Screamin Knees - 5k Run - All you young people listen up!

Hey Everyone

I went to my training last night and just tried to run the 5k without stopping.  I must say I know I was fat, I know I carried around 200 extra pounds most of my life but I didn't realize how much it would cost me.  I thought my knees would hurt first but my back is really hurting.  I guess  when you get to my age you pay the price for all the years of being heavy. 

I was only able to make it running 2 laps and then walked the rest of the way...  I am going to stick with this but may end up walking if my body gives out on me.

For all of you that are  young and thinking of taking this journey kudos to you, for not waiting until you break your body down like I did.  I am not feeling sorry for myself  If I can't run there are other things I can do thankfully.... due to losing weight!  But this goes to show you, make those changes in your life and lose that weight before it's to late.

Here is the schedule for the next 3 days:

Friday - REST....thank god 
Saturday - 3 mile run
Sunday - 4 mile run

So LET'S GET GOING

Take care,
Kathy

Kathy, I couldn't agree w/  you more!  I started gaining weight in my early 20's, and I gained consistently through the years (with periodic diets w/ some success--sometime GREAT success--but always, ALWAYS gained it back + more****il I finally reached my all-time high at age 54 and had my surgery. 

I know there's no way my body would take what you are training to do--I am IN AWE!!!!!   I am so very grateful for all I can do that I didn't even attempt to do all those years, but I do have limitations, simply because of the decades of abuse from MO. 

I GRIEVE for all the years I was obese and wish I could have had the surgery 25 yrs. earlier than I did!  But "to everything there is a season . . . " and for me, maybe I had to get to the point & age that I was in order to now be where I am.

So--you young 'uns--do your very, very best with your surgery--stay as compliant as you can with your eating and--get in your exercise--it will mean so much to you later!!!

Hi Kathy,

I literally just finished my second Iron Girl Triathlon this morning.  It was a blast.  It is so exhilerating to complete an accomplishment like that.  But even though I managed to swim, bike and run and make respectable times, I am hurting so much.  I have trained and trained but like you, the damage was done to my body from decades of carrying over 300 pounds on my joints.  On the good side, I did the triathlon with my daughter and although the official results have not posted yet on the website, we feel we did an excellent job.  But I have to think seriously about hanging up my hat on these kinds of things.  My doctor tells me that if I want to keep my joints, i.e. knees and such, then I need to stop pushing my body like this.  I am 56 now and since my gastric bypass surgery over four years ago, I am able to enjoy other things.  I guess I'll have to stick to swimming and less brutal daily routines. 

Joann

Hey Kathy,
I hope you are feeling better by now! I have been MO since I was 12 or so and only the last few years have only been overweight so I should not be surprised either how much my knees hurt! I spaced things out better this week and they actually felt pretty good until today when I did my couch to 5 K followed by 1 hour of Zumba. You asked for the training schedule for the couch to 5 K here it is. You can google couch to 5 K for more info;I have one more day of week three to do tomorrow. I do not feel ready for week 4 but will give it a whack anyway I guess, I can always do week three again.

Week	Workout 1	Workout 2	Workout 3
1	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 60 seconds of jogging and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes.
2	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.	Brisk five-minute warmup walk. Then alternate 90 seconds of jogging and two minutes of walking for a total of 20 minutes.
3	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes) Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes) Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then do two repetitions of the following: Jog 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Walk 200 yards (or 90 seconds) Jog 400 yards (or 3 minutes) Walk 400 yards (or three minutes)
4	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes) Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes) Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 2-1/2 minutes) Jog 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Walk 1/8 mile (or 90 seconds) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)
5	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes) Walk 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog two miles (or 20 minutes) with no walking.
6	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 3/4 mile (or 8 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 1/2 mile (or 5 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then: Jog 1 mile (or 10 minutes) Walk 1/4 mile (or 3 minutes) Jog 1 mile (or 10 minutes)	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2-1/4 miles (or 25 minutes) with no walking.
7	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.5 miles (or 25 minutes).
8	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 2.75 miles (or 28 minutes).
9	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes).	Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes).	The final workout! Congratulations! Brisk five-minute warmup walk, then jog 3 miles (or 30 minutes).

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Saturday - 3 mile run
Sunday - 4 mile run

I'm going to thow a little cold water on your running plan:  I think you need some days of rest between runs.  Second: what is the purpose of running 4 miles for a 5K that is only 3.1 miles?

I run 5K two times a week and since reaching 5K, the distance is the same but the time is getting shorter.