I guess form does really matter when running...

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Muzica1959
Muzica1959 Posts: 206 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Tonight was C25K W1D3. My last run time one Tuesday was 22:39 minute mile. Tonight, I decided to do what everyone was saying but to the max. I thought I was going slow enough. I thought I was concentrating on form but tonight I really made myself concentrate even more. I made sure I could talk during each run interval. I made sure I was holding my head up and not looking at my feet *caught myself a couple of times doing that*. I looked ahead at least 20 feet. I held my upper body up. Concentrated on foot strike etc. I felt like a turtle in molasses. The humidity was 84% so I was sure my time was going to be even worse. Low and behold, I cut it by almost a whole minute without even trying. Tonight it was 21:44. AND it was so much easier this time. I mean I felt really comfortable. Not huffing and puffing or wishing it would hurry up and be over. Those times, of course, include the 5 min. warm up and cool down. Curious to know what it would be if I could run the full mile without a walking interval. I'm thinking of doing Week 1 over again and do exactly what I did tonight. This is really going to work for me. I have the most awesome runner's high right now *big grin*.

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  • LoneWolfRunner
    LoneWolfRunner Posts: 1,160 Member
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    Nice! You are a runner!
  • Muzica1959
    Muzica1959 Posts: 206 Member
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    Now that brought the biggest smile to my face.
  • suetorrence
    suetorrence Posts: 163 Member
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    That is the best feeling! Congratulations!
  • krisg71
    krisg71 Posts: 34 Member
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    Could I please get more details of the advice you received? I am new to running also and feel like I am so far off from doing it correctly.
    Thanks and big congrats!
    Kris
  • mimiteh35
    mimiteh35 Posts: 486 Member
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    Awesome! My fiance and I will be doing day 2 of week 1 in the morning, so I've been scouring the boards for tips! Glad to hear they are helping you!! My fiance had knee issues and some of the tips I have found on the boards have helped him with that, the last run his knees didn't even bother him! And yes, we repeated week 1 after a couple of month break because of his knees, so we're excited about keeping it up! :) Congrats to you!!
  • benjaminlight
    benjaminlight Posts: 78 Member
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    Nice work!!! It's such a good feeling to complete a solid run.

    I am also a C25K graduate. I've run a 6K, 8K, and am now training for a half-marathon. I've seen my times drop and my distances increase significantly.

    A good friend of mine was a runner in college, and I talked to her before I started - simply because I knew it was something I wanted to do right. (read: Minimize injury and enjoy it.)

    Her advice to me was this:

    Head up - Body straight (not hunched over) arms at a 90 degree angle. Right arm comes forward when the left leg comes forward, left arm when the right leg comes forward. Run on the middle to balls of your feet, and lean into the run. This is for one specific style of running called Gazelle. There is another variety known as gliders.

    To comply with MyFitnessPal Policy - I won't post the link to the blog - search for Gazelle vs. Glider running - the blog is called TTBike.

    This has worked wonders from me. I've gone from 13-14 minute miles starting out - and dropped to 9:15, and it won't be long before I blow through that.

    I'm absolutely loving it and want to share it with as many as I can.
  • fmbomzo
    fmbomzo Posts: 382 Member
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    I hope to resume running soon. I had a bad fall in March and I just haven't been able to rebuild my confidence.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
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    great job!!!

    in addition to just feeling better running with good form also helps gets more air into your lungs. chest up shoulders back head forward means you are freeing your diaphragm up to do it's job. oh yeah that's another tip, think of breathing into your diaphragm/stomach rather than into your chest
  • brandiuntz
    brandiuntz Posts: 2,717 Member
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    Congrats! Proper form definitely helps you be more efficient. Enjoy that high. :smile:
  • electriq
    electriq Posts: 359 Member
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    Congratulations! Enjoy your success from one runner to another
  • FitFabFlirty92
    FitFabFlirty92 Posts: 384 Member
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    Great job! I'm going to try to use these tips in my running, I haven't been paying as much attention to form as I should. :)
  • opus649
    opus649 Posts: 633 Member
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    If you completed Week 1 successfully, there is no need to repeat it. You can move on to Week 2 - you got this.
  • GillianMcK
    GillianMcK Posts: 401 Member
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    Move onto week 2 and keep in mind what you've learned, remember not every run will be a PB, just forget the bad runs and remember the good runs.
    I've done a marathon and I'm still really bad at pacing myself, but been going out with a friend on her C25K as support for her and found it so much easier because I'm forced to slow down to accomodate her, I feel like I could run forever, on my own I go too fast (especically up the hills) and tired within the mile!!
  • LoneWolfRunner
    LoneWolfRunner Posts: 1,160 Member
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    I probably sound like a broken record, but.... Eric Orton's book, "The Cool Impossible" is one of the best running books out there in terms of building leg strength and good running form.
  • Muzica1959
    Muzica1959 Posts: 206 Member
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    LoneWolfRunner I will certainly see about obtaining that book. Thanks

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