Running????
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This is a group photo of the beginner class of runners from the local running store.... We were invited to run with the seasoned group after week 12. So from weeks 13-18 I ran with them, and the seasoned runners had three groups 1st group was under six minutes runners. That group had about 15 participants in it, and they run 7-10 miles depending on what the coaches have planned for that weeks run. The second group is 7-12 minutes runners. That group has about 20 participants, and they run between 3-7 miles. And my group is the smallest. My group is anyone running 13-16 minute miles. There is only me, the coach, and two others in my group. And we tend to run between 1.5-3.5 miles.0
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The thing is, I wanted to see if you, as experienced runners had different opinions as my coaches, because after all, they are actually the workers in the store~ so I'm not sure how qualified they are to be coaches. Don't get me wrong~~~ I appreciate them a whole lot. They have been there every step of the way, encouraging me the whole time. But I just wanted to know if you as runners did something differently. I have to admit~ learning to run slower is harder~~~ it takes way more muscles to go slower!!!0
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I did cross country for two years and I usually would average a minute or two above thirty minutes my second year of cross country. But that also isn't representative of regular 5ks because it has so many steep hills and many times almost half the race. The point is either way I was a slow runner to people in cross country. I was usually last or second to last in races. One of the most important things I had to learn was not to be down about it because I probably would have quit cross country in the first month. I know one of my teammates said it would be so hard to be in that position, but I think it helped a lot to just look at my improvements and always remember why I love running. With slow running, it's hard and it feels like you're going nowhere but when I slow down I gain my energy that way and feel a lot better while still running. When I start running, I start at 1/2 or even 1/4 of a mile. I try to see how far I can run without walking. I try to tell myself I just started or it's only half way. I've done this for short distances or 6 mile runs or races. When I have to start walking, I do. But then, I just start to run again when I feel energy to. Eventually I start running 1/2 mile, then a mile and so on. My coach would say as a rule increase a mile every two weeks after you started running two miles. For some people, it's only a week and others it was three. It depends on the person. I would also say maybe look at doing long runs as you build up mileage. Probably wait until you're doing two miles.0
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TheRatorGade wrote: »This is a group photo of the beginner class of runners from the local running store.... We were invited to run with the seasoned group after week 12. So from weeks 13-18 I ran with them, and the seasoned runners had three groups 1st group was under six minutes runners. That group had about 15 participants in it, and they run 7-10 miles depending on what the coaches have planned for that weeks run. The second group is 7-12 minutes runners. That group has about 20 participants, and they run between 3-7 miles. And my group is the smallest. My group is anyone running 13-16 minute miles. There is only me, the coach, and two others in my group. And we tend to run between 1.5-3.5 miles.
There's a piece of the puzzle missing here. The group that runs 6 minute miles - what kind of run is it? I have run a mile on a track in perfect weather in a timed race at 5:50. Today I ran a 5K at 28° F in 17 mph wind, at an average pace of 6:31. My PR half marathon came in at an average pace of 6:46, and I couldn't hold all the mile splits under 7 minutes. I ran my only marathon at an average pace of 7:40, and I hope to be faster for my second marathon. But I train my long runs to a target range of 8:00 to 8:30 per mile.
If your coaches haven't explained the use of different paces for different purposes, and the importance of keeping the pace slow for most of your training and particularly for long runs, they aren't doing a very good job of coaching. The most charitable way I can think of that is that the coaches may be assuming a lot of background knowledge that you don't have, i.e. they aren't coaching for beginners.
I can tell you from personal experience that around here the group of runners targeting an 8:30 pace for long runs is small. Sometimes it's only me. If it's only me and one or two of my Boston training buddies, we'll let the pace creep to 8:15. But we aren't going to be doing any 6 minute miles on long runs!
There is a bell curve of paces that are appropriate for long runs. I'm in the tail on the fast end of the curve. You may be in the tail on the slow end of the curve. Locally, the peak seems to be about 10:30; the local training program had to split the 10:30 pace group into 10:30 and 10:45 because there were so many runners that the group could not be managed on a common route.
