Jogging/Running - will it get easier?

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  • robwilliams1111
    robwilliams1111 Posts: 3 Member
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    Congratulations on completing your first run, a couple of hints to make it more enjoyable, invest in a good quality pair of running shoes, look on the net for ones that suit your needs, but basically the more padding the better! also i found that interval training helped not only my fitness levels raise very quickly, but also made the running more interesting. Try jogging at your normal speed for two minutes then having a burst for 30 seconds as fast as you can, then back down to normal speed jogging and keep alternating it. Also if you've got access to a gym try using a Cross Trainer (also known as an eliptical trainer) it does the same job as running, but there is no strain on your joints (knees, ankles, hips) I personally like to wear headphones and listen to my music when i'm running, again it stops the boredom setting in, Good luck, believe in yourself, and above all enjoy :)

    Rob.
  • backinthenines
    backinthenines Posts: 1,083 Member
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    Congratulations on your first mile.

    And yes it will get easier....

    but then you will want to go longer... and faster... so in a way... it doesn't get easier!! :laugh:
  • scottb81
    scottb81 Posts: 2,538 Member
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    If you keep at it a minimum of three times a week things in your body will change and it gets a lot easier. It takes time though. At first you will improve rapidly and then improvement will slow down. However, if you are consistent, you can continue to improve for ten years.

    So, what seems hard today will not even make you break a sweat later. You will feel better after an hour of running than you feel after five minutes now.
  • bmontgomery87
    bmontgomery87 Posts: 1,260 Member
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    It definatley gets easier. I still find it to be extremely boring though. If you can find a way to switch it up and keep it interesting, you'll be fine.
  • fumblerdog
    fumblerdog Posts: 63
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    When my husband started running (which he did just to spend more time with me, since I was training for triathlons and marathons and whatnot), he couldn't go a mile without feeling like he wanted to die. I guess that was about 6 months ago? And guess what - he ran his first 5K in December and his first half marathon in March, and he's signed up for two more races before the summer is out! It's never "easy" (if it was easy, everyone would do it), but he has learned to listen to his body and enjoy running - something he never did before. You just have to stick with it - so keep up the GREAT work!!!
  • Cougarsuz
    Cougarsuz Posts: 20 Member
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    It will definitely get easier! I don't remember all the details, but there is something to do with when you first start your run, you burn through your glucose stores first, which takes around 10 minutes, and this is when it suuuuucks. Then you switch over to burning glycogen, which is your long term carb storage, you can burn glycogen for a long time, and its easier. I know for me, after I hit the 3/4 mile mark, things seem to settle down and it still is an effort, but it feels like I could run all day. I'm 5'5", 210lbs, 40 years old, and yesterday it took me 46 minutes to run 3 miles with an average heart rate of 151. I would experiment with running slower, but longer, keeping your heart rate in a target zone, and see how you feel.

    Also, I'm very new here, and would love more friends!
  • jam3114
    jam3114 Posts: 250 Member
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    I'm hoping it will get easier - I started back to jogging (I can't say run either) on 1st April & picked a 2.5mile loop back to my house & for the first week and I was walking parts of it. Roll on last Friday & I stopped once only for 15 seconds :laugh: & then out on Sat same loop no stops :laugh: & Sunday I went for 5k loop & made it the whole way even up the mountain of a hill :happy:

    I think for me its in my head now I tell myself I can do whereas before I just stopped because I wanted to - I keep my heart rate low well I try to & then I can stay jogging longer - it takes me about 33/35 mins for 5k & I hoping as weight falls off it'll get easier

    I didn't do the c25k either I'd get all bogged down in trying to watch the time & probably would fall over :blushing: I hadn't jogged for about 4 months before 1st April so everything ached & still does ache but maybe with time & weight loss I won't feel like my knees are going to break :tongue:

    Good Luck with it all - I've my first 'official' 5k on Easter Sunday
  • CricketKate
    CricketKate Posts: 3,657 Member
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    I like the intervals--I have to work up to the longer distances, otherwise my knees start hurting and I stop. The intervals help me work up to it safely. If you don't like keeping track of the intervals yourself, if you have an Ipod, I highly recommend the Podrunner Interval Couch to 5k series. It's free, and no tracking anything...just walk when the music tells you to, and jog when it tells you to. Warm up and cool down are built in, and it's fun techno-ish music. You don't have to think about it at all--all you have to do is do it! Good luck whatever you choose! It does get easier...I completed the C25k last year, and am doing it again this year--I hope to continue on to the Gateway to 8k series that Podrunner has.

    Thanks for the suggestion. I have never heard of podrunner before. I'm downloading it now.

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