reasons why my run was harder today??

anthea1989
anthea1989 Posts: 15
edited September 20 in Fitness and Exercise
Hello!

As a new member to MFP and to doing exercise in general, today was my third run (im trying to do one every other day) yet it was very hard, possibly harder then my first two runs had been!! I thought running was supposed to get easier the more you do it?
Im initial thoughts were that i wasnt hydrated enough and the fact i literally rolled out of bed into my running attire and out the door... any other reasons? Im running to lose weight so please give me some advice on how i can increase my running time without hindering my weight loss...

thanks!!!

Replies

  • staps065
    staps065 Posts: 837 Member
    Those reason you stated can be factors. you may just need an additional day off. I know it sounds strange, but you may need one more day before you pick it up again. Did you change your route? Add more hilly terrain? Different time of day? Any of those can change your exertion level, especially when you are starting out.
  • Dom_m
    Dom_m Posts: 336 Member
    Your general energy level will make a difference. What did you eat? Maybe you ate too much or not enough, or something that takes a long time to digest... endless. The simplest guide is if you're going to run, eat something light more than 30 minutes earlier, but less than 2 hours earlier.

    You need to stretch. You also need to warm up. I do a lot of running (last week I did about 50-60 miles). I find the first 10 mins or so are always the hardest, because that's when my legs (especially my hips) are warming up. Once I push through that big (gently) I can run for hours.

    Someone mentioned the weather. Are you wearing comfortable clothes? Drinking enough?

    There are all sorts of things and you don't need to think about them all at once. I think food and stretching are the most likely culprits for you (without knowing virtually anything about you). As you get into your new lifestyle, read and learn. Don't rush and don't worry if you don't know everything yet ;)

    Good luck with the running, it can become much more than just loosing weight. You can come to actually enjoy it!!
  • mromnek
    mromnek Posts: 325
    I can completely understand why you are frustrated by the fact. Yesterday I got on the exercise bike and the first 3 minutes breezed by. But then I seemed to hit a wall... for the next 20 minutes. But I pressed through it and finished the rest of my pedaling with very little trouble.

    My troubles, my legs were stiff, my legs seemed weak. Why, I think my body was just rebelling. Lets face it, physics says things take the path of least resistance. The route of least resistance would be off the bike and straight to my recliner. Just be mentally tough enough to stick with your plan.

    To paraphrase something I heard many years ago, "Showing up is 95% of winning. The last 5% is a dog fight"
  • anthea1989
    anthea1989 Posts: 15
    thanks guys! Ye i think im going to alter the time of day i run, currently its first thing i do when i wake up in the morning however i reckon i'll be able to go a lot longer in the afternoon or early evening once i have had eaten something and as my body might still be in "sleep mode" in the morning hence why it struggles so much!

    cheers
  • AllisonMS
    AllisonMS Posts: 104
    I just started running a month ago, and I'm slow but steady.

    Here's something I keep in mind:

    The easy runs are easy to do.

    The hard ones are the important ones, because if you get through them, they become easier and you know you can do it. So every time you get through a hard run, the next time you know you can do it.
  • kwardklinck
    kwardklinck Posts: 1,601
    I eat a Ritz cracker with some peanut butter on it and slowly drink a bottle of water before I go. I also take a water bottle with me to sip slowly if my mouth gets dry. I also stretch for a good 10 minutes and walk for about 15 minutes before my run. These things seem to give me the energy I need. I've tried going on an empty stomach and wound up shaky and weak for hours afterward. I've also tried going 2 hours after a large meal and that doesn't work either. A morning work out is fine as long as you eat a little something and hydrate yourself properly.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
    It's very simple: exercise training is a relationship between the "stimulus" (the workout) and "recovery". The recovery process for cardio can be more benign than for intensive strength training, so it is possible to exercise more frequently.

    However, it is not unusual for the "need for recovery" to "accumulate", so to speak and for someone to hit a day where the body just isn't ready again to do what you ask it to do in the workout. This is especially true when you are starting out with something like running. Not only is your experience not "bad" -- it is pretty much inevitable.

    Sometimes you back down and work through it, other times it's best to just pack it in and head back to the couch. Either way, you will be back to fight again--maybe even stronger next time.
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