Running & Insanity!

JStarnes
JStarnes Posts: 5,576 Member
in Motivation and Support
I need motivation and support!

A personal goal of mine for a super long time has been to be able to run an entire 5k. I've participated in 10+ since losing my weight (and since putting 50lbs back on) but have yet to run the entire thing. My current PB is 38:31 with a lot of walking in there. I've been running (okay, walking/jogging) twice a week for 4 weeks now and have been able to increase my jogging and decrease my walking and have cut off more than 4 minutes so far (yay!) I have no desire to run a marathon or a half marathon or be a "runner" ... I just want to run 3 miles without stopping, that's not too much to ask...right?!?!

The second part to my need for motivation & support is that my husband quit smoking 2 weeks ago & has gotten his paws on the Insanity workout series. He asked me to do it with him, but with 3 kids in sports & him as coach, our time is so very limited. We've modified it from 6 days a week to 4 days. I run twice a week while he coaches soccer and we'll have one rest day a week. I did the fit test tonight & while I'm feeling totally out of shape, I'm also quite surprised I am able to DO most of it! Apparently the running has been paying off!

So here's a few questions that'll make this post feel complete :tongue: Anybody else new to running and/or insanity? Am I crazy for embarking on the Insanity journey before I hit my running goal? Any tips, advice or words of wisdom for me (and my husband)?? Wanna join??? The more the merrier :bigsmile:

Feel free to add me -- I scaled my MFP wayyyy back this year in an attempt to focus more on me & be less social on MFP. But, with limited friends on my friends list, it's hard to stay on track!

Replies

  • fhargis0002
    fhargis0002 Posts: 113 Member
    I am!!
    I have three kids also. My husband and I are doing Insanity together 6 days a week, in the morning. Our time is limited too, I am full time student, work weekends, and he works nights. We just do what we can. I do zumba 2 days a week, but haven't since I started Insanity. We are on our 2nd week of it. Zumba has child care and a walking track so i usually run a mile afterwards. I also want to run 3 miles without stopping but so far am only able to do a 12 min mile.
    In the last yr, I have lost 55 lbs. I have plateaued and have been the same weight for about 2 months. I am more than ready to move on and lose a few lbs! Add me and we can motivate each other!
  • Inshape13
    Inshape13 Posts: 680 Member
    I kind of went about this in reverse....When I got ready to up my intensity I went with an Insanity type workout and then moved on to running. In the beginning I thought that all I needed to do was run faster(6.2mph starting out) and eventually I would be able to increase my time after some weeks of that. Little did I know that I would tire myself out and then feel like my I should have been able to push through and have a big let down. My trainer said to me one day, "put the treadmill on 5.2mph and run 2 miles....you are physically capable of doing this." I promptly told him that was a stupid slow speed to go and what was the point....to which he said you have to work on your distance first and then the speed will come with time. After a couple weeks I was running the full 5k distance and around 5.5mph and then finished one up at 29:31 a month after that. Currently I can run 7mph including hills, but it has taken some time to get there and I do not run for the speed, I run because I love to run so I am not working to get faster than that, but I am working up to a 10k that goes up and down a mountain next spring. Best of luck to you and Insanity should increase your cardio endurance which will improve the distance you can run without having to walk...or it did for me anyway.
  • JStarnes
    JStarnes Posts: 5,576 Member
    My miles are between 11:45-12:30 on average -- i so badly want to run all three miles tho!! I figure if I can walk/run a 12 minute mile surely I can kill a running mile, right??

    Whats your opinion so far on Insanity? I'm usually pretty awful at following structured workouts for longer than a week or two (bad, I know!) Did you plan to drop zumba or was the Insanity too much commitment for both? Im afraid of biting off more than I can chew and dropping both Insanity & the running if I get burnt out too quick. Two of our kids go to child watch at the YMCA and my husband coaches the 3rds soccer team at the Y so I run the track while they practice -- child watch during workouts is SUCH an amazing thing. I'm gonna add you now! Thanks :)
  • JStarnes
    JStarnes Posts: 5,576 Member
    Thanks inshape13! I have been going the same distance each time, just trying to run a little further and a little more often each time I do. I kind of hoped that the insanity would help the endurance with running but also wonder if I'll be too sore/too tired to increase my running? Trial and error for now, I suppose.
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
    I don't really know the insanity program. I'm a runner and a lifter and I did a triathlon this year.

    I can't be really good at all of them. I say do them, but you are going to want to be a pretty average insanity person and a pretty good runner. Of course they could compliment each other, then it wouldn't be so bad.

    To drop your time now you are going to have to do interval work.

    a great little way to start is if you did couch to 5k, you can use the first few weeks as an interval trainer. Start with week 1, go all out 60 seconds, then walk. it kind of doesn't make much sense beyond the 8 min runs. There are better programs you can find online, but that is a pretty easy no brainier. to get you started.

