Running Help

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sfhudgens
sfhudgens Posts: 123 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Here is my dilemma. I want to start running. I have tried C25K…and I got bored with it. I dream of the day I can put my ear phones in my ears and just take off down the dirt road behind my house and just just run long distance without thinking twice…just enjoying it.
HOWEVER….I guess that I just have to start somewhere. My friend and I walk at least 3-5 days a week on our lunch break about a mile then my kids and I after work do about a mile and a ½ depending on how whiney they get lol. But I make them jog a little…
My question is how do i get where I want to be….(and yes as I type that I realize I have to start somewhere) So I guess I will start by timing when I jog with the kids and see how long I can jog without stopping. Then every day add another minute to it? What do you think?
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Replies

  • explosivedonut
    explosivedonut Posts: 419 Member
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    If running is what you want to do, your plan seems pretty decent (just make sure you don't overexert yourself and get hurt). But on the flipside, if you don't like running, you don't HAVE to do it. I don't like biking as much as I like running, so I don't own a bike.

    Not everyone enjoys every exercise. The best exercise is the one you do consistently and to the best of your ability.
  • sfhudgens
    sfhudgens Posts: 123 Member
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    What little bit i have done i loved it
    and now even the little i do i love
    how i feel afterwards.....crazy
    but maybe i should only had a minute
    every few days?
  • explosivedonut
    explosivedonut Posts: 419 Member
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    What little bit i have done i loved it
    and now even the little i do i love
    how i feel afterwards.....crazy
    but maybe i should only had a minute
    every few days?

    Every few days is still a lot. Add a few seconds every day, if anything. Or don't tell yourself "I will only run X time then stop" just run until you can't do any more, then run just to the next telephone pole, then slow down, then see how long you ran.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
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    Well, if the interval training bores you, then just gradually increasing your distance sounds like a plan. I think the general guideline is to not increase by more than 10% a week. So maybe run the same distance 3x a week, and then the following week add 10% and run that 3 x. It's best to take it slow when you're just starting out, slower than you feel you can go.
  • hilts1969
    hilts1969 Posts: 465 Member
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    I would only apply the 10% rule once you have got to a decent standard, if someone could only run to the end of the road and added only 10% a week they would be retired before they got up tp 5k, when i started i just ran till i was out of energy, naturally you will run further as you get fitter and will make leaps on some runs, set a goal distance(5k say) and once reached try to bring your time down

    Always remember discomfort is fine pain is bad, you have to work your heart to get fitter
  • mlb929
    mlb929 Posts: 1,974 Member
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    Time yourself, not distance, so run for 3 minutes one day - 4 the next, 5 the next. Just keep adding a minute at a time and before you know it you will be running longer and further. Do it two or three times - minute run...2 walk... minute run...etc etc.
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
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    Run slow a lot slower than you think. You should be able to hold a conversation. Speed will come in time
  • _HeartsOnFire_
    _HeartsOnFire_ Posts: 5,304 Member
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    I personally love the couch to 5k program. I listen to my own music while doing it. Honestly, I never thought I'd like jogging/running at all. I've never been big on doing that or being outside in the heat...Now I only want to workout outside...Funny how things change...
  • Shampres
    Shampres Posts: 64 Member
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    What is about it interval training that bores you?
  • langurmonkey
    langurmonkey Posts: 92
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    Couch 2 5k worked wonders for me. I can take off down the road running like you are dreaming of! Think of it as a short apprenticeship - it doesn't have to be that thrilling to work. After week 4 you are running longer distances anyway so don't need to track the intervals. If you have a smartphone then there is a game called Zombies Run that might make it a bit more interesting.
  • _HeartsOnFire_
    _HeartsOnFire_ Posts: 5,304 Member
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    Couch 2 5k worked wonders for me. I can take off down the road running like you are dreaming of! Think of it as a short apprenticeship - it doesn't have to be that thrilling to work. After week 4 you are running longer distances anyway so don't need to track the intervals. If you have a smartphone then there is a game called Zombies Run that might make it a bit more interesting.

