How do I know if I'm breaking my body?

Joyamj

I love cardio. A few months ago I basically went from ignoring my gym membership to doing intense hour-long cardio workouts (elliptical, arc trainer, bike) once or twice a week. Once I'm in the gym, I can't get enough. But since going is no longer as convenient as it was, I rely on access to a park that is 4-miles around...

So two weeks ago, I started walking the park regularly. Day 2 I added in 1-min intervals of jogging. Day 3 I added in 3 min intervals. By Day 5 I was doing 5-min intervals, minimum. Now for this week: Monday, I jogged 5-min intervals, ending with a 10. Yesterday I did a 10 and 15. And today? I jogged the whole damn thing: 4-miles, 45min. I feel amazing. But somehow this progress seems foreign to me. I've always found it difficult to control my breathing running even for short periods of time...but I had no trouble at all. Leg-wise, I just decided to push myself further every couple of minutes. Not a problem.

I am happy with this progress, but I'd like to know how much is too much. How do I know when to stop, if I feel like I can just keep pushing? I'd like to figure it out before I break myself and can't do cardio anymore.

jemhh

I believe that the rule of thumb for running is to limit your mileage increases to 10% per week. Be sure to take rest days too.

jenncornelsen

i would recommend changing up ur workout and not running everyday. i have had a knee injury as well as a foot from going everyday. maybe try biking or even just walking some days. u dont want to be held up for weeks at a time like i was!

Joyamj

jemhh wrote: »

I believe that the rule of thumb for running is to limit your mileage increases to 10% per week. Be sure to take rest days too.

This is a lot more sustainable than where I was headed. Thanks!!

Joyamj

jenncornelsen wrote: »

i would recommend changing up ur workout and not running everyday. i have had a knee injury as well as a foot from going everyday. maybe try biking or even just walking some days. u dont want to be held up for weeks at a time like i was!

That sounds awful. For how long were you running daily before injury?

jenncornelsen

probably 6 months. but i added in sprinting the last 2 or so and i knew right away one night i had hurt myself. poor form and not proper shoes for running!

bigd66218

As much as I love my cardio (my obsession is cycling), you will need to take a break at least once a week. By doing this, you can break thru an exercise plateau and push even harder. Just be careful, I was trying to hit 6,000 miles in one year and ripped my medial meniscus in my left knee. I knew it was torn and still keep right on cycling for 5 more months. I had surgery the following April and was off work for 2 months.

Kida_Adeylne

You probably built up your base fitness in the gym - I came back to running with 20 mins solid after about eight months, but I had a solid level of fitness from swimming to get me going.
Pay attention to knees and feet - take a rest day if you start developing pain at all or excessive soreness. And take regular rest days at least once a week. The 10% rule is a good way to go from here, too, as other's have said.

enterdanger

jemhh wrote: »

I believe that the rule of thumb for running is to limit your mileage increases to 10% per week. Be sure to take rest days too.

This, and be mindful of any pain you have when running. I thought I was doing everything right but was ignoring some swelling thinking it was muscular because it wasn't too painful. Well, long story short I hit a point within a couple of weeks of onset where my feet were numb all the time except while running. This prompted a trip to the orthopedist who ordered a bone scan. I have multiple stress fractures in both tibias. I'm out of commission for 2-3 months.

Joyamj

bigd66218 wrote: »

I knew it was torn and still keep right on cycling for 5 more months. I had surgery the following April and was off work for 2 months.

Noted.

Joyamj

Kida_Adeylne wrote: »

Pay attention to knees and feet - take a rest day if you start developing pain at all or excessive soreness. And take regular rest days at least once a week.

enterdanger wrote: »

This, and be mindful of any pain you have when running. I thought I was doing everything right but was ignoring some swelling thinking it was muscular because it wasn't too painful.

I am definitely one to block out pain. Will have to find a better way to distinguish normal soreness & muscle burn from actual sign-of-a-problem pain.

enterdanger

For the running, if you have any swelling, tightness, itchiness, or pain along a bone that is a really good sign to stop running or at least decrease distance and start icing after every run. I only had the swelling and itchiness and thought it was normal fat girl running pains. ( I was obese when I started running) I'm doing a lot of swimming these days. lol It's like the only exercise I am approved for.