. . . and based on today's 5K, I'd say 6 minute miles aren't the rule even among race paces. At a 6:31 average pace, I finished 39th out of 1693 people beating the cutoff. It looks like only 94 people (5.6%) finished with an average pace below 7:00 per mile, and only 12 (0.7%) finished with an average pace of 6:00 or better. Yeah, today's weather wasn't conducive to running really fast. But I'd be shocked to see a 5K as popular as this one have 2% of the runners average 6:00 or faster, even in perfect running conditions. (FWIW, the break between sub-10 minute average and 10+ minute average was between 729th and 730th place, out of 1693. So only 43% of the participants beat a 31 minute finish, which is a 10 minute mile average.)
I'd suggest you take a look at the results from some local races that you may have run or may have considered running. I think you'll find that a 6 minute mile is much, much faster than average.0 -
I started c25k 5 or 6 weeks ago. I did amazing for a month. I repeated week 2 because I knew I wasn't ready for week 3 and I am a SLOOOOW jogger. I only make it 1.78 miles the entire session. Doesn't bother me at all because I didn't even make it 100 feet jogging when I started. And I jog, I don't run. Then I got up to where I could jog for 3 minutes straight and felt pain in my legs but kept going. After some googling and talking to other people I haven't worked put in 2 weeks because I have shin splints from pushing my body harder than it was ready for. I can't wait until I can start it back up again but I'm not going to focus on my speed any more. I don't care that I'm slow.0
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Set smaller goals for yourself. When I trained for my first 25k I went from barely being able to get through 1 mile to running 15.5 miles.
There's a couple things you can do. To increase the duration you can run for, make your running intervals longer. If you can run for 1 minute this week, run for 1:05 next week. Keep the break time the same, 1 minute. You have plenty of time to be ready for a 10k in June. If you're already doing a 5k with your walk/run start adding some distance 1 day a week (your long run). You have 6 months, so add slowly to help prevent injuries (shin splints are the worst!!). Since we know you can get through 3 miles, I honestly would look up how many weeks you have until your half and divide 10/ # of weeks. That's how far is add to my long run. In fact that's how I'm training for my next 25k
I absolutely love running, but I will be the first to admit it can suck so freaking much! You're hot, sweaty, out of breath, the chaffing, the blisters... It's just all stuff you push through. Just increase your time/distance goals slowly and don't give up! It gets better and you'll get faster 0 -
Do you run by yourself as well? Aim to run every other day. Anywhere from 1-3 miles. It's okay to take walking breaks. Just trust the process. And if your overweight work on losing weight, focusing on diet. Even 5 pounds lost helps running! And don't feel bad about being last- in high school I was in cross country even though I was horrible at running. I was ALWAYs last, but one time a girl collapsed at the finish line and they gave medals to 30 out of 31 so I got a medal!! It's funny now, but at the time it sucked. But now I am a much better runner and ran a half marathon a few years ago with a good time and am now aiming for a marathon. All the tips people gave are really good, especially slowing down and focusing on breathing. For me, the most important lesson was to breathe OUT forcefully.0
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OK! I didn't read every post on here but I didn't see something.
What I am gathering is that you are doing a run/walk interval. Run a little bit then walk a bunch. Then run a little bit, then walk a bunch.....
First thing I will suggest. When you do run, don't sprint. Don't run hard. Run about as slow as you can. Take little steps. Not big ones. Like literally make the steps shorter but quicker or just quick enough. Try to run at a pace that is conversational. Don't worry about pace. Just try to make the running part as long of a duration as you can even if the pace is just a little faster than your walking pace. Walk when you begin to get out of breath and begin running (slow pace) when your breathing becomes controlled again.
Also, 6 min/mile pace is really fast. So that is not a realistic goal for you right now.0 -
OK! I didn't read every post on here but I didn't see something.
What I am gathering is that you are doing a run/walk interval. Run a little bit then walk a bunch. Then run a little bit, then walk a bunch.....
First thing I will suggest. When you do run, don't sprint. Don't run hard. Run about as slow as you can. Take little steps. Not big ones. Like literally make the steps shorter but quicker or just quick enough. Try to run at a pace that is conversational. Don't worry about pace. Just try to make the running part as long of a duration as you can even if the pace is just a little faster than your walking pace. Walk when you begin to get out of breath and begin running (slow pace) when your breathing becomes controlled again.