    I really might try the Zombies Run...
  • sfhudgens
    sfhudgens Posts: 123 Member
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    Maybe it was because I had my kids with me and the fact that I really want to be able to run now lol :) and not wait to start it lol...
    Guess I can start it again with my Own Music and let the kids to go to sleep first. :)
  • conniemaxwell5
    conniemaxwell5 Posts: 943 Member
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    How long can you run without stopping? If you can run for 5 minutes or longer, you may have become bored with c25k because you are more advanced than where it starts you. Try starting somewhere in the middle of the program where the runs are longer and the walks shorter. Weeks 5-8 (I think) aren't the same every day so it gets more interesting at that point.
  • celadontea
    celadontea Posts: 335 Member
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    Have you tried the c25k app if you can? You can play your own music with it. I'm doing that now and I don't find it boring at all. Maybe change up the path or trail you're on to something with more nature. Find a better park, etc. Or change the trail each time. Change the music each time, too.
  • _HeartsOnFire_
    _HeartsOnFire_ Posts: 5,304 Member
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    How long can you run without stopping? If you can run for 5 minutes or longer, you may have become bored with c25k because you are more advanced than where it starts you. Try starting somewhere in the middle of the program where the runs are longer and the walks shorter. Weeks 5-8 (I think) aren't the same every day so it gets more interesting at that point.

    I agree with her...Go take a test run, see how long you can go.
  • Christi132
    Christi132 Posts: 67 Member
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    I started running a over two years ago. I didn't think I could do it, and at first I could only run 1/4 mile and then I would walk. After two years I was up to 9 miles and my extra weight seemed to melt off me. However, I took time off and injured myself when I tried to pick up where I left off. I am now back up to 4 miles following the 10% rule and I feel great! I'm also incorporating sprints into my run and REALLY LOVE that. In fact, I plan on just doing 5 miles with some sprints mixed in . My tips: start slow and BUY REALLY GOOD SHOES. CardioTrainer is the free smartphone app that I use and it's great for telling you how fast you're going, how far, and playing music while you run. Tried other running apps but I keep coming back to that one.
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
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    Don't over-think it. Just run. Run slowly... like a shuffle. Go as long as you can and see. Over time, you'll go faster and you'll go farther.

    Actually, you can do HR training, where you deliberately run with a HRM and keep your HR at 70% or so... then, over time, your HR stays the same but you do, indeed, cover more ground in the same amount of time. It's kind of cool.

    I never started with walk-run intervals. I started with an 8km run in boot camp :laugh:
  • froeschli
    froeschli Posts: 1,292 Member
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    maybe the zombies c25k is your cup of tea?
    as for running with the kiddies - i frequently see a guy who runs whilst his kids trail him in tricycle and training wheels...
    other things that can make your runs interesting are wild running dogs, a vivid imagination (oooh an alligator, in ontario, yeah right), books on tape, blasting music, counting disparaging looks, counting steps, imagining yelling at the next bicyclist... etc :tongue:
  • _HeartsOnFire_
    _HeartsOnFire_ Posts: 5,304 Member
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    The zombies run app is on sale for $2 the sale ends today it's normally $8
  • krisjohnson121
    krisjohnson121 Posts: 87 Member
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    What about C25K did you not like? Unfortunately for what you are looking to do it is exactly what you need.

    In general you start with walking, move to walking with some running, start running with a walk for breaks and next thing you know you are running full force.

    The nice thing about C25K is it works out the 10% difference for you.

    You mentioned that you find it boring... The program is starts for for people who can barely run one minute at a time. It sounds like that is not you. Go out for a run and time how long you can run (or how far there are versions to go for time endurance or distance)find the week with that time/distance as the interval and start from the middle.

    Also think about your goal - to go out and run like it is nothing. I started the C25K about 4 months ago. I finished in the ten weeks and continue to run a 5K at least once a week. Unfortunately I still cannot run like it is nothing - every run is difficult and I push myself harder by trying to up my speed - so you may never get to the point where it is easy :-)

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