Jogging question...

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bcakes81178
bcakes81178 Posts: 48
in Fitness and Exercise
I recently decided that I wanted to start jogging (I'd say running....but I can barely jog at this point! LOL). I've been walking 5 min at 3.3 mph, then jogging 5 min at 4.0 mph (which I know isn't very impressive, but it's more than I've done in the past). I'd like to get to the point where I can run roughly a 10 min mile for 2 to 3 miles. My question is what's the best way to get to that?

I figure I have 3 choices: 1) I can work on jogging for longer periods of time, and build up my speed later; 2) Build up my speed first doing 5 min and 5 min, or 3) Try increasing both at the same time.

I'm afraid increasing both at the same time might be a bad idea, mostly because I have exercise induced asthma...so breathing can be a problem. But if the majority thinks that's the best way to go, I'll give it a shot.

So, yeah, any opinions, especially from veteran joggers/runners, would be very much appreciated.

Thanks!!!!! :flowerforyou:

Replies

  • jrich1
    jrich1 Posts: 2,408 Member
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    Try the C25k program, is builds you up by doing interval programs
  • 3babybeans
    3babybeans Posts: 8,268 Member
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    Try the C25k program, is builds you up by doing interval programs

    Agreed. Couch-to-5k. It's a great structured way to get up to 3.2 miles. There are programs after that to get you to 10k and beyond, as well. Good luck!
  • hellokatee
    hellokatee Posts: 211 Member
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    I have to say... You never know until you try. I was running about a mile a day a few weeks ago. It was taking me 14 minutes to finish that one mile.

    One day I decided that I was going to try to do two miles. I walked two first, then headed back and (by sheer will power alone) made the two miles. I looked at my stop watch and was shocked. Despite the fact that my one mile time was 14 minutes, I had just finished two miles in 22 minutes. WHAAA?????

    Since then I have finished three miles in 32 minutes and four miles in 44 minutes.

    My advice would be to first find out where you stand. How far can you REALLY run? Do you know? Do you know how long it would take you now to run three miles? Can you finish three miles?

    I would start out by walking three miles. Then jog one mile of it. Then when that is comfortabe, jog two miles of it. Then when that feels comfortable, jog all three! Your stamina will improve with every mile that you run, so don't sweat the times until you can actually finish the distance!

    That is my suggestion, from personal experience. You never know until you try, right?? :):)
  • cmwallerich
    cmwallerich Posts: 1
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    I have done the couch potato to 5K program and it increases the about of time you run each week. There is no requirement for speed...you do it at what ever speed you are comfortable with and like you stated you can always turn up the speed when you become more adjusted to it.:wink:
  • dirty_di
    dirty_di Posts: 4
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    Work on distance first, then speed.
  • miqisha
    miqisha Posts: 1,534 Member
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    I would work at it one at a time...Proabbly start out by power walking and then jog a little at a time, and when that becomes easier then work on your speed if you chose to. Spead is great, but I wouldnt focus on that too much as yet. get your body comfortable with the jogging itself and work on your distance, and then when you are comfortable try working on your speed.

    Your body will tell you when its ready to push for more. I initially started out with 1/2 mile then jumped to 1 mile, then 2.5 miles which I stayed at for a few months. Then one day it was raining, so no sun and I was able to push harder and I jogged 5 miles in the rain. I then went at it the next day in the sun, it was a little harder to complete but I did it.

    So just take time and work your way up.....
  • bcakes81178
    bcakes81178 Posts: 48
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    Thank you, everyone!!!!!
  • pfenixa
    pfenixa Posts: 194 Member
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    I'm on the side of doing them seperately, beginning with distance, because of my personal experience. I started out last March walking then slowly built up jogging. At first I could maybe jog for 1/4 mile before I was toast, but I just kept increasing my distance until I could run at least a whole mile. After doing that for a while I was doing 10 minute miles and THEN I pushed up my speed. Husband wanted to try for an 8 minute mile, which didn't quite happen, but after that I noticed my average mile went up to 9 minutes. Now I find it impossible to go slow enough for 10 minutes, lol (not trying to brag!).

