sounds like your well on your way :) good luck with the event, sounds like fun and a worthy cause!

Mike

"My pace still isn't where I want it to be"

That's okay. You are making progress and the targets will come over time, just continue training, keep it fun, and don't over do it and get injured.

Congrats on the fund-raising too. Its a good cause.

Good luck to you, hope it goes well.

Thanks guys...

I figure it's all about forward progression. As long as the pace isn't getting slower then I'm good. It's going to be interesting to see if the running has effected how I am on the trail this summer. It may be that I find hiking a bit easier too.

Good for you! I'm largely in the same boat... Trying to make for a healthier life.

I hate running. Absolutely detest running. A series of unfortunate events left me with incredible back/leg pain and barely able to walk/hobble. With the sedentary lifestyle I ended up packing on a lot of weight. Years of procedures/therapies/surgeries only made it worse and I had given up hope that I'd ever be able to backpack/hike/run again. toward the end of 2010, I finally found the right surgeon, and after months of therapy and learning to walk properly again, I set expected milestones for my recovery, measured in athletic events.

I did my first half-marathon last year. Last weekend I completed my first full marathon (in 5 hours, 13 minutes). Next year, I'm shooting for an Ironman 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run). At that point, I'll know I'm as good as I ever was.

I can second (or third or...) the call for a chest-worn heart rate monitor. Mine was PIFed to me on these very forums, and I use it on every workout. It helps me make sure I don't overdo it and keeps me from burning out too quickly. I'm also a bit "chesty". I wear it under my... uh.. I call them pecs (my daughter calls them "moobies", my wife calls them "manmaries", and I can't say what my son calls them). For a lady, I'd wear it an inch lower than the bra.

Thanks for sharing your experiences. I'm already starting to consider 10K and a half-marathon.

I love running.... it's a love-hate relationship. I love the long outdoor runs and I want to short-circuit the treadmill. I actually dubbed it the dreadmill because I dread getting on it. Once I start, I'm good but it's just so much nicer to be outside.

I have Kaia at home and when the weather is not great, it is just easier to use the treadmill while she naps.

I'm definitely going to have to look into the HRM. I had a pretty extensive stress testing in February too... so I was able to get the all-clear to run from a cardiology perspective. Still, it would be nice to be able to easily see when I am in target ranges to maximize performance and caloric burn.