Anyone had luck becoming a runner by "winging it" instead of using a structured training program?

fudgebudget

lyttlewon wrote: »

You don't specifically need the gym. Pylometric drills are helpful; think jumping, squats and lunges. You can do bodyweight exercises anywhere. Check out Pintrest for suggestions.

Thanks. I've been doing bodyweight exercises at home and would like the challenge of the added weights, and I need to get over my gym aversion anyway.

yusaku02

When I had 50 pounds to lose I started by running a 5k every day (with walking breaks when necessary) on a treadmill in the fitness center at work. Took 2-3 weeks to get to the point where I didn't need to stop to walk at all.

After I lost all the weight I signed up for a marathon. I didn't follow a structured plan while training for that either. I just made sure most of my runs were in the 5-8 mile range and had 1 long run every weekend.

I'll note that I was a varsity cross country/track runner in high school so distance running was not new to me. Still, you don't need to follow any set program to accomplish your goals.

stealthq

fudgebudget wrote: »

stealthq wrote: »

So here's the question - is the bad heel a result of Runkeeper's intervals, or did 'winging it' catch up to you coincidentally when you decided to follow a structured program?

If the running is causing the problem, I'd think it's more likely you're hurting because you over did it while 'winging it'. But, maybe it isn't the running. Maybe it's the walking causing you a problem (especially if you're trying to walk fast). In that case it probably is the intervals.

Personally, I used Zombies, 5K to start running - I just made sure to run all of the optional run/walk periods. Worked well for me. After that, I winged it to 10K (in a week - not my brightest idea but it worked). Then followed Hal Higdon's plan to a half-marathon.

I did C25K a couple of years ago and didn't have much success (clearly - my scale says so ) - I did week 3 for like 4 weeks in a row and the frustration combined with summer heat was not great for my running aspirations - it's one of the reasons I'm really trying to get it together while I have a few months without Texas heat.

It's entirely possible that the stress on my heel from winging it catching up with me, or any number of things. I am more concerned about maintaining discipline without external structure since I don't really know anyone who has managed to become a runner without a program (or a background in it from school sports, etc.) Thanks for the Zombies suggestion - I'll have to check that out.

I'm in Texas, too, so I get the problem with the heat. Most of the summer I ran on an inside track. Boring, but I wasn't dying from heatstroke or ruining my knees on a treadmill (I have issues with treadmills).

Zombies, 5K is basically C25K with a story and some very minor differences in intervals - so it might or might not help. Now that I run regularly, I do enjoy the regular Zombies, Run app. Enough that when I run out of episodes I'll probably start over from the beginning while I wait for the next season.

Working2BLean

No program

Ran till I got tired and walked a bit, then ran

I got a bike and ride hard till I needed to ride easy

Rinse and repeat

You have to pay attention to your body and your limits anyway.

BabyLovesToRun

I started with couch25k but found I got bored with it, so I just started doing what I could do. Run til' I felt dead, walked a minute to recover, and then took off again. Part or being a runner is teaching your brain to be comfortable with being uncomfortable!

Curtruns

I loosely follow plans. What that means is I run how I want to run during the week and do whatever long run is set for the weekend on the particular plan that I am using. I have seen a lot of differences in plans so I don't stress over them too much. Additionally I am bad with too much structure.

Ishii19

Sort of. I decided I wanted to run a mile, so every time I went out I would run a mile, broken up by as many walking breaks as I needed - I don't remember but I would believe some of the running spurts would be as short as 0.1 miles and then I would just do ten of those with recovery walks in between. Eventually the running parts got longer until I made it a mile.
I did that for about a year but never progressed past the mile distance really. Then I started the c25k, stuck with 5k for about a year, now I'm doing b210k.
So I think you could def start off on your own, have a goal and work towards it at your own pace, but keep those programs in mind for the future.
Happy running! Be kind to yourself and GO SLOW Speed comes naturally with time after you keep covering more distance.

RobynLB83

I think if you just go run every day you'll get wherever you're trying to get as a fitness runner. When your distance or speed becomes easy, you know it's time to increase it (or not) depending on your goals. You absolutely don't need a structured program.