Running, Running & Running...I suck but I am Running, or so
Crystal0827
Posts: 244 Member
So back in January when I started this lifestyle change, my friend said "you really should work on running on the treadmill" I quickly replied "I don't run, it hurts my knees. Never been a runner ever" She just grinned and said practice makes perfect as she increased the speed on my treadmill from a nice walk to a brisk walk. I felt like I was going to die but in my head knew she was right. So I went from my comfortable 3.0 to 4.0. She didn't push the running so much since I said it hurt my knees she didn't want me to hurt myself ( it really did hurt my knees) She encouraged me to get better running shoes and one say I said I think I am going to try this running thing. She was impressed. So my warm out started 1 min of my friend 3.0, 1 min of my new friend 4.0 and then 1.0 of my new best friend 5.0 and I would decrease the speed and do this pattern all over again several times. I am comfortable with this. It increases my hear rate, I am sweating, I am huffing and puffing. Then Sunday I decided just try and see how long I could do. OK hope on stretch warm up at 3.5 for 3 minutes and straight to 5.0 I go. I ran for 6 minutes straight. I was amazed. I am sure some of you are laughing at my ha 6 minutes I can run for 600 minutes. But you have to understand, I NEVER EVER EVER RUN, not in school not ever. So I wiped the sweat off and patted myself on the back. Monday I went back to the gym and said I am going for 7 minutes today....What is this 3 minutes and I am dying WTH?!? I pushed and pushed but made it to 4 minutes before I felt like I was going to fall off. I was very disappointed in myself. Last night I got out of my 2nd job a little early so I decided to get a quick burn in, Again STRUGGLED but made it to 5 minutes. Then for the next 25 minutes went back and forth with 3.5 and 5.0. I don't understand on how one say I made it to 6 minutes straight and now it seems impossible to get there again. I feel as though I am becoming very obsessed with being able to meet this goal and not that it is bad goal but each time I don't reach it I am so disappointed in myself. Any New runners out there that can help me, advice you can offer? Suggestions.? OH btw the way my friend said she can't wait til we work out together she is going to get me to 6.0, I am not going to lie I cried a little haha.
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Replies
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Could be that you pushed yourself so hard to get to 6 mins that your body is rebelling and needs a rest. That's OK and totally natural!0
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Take your towel and cover that timer. If you keep thinking about how much longer you have to run, you're just going to feel the exhaustion even more. Cover it up, and don't peek until you really really can't run any more. You may be surprised at what you've accomplished. The first time you ran with no judgments or expectations on what you could do. You need to have that attitude every time - your only goal should be to do your absolute best. Improvement will come naturally.0
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If you are running on consecutive days that could be an issue, as your body might not be getting the rest it needs to recover for another run. Possibly running everyother day could help. Good luck, and keep up the good work!!:happy:0
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I was in this position last year and I never ever ran in my entire life. I found that the thing that worked for me was doing some interval training and I followed the couch to 5 k program (the thought of even running for 1 min seemed impossible)! It takes it in baby seteps and its fairly easy to reach the goals so you don't feel disappointed. 6 mins is great and you should be proud of yourself i think one of the important things to remember is you have good days and bad days. Nutrition is really important but most of all keep it up. Its sounds like you have great motivation so keep going!!
Heres the couch to 5 k program if you're interested: http://www.c25k.com/0 -
Some days are just harder than others! I went through C25k and now run 3 miles or more 3 times a week. Some days it feels great, other days it kicks my a**. So many factors can affect it (food, hydration, sleep, form, breathing). You'll get there again and you will do better - just keep pushing yourself - but don't push so hard that you dread doing it!! If I have a really hard day where I am really pushing myself on pace or something, sometimes the next run I ease up a little so its more fun, so I continue to look forward to my workouts rather than dreading them!0
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I agree with the previous poster, you should check out Couch 2 5k, that program is what got me from "I will never run EVER" to "I AM A RUNNER!". It allows you to have time to walk and run and slowly build you up to a solid run.
