Category Archives: getting started

Jul 11 2012
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excitement!, getting started, going long, good to know, schedule

looking forward to fall!

We are at that point in the summer where we need to be committing to training plans for fall races. Also, some of the registration fees go up in the next few weeks, so I wanted to let you all know what races the LexRunLadies would be focused on!

July 29th – The Color Run 5K

I am very very excited about this race. It is going to be a blast! It is very laid back. It isn’t even timed! Registration is still open and I assume carpooling will be encouraged. I ordered shirts last week, but I will have a few extras, so hit me up quick if you’re interested!

If you haven’t registered, check our FB page as someone had a few open registrations at the early bird price. I can also send you a link to save $5 that I can dig out of my email if you need it.

August 11 – this is a BIG DAY.

Part 1 – At 8:30am, we’ll take a group of ladies down to run the Run with All your Hart 5K in honor of Sarah Hart. I volunteer to drive a carload down. I think this is an important race. We need to show our support and love in response to this senseless tragedy.

Part 2- At 8:30pm, we’ll head downtown to the MidSummer Night’s Run. This is one of my favorite 5Ks. It is also the graduation race for our current C25K class. 2 races in one day? It doesn’t get more hardcore than this, ladies. (And it’s good double-run practice for us Bourbon Chasers.)

September 22 – CASA 10K.

To my knowledge, this is the only fall 10K (and a popular race for PRs). It is a nice course at Coldstream. I’ll have the training program up in the next few days, but it will start with a long run of 4 miles the last weekend in July. You can do that, right?

September 28-29 – The Bourbon Chase

Just go poke around the site and see how cool this race is. Lots of your fellow Ladies (and Dudes) will be running. We’d love to see familiar faces at aid stations and the finish line!

October 14 – The Iron Horse Half Marathon

This race is amazing. Wonderful course.nGreat size. Great medal. Lots and lots of our Ladies will be there. The training program starts next week! I’m hoping to have enough volunteers to have a LexRunLadies water station just like we had at RunTheBluegrass. Oh, and there will be tshirts!

October 21 – The PTA 5K

This will be the graduation race for the next class of C25Kers. We are partnering with the YMCA and the 16th District PTA to train new runners for this race. Volunteer Coaches are needed for weekly training sessions and I’m hoping some of you will pay it forward! I should have more concrete info in the next few days.

October 26 – The Black Cat 5K

I love night races. And I love running in Frankfort. So I’m putting this one on the schedule. It is such a fun race. You’ll love it!

November 11 – The Marshall Marathon and Half Marathon

EEK! Yup, you read that right. Marathon. Marathon training for this race started last week, and half marathon training still has a few weeks until it kicks off. I know already that Kelly has committed to the full and Lydia to the half. I’m sure they’d love to have your support or company! This race is pretty stinking flat compared to anything we run around here. The crowd support is what you’d expect out of a small race, but it is really pretty flat.

I will not be there, however, because Nathan, Amber and I will be
running the OBX Marathon the same day. This is going to be a big weekend!

So where will we see you? Will you be running, cheering, or volunteering?

Apr 17 2012
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C25K, getting started, summer runners

Summer Runners – the C25K Plan

Okay. We’ve talked a little about what to expect and what you need to start thinking about. So here’s the plan itself.

If you want to be ready, you can start walking 30 minutes a day. That will set up a good base for you be able to transition into introducing some running intervals. It isn’t as hard as you think. Here’s what the first few weeks of the plan look like:

You don’t need to see any farther right now, just believe me – you can do it!

Here’s the google calendar if you want to import it into your google calendar or iCal.

Spread the word, ladies! We’ll see you on May 13th!

Apr 03 2012
4 Comments
C25K, getting started, summer runners

Training Groups – C25K starts May 13

Do you want to start running? Do you want to get back into it? Following this modified C25K program will have you ready to run a 5K at A Midsummer Night’s Run!

Couch to 5K is usually abbreviated C25K. And, to put it in simple terms, it changed my life. It is the program I used to start running. And I can’t even count the number of people I know who have used it. The program uses timed intervals of running and walking that build until you can run a 5K. You can use a stopwatch or the clock on a treadmill or an app on your phone or iPod. It typically takes 9 weeks program to go from “couch” to “running a 5K.” I think it assumes that your run pace is a little quicker than reality, so I’ve stretched it into 12 weeks for you.

The program will start on May 13th. The group will meet every Sunday at 4pm at a variety of locations around town. In addition to the Sunday group run, the program will have you run/walking twice during each week.If you want to get a head-start on the program, start walking for 30 minutes a day to build your base.

Be on the lookout for more information for Couch to 5K coming out over the next few weeks!

You can access the calendar here, or just scroll down below!

If you’d rather see it in the usual excel format, here you go.


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Jan 03 2012
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C25K, getting started, Resolution Runners

C25K Resources

Hello everyone! This post, once again, is directed at the Resolution Runners (are you doing Day 2 today?). I have a post planned for those of us starting half marathon and marathon training, so don’t go anywhere!

I’m so excited about the Resolution Runners Group (10!) that showed up on Sunday for the first day of Couch to 5K, not to mention the 2 that I know of that are playing along at home. I’m also excited to announce that there will be a second round starting January 15 to catch anyone who may still want to start in time to be ready for the Shamrock Shuffle 3K and Race to Read 5K!

I wanted to have a post that new runners can go back to access helpful hints and websites for Couch to 5K. So here it is!

