Running Help

sfhudgens
sfhudgens Posts: 123 Member
edited February 3 in Fitness and Exercise
Here is my dilemma. I want to start running. I have tried C25K…and I got bored with it. I dream of the day I can put my ear phones in my ears and just take off down the dirt road behind my house and just just run long distance without thinking twice…just enjoying it.
HOWEVER….I guess that I just have to start somewhere. My friend and I walk at least 3-5 days a week on our lunch break about a mile then my kids and I after work do about a mile and a ½ depending on how whiney they get lol. But I make them jog a little…
My question is how do i get where I want to be….(and yes as I type that I realize I have to start somewhere) So I guess I will start by timing when I jog with the kids and see how long I can jog without stopping. Then every day add another minute to it? What do you think?

Replies

  • explosivedonut
    explosivedonut Posts: 419 Member
    If running is what you want to do, your plan seems pretty decent (just make sure you don't overexert yourself and get hurt). But on the flipside, if you don't like running, you don't HAVE to do it. I don't like biking as much as I like running, so I don't own a bike.

    Not everyone enjoys every exercise. The best exercise is the one you do consistently and to the best of your ability.
  • sfhudgens
    sfhudgens Posts: 123 Member
    What little bit i have done i loved it
    and now even the little i do i love
    how i feel afterwards.....crazy
    but maybe i should only had a minute
    every few days?
  • explosivedonut
    explosivedonut Posts: 419 Member
    What little bit i have done i loved it
    and now even the little i do i love
    how i feel afterwards.....crazy
    but maybe i should only had a minute
    every few days?

    Every few days is still a lot. Add a few seconds every day, if anything. Or don't tell yourself "I will only run X time then stop" just run until you can't do any more, then run just to the next telephone pole, then slow down, then see how long you ran.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    Well, if the interval training bores you, then just gradually increasing your distance sounds like a plan. I think the general guideline is to not increase by more than 10% a week. So maybe run the same distance 3x a week, and then the following week add 10% and run that 3 x. It's best to take it slow when you're just starting out, slower than you feel you can go.
  • hilts1969
    hilts1969 Posts: 465 Member
    I would only apply the 10% rule once you have got to a decent standard, if someone could only run to the end of the road and added only 10% a week they would be retired before they got up tp 5k, when i started i just ran till i was out of energy, naturally you will run further as you get fitter and will make leaps on some runs, set a goal distance(5k say) and once reached try to bring your time down

    Always remember discomfort is fine pain is bad, you have to work your heart to get fitter
  • mlb929
    mlb929 Posts: 1,974 Member
    Time yourself, not distance, so run for 3 minutes one day - 4 the next, 5 the next. Just keep adding a minute at a time and before you know it you will be running longer and further. Do it two or three times - minute run...2 walk... minute run...etc etc.
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    Run slow a lot slower than you think. You should be able to hold a conversation. Speed will come in time
  • _HeartsOnFire_
    _HeartsOnFire_ Posts: 5,304 Member
    I personally love the couch to 5k program. I listen to my own music while doing it. Honestly, I never thought I'd like jogging/running at all. I've never been big on doing that or being outside in the heat...Now I only want to workout outside...Funny how things change...
  • Shampres
    Shampres Posts: 64 Member
    What is about it interval training that bores you?
  • langurmonkey
    langurmonkey Posts: 92
    Couch 2 5k worked wonders for me. I can take off down the road running like you are dreaming of! Think of it as a short apprenticeship - it doesn't have to be that thrilling to work. After week 4 you are running longer distances anyway so don't need to track the intervals. If you have a smartphone then there is a game called Zombies Run that might make it a bit more interesting.
  • _HeartsOnFire_
    _HeartsOnFire_ Posts: 5,304 Member
    Couch 2 5k worked wonders for me. I can take off down the road running like you are dreaming of! Think of it as a short apprenticeship - it doesn't have to be that thrilling to work. After week 4 you are running longer distances anyway so don't need to track the intervals. If you have a smartphone then there is a game called Zombies Run that might make it a bit more interesting.