As for not being able to meet your 7 minute goal... Running is seriously 90% mental. Try to distract yourself as much as possible and not focus on that number. What helped me was listening to books on tape. Sometimes I will focus on a quote or saying ("The only time you fail is when you give up"-- that helped med) to get me through. It's Amazing how some runs are easy peasy, but some are just HARD. Just keep at it, you will get there! Congrats!
Oh, and I am a slow runner, but in the beginning if I was struggling I would bump it down to a 4.7ish and that helped me too.0 -
I've been running for 3 months and I still run at 5.5 mph max. BUT, I can run for 20 minutes instead of just.... 4 or 5 now! I used to do a lot of interval running like this:
0-3 = 3mph
3-5 = 3.5 mph
5-6 = 6
6-8 = 5
8-9 = 6.5
9-10 = 5.5
10-12 = 3
etc...etc....0 -
Hi Crystal, I’m new to this whole running thing, too. Just bought a double jogging stroller so I can take my kids out with me, and ‘ran’ (I use that term…uh…very loosely) in my first 5K a few weeks ago. Feel free to add me; maybe we can swap new runners encouragement (and agonies) with each other!0
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Some days you just don't have a good run day. I even asked the "good" runners at my gym and at work and they all said the same thing, some days you just don't get in the zone. Even the most seasoned runners have bad runs. I had an amazing run last week and then last night, lousy.........I had to keep stopping and walking. Don't worry too much about a bad day, just keep forging ahead0
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I was never a runner either, but, after 5 months, I just ran for 30 minutes straight on the treadmill...last week. That has been a big goal of mine. I followed a program on Marathon Training Academy's website. It starts you out running 1 minute and walking 1 minute, gradually upping the amount you run, but always walking for only 1 minute. It helped me to overcome the mental problem, thinking I can't possibly do this. It has you only running 3 days a week, so that your muscles can recover and also varies the length of the runs during the week...some longer and some shorter. It worked for me. You might want to try that.0
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Wow guys THANKS! This is a lot of great advice and help. (p.s. sorry for so many typos in the original posting, I am at work and kept having interruptions and I did NOT proofread...maybe I should work on that too LOL)0
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I agree with the previous poster, you should check out Couch 2 5k,
I finally figured out what C25K means. I thought it was a new program like P90x or something.
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You might want to try modified intervals. After warming up, run briskly (briskly, not flat out) for one minute. Then walk for one minute, or until your heart rate comes down if you have a heart rate monitor. Alternate brisk running and walking until you've reached six minutes. Do it for a week or two. Then try increasing the intervals. Run briskly for 75 seconds, or 90 seconds, followed by walking. Gradually increase the running and decrease the walking.
An interval timer such as a Gymboss is helpful. www.gymboss.com0 -
I've been using the couch 2 5K program, like some of the other posters, and my "runs" are really just a jog at this point, most at about 4.2-4.4 mph. So 6 mins at 5.0 is awesome in my book! At one point in the couch 2 5K program you run 20 mins. I had run it once, then developed a mental block and could never get past the 10 min mark without feeling like I was going to die and backing off and walking for a few minutes. I was talking to a friend of mine that runs and she said to just keep running...decrease the speed and just keep running. And that got me past my block! That first time through I was moving pitifully slow, but I was still moving. I didn't stop!
Yesterday I finished a 28 minute run. Tomorrow's run will be the graduating 30 min run! So don't be afraid to back off the speed some to over come that hurdle. I realize that my run speed is pitifully slow, so once I "graduate" from Couch 2 5k (a personal goal to actually complete the program), plus a week of 30 min runs, I will go back to running intervals to work on increasing speed and distance.