  • Know the lingo. Couch to 5K is often abbreviated C25K. And the specific days are abbreviated too. W1D1 = Week 1 Day 1. (I’m sure I’ll abbreviate all the time.)
  • the Program. The program originated from CoolRunning.com. The program we are using (if you started January 1) is in this post.
    • You will need to commit 30-35 minutes (depending where you are in the program) to teaching your body to run.
    • Each week has 3 different workouts. (Ex W1D1, W1D2, W1D3.) Some weeks, all 3 will be the same. Some weeks Day 3 will be different.
    • If at all possible, have a rest day between each workout. Rest is important. You can cross train (walk, bike, yoga, etc) on your off days, just give your body time to get used to running.
    • Don’t look ahead too much. You don’t want to psyche yourself out.
    • It is okay if you have to repeat a week. But only repeat if you can’t make it through the runs. If you can make it through, but it is uncomfortable, keep going. Trust the training. It works. You can do it.
    • Those of you that started January 1 have a few extra weeks tacked on to the end to increase your running. This is so you’ll get a little closer to the full 5K distance during the training. The intervals are exactly the same.
  • While you run. I’m a little jealous of all your current options. I used a stopwatchfrom a big box store and had to do the math myself.
  • You may want to keep a record of time or distance that you run. I love this. I think it is really fun to see the numbers add up.
    • You could use a notebook or a calendar. Handwriting is fun.
    • I use DailyMile. It is kinda like facebook, but you record your fitness activity and your friends can comment. I love the support over there. And lots of LexRunLadies are already over there. (Friend me as KrissieB and I’ll hook you up with other Ladies.)
    • At the group run the other day, several of you mentioned that you were trying to lose weight. I track my calorie intake and burn over at myfitnesspal.com. It looks similar to Daily Mile. You can keep your food log private or make it public for ultimate accountability. (I’m KaySeeBee over there.)
  • Trust your training.It works! And we have stories to prove it.
  • Reach out! Ask questions here, on facebook, on twitter. No question is a stupid question. We’ve been there. We remember.

Good luck! You can do this!

Happy running!

~krissie

Dec 21 2011
8 Comments
C25K, getting started, Resolution Runners

Are you ready to run?

I know we’re all in full-on Christmas mode, but I want you to start thinking about what comes next!

I’m very very excited that LexRunLadies will be partnering with Race to Read in March. It will be a graduation race for the first LexRunLadies C25K Class! I’m working on details of our first meet up, but we will meet up on January 1st for W1D1 (Week 1 Day 1) and go from there.

I am very excited about this and I really hope you join us. Have you thought about running? Have you made it to week 5 and then freaked and dropped out? (I did that several times.) Do you know someone that has expressed interest in your running and may want to start themselves? Please please share this info with anyone you think would use it!

Are you on the fence? I’m sure you can do this. You start slow. You build up. Just trust the training, right Ann?

You can access the excel spreadsheet here (lrl c25k). (And, for the record, when you can’t get something to load into wordpress right, make your husband come and watch over your shoulder. And it works. Just like magic.)

So take a few walks over the holidays and we’ll get started big next year!

Nov 15 2011
7 Comments
C25K, getting started

C25K – Advice from the Halfway Point

Kristina wanted to share her experience at the halfway point of the C25K program. I think it gets hardest at that point – when the jumps seem the biggest. I love what she has to say. Let her know what you think in the comments. Thanks Kristina!

*******

This morning I ran the second day of Week 4 in the C25K program. I’m almost halfway there. I’m amazed at how far I’ve come in the past month. To be fair I have tried (and failed) to do this program twice before. Once way back in the spring of this year, and once this summer. In the spring life got in the way. I lost my job and had no motivation. This summer I was completely determined, but after 2 weeks was plagued by terrible shin splints which sidelined me once again.

So with some new shoes acquired, I began again a month ago. Determined that the third time would be the charm. And I have learned some valuable things these past four weeks.

1. Pain is fleeting. The first two weeks are just flat out hard. I was discouraged that new shoes didn’t immediately eliminate my pain. But I didn’t stop. I took longer breaks between runs (2-3 days instead of 1) to give my legs a rest. And guess what? The pain started going away. I’m still sore after runs, but it’s a general muscle soreness that seems normal and dissipates by the next day as opposed to nearly crippling shin pain that would last for weeks. Explanation? I got stronger. My muscles got stronger. I had to push through the pain for a few weeks but it happened. Now nearing the end of Week 4 those shin splints are a distant memory. Don’t let the pain defeat you.

2. Strength comes quickly. During Week 1 (even the 3rd time around) I was struggling to run the 60 second intervals without feeling out of breath and like I was going to die. This week I’m running 5 minute (almost 1/2 mile) uninterrupted intervals. And it’s tough but I’m doing it. 4 weeks. That’s how far I’ve come. All along this journey my running friends have told me to “trust the program.” This week has proven to me without a doubt how right they were. Trust the program. Trust your body. Trust yourself. Let your body prove your head wrong. Mine sure has.

3. Support is priceless. Whether it has come in the form of cheering after a run, advice about the weeks to come, or commiserating when it gets hard, the support of my fellow runners has been extremely instrumental in me getting this far. Without their guidance and support, there’s a good chance I would have thrown in the towel when it got too tough. Instead here I am. At the halfway point and looking forward to running races with these ladies next year.

So for anyone just starting out or thinking about starting in the coming weeks, that’s my advice. The weeks fly by and before you know it, you’ll be halfway there.

Oct 07 2011
11 Comments
excitement!, getting started

Who’s with me?

I’m Krissie. I live in Lexington. And I am a runner.

I am not a fast runner. I remember what it was like to be a beginning runner. And I know what it is like to finish last in a race. And what it is like to just hope that I can keep the rest of the running group in sight so I don’t get lost.

I understand that running groups can be intimidating, even if they don’t mean to be.

So I decided to start my own.

Regardless of speed, distance, amount of running you do. If you run, run/walk, or want to run someday, this is the place for you.

My hope is to meet once a month for a run and once a month for a social event. Oh, and to get some really cool shirts.

Who’s with me?

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