Also, 6 min/mile pace is really fast. So that is not a realistic goal for you right now.
What about when it's not the breathing but that I simply start to feel tired? I could run a greater distance (longest I've gone is 4 miles and that was at 9:30/mi ave.) I am adding distance each week but I've noticed it's not the breathing that feels overworked but rather in general I start to feel tired.0 -
mommarnurse wrote: »OK! I didn't read every post on here but I didn't see something.
What I am gathering is that you are doing a run/walk interval. Run a little bit then walk a bunch. Then run a little bit, then walk a bunch.....
First thing I will suggest. When you do run, don't sprint. Don't run hard. Run about as slow as you can. Take little steps. Not big ones. Like literally make the steps shorter but quicker or just quick enough. Try to run at a pace that is conversational. Don't worry about pace. Just try to make the running part as long of a duration as you can even if the pace is just a little faster than your walking pace. Walk when you begin to get out of breath and begin running (slow pace) when your breathing becomes controlled again.
Also, 6 min/mile pace is really fast. So that is not a realistic goal for you right now.
What about when it's not the breathing but that I simply start to feel tired? I could run a greater distance (longest I've gone is 4 miles and that was at 9:30/mi ave.) I am adding distance each week but I've noticed it's not the breathing that feels overworked but rather in general I start to feel tired.
Do you always feel tired even on recovery days? Are you varying distances? Are you trying to go at the same pace all the time? Do you feel tired the whole time? Is it more than just being tired? Because you should feel tired towards the end of a run. For cross country, we ran after school and many times I was already worn out before I ran. But towards the middle of runs, I usually felt better. Is it weather? What's your normal pace? You also said you add distance every week? Because pushing yourself too much can be a problem. There are so many factors.
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mommarnurse wrote: »I could run a greater distance (longest I've gone is 4 miles and that was at 9:30/mi ave
Slow down.0 -
TheRatorGade wrote: »If you practice running all the time on a regular basis, doesn't your body get used to the runs~~~~ making a 10k, or half normal?
When I started running I could barely make it around the block without wanting to die.......
The trick is to slow down and be consistent. Don't try to push the progress too quickly (I'm not a fan of C25K...I think it tries to progress too quickly for many people leaving them feeling like they've failed)
Something else to keep in mind is to cross train. Go for a bike ride or a swim on your non-running days (both build aerobic capacity and cycling is especially complimentary to running)
Eventually, if longer runs are your goal, a slow 10km becomes a routine mid-week training run (racing a 10K is hard work) and a 16 or 18km run on Sunday is realistic (again.....slow training run)
Keep it up, remember that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
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mommarnurse wrote: »OK! I didn't read every post on here but I didn't see something.
What I am gathering is that you are doing a run/walk interval. Run a little bit then walk a bunch. Then run a little bit, then walk a bunch.....
First thing I will suggest. When you do run, don't sprint. Don't run hard. Run about as slow as you can. Take little steps. Not big ones. Like literally make the steps shorter but quicker or just quick enough. Try to run at a pace that is conversational. Don't worry about pace. Just try to make the running part as long of a duration as you can even if the pace is just a little faster than your walking pace. Walk when you begin to get out of breath and begin running (slow pace) when your breathing becomes controlled again.
Also, 6 min/mile pace is really fast. So that is not a realistic goal for you right now.
What about when it's not the breathing but that I simply start to feel tired? I could run a greater distance (longest I've gone is 4 miles and that was at 9:30/mi ave.) I am adding distance each week but I've noticed it's not the breathing that feels overworked but rather in general I start to feel tired.
Tired is sort of a catch all phrase that could mean lots of different things. You would have to be more descriptive as to what that exactly means. So I will explain a few different reasons for fatigue.
So breathing is one thing. When your breathing is elevated immediately, it is a sign that you are running at an intensity very close or way beyond what your aerobic system can bear. The heavier breathing is associated with the increased heart rate which is your body's attempt to deliver more oxygen while at the same time trying to remove the CO2 caused by respiration. Breathing could still be elevated but controlled. So even though you may not be breathing uncontrollably, if it is still elevated it is a sign that you are still running too fast to target your aerobic system. Usually you want to be in around 60-65% of your max HR which is what we call the conversational pace. This will allow you to run for a longer period of time without engaging your anaerobic system to go beyond your aerobic system. These type of runs target your aerobic base building and if you continue this pace for at least 90 minutes, it will train your body to make more efficient use of fat burning.
