Taking the show on the Road

wowbagger42

So I've been using the treadmill since Dec. 1, with my workouts greatly improving in speed and duration as time went on (6mph for 3 min is all I could hack in December... recently got it up to a half hour.), and a total weight loss of 30+ lbs. (I didn't find MFP until around 3 wks. ago...) So now that the nicer weather is here, both yesterday and today I've started jogging on the road, and my... it isn't as easy as the dreadmill made it out to be. :-/

First and foremost, I need to quit smoking... the one I just had is my last one. Really.

Secondly, any tips for pacing? I burned through 1.4 miles today before I had to stop and walk for a bit... First mile was done in 9:20... while no Olympic Record, it's faster than I ran on the treadmill... so I kind of burned myself out, as next mile was 13-something... I am using a HRM, so I made sure I never dropped below 120 BPM for the whole 40 min. I was out, but I would like to keep jogging the whole way, even if it is a bit slower... any tips?

rjt1000

are you running a route that you know the mileage on? Get a stop watch or stop watch app and actually time your first and second miles so that you stick to a steady pace. If you have a smart phone, you can use a running app like IMapMyRun and it will help keep you to a set pace.

Glasspack

I agree with RJT, if you have a smartphone there are number of apps you can download for free, I use jog tracker. You can generally have the app announce time, distance, pace every 5 minutes so you know where you stand with all three. With jog tracker even if you listen to music while running the announcements are loud enough to be heard over the music. You may also find that treadmill times and distances don't always match up to outdoor running because of terrain, temp, weather, etc. Never the less you've made some good strides, enjoy the great outdoors and good luck.

jonnyb62

I have the same issue my pace is way too fast, the only way I can fix it is to time myself to the first street corner, then adjust my pace from there. Then I time again from that corner to the next one, and if I have to, I'll slow down again. If I wait longer than that, it's too late because I've already ran too fast for too long and I will have to walk at some point in the run because I'm winded.

treetop57

First and foremost, I need to quit smoking... the one I just had is my last one. Really.

Woohoo! That's the best possible health choice you can make!

tscott10

Get runkeeper on your phone and jog with it. It will choach you too!

LilRedRooster

When I'm pacing myself, I use my perceived effort to measure how fast I should be going. Generally, it's measured by how well you could carry on a conversation while running. For instance, if you're jogging and could easily carry on a conversation, you're probably in an "easy" zone, where you're mostly running aerobically. It should almost feel too easy. Slight difficulty keeping up a conversation is more into an anaerobic zone, but not pushing too hard, and at that "moderate" pace, you could probably keep up that pace for a quite a while. The more difficult it is to talk while you're going, the more effort you're putting into it, and the faster your pace will be. I usually like to sit somewhere around "moderate" and a bit past that, so I could talk with someone,so the words would be a bit shorter, but I wouldn't be out of breath. That's a good pace for me to maintain for distance. Anything faster I reserve for days when I'm specifically targeting speed for shorter distances.

The more you run, the more you'll figure out your specific pace that works best for you, and that will change with increased endurance.

sherrirb

Slowing down makes a WORLD of difference, especially in relation to distance.

6mph? Wow! I've been running on the treadmill since 1st week of Jan and my pace is 3.8. The last few runs I pump it up to 4.5 for the last few minutes. (I'm doing C25K - Week 8 in progress)

I know running outside is a LOT different from treadmll. The drive belt now replaced with unmoveable concrete or asphalt - it will be harder. Slow down til your body adjusts to the road and get the distance you want. Once you achieve that, then start increasing your speed. Challenge yourself and sign up for 5k run, or try one of those mud runs like Warrior Dash!

Good luck on quitting smoking. I know its hard but if you truly want to quit, you CAN! Coming from a former smoker of 20+ years, I've been smoke free for nearly 7 years now.

DawnVanSlim

I am at the same place you are. I have just moved my running onto the streets this week. My first run I started off way too fast, it almost did me in at the first mile. I made myself slow way fricken down. After I slowed down I found my groove, that same groove I got into on the treadmill. Its hard when you dont have something showing you your pace. For now what I go on is my heartrate on my HRM. If my heartrate is climbing into the 170's-180's in the first mile or so I am going to fast for me. I expect a higher heartrate later in the run though.

In my opinion I feel like I'm running slower on the street then when I'm on the treadmill. I am finishing 3 miles faster on the road, but I feel like I am running so slow. Maybe because cars are whizzing past me? Practice makes perfect, after a couple runs outdoors you will know what speed you need to use. Good Luck!!

wowbagger42

Thank you for the tips guys... I am using Endomondo (an Android/iOS running tracker), but I was kinda ignoring/not hearing the mile announcements, as I haven't had earphones in. (I did link the Endomondo page in my exercise notes.)

I used different routes both days, but the one I used today, I think I will keep... so I will have a constant when it comes to times and whatnot.

wowbagger42

Just an update... Since my last post, I went and got a Garmin 405cx, and like the better accuracy than what I was getting on my phone... also, I LOVE the Virtual Partner... using this pacing helper, and heeding everyone's tips, I was able to run 2 miles continuously today... then some 'stomach issues' set in and had to walk most of the way back home.

Thanks again, for all the tips... hopefully I'll be able to run the whole way during tomorrow's workout.