    Also, I'd look more into lifting, specifically for your posterior chain.
  • 007bondage
    007bondage Posts: 631 Member
    I'm running a lot, but bought Insanity set about three months ago (with the intention of toning up) and have yet to even open the box!
  • JStarnes
    JStarnes Posts: 5,576 Member
    I'm running a lot, but bought Insanity set about three months ago (with the intention of toning up) and have yet to even open the box!
    Open it up and join the fun!!
  • JStarnes
    JStarnes Posts: 5,576 Member
    I don't really know the insanity program. I'm a runner and a lifter and I did a triathlon this year.

    I can't be really good at all of them. I say do them, but you are going to want to be a pretty average insanity person and a pretty good runner. Of course they could compliment each other, then it wouldn't be so bad.

    To drop your time now you are going to have to do interval work.

    a great little way to start is if you did couch to 5k, you can use the first few weeks as an interval trainer. Start with week 1, go all out 60 seconds, then walk. it kind of doesn't make much sense beyond the 8 min runs. There are better programs you can find online, but that is a pretty easy no brainier. to get you started.

    Also, I'd look more into lifting, specifically for your posterior chain.
    I really just want to finish insanity lol to know that I can do it. I'm not wanting to be the best or get ripped, any improvement from where I'm at now would be a win. I'm not looking so much to drop time for my running (I mean, don't' get me wrong, seeing a 5k under 30 would be amazing) but just wanting to be able to run the whole 5k...not stop to walk every mile, mile & a half. Intervals for that as well?

    Thanks for all the tips!
  • JStarnes
    JStarnes Posts: 5,576 Member
    PS- lifting terrifies me. I have Olive Oil arms :laugh:
  • mreeves261
    mreeves261 Posts: 728 Member
    You will probably find the endurance you build while doing Insanity will make you goal of running 3 miles easier. At least it did for me.
  • ljprofitt
    ljprofitt Posts: 5 Member
    If you can run/walk a 12 minute mile, then you can certainly run a 12-13 minute mile! That is a fine pace for someone who is starting out with running. I assume that the problem is that you get all out of breath, you legs start burning and you start to feel weak, like you can't go on. This is because you are running faster than your aerobic fitness allows for. Your aerobic system cannot keep up with the oxygen demands of your body and your anaerobic system kicks in.

    Basically, you must train your body to utilize a higher percentage of fat reserves (which is maintainable) rather than glycogen reserves (which is not maintainable). By training your aerobic system, you will get faster and increase your endurance.

    When you can run 5-6 or even 7-8 miles at 13-14 minutes per mile, then try running three miles at 12-13 minutes per mile.
    When you can run 7-8 miles at a 12-13 minutes per mile then try three at 11-12 minutes per mile, etc.

    This is a common mistake for beginning runners, so slow down and give it time!
  • JStarnes
    JStarnes Posts: 5,576 Member
    How do I slow down my pace? I don't feel like I'm running, more of a controlled jog. I speed walk when I feel like I can't go any further jogging. I run outdoors, maybe I need to take it inside to a treadmill where it can set the pace for me? I've wondered before when I was running regularly (ok ok walk/jog lol back in like 2011) if it was more mental than physical. If I'm telling myself I can't go further or if my body physically can't go further. My breathing is in check more often than not and the more I'm running the more my legs seem to be able to take...but I still end up stopping to walk...
  • ljprofitt
    ljprofitt Posts: 5 Member
    A slow jog is what you want. I admit it does feel weird at first, but you should have the same form whether you are running 13 minutes per mile or 6 minutes per mile. Not being careful about form can cause injuries. So, running form is different than walking form and it uses different muscle groups in different ways. I had a lot of trouble with sore, tight calves.

    If you have a smart phone, you can download Runkeeper and get an arm strap. It will announce to you what your pace is on regular intervals (also it links to MFP and updates your calories burned, which is pretty cool). Another way is to mark out distances and time yourself. Yet another way is to get your form down, figure out how far one stride takes you, figure out how many strides you have to do to maintain your desired pace, and then find a song with an appropriate amount of beats per minute. I believe there are websites that will help you find songs.

    Treadmills are fine, but keep in mind that you are not actually moving your body forward, you are just moving your legs and pushing your weight against gravity. It will seem a lot easier on a treadmill than on a road. That may be a good idea though, especially so you can remember what different paces feel like.

    Sounds like some of it may be a mental block rather than physical. Perhaps the unfit you is telling the fit you that you shouldn't be running like that! I would think if you go slower than the pace you are running at, yet faster than the pace you are walking at, then you should be all set!

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