leery about running on pavement.

That and whenever I've run in the past my heart rate goes up to about 190 and oxygen seems to bleed out of my immediate vicinity.

I don't know if I'm ready for C25K. Is it really that easy?

[gamergirl 4,610]

I'd love to start this' date=' I've always wanted to be a runner, but my knees are creaky and tend to hurt after rowing, so I'm leery about running on pavement. That and whenever I've run in the past my heart rate goes up to about 190 and oxygen seems to bleed out of my immediate vicinity. I don't know if I'm ready for C25K. Is it really that easy?[/quote']

I would love to hear people's answers to this as well. The last time I ran was 21 years ago when my little toddler tried to run out into the street . Sometimes I wonder what makes me think I can do this now with the weight and the knees that have very little cartilage left thanks to RA. Combo of surgery and watching you crazy people do it is def motivating me to at least try.

But I will say, there's a difference between easy and achievable. I don't care if it's easy, as long as I/we can achieve it with reasonable effort. I just want it to be achievable.

[mistysj 1,940]

Another 7.3 km in 70 minutes! Is there another thread for graduates of couch to 5k or do you guys want me to stay?

[Butterthebean 8,146]

Another 7.3 km in 70 minutes! Is there another thread for graduates of couch to 5k or do you guys want me to stay?

I don't think there's another thread. I think you should stay and mentor as new folks come on. You've done great and made it look so easy.

[Butterthebean 8,146]

I would love to hear people's answers to this as well. The last time I ran was 21 years ago when my little toddler tried to run out into the street . Sometimes I wonder what makes me think I can do this now with the weight and the knees that have very little cartilage left thanks to RA. Combo of surgery and watching you crazy people do it is def motivating me to at least try.

But I will say' date=' there's a difference between easy and achievable. I don't care if it's easy, as long as I/we can achieve it with reasonable effort. I just want it to be achievable.[/quote']

I'm just going to say to this....I researched the heck out of it. I felt sure I wouldn't be able to run. My knees were awful and I was still 300 pounds when I started. I stumbled upon the barefoot running scene....which emphasizes perfect form to protect the body from injury. The short story is....if your form is perfect, it will not hurt your feet to run in this fashion. Well, I gave up on black and white a while ago....and learned to accept the gray areas....but I did try my best to adopt their approach and style. And I use minimal running shoes....most of the time I use the vibrams. They offer almost no protection. But in wearing them, my form is such that I land very lightly in my feet. That's the whole point. I do not heel strike...because I cannot. It would be crippling. I do not pound my feet because if I did it would give me instant painful feedback. And I keep my knees bent and use my leg like a spring. I do not land with a stiff knee. This is the surest path to injury.

Athletes who are light and fast and young with great genes can run this way with no problem...but for me I needed a method that would prevent injury and was sustainable. This has proven to be it for me.

Chirunning.com is a great resource for this style of running...and he's not too dogmatic about the shoes. Some other barefoot running sights are very dogmatic about never wearing shoes. I feel like if the form is right, the shoes don't matter. I've run in sandals and loved it. But the thinner and more minimal the shoes, the more my feet get stronger and work as nature intended them too...and the rest of my body has followed suit. It takes a certain amount of openness to accept this will work...I know. Because the long standing belief is that the running shoes protect us and help us....but the recent research has shown that's completely false, and that it's all just marketing.

Anyway....here's my favorite running shoes and if your open to it....read up on it and let me know what you learn.

[Sleeved in Seattle 280]

Butter - did you start out wearing the Vibrams or were you in traditional running shoes? It seems so counter-intuitive that low padding would be better shock absorbing, but I know there are those who swear by it.

I'm so wishy washy about starting that I'll seize on anything to postpone.

[mistysj 1,940]

Thanks BTB, that means a lot coming from a runner like you!

[Butterthebean 8,146]

Butter - did you start out wearing the Vibrams or were you in traditional running shoes? It seems so counter-intuitive that low padding would be better shock absorbing' date=' but I know there are those who swear by it.

I'm so wishy washy about starting that I'll seize on anything to postpone. [/quote']

I started in the big padded motion control shoes. But I only ran in them for about a month and my knees were killing me. The book "tread lightly" is what turned me onto it. I too felt it incredibly counter intuitive but I felt like I had nothing to lose because I knew I couldn't keep running the way I was. I bought some vibrams and began wearing them as much as possible. I would run a quarter mile in them, then switch to my regular shoes....which got less and less comfortable by the day. Since I was barely running any distance then the vibrams didn't hurt me...there are lots of stories of people who are advanced runners who suddenly go from stability shoes to vibrams and they end up with stress fractures...it's because their feet aren't adapted to those miles in those shoes. I wasn't doing any miles so my feet adapted as my lungs and legs adapted. It worked well for me. Once you learn the basics of the barefoot style, the low or no padding shoes just make it easier to run in this fashion, but it's the style that does the trick. You use your muscles to absorb energy rather than your bones and joints. So very low impact.