LKArgh

Slow down. Breathing is not the problem, you need to give your muscles and tendons time to adjust to running. Even if you already are in good shape. Nothing should hurt while running, so do not ignore any pain. And take rest days. You do not have to just stay on the couch on rest days, but do not run. Go for a walk, do some cross training etc.

rrowdiness

Look be careful. Many people who discover they love running end up getting injured in the first six months or so, usually through taking on more than they should do.

As per above, you an increase your weekly mileage by 10%, regardless of how you get to that mileage. ie if you start at 10, next week you can do 11, next week 12.1 etc.

Your body is going to hurt a bit. I disagree with the post above that 'nothing should hurt while running', in fact most of the time something is going to hurt, so it's a matter of identifying what's hurting and whether it should be hurting. Sharp pain = probably not OK. Dull pain = probably OK as long as it doesn't get sharper. Throbbing pain / joint specific pain / worrying pain = probably not OK.

heidim44444

I recommend running no more than 3 times a week at first, with the 10% mileage rule that others noted. Then do two complete rest days and two of cross-training. That will help reduce the risk of injury. And definitely rest more if you are having pain.

Many also suggest that you do two shorter runs and one longer run per week, or a short, medium and long run. There are a lot of books and sites on the internet for more information. Have fun!

Joyamj

This is really helpful folks. Thank you all. I hear you saying slow down and tune in to the discomfort I may have. And to respect the rest. Have to change my whole power-through mentality, and I have to do it now!

tomatoey

If you've been sedentary all your life, and you're submitting your body to a huge increase in volume of activity, I highly, highly, highly suggest crosstraining so different parts are getting different stresses at different times. Switch it up with low-impact options like swimming, rowing, or cycling as well as things that involve varied movements, like dancing, martial arts, or yoga. (Machine cardio, running, etc all involve very repetitive movements so activities that involve variation are great.)

(In addition to paying attention to any pain + using 10% increase guidelines etc.)

tomatoey

rrowdiness wrote: »

Look be careful. Many people who discover they love running end up getting injured in the first six months or so, usually through taking on more than they should do.

As per above, you an increase your weekly mileage by 10%, regardless of how you get to that mileage. ie if you start at 10, next week you can do 11, next week 12.1 etc.

Your body is going to hurt a bit. I disagree with the post above that 'nothing should hurt while running', in fact most of the time something is going to hurt, so it's a matter of identifying what's hurting and whether it should be hurting. Sharp pain = probably not OK. Dull pain = probably OK as long as it doesn't get sharper. Throbbing pain / joint specific pain / worrying pain = probably not OK.

Somebody needs to make a really good sticky about signs of pain

AllanMisner

jemhh wrote: »

I believe that the rule of thumb for running is to limit your mileage increases to 10% per week. Be sure to take rest days too.

Yes, this is the general rule of thumb to avoid injury and overtraining (adrenal fatigue).

Now that you’re active, it is time to start training intelligently. What are your cardio fitness goals? Get organized, get a plan, stick to it, evaluate, adjust, stick to it, etc. Patience, persistence, progression.

Joyamj

tomatoey wrote: »

If you've been sedentary all your life, and you're submitting your body to a huge increase in volume of activity, I highly, highly, highly suggest crosstraining so different parts are getting different stresses at different times. Switch it up with low-impact options like swimming, rowing, or cycling as well as things that involve varied movements, like dancing, martial arts, or yoga. (Machine cardio, running, etc all involve very repetitive movements so activities that involve variation are great.)

(In addition to paying attention to any pain + using 10% increase guidelines etc.)

I have access to a bunch of fitness classes, so this will be relatively easy to implement. I wouldn't say I've been sedentary my whole life, but I haven't been engaged in regular vigorous exercise for about 9 years.

leggup

I also advise doing some lifting/resistance work to strengthen your core, improve your balance, etc. It will make you less prone to injury.

Joyamj

AllanMisner wrote: »

Yes, this is the general rule of thumb to avoid injury and overtraining (adrenal fatigue).

Now that you’re active, it is time to start training intelligently. What are your cardio fitness goals? Get organized, get a plan, stick to it, evaluate, adjust, stick to it, etc. Patience, persistence, progression.

I started out with the goal of "keeping my heart happy," which I decided I would achieve by doing an hour per day of walking, cycling, or jogging, 5-6 days a week. I agree that it's about time to be more thoughtful and deliberate about goal-setting. Thanks!