Once your anaerobic system starts to work faster than your aerobic system, the anaerobic system is forced to ferment the unused pyruvate that the aerobic system would normally use into something called lactate. When lactate begins to accumulate in the muscle, the associated hydrogen ions (H+) cause the pH level in the muscle to lower which makes it become very acidic. This is another cause of fatigue. It can even lead to that burning sensation as you are running. Running for 38 minutes is enough time to cause this type of fatigue if you are running slightly above your aerobic level.
When you run at an intensity that goes beyond your aerobic system, you are forced to use more stored carbohydrates as fuel. Your body can use carbs, fat, and protein for fuel, but carbs (glucose) is the only one that can be used without oxygen. So when you run at an intensity faster than your aerobic system can bear, you are requiring that a greater proportion of your stored carbs to be used. By keeping the pace within your total aerobic capability, it allows your system to use more of a proportion to use fat as fuel. This is important for a couple of different reasons. Your body can only store so much carbs, and your body has a greater ability to store fat. The other major thing, while your muscles can use either fat or carbs; your brain pretty much relies on the carb and the brain is a 24/7 hog when it comes to using carbs. So when you force your muscles to burn carbs as a fuel, it competes with the brain for the same energy source. The brain sometimes doesn't like this competition and will signal your body to slow down in order to reserve more of that blood glucose for itself. This is yet another type of fatigue.
Related to that, if you run fasted you start out in a state with less stored carbs which quickens the time required for when you will notice these effects. If you started your run in a fully carbed up state, the competition for this glucose is less. But once your stored carbs (glycogen) gets used up, the brain starts to get worried. When you sleep at night, during the 8 hours you are asleep, you don't eat anything. So no carbs are coming in. Your body will mantain a level of blood glucose by burning both fat and the glycogen stored in your liver. By the time you wake up, a good proportion if not all that liver glycogen is used up. Now you run without having eaten anything, and now your burning all the muscle glycogen with very little liver glycogen left. Your brain doesn't like this and sends signals to slow you down.
When you run, you actually cause micrscopic tears in the muscles. The first time this happens you will feel it within 12 hours to 36 hours afterwards. This type of fatigue is called DOMS (delayed onset muscle syndrom). Your body is temporarily in a weaker state while it is recovering from this workout. In the mean time, the muscle cells are repairing themselves to the point where they actually become stronger then they were before. As you repeat this process, the body adapts to the training and you no longer feel the effects of DOMS and the same intensity no longer causes this type of damage. In this particular instance, if you run at an intensity that causes the miscroscopic tears and you are not fully healed yet, you will begin to notice muscle fatigue very early on in the run. Your legs will feel like lead weights. Continue to push yourself over and over again, and this could lead to different types of overuse injuries. Give yourself enough rest in between workouts and eat enough protein and healthy fats.
Sleep deprivation can also cause another type of fatigue. First it delays recovery so the effects of DOMS linger longer. Lack of sleep also causes stress on the body which the body responds with certain harmones that wreck havoc while you are running. Other forms of stress do the same thing (such as worrying about final exams or working on a deadline, or personal/social related issues). Stress in general is not good for performance. The irony is that many people do use running as a good stress reliever. Running releases other type of feel good harmones that counter the stress harmones. So even though you may not have had the best run in the world, you end up feeling much better afterwards. First thing is make sure you get enough sleep. Second thing, if you have other forms of stress in your life, don't worry about having a bad run every so often. The running will carry over positively into your personal life.
That is all I can think of right now.0 -
Wow, that's a lot of information I didn't even know I needed. Thank you for explaining it in a way that I, a total newbie, can understand.
Tired is sort of a catch all phrase that could mean lots of different things. You would have to be more descriptive as to what that exactly means. So I will explain a few different reasons for fatigue.