My favorite analogy is....imagine jumping off a park bench onto the sidewalk in your favorite running shoes. Then imagine doing it barefooted. Imagine how gentle you will land barefooted. It's the same thing running...either barefooted or in minimal shoes.

I'm to going to say this is the only way or that it will work for everyone. But I believe it can work for most people and it certainly worked for me. There are some great books on the subject. Jason robillard's book (The Barefoot Running Book) was one of my favorites. I know it's kinda geeky to read a book to learn to do what we all did as children....but that's the kind of nerd I am.

[k8ee 131]

I started in the big padded motion control shoes. But I only ran in them for about a month and my knees were killing me. The book "tread lightly" is what turned me onto it. I too felt it incredibly counter intuitive but I felt like I had nothing to lose because I knew I couldn't keep running the way I was. I bought some vibrams and began wearing them as much as possible. I would run a quarter mile in them' date=' then switch to my regular shoes....which got less and less comfortable by the day. Since I was barely running any distance then the vibrams didn't hurt me...there are lots of stories of people who are advanced runners who suddenly go from stability shoes to vibrams and they end up with stress fractures...it's because their feet aren't adapted to those miles in those shoes. I wasn't doing any miles so my feet adapted as my lungs and legs adapted. It worked well for me. Once you learn the basics of the barefoot style, the low or no padding shoes just make it easier to run in this fashion, but it's the style that does the trick. You use your muscles to absorb energy rather than your bones and joints. So very low impact.

My favorite analogy is....imagine jumping off a park bench onto the sidewalk in your favorite running shoes. Then imagine doing it barefooted. Imagine how gentle you will land barefooted. It's the same thing running...either barefooted or in minimal shoes.

I'm to going to say this is the only way or that it will work for everyone. But I believe it can work for most people and it certainly worked for me. There are some great books on the subject. Jason robillard's book (The Barefoot Running Book) was one of my favorites. I know it's kinda geeky to read a book to learn to do what we all did as children....but that's the kind of nerd I am.[/quote']

This is really interesting to read. I have problems running on the outside of my feet. Do the vibrant work for that?

[Butterthebean 8,146]

This is really interesting to read. I have problems running on the outside of my feet. Do the vibrant work for that?

They do help with it in the sense that your body will try to land on more surface area....meaning the whole mid foot....to spread out the impact. Having said that I land slightly on the outside of my foot still and then roll to the rest of it. This is just pronation and it's perfectly natural.

[Sleeved in Seattle 280]

I started in the big padded motion control shoes. But I only ran in them for about a month and my knees were killing me. The book "tread lightly" is what turned me onto it. I too felt it incredibly counter intuitive but I felt like I had nothing to lose because I knew I couldn't keep running the way I was. I bought some vibrams and began wearing them as much as possible. I would run a quarter mile in them' date=' then switch to my regular shoes....which got less and less comfortable by the day. Since I was barely running any distance then the vibrams didn't hurt me...there are lots of stories of people who are advanced runners who suddenly go from stability shoes to vibrams and they end up with stress fractures...it's because their feet aren't adapted to those miles in those shoes. I wasn't doing any miles so my feet adapted as my lungs and legs adapted. It worked well for me. Once you learn the basics of the barefoot style, the low or no padding shoes just make it easier to run in this fashion, but it's the style that does the trick. You use your muscles to absorb energy rather than your bones and joints. So very low impact.

My favorite analogy is....imagine jumping off a park bench onto the sidewalk in your favorite running shoes. Then imagine doing it barefooted. Imagine how gentle you will land barefooted. It's the same thing running...either barefooted or in minimal shoes.

I'm to going to say this is the only way or that it will work for everyone. But I believe it can work for most people and it certainly worked for me. There are some great books on the subject. Jason robillard's book (The Barefoot Running Book) was one of my favorites. I know it's kinda geeky to read a book to learn to do what we all did as children....but that's the kind of nerd I am.[/quote']

Thanks Butter! Sounds like a trip to REI is in my future. Oh darn!

[k8ee 131]

They do help with it in the sense that your body will try to land on more surface area....meaning the whole mid foot....to spread out the impact. Having said that I land slightly on the outside of my foot still and then roll to the rest of it. This is just pronation and it's perfectly natural.

Thanks butterthebean, I often thought. That running barefoot would be easier for me. I think I'll give it a go.