New to running....

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Replies

  • ChunkieNuts
    ChunkieNuts Posts: 135 Member
    Find a couch to 5k online training program. It may seem slow, but it will slowly build up your muscles and hopefully avoid injuries. I'm following one right now and it's working great.
    ^^ This..
    Do it gradual, dont stretch fully before a run, just warm up slowly by jogging for 15 mins. After a run always stretch. Look on the site 'e.how' they give you all the info...x
  • joehempel
    joehempel Posts: 1,543 Member
    Good shoes, and go slow, speed will come.

    From what I understand shin splints are caused by bad shoes and going faster than your body is ready to go. You my have the endurance, but your muscles need to get used to the impact.
  • Lityboy
    Lityboy Posts: 37
    Buy comfortable shoes that "hug" your feet but not too tight or too loose that it will cause you blisters. Start at your own pace and build it up as you feel better and more confident. Don´t overdo it at the beginning because you are overanxious to get results fast. I have jogged on and off since September 2007 but I have stopped for numerous reasons and subsequently gained back all the weight I had managed to lose. It´s almost heartbreaking and it virtually dampens your wiilpower to reverse the situation.

    The best thing is to see progress over a longer period of time but that is truely sustainable. In the long run you will incorporate the cleaner and healthier lifestyle into your own life and maintain it as a normal part of who you are and want to be. That´s the real key and I had never been able to do that until now.

    I´ve lost 23 pounds in 3 months just from rigorous and healthy dieting (not fasting!) and jogging 4-5 times a week. At first, I could barely run over 2 miles without huffing and puffing. Nowadays, I´m at a level where I can run, with a certain ease, at least 6 miles a day in less than a hour.

    I wish you all the best! Never give up!!!

    Chuck
  • fields69
    fields69 Posts: 9
    Most people seem to be recommending "good shoes", but really your form is more important in my opinion. A lot of people, myself included, have tended to rely on cushioned shoes to allow them to basically run incorrectly. That's not to say that I believe in running drills or scientific running methods, but a few pointers to get you on the right track are:

    - cadence. This should ideally be around 180-200 steps per minute (i.e. 90-100 per foot).
    - landing. Ideally you should be landing on your midfoot, and allowing your heel to come down and touch the floor just after. If you have cushioned shoes on, they're like wedges and I guess you should be aiming to land pretty flat-footed.
    - posture should be upright, engaging the core.

    I should add a bit of a disclaimer here: If you do pronate, then I would agree that it is important to choose the correct shoes, IF you want heavily cushioned shoes. Running in heavily cushioned shoes is like running on a platform. If you wear "neutral" shoes when you really need "stability" shoes, then your feet will roll in too much and affect your knees. Running shoes companies have invented technologies to address the problems they themselves introduced. Reducing cushioned sorts this out, in that there is less tendency for your feet to roll in too much, as the ground acts as a stop for the roll. High cadence and midfoot landing reduces the force of landing.

    Hope this helps! Note - I still run in running shoes, but tend to use models with little cushioning and as little a heel drop as possible (currently using New Balance MR00, with zero heel drop).
  • toddjg
    toddjg Posts: 16
    Most people seem to be recommending "good shoes", but really your form is more important in my opinion. A lot of people, myself included, have tended to rely on cushioned shoes to allow them to basically run incorrectly. That's not to say that I believe in running drills or scientific running methods, but a few pointers to get you on the right track are:

    - cadence. This should ideally be around 180-200 steps per minute (i.e. 90-100 per foot).
    - landing. Ideally you should be landing on your midfoot, and allowing your heel to come down and touch the floor just after. If you have cushioned shoes on, they're like wedges and I guess you should be aiming to land pretty flat-footed.
    - posture should be upright, engaging the core.

    I should add a bit of a disclaimer here: If you do pronate, then I would agree that it is important to choose the correct shoes, IF you want heavily cushioned shoes. Running in heavily cushioned shoes is like running on a platform. If you wear "neutral" shoes when you really need "stability" shoes, then your feet will roll in too much and affect your knees. Running shoes companies have invented technologies to address the problems they themselves introduced. Reducing cushioned sorts this out, in that there is less tendency for your feet to roll in too much, as the ground acts as a stop for the roll. High cadence and midfoot landing reduces the force of landing.

    Hope this helps! Note - I still run in running shoes, but tend to use models with little cushioning and as little a heel drop as possible (currently using New Balance MR00, with zero heel drop).

    ^^ Definitely this. Landing is critical. Also, although stretching before running is a semi-controversial topic (most saying it is not necessary) I do recommend a stretch for avoiding shin splints. You can do the "hell on the floor and lean back" version referenced earlier, but I prefer "heel on the floor, toes on the wall and press down on the BACK foot heel". You will feel the stretch in the back leg's calf. In my opinion though, landing on midfoot is really critical. I started running again (yes, I did run before) 6 months and 60 pounds ago and it is a GREAT way to get fit. Just start slow and keep with it. I could not finish 2 miles when I started again, and did 9 miles yesterday and can do them at 8 minutes per mile now. Keep it up. I know what you mean by "the itch" - for many it is an addictive habit. My biggest challenge now is just finding the time to run as far as I want. GREAT work getting out there!

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