So breathing is one thing. When your breathing is elevated immediately, it is a sign that you are running at an intensity very close or way beyond what your aerobic system can bear. The heavier breathing is associated with the increased heart rate which is your body's attempt to deliver more oxygen while at the same time trying to remove the CO2 caused by respiration. Breathing could still be elevated but controlled. So even though you may not be breathing uncontrollably, if it is still elevated it is a sign that you are still running too fast to target your aerobic system. Usually you want to be in around 60-65% of your max HR which is what we call the conversational pace. This will allow you to run for a longer period of time without engaging your anaerobic system to go beyond your aerobic system. These type of runs target your aerobic base building and if you continue this pace for at least 90 minutes, it will train your body to make more efficient use of fat burning.
Once your anaerobic system starts to work faster than your aerobic system, the anaerobic system is forced to ferment the unused pyruvate that the aerobic system would normally use into something called lactate. When lactate begins to accumulate in the muscle, the associated hydrogen ions (H+) cause the pH level in the muscle to lower which makes it become very acidic. This is another cause of fatigue. It can even lead to that burning sensation as you are running. Running for 38 minutes is enough time to cause this type of fatigue if you are running slightly above your aerobic level.
When you run at an intensity that goes beyond your aerobic system, you are forced to use more stored carbohydrates as fuel. Your body can use carbs, fat, and protein for fuel, but carbs (glucose) is the only one that can be used without oxygen. So when you run at an intensity faster than your aerobic system can bear, you are requiring that a greater proportion of your stored carbs to be used. By keeping the pace within your total aerobic capability, it allows your system to use more of a proportion to use fat as fuel. This is important for a couple of different reasons. Your body can only store so much carbs, and your body has a greater ability to store fat. The other major thing, while your muscles can use either fat or carbs; your brain pretty much relies on the carb and the brain is a 24/7 hog when it comes to using carbs. So when you force your muscles to burn carbs as a fuel, it competes with the brain for the same energy source. The brain sometimes doesn't like this competition and will signal your body to slow down in order to reserve more of that blood glucose for itself. This is yet another type of fatigue.
Related to that, if you run fasted you start out in a state with less stored carbs which quickens the time required for when you will notice these effects. If you started your run in a fully carbed up state, the competition for this glucose is less. But once your stored carbs (glycogen) gets used up, the brain starts to get worried. When you sleep at night, during the 8 hours you are asleep, you don't eat anything. So no carbs are coming in. Your body will mantain a level of blood glucose by burning both fat and the glycogen stored in your liver. By the time you wake up, a good proportion if not all that liver glycogen is used up. Now you run without having eaten anything, and now your burning all the muscle glycogen with very little liver glycogen left. Your brain doesn't like this and sends signals to slow you down.
When you run, you actually cause micrscopic tears in the muscles. The first time this happens you will feel it within 12 hours to 36 hours afterwards. This type of fatigue is called DOMS (delayed onset muscle syndrom). Your body is temporarily in a weaker state while it is recovering from this workout. In the mean time, the muscle cells are repairing themselves to the point where they actually become stronger then they were before. As you repeat this process, the body adapts to the training and you no longer feel the effects of DOMS and the same intensity no longer causes this type of damage. In this particular instance, if you run at an intensity that causes the miscroscopic tears and you are not fully healed yet, you will begin to notice muscle fatigue very early on in the run. Your legs will feel like lead weights. Continue to push yourself over and over again, and this could lead to different types of overuse injuries. Give yourself enough rest in between workouts and eat enough protein and healthy fats.
Sleep deprivation can also cause another type of fatigue. First it delays recovery so the effects of DOMS linger longer. Lack of sleep also causes stress on the body which the body responds with certain harmones that wreck havoc while you are running. Other forms of stress do the same thing (such as worrying about final exams or working on a deadline, or personal/social related issues). Stress in general is not good for performance. The irony is that many people do use running as a good stress reliever. Running releases other type of feel good harmones that counter the stress harmones. So even though you may not have had the best run in the world, you end up feeling much better afterwards. First thing is make sure you get enough sleep. Second thing, if you have other forms of stress in your life, don't worry about having a bad run every so often. The running will carry over positively into your personal life.
That is all I can think of right now.0 -
mommarnurse wrote: »OK! I didn't read every post on here but I didn't see something.
