Are You Ready Become a Runner? Ease Into 5K Product Review

When I first got the "bug" to get in shape, I was clueless on where to start.  I jumped in head first by strapping on a pair of athletic cross trainers (bad idea), I went to the local popular running trail without a plan of action other than just run until I could not run any further.  Sadly that day did not end well, and I spent the next week recovering with pain in my legs to the point I thought I had broken something.  Sadly I was diagnosed with shin splints.

According to the Methodist Hospital Orthopedic & Sport Medicine Department:

Pain along the front or inside edge of the shinbone (tibia) is commonly referred to as shin splints. The problem is common in athletes who run and jump. It is usually caused by doing too much, too quickly. The runner with this condition typically reports a recent change in training, such as increasing the usual pace, adding distance, or changing running surfaces. People who haven't run for awhile are especially prone to shin splints after they first get started, especially when they run downhill. Shin splints on the front of the tibia are called anterior shin splints. Posterior shin splints cause pain along the inside edge of the lower leg.

Of course all of this could have been prevented if I just would have spent a little time planning my training and buying a pair of shoes that were dedicated to running.

Fortunately, there are some great tools out there that are available for beginners to take advantage of.  There is one specific program that takes someone that has never been a runner and gets them ready to run a 5K (3.2 miles) in 8 weeks.  After my shin splint healed, I decided to download the application to my smart phone and follow the program starting with day 1.  I felt like I could have started with week 2 or 3, but I was not going to make the same mistake twice and do too much too early.


The Ease Into 5K app is a RUNNING COACH in your iPhone or Droid – pushing you as you sprint and slowing you to a walk based on a proven interval training plan.  All you need is your running shoes and determination to get off the couch.

Interval training for a 5K is very difficult to follow for a beginning runner, but this app sets you up to run 3 times a week for 30 mins at a time while listening to your preferred music since the app works alongside your music.

As I have proposed the question before, "How do you eat and elephant? One bite at a time!"  This app is the first step to getting into shape or back to that running form that you may have lost.  After you complete the Ease Into 5K training program, you can download other great apps from Bluefin like Bridge to 10K, Higdon 1/2 Marathon and Full Marathon Training, and Boot Camp apps.  They also have a RunHelper app that helps you journal all of your training runs.

Click Here For Free Trial Version

Product Ratings:

Cost: Based on the what the app does for you and what you can do with the application I would have expected to pay several dollars for this application, but surprisingly you can get the first 2 weeks of the program for free and if you choose to continue with the plan it the full app cost $2.99.  Using this plan for this price feels like stealing.  I give it 5 of 5 Shawns

Ease:  This app is very easy to set up and includes GPS Location services, music setup, and publishing to Facebook and Twitter so you can let all of your friends and followers encourage you along the way and keep you accountable. I give it 5 of 5 Shawns

Style:  When it comes to style and look, this product cannot be matched.  It is very sleek and stylish including some great graphics and navigation.  I give it 5 of 5 Shawns

Customer Support:  Occasionally even the best products have trouble and/or get bugs that need attention.  When that happens, you want to be able to contact the product owner to receive a expedient resolution.  When it comes to Bluefin, there are not many people that can match their attention to customer service.  I give it 5 of 5 Shawns

Overall:  5 of 5 Shawn's (Highest Grade You Can Get on the Shawn Scale)

One other thing that I would like to say about Bluefin Software is they believe in giving back to community and support novice and professional athletes.  They have been very generous to Shawn's Anomaly's mission, and have been honored to be an official sponsor of Team Shawn's Anomaly.

If you are someone that wants to become a runner, I highly recommend you download this app for your iPhone or Droid, lace up a good pair or running shoes, get up off the couch, and start your iDO! journey today.  If you want to connect with other runners that are doing the program including meeting up for group workouts please join our iDO! Facebook Group to get details on when the events take place.

Happy Training!

~Shawn's Ironman

A New Shawn's Ironman

Thank you to all of those that have sent your amazing letters of encouragement.  It is because of those words and your request to continue writing that I have decided not to end Shawn's Ironman blog.  We are just going to refocus the content.  The "Shawn's Ironman" journey did prove that anything is possible if you stick to commitment and make it about more than just finishing a race.  

The Shawn's Ironman blog will still continue to be about my journey and what is happening, but the journey is now a much larger undertaking that makes the Ironman triathlon look like a training race.  

There are so many others that want to accomplish their dreams, but they just don't know where to start, so I have decided to take all the experience from my nearly 3 year journey to help others to enjoy a healthier life.  Barring injury, I will still continue to do my own races and post the race reports, but I find it more rewarding to hear about your journeys and run races with alongside you while you accomplish your dreams. I plan on using our story to encourage others to start their fitness journey and give tips to enjoying a healthier life style.  Be looking for an assortment of articles such as diet reviews, fitness training reviews, interviews with athletes, coaches, medical professionals, etc. all wanting to help you become the best person that you want to be.  I will also be putting my efforts into speaking at various events and promoting the new, "iDO!" mantra.  What is "iDO!"?  Well, I am glad you asked:

Have you ever had good intentions to make a positive change in your life, but you just never get around to actually doing it.  Rarely is it because of lack of inspiration or will.  It has to do with fulfillment and sustainability. Every goal has a reason and motivation behind it, but we sometimes have trouble applying the actions to achieve it. Instead of looking at the huge goal or mission as a whole, we must break down the journey into several smaller goals that are achievable on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.  You just have to go from "I Can," and "I Will" to "I Do!"

The phrase "i Do!" was first used after I completed the Ironman's Kona Inspired program ended in a reflection statement: 

"I DO" is such a simple phrase but it is so powerful in so many ways. It is powerful enough to confirm the commitment to marriage and powerful enough confirm truth in a court of law. We live in a world of I Can't and I Don't. Some of us get inspired enough to go from the "I Can't" to "I Can", but never get around to doing anything to make that phrase "I DO!" The 1% of the world that has finished an Ironman triathlon, understands the phrase better than most. They don't just not say there were going to do something, they do it. You don't have to finish an Ironman to use this phrase.  You can use it to follow through with any commitment whether to be to finish a race, lose a few pounds, volunteer to help the less fortunate, or just be a better person. I challenge you to change your life mantra to "I DO!  Take the pledge with me:

iDO better myself

iDO better those around me

iDO encourage others that say iDO

iDO help those that are less fortunate

iDO test my boundaries

Shawn's Anomaly's goals are a huge undertaking, but it can be accomplished if we apply this strategy to the ultimate mission: Education, Hope, & Help!

Mahatma Gandhi once said, "We must be the change we want to see in the world," but we can't do it alone.  It takes a collected effort from everyone focused on the same goal. Starting in 2013, we are asking all supporters of Shawn's Anomaly to take an "iDO!" pledge. To find out more, go to www.ido5.org. 

Get ready for a new and exciting life.  2013 is a year where you don't just sit and read about someone else's accomplishments.  This year you start accomplishing things on your own with from the iDO! community.  Together we will go from, "I can" or "I will" to iDO!

No iDO challenge is too small or too large, so comment and tell us about what you would like to accomplish.