    I really might try the Zombies Run...
  • sfhudgens
    sfhudgens Posts: 123 Member
    Maybe it was because I had my kids with me and the fact that I really want to be able to run now lol :) and not wait to start it lol...
    Guess I can start it again with my Own Music and let the kids to go to sleep first. :)
  • conniemaxwell5
    conniemaxwell5 Posts: 943 Member
    How long can you run without stopping? If you can run for 5 minutes or longer, you may have become bored with c25k because you are more advanced than where it starts you. Try starting somewhere in the middle of the program where the runs are longer and the walks shorter. Weeks 5-8 (I think) aren't the same every day so it gets more interesting at that point.
  • celadontea
    celadontea Posts: 335 Member
    Have you tried the c25k app if you can? You can play your own music with it. I'm doing that now and I don't find it boring at all. Maybe change up the path or trail you're on to something with more nature. Find a better park, etc. Or change the trail each time. Change the music each time, too.
  • _HeartsOnFire_
    _HeartsOnFire_ Posts: 5,304 Member
    How long can you run without stopping? If you can run for 5 minutes or longer, you may have become bored with c25k because you are more advanced than where it starts you. Try starting somewhere in the middle of the program where the runs are longer and the walks shorter. Weeks 5-8 (I think) aren't the same every day so it gets more interesting at that point.

    I agree with her...Go take a test run, see how long you can go.
  • Christi132
    Christi132 Posts: 67 Member
    I started running a over two years ago. I didn't think I could do it, and at first I could only run 1/4 mile and then I would walk. After two years I was up to 9 miles and my extra weight seemed to melt off me. However, I took time off and injured myself when I tried to pick up where I left off. I am now back up to 4 miles following the 10% rule and I feel great! I'm also incorporating sprints into my run and REALLY LOVE that. In fact, I plan on just doing 5 miles with some sprints mixed in . My tips: start slow and BUY REALLY GOOD SHOES. CardioTrainer is the free smartphone app that I use and it's great for telling you how fast you're going, how far, and playing music while you run. Tried other running apps but I keep coming back to that one.
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
    Don't over-think it. Just run. Run slowly... like a shuffle. Go as long as you can and see. Over time, you'll go faster and you'll go farther.

    Actually, you can do HR training, where you deliberately run with a HRM and keep your HR at 70% or so... then, over time, your HR stays the same but you do, indeed, cover more ground in the same amount of time. It's kind of cool.

    I never started with walk-run intervals. I started with an 8km run in boot camp :laugh:
  • froeschli
    froeschli Posts: 1,293 Member
    maybe the zombies c25k is your cup of tea?
    as for running with the kiddies - i frequently see a guy who runs whilst his kids trail him in tricycle and training wheels...
    other things that can make your runs interesting are wild running dogs, a vivid imagination (oooh an alligator, in ontario, yeah right), books on tape, blasting music, counting disparaging looks, counting steps, imagining yelling at the next bicyclist... etc :tongue:
  • _HeartsOnFire_
    _HeartsOnFire_ Posts: 5,304 Member
    The zombies run app is on sale for $2 the sale ends today it's normally $8
  • krisjohnson121
    krisjohnson121 Posts: 87 Member
    What about C25K did you not like? Unfortunately for what you are looking to do it is exactly what you need.

    In general you start with walking, move to walking with some running, start running with a walk for breaks and next thing you know you are running full force.

    The nice thing about C25K is it works out the 10% difference for you.

    You mentioned that you find it boring... The program is starts for for people who can barely run one minute at a time. It sounds like that is not you. Go out for a run and time how long you can run (or how far there are versions to go for time endurance or distance)find the week with that time/distance as the interval and start from the middle.