What I am gathering is that you are doing a run/walk interval. Run a little bit then walk a bunch. Then run a little bit, then walk a bunch.....
First thing I will suggest. When you do run, don't sprint. Don't run hard. Run about as slow as you can. Take little steps. Not big ones. Like literally make the steps shorter but quicker or just quick enough. Try to run at a pace that is conversational. Don't worry about pace. Just try to make the running part as long of a duration as you can even if the pace is just a little faster than your walking pace. Walk when you begin to get out of breath and begin running (slow pace) when your breathing becomes controlled again.
Also, 6 min/mile pace is really fast. So that is not a realistic goal for you right now.
What about when it's not the breathing but that I simply start to feel tired? I could run a greater distance (longest I've gone is 4 miles and that was at 9:30/mi ave.) I am adding distance each week but I've noticed it's not the breathing that feels overworked but rather in general I start to feel tired.
Do you always feel tired even on recovery days? Are you varying distances? Are you trying to go at the same pace all the time? Do you feel tired the whole time? Is it more than just being tired? Because you should feel tired towards the end of a run. For cross country, we ran after school and many times I was already worn out before I ran. But towards the middle of runs, I usually felt better. Is it weather? What's your normal pace? You also said you add distance every week? Because pushing yourself too much can be a problem. There are so many factors.
One more thing as I am reading this. If you are constantly increasing mileage every week, the residual effect can lead to over training. So even though you give yourself enough rest days in between workouts, the residual constant increase in training will eventually take its toll.
To counter this, we instill what we call cut back weeks. About every 3 or 4 weeks, you actually cut your weekly mileage. This allows your body to adapt to the previous training so that you are more fully prepared to take on new challenges (in this case even more miles).
So say your schedule looks like:
Week1: M 3 miles W 3 miles F 3 miles = 9 miles for the week
Week2: M 4 miles W 3 miles F 3 miles = 10 miles for the week
Week3: M 4 miles W 4 miles F 3 miles = 11 miles for the week
Week4: M 3 miles W 3 miles F 2 miles = 8 miles (cut back week)
Week5: M 4 miles W 4 miles F 4 miles = 12 miles for the week
......
As you increase mileage, every run should be easy. Doing speed type of work (intervals and repeats and even threshold type) should not be performed.
If you want a varying type of workout, you can add what we call fartleks. Fartleks is a term runners use to varry their running workout by injecting short bursts of more intense running. For the most part, you still run easy the entire running workout. But after about a mile into your run (after a good warm up) you will throw in some varrying levels of not so intense speed. Notthing crazy and nothing official about it. As you run, pick a target up ahead. if could be a telephone pole, the end of the block, a mailbox. Anything. Now pick up the pace until you reach that target and slow back down. The pace you choose to pick up is up to you, but it shouldn't be anything crazy. Just a little faster. The distance shouldn't be too far. Maybe 50 yards? Maybe 25? it's up to you. After a few more minutes of easy running, pick another target and do it again. Repeat this for a few more times then end your run on some easy running to cool down. This is known as a fartlek workout.
Another thing I didn't mention before that i just thought about. A good warm up and cool down is necessary. Never stretch before a run (well static stretching). Static stretching is where you hold a position for a period of time (like bend down and touch your toes and hold for 30 seconds). That is static stretching. Don't do that before running. Save that for after you run. before a run, you want to do what is known as dynamic stretching. This could be as simple as a good 5 minute walk. Skipping is a very good dynamic strech. High knees and butt kicks another good dynamic strech. B skips. Then always start your run with some very slow jogging (at least 5 minutes). A poor warm up could lead to fatigue later on in the run. Also, afterwards, make sure you cool down. Don't just abruptly stop running and never never never just lie on the ground or sit down after you get done running. Make sure you finish up with a slow jog which leads to some walking. At least 5 minutes worth. This will allow your body to calmly return to a resting state. If you just stop abruptly, the heart and blood is still moving pretty rapid and the blood could pool in certain spots. A good cool down will gracefully allow you to get back to that resting state.
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I know you said that you couldn't do C25k, but it really is the best program to begin running. It took me three tries before I was able to finish the program, so don't think you can't do it just because you couldn't last time.