Congratulations on your effort! You have done a great job! Just keep at it and don't give up!0 -
So back in January when I started this lifestyle change, my friend said "you really should work on running on the treadmill" I quickly replied "I don't run, it hurts my knees. Never been a runner ever" She just grinned and said practice makes perfect as she increased the speed on my treadmill from a nice walk to a brisk walk. I felt like I was going to die but in my head knew she was right. So I went from my comfortable 3.0 to 4.0. She didn't push the running so much since I said it hurt my knees she didn't want me to hurt myself ( it really did hurt my knees) She encouraged me to get better running shoes and one say I said I think I am going to try this running thing. She was impressed. So my warm out started 1 min of my friend 3.0, 1 min of my new friend 4.0 and then 1.0 of my new best friend 5.0 and I would decrease the speed and do this pattern all over again several times. I am comfortable with this. It increases my hear rate, I am sweating, I am huffing and puffing. Then Sunday I decided just try and see how long I could do. OK hope on stretch warm up at 3.5 for 3 minutes and straight to 5.0 I go. I ran for 6 minutes straight. I was amazed. I am sure some of you are laughing at my ha 6 minutes I can run for 600 minutes. But you have to understand, I NEVER EVER EVER RUN, not in school not ever. So I wiped the sweat off and patted myself on the back. Monday I went back to the gym and said I am going for 7 minutes today....What is this 3 minutes and I am dying WTH?!? I pushed and pushed but made it to 4 minutes before I felt like I was going to fall off. I was very disappointed in myself. Last night I got out of my 2nd job a little early so I decided to get a quick burn in, Again STRUGGLED but made it to 5 minutes. Then for the next 25 minutes went back and forth with 3.5 and 5.0. I don't understand on how one say I made it to 6 minutes straight and now it seems impossible to get there again. I feel as though I am becoming very obsessed with being able to meet this goal and not that it is bad goal but each time I don't reach it I am so disappointed in myself. Any New runners out there that can help me, advice you can offer? Suggestions.? OH btw the way my friend said she can't wait til we work out together she is going to get me to 6.0, I am not going to lie I cried a little haha.
I just went through the same thing you did, here's what I learned:
1) Fleet Feet has shoes that fit me! (I'm hard to find shoes for, even for every day shoes. I dread shoe shopping and put it off for weeks until I wear through a heel, so you understand my elation when I walked in and walked out with a good pair of shoes in under an hour.) They measured my feet, handed me a pair of men's running shoes (which I would've never thought to try on) but because of the shape of my foot, they fit exactly. That helped a lot. I never felt comfortable running because women's shoes never fit me quite right.
2) Running at 4.0+ mph can be easier than walking at 2.0+ mph sometimes. I'm doing grad school physiology right now so we talk about the physical forces and mechanics of our joints sometimes and because walking slower takes more time, we put more stress on our lower limbs in a fixed time frame. What does that mean?
Well - which is harder? A full, slow pushup, or a quick up and then drop?
So when you're running faster, you're actually making it easier on yourself. My doctor also told me that running at 3.5+mph at an 8 degree incline will start fat burning after 15 mins of warm up at that speed. In other words, anything less isn't really burning fat, it's helping you build leg strength and muscle but not doing what you think.
Also, keep in mind your target heart rate, don't ever go too far above it, you might hurt yourself. I do the whole adjusting speed thing while keeping at the same incline - I don't let the treadmill do it for me - so I can control just how fast I want to run and for how long. I increase my max speed running increments by 15 seconds each time with a little rest period at around 1.0-2.5 mph in between so my body can recover without me having to stop. By the end I can jog about 5-6 minutes at a time for 4.0 mph.
3) I noticed that when I run, I tend to suck in my stomach so I don't feel it jiggle around while I jog and I can twist my legs forward better - but I have no really reason for it considering the whole scheme of things. Your lung capacity is determined by your torso volume and the amount of air you inhale is determined by how much negative pressure your diaphragm can create for you. What does that mean?