    Also think about your goal - to go out and run like it is nothing. I started the C25K about 4 months ago. I finished in the ten weeks and continue to run a 5K at least once a week. Unfortunately I still cannot run like it is nothing - every run is difficult and I push myself harder by trying to up my speed - so you may never get to the point where it is easy :-)
  • mom2dzbnwe
    mom2dzbnwe Posts: 129 Member
    I would only apply the 10% rule once you have got to a decent standard, if someone could only run to the end of the road and added only 10% a week they would be retired before they got up tp 5k, when i started i just ran till i was out of energy, naturally you will run further as you get fitter and will make leaps on some runs, set a goal distance(5k say) and once reached try to bring your time down

    Always remember discomfort is fine pain is bad, you have to work your heart to get fitter

    THIS!!! And, go slower than you want to at first and it'll allow you to run way longer. I was doing HIIT early in the day and walking with a friend at night, then one day my friend couldn't walk so I decided to try to run...my HRM was screaming at me and my calories burned was AWESOME...I've scrapped HIIT (for now) to focus on running--I still walk with my friend in the evenings, but now I run in the mornings. I'm not super fast or anything but I CAN actually run, without stopping for an extended period (that period keeps getting longer every few days) and I run almost everyday--do what feels "right" for your body!
  • DesireeNL
    DesireeNL Posts: 220 Member
    Well if it's your dream to just take off and run, the C25K program is designed to get you to that point. Maybe you find it boring, but you are doing it with a goal. After completing week 6, all the interval training is done, week 7, 8 and 9 are all non-stop running. So if that's what it takes, 6 boring weeks of intervals, to get to that point where you can run for longer periods of time, it sounds like a good investment of your time and effort.
  • HealthWoke0ish
    HealthWoke0ish Posts: 2,078 Member
    Were you really bored with C25K or was it too hard? C25K or something like that is a good way to train and improve.

    Besides running, strengthening your core, strengthening your upper body, and working on your cardio are all important ingredients to set yourself up for success. In fact, without knowing much about you, I'd be willing to guess that if you did some cross train program (like the 30 Day Shred) religiously for thirty days straight, running the day before you started that program (to see where you are) and then running the day after you finished the program (to see how far you'd come), you'd be surprised to see how much your running had improved due to your enhanced core, strength, and cardio/aerobic capability.

    After years away from running (due, in part, to an Achilles rupture and resulting/subsequent weight gain), I started running again this May. I'd tried in the end of March to run but was discouraged when I couldn't make it around the high school track once without stopping. I bought 30 DS and then did that for about five weeks straight (I did the 30 days and then did a few more). Then, a co-worker asked me if I wanted to do a 5k with her. I was worried considering my last attempt at running was pretty impotent, but I said yes anyway. I was surprised that I did the 5k in about 35 min. I thought maybe I had a chance.

    I downloaded the Runkeeper app and started using it to help train. I started the Beginner Half Marathon training schedule and have, over the past few months increased my speed and distance capability. For "funsies", I ran a 5k last night to see how I'd do. It took me a little under 26 minutes (approx 8:35 min per mile). Not too shabby.

    I'm running a Half Marathon on Saturday. Based on my workouts this summer, I know I can finish it running the whole way, now I just have to see how quickly I can do it.

    Running is fun. Prepare your body for it, pick a workout schedule, be relentless, and good luck.:drinker:
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
    What Don't you like about c25k? I loved it and am now training for a 10 mile. You can always start mud way through if its too easy at first.
  • sfhudgens
    sfhudgens Posts: 123 Member
    Thanks guys... today the kids and I walked and then we would run a little ways then walk... I didn't time it becauser own pace... i figure i wil be the tortise in the tortise and the hare lol.... my son is worried about not being in shape so I figure he and I will get in shape together!
  • s982408
    s982408 Posts: 1
    Thats perfect. When I started running 3 years ago, I began on a treadmill. I could only run for about 30 sec. I was 20 lbs overweight and smoked 1 pack a day. Now I am running 20 to 30 miles a week. Just get started and be kind to yourself your endurance will increase.
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