Sticky: Introductions!

[Mandy123]

I really like this program!

[nareik]

I have been a couch potato for the last 20 years or so. I was persuaded by a friend of mine to attempt a Parkrun event that started on the 31st March. After reading a bit and finding that the event did not necessarily involve running a full 5k and that I could walk some of it I decided to give it a go. This was on the 16th March. I didnt even have running shoes, shorts or a suitable t-shirt so went out and got some suitable clothing and footwear. I started doing short runs on a treadmill we have in the office. At first I could not even manage 400m. I slowly increased the time I spent over the next few days and even went for a jog/walk around the 5k parkrun course, taking about 45 mins to complete the distance at first. Last Saturday the first parkrun event was held and I managed to run the first 3k then had to jog/walk the last 2k and finished in just under 33mins.

Now I was determined to be able to run the full 5k so I bought Get Running and started out on week 4. I found the training runs challenging but manageable. That was Tuesday and Thursday. Today, Saturday, I went off to do the parkrun again and decided to use week 5, run 3 to see if I could run for the 20 minutes. I set myself a really slow pace of about 6m20s as a target and off I went. After 15 mins I was struggling a bit but got some encouragement when the voice said I only had 5 mins to go. After the 5 mins was up I kept going, thinking I would run for the 5 min cool down period as well. Once that was done I thought that seeing as I had nearly ccompleted the course I may as well keep running to the finish. I just about made it across the finish for a run time of 32:38. This is by far the longest I have been able to run in many years.

Now I will go back to start week 5 again and hopefully get a better time next weekend:-). Thanks for the App, it is a great method for training, even if I did skip a few runs along the way.

[lil j]

Hello. I decided today that I will start running. After reading the reviews of the other running apps, I decided to buy get running. It looks like a really good program. I live in the middle of the Midwest, US. I am very determined to do this. I even have the auto tweets turned on to let everyone know. Look forward to getting to know fellow Get Runners.

[Mandy123]

I love this app!

[Loobyla]

Hello everyone, I signed up for Get Running this week - just did my second run. I found the first great fun and not too hard which was confidence boosting but today's seemed a lot harder and I was really looking forward to the lady telling me I was on my last minute! Though that might have something to do with going out to do it at 7.30am in the rain (it's a bank holiday - of course it's raining...). However, I did it and am looking forward to Wednesday's run. I've got a health check thing in a few week's time and as part of it I have to run for 3 minutes; currently I would find that near-impossible so I'm hoping that this programme works - looks like it's worked for lots of other people. Whenever I've tried getting into running in the past I've always over-done it at the outset and failed to continue but this gradual build-up could really work for me. Here's hoping anyway.

[PennyN]

Hi All. Just completed w1r2. I'm 64. I windsurf and kayak.
And I am From Canada. I'm running to increase bone density and feel good. My run is slower than my walk is and I really appreciate the comment "No need for speed" at the bottom of the Forum page. So far glad I joined.

[andyd12003]

Hi all, today i have just completed week 1 run 2. I have decided i need to get off my backside and get fit, and also lose weight (just over 2 stone so far, but still a long way to go).
I found todays run harder than the first, but I had been to a circuit training session at the gym in the morning before doing the run in the evening, so that may have something to do with it.
Looking forward to the challenge over the coming weeks, and am hoping to complete a 5k road race at the end of it, and then hopefully move on!

[UllaBee]

Hi everyone! I started this program on March 28, and wasn't so sure I would be able to stick with it, so I was reluctant to introduce myself. I used to be pretty in shape a few years ago (or a little more), then got pretty sick and excercise was difficult to say the least. I had a major surgery, and long recovery, then a bout of plain old laziness I guess (or just resting from the whole ordeal). Now I really want to be fit and have energy again! So here I am at W3R2, and really enjoying this!!! At first it was so hard, I really thought I couldn't build on any more run time, but with every run I have somehow been able to pull through! Each day is unique, some feel better than others, or at different points (even when the routine is the same), but each day is such a victory and I feel so elated when I can say that I have completed another day!

[Stonekingt]

Hey all,

For those of you who just started or are early on with Get Running I wanted to offer a little encouragement. I started several weeks ago and REALLY struggled with getting above four minutes of running. But I re-did a couple of the runs in Week 3 and then just kept on with the program. Week 4 was easier for me than Week 3. Then I came to Week 5 Run 2, which is run 8 minutes, walk 5 minutes, run 8 minutes. Surprisingly the first 8 minutes went by without difficulty, but during the second 8 minutes I was tested a bit for the last 2:30. I made it and felt GREAT for the accomplishment. Seriously! I could barely run four minutes just four weeks ago and I had just finished running 8 minutes, TWICE! Yesterday was a LONG run, Week 5 Run 3...it is 20 minutes of unbroken running. I have to say I was intimidated by it. So I set my pace (I have found an app for my iPhone that gives me the beats per minute of songs so I can match my pace with the music, using that it's much easier for me to keep a consistent pace) and just started running. FYI I run at 7 miles per hour (about 8:35 per mile or 5:20 per kilometer). The first 10 minutes were not bad, but during the last 10 I hit 'the wall'. But thanks to God above I just kept on running. During the last 3-4 minutes I had GREAT difficulty, but...I...did...it! Now that I know I can run 20 minutes I am sure I can do more. If you are struggling with runs of 2-4 minutes just know that many of us go through it, but your body will adjust, your endurance will increase and you will be THRILLED! You can do this! I am going to run my first 5K on May 19th and I can't wait. A few more weeks of training and I'm there. Don't give up, repeat a run or even a week if you need to do so, but don't give up, you are going to make it!

"If you want some things to change then you need to change some things."

-Troy

[GettingFit4TheArmy]

Hi guys! I'm Mikaela and I just started using this app today. I've been trying for a while to start running, because 1) I need to get into shape generally and 2) I need to be able to run A LOT once I join the Army! I've been having a lot of trouble running on my own, and even when I joined the track team it didn't help, because they just stuck me in the throwing events. When I discovered this app, I decided to give it a try, and I'm happy I did. Already I love it, and I can't wait to be able to run for a long time without trouble