If you allow your stomach to protrude forward slightly, it allows your diaphragm muscle to push lower into your abdomen, giving you a larger lung capacity and and better gas exchange which in the end, lets you get sore slower.
4) Also, never listen to or watch about food while running. Here's an excerpt form my journal to explain just exactly why:
My biggest mistake today: listening to an audio book while running... with the announcer type voiced actor describing a medieval feast with juicy dripping steak, fragrant mushrooms, steaming bread and a cornucopia of fruits and vegetables laden-ed the table. I cried. Literally. I cried on the treadmill. I cried and then I laughed and I cried some more. Tears came out of my eyes and mixed with my sweat making me unsure which is saltier, the taste of my tears, my sweat, or the imaginary juicy chicken drumstick I was mentally chewing at the feast...
So, those are my lessons learned. 0 -
A lot of people do the couch to 5k thing, so you might want to try that.
I've never been a runner, but two days ago managed to run 41 minutes on the treadmill without stopping. It was a huge victory for me. Every time I went in, my goal would be to beat my time the day before by one minute. I didn't always do it, of course, but it doesn't matter, because I'd keep working towards it. For me, I had to push through the fatigue that always sets in after about 5 minutes of running (or sometimes two minutes, because I'm really lazy). It took me almost three months to be able to do it, but it was worth the time and effort.
Also, some people have said you could just be tired. Are you running every day? I only do it 2-3 times a week.0 -
Typically No, well kinda..... I work a lot, 3 days out of 5 days I work 12+ hours so I have Mondays and Thursday evenings to get gym time in and then the weekends of course. If I get off my 2nd job early I will go to the gym but not always am running those days. Did that make any sense at all? I normally always do a warm up on the treadmill but that usually is between 8-10 minutes. As far as seeing how much or long I can run...I just started that on Sunday. Then tried Monday but didn't even count the time bc I was barley on there, I had cycle Monday evening. Tuesday 12 hour day no gym. Yesterday out early from work and wanted to get a quick calorie burn in and tried.0
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This same kind of thing happens to me...from time to time.
Last time I was able to do something that either I had never done before or something that I'd just recently been able to do, and now when I'm attempting to repeat my last "something"...everything starts to fall apart. ...it's very discouraging.
My head is saying, "You've done this before and you're gonna do it again", while my body is screaming, "Stop, Slow Down or Do Something Easier!".**
** Never to the point of acute pain or injury **
Sometimes when this battle starts, you can do something about it and sometimes you cannot.
There's been a ton of GREAT info posted for your question:
Running is nothing more than time and distance.
Give your body a rest day or two.
Cover the timer - Just Love This One! - The whole time and distance drives me nuts sometimes.
Consistency is the key to everything that requires training before an action / goal can be completed.
Intervals are the key to becoming more efficient. Faster and longer duration.
Here's some other things that I like to try:
Let my eyes focus on something different, just to switch what my mind is thinking about.
Drop my arms and my shoulders a bit. Releases some of the tension in the upper body.
Lengthen my stride, which allows me to slow my cadence a bit.
Focus on my breathing. Three to four counts in. Two to three counts out. (Longer and deeper the better.)
Relax my hands. No clinching the fingers into a fist.
More movement from the hip, less from the knee.
Change foot placement from heel impact to fore foot impact.
Etc...
Basically, just small physical / mental changes that have a tendency to change how your body is responding to the type of run that you have chosen that particular day. For me it works, for about everything from intervals to the long slow run.
If after a few minutes, I find that the mental / physical battle is still raging and I haven't been able to change something to allow me to continue...I make the decision that for the remainder of the time I had planned...it is a good day for a SLOWER RUN or a WALK.
ALSO: I've found that a heart rate monitor is extremely useful. You position yourself with the best ability to improve by training in the 65% to 85% of your maximum heart rate for your current condition. As you repeat your current training plan, you will find that your average and maximum heart rate will start to decrease. When you find that the training that was requiring 80 to 85% of your maximum heart rate, drops to 70 to 75%, it's time to step up the plan for the next training session. After a while, this approach removes a lot of the shock, that changing the plan too early will cause.