Try C25K again. The "run" segment is really meant to be a jog. However slow of a jog you can do. When I started, I could have walked faster than I was jogging. Slow way down. Seriously. And I think the first week is only 1 min of running, not 2.
Then keep going. Repeat weeks if you feel like you need to. I did some weeks three times before I was ready to move on. Also, I was really slow, even at the end. It really gets you up to running for 30 minutes, not 3 miles. I still can't do a 5k in 30 minutes and I've been running for 2 years. It's ok. I can now run 10k, but I can't do a consistent 10 minute mile pace for more than 2 miles.
Last, but not least, running is a mental sport. You have to believe that you can do it in order to be able to do it. When I start to doubt myself is when I fail. When I believe I can do it, I always finish. I'm completely serious. My failures have all been mental blocks, not physical ones.
Believe in yourself. Sometimes I even get to the point where I start chanting (softly) "I can do this" in order for me not to give up.0 -
If this is a goal, I can't recommend the book The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer enough. It's built around a 16-week training program designed to prepare novice runners for their first marathon. The program was originally developed as a college course, as a joint effort by the physical education and psychology departments. (There's also a description of what to do if the start of the program is too aggressive. That starts with just walking, which is where I was 9 years ago when I finally got off the couch. Sounds like you might be ready to jump in to the program proper, though.)TheRatorGade wrote: »I've always wanted to run a marathon for as far back as I can remember.
The thing that makes this book unique, in my experience, is that each week in the program gets its own chapter, and each chapter in turn addresses three aspects of the week's activities. The first section is about mental preparation for the week, including suggested mental exercises. The second section is the description of the workouts for the week, the sort of thing that you usually find in a C25K. The last section of each chapter is largely stories by people who have participated in this program previously, and unlike most such materials this addresses the emotional and psychological aspects of making the transition to becoming a runner. It's a hell of a thing to undertake, and sometimes the most difficult hurdles to overcome aren't physical.
I've used this book myself, and recommended it to others. In fact, my copy of it has done more traveling over the last few years than I have. Also, I'd agree with sentiments expressed by others here, including (in no particular order):- Comparison to other runners is madness. Don't worry about your speed. Remember: you're faster than everybody still sitting on the couch.
- Increase distance or speed gradually, and only one at a time.
- Keep it fun. If it's fun, you'll keep doing it. (Zombies, Run! has been mentioned already. Love it!)
- You've mentioned your local running store, so you probably have this covered, but get the right shoes for you.
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There have been some really great and informative replies to this but I just wanted to add my bit. I run 4 days a week for caring distances and purposes. I have been running for years. But during every run, usually .75 miles in, I feel tired or my sock hurts or my knee feels weird or I'm cold or wish I had chosen a different jacket. I usually hit this mental place right before I get in the zone and focus on my run. It's possible this is more than just physical.mommarnurse wrote: »OK! I didn't read every post on here but I didn't see something.
What I am gathering is that you are doing a run/walk interval. Run a little bit then walk a bunch. Then run a little bit, then walk a bunch.....
First thing I will suggest. When you do run, don't sprint. Don't run hard. Run about as slow as you can. Take little steps. Not big ones. Like literally make the steps shorter but quicker or just quick enough. Try to run at a pace that is conversational. Don't worry about pace. Just try to make the running part as long of a duration as you can even if the pace is just a little faster than your walking pace. Walk when you begin to get out of breath and begin running (slow pace) when your breathing becomes controlled again.
Also, 6 min/mile pace is really fast. So that is not a realistic goal for you right now.
What about when it's not the breathing but that I simply start to feel tired? I could run a greater distance (longest I've gone is 4 miles and that was at 9:30/mi ave.) I am adding distance each week but I've noticed it's not the breathing that feels overworked but rather in general I start to feel tired.
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I would vary the miles on different days like short runs on MWF medium on TT and a long on Sunday. As I worked up to the mileage I felt comfortable with 4.5 mi. 6.5 mi. and 10.5 mi. (I started only walking and built up very slow) I would use a running app on my phone to monitor my distance and pace. You start to compete with yourself to push a little to get a better time. You will start to memorize your time and pace at points on the route and you will say wow I am fast today.0
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