    Side note, I don't know if you've actually seen a doctor but when I first started running I thought I had exercise induced asthma. After a couple months I realized I stopped having any trouble breathing. I don't know if that's how exercise induced works or what, but it could be another bonus, hehe.
  • ShaneT99
    ShaneT99 Posts: 278 Member
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    I'm afraid increasing both at the same time might be a bad idea,

    You are correct. It's generally not a good idea to try to increase speed and distance at the same time (or at least during the same run). My suggestion would be to get the distance first and then work on increasing your speed. The Couch to 5K programs are GREAT for someone just getting started. You can find a plethora of them online (Coolrunning.com, BeginnerTriathlete.com, etc.). If you happen to have an iPhone or iTouch then the Get Running app is an excellent couch to 5K program (much better than the others I tried).

    If you don't want to follow a couch to 5K program, the general rule of thumb is to increase your running mileage (or time if you're tracking it that way) by no more than 10% per week. So, if you run for a total of 30 minutes this week then shoot for 33 minutes next week. That's a good conservative increase that will help you build up without injuring yourself.
  • iplayoutside19
    iplayoutside19 Posts: 2,304 Member
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    Side note, I don't know if you've actually seen a doctor but when I first started running I thought I had exercise induced asthma. After a couple months I realized I stopped having any trouble breathing. I don't know if that's how exercise induced works or what, but it could be another bonus, hehe.

    I'll spare you the details. But I started the C25K a year ago, and now I'm training for a Half Marathon in Oct. In my experience, my asthama is more of a problem when I'm NOT running. If you get passed week 4 of C25K, where you're running 10-12 minutes at a time you will see a remarkable improvement in your asthama....and overall energy level.
  • bcakes81178
    bcakes81178 Posts: 48
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    I have to say... You never know until you try. I was running about a mile a day a few weeks ago. It was taking me 14 minutes to finish that one mile.

    One day I decided that I was going to try to do two miles. I walked two first, then headed back and (by sheer will power alone) made the two miles. I looked at my stop watch and was shocked. Despite the fact that my one mile time was 14 minutes, I had just finished two miles in 22 minutes. WHAAA?????

    Since then I have finished three miles in 32 minutes and four miles in 44 minutes.

    My advice would be to first find out where you stand. How far can you REALLY run? Do you know? Do you know how long it would take you now to run three miles? Can you finish three miles?

    I would start out by walking three miles. Then jog one mile of it. Then when that is comfortabe, jog two miles of it. Then when that feels comfortable, jog all three! Your stamina will improve with every mile that you run, so don't sweat the times until you can actually finish the distance!

    That is my suggestion, from personal experience. You never know until you try, right?? :):)

    I took your advice! The day before yesterday at the end of my cardio workout I decided to see if I could make it longer than 5 minutes...I got to 7. So yesterday I decided to see how long I could go if I tried exceeding the 5 minutes at the beginning of the workout.....20 minutes! Without stopping! I couldn't believe it! It wasn't fast, but it was the same pace I've been jogging at all along. Thank you sooooooo much!!!!! :flowerforyou:
  • hellokatee
    hellokatee Posts: 211 Member
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    I took your advice! The day before yesterday at the end of my cardio workout I decided to see if I could make it longer than 5 minutes...I got to 7. So yesterday I decided to see how long I could go if I tried exceeding the 5 minutes at the beginning of the workout.....20 minutes! Without stopping! I couldn't believe it! It wasn't fast, but it was the same pace I've been jogging at all along. Thank you sooooooo much!!!!! :flowerforyou:

    Awesome! I am so happy for you! Make sure you take a rest day for your knees to recover, but other than that... Just keep running! :):)

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