You will then find yourself, enjoying your run and the day that God has blessed us with...and making great progress.0 -
ALSO: I've found that a heart rate monitor is extremely useful. You position yourself with the best ability to improve by training in the 65% to 85% of your maximum heart rate for your current condition. As you repeat your current training plan, you will find that your average and maximum heart rate will start to decrease. When you find that the training that was requiring 80 to 85% of your maximum heart rate, drops to 70 to 75%, it's time to step up the plan for the next training session. After a while, this approach removes a lot of the shock, that changing the plan too early will cause.
I agree with this. I've watched my heart rate go down over the course of my "same" workout. Though for me, I up my speed and move on when I can do it at the speed I want. For me, that's only 5 mph. I'm currently repeating week 4 of C25K so I can do it at 5.
I watch my HR constantly since it displays nicely on my treadmill. My max appears to be around 192 bpm. I pretty much lose steam if I get over 186 or so. When I'm running and feel tired, and look at my HR and it's only in the 170s or low 180s, I know I'm being lazy LOL.0 -
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I would never laugh at this. It sounds just like where I was when I started; 30 seconds at a time was darn near impossible. Now, i've done countless 5ks, 10ks, and half marathons. Just keep running! It gets better.0
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LOL freezerburn....I' m laughing at your profile pic. I run so I can eat more LOL.0
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I've worked out for a LONG time. I've always hated running and even in my best shape, I have hard days and spectacular days.
I gained a whopping 100 lbs during my first pregnancy and got it all off in 7 months. My very first workout (baby was 2 weeks old) was like this:
7 minutes - 3.5 mph
2 minutes - 5 mph
2 minutes - 3..5
2 minutes - 5
2 minutes - 3.5
2 minutes - 5 mph
1 minute - 3..5
1 minute - 6.0
1 minute - 3.5
All of that adds up to 20 minutes and to this day, I don't do more than 20 minutes. The first thing I did was decrease that 7 minutes down a couple of minutes every week until I was only walking 1 minute then starting the interval jogging. It's much more effective to increase your speed than to increase the time. This is my current workout
1 minute - 4.0
8 minutes - 6.0
1 minute - 3.5
45 seconds - 10.0
1 minute - 5.0
(alternate last 2 lines until 20 minutes is reached)0 -
I am printing this thread and keeping in my gym bag!! HAHA Now imagine how hard it will be running as I am trying to review the posts!! This is so helpful and encouraging thank you all so much. I love all this advice. I can't wait to call myself a runner!! I have a HRM Polar FT7 and that does help me determine laziness vs. exhaustion. Feeling much better about this running thing...:bigsmile:0
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First of all, congratultions and welcome to the world of running!
I don't know what the science behind it is but I think we all have those days. A few reasons I've come up with are - not eating right, not getting enough rest, not allowing my body to rest, and pure mental games. And the mental games, if they're bad enough, can wreak havoc on your breathing because you can get into almost a panic. That's happened to me a few times - I'm getting fatigued and the wind's stealing my breath a little and I'm thirsty and I almost feel like I'm going to cry if I don't stop. Sometimes I stop but sometimes I can shake it off and keep going if I just slow my pace a little and/or think my power phrase (just x more minutes, I can do anything for x minutes).
Definitely agree with those who said to lay off the consecutive days of running for now. Your body's just getting used to this new way of moving, you don't want to push it too hard, especially with your bad knees.
Also wanted to tell you, I was where you are a year ago and it does get easier! I started out running at the treadmill at 4.3mph. Now my average is about 5.8mph. Still a lot slower than some but I'm getting there! I've found that letting my body rest, getting it stronger in other ways (cross training, strength training), and really good stretching all help a lot. And of course the proper shoes.
Best of luck!0
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