So you want to start running
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So how about certain sun blocks. I'm a natural red head and need to wear it.... But I sweat like a maniac. I can't stand the sting in my eyes. Any recommendations would be appreciated. Also baseball hats vs visors... Any difference there? Where do you get them? Thanks!0
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So how about certain sun blocks. I'm a natural red head and need to wear it.... But I sweat like a maniac. I can't stand the sting in my eyes. Any recommendations would be appreciated. Also baseball hats vs visors... Any difference there? Where do you get them? Thanks!
I use coppertone sport sunscreen, but it does sweat off,and re-application on long runs just doesn't work. There is a world of UV-rated clothing out there that can help. Asics makes a hat with a 'sun skirt' to protect the back of your neck. Or you can find super lightweight, breathable fabric in a longsleeve. Brooks made a great one called the equilibrium, but I don't know if you can find them anymore. I know people who run fully covered in the sun due to skin cancer worries. I mean, full on body suit. Its doable, but it takes some time to get used to.
I normally just run in an adjustable visor that I got at my running store. I also have some breathable hats I picked up from races. But generally I'll find gear at a running store or REI. You can always look up reviews of products and find them on amazon or runningwarehouse.0 -
So how about certain sun blocks. I'm a natural red head and need to wear it.... But I sweat like a maniac. I can't stand the sting in my eyes. Any recommendations would be appreciated. Also baseball hats vs visors... Any difference there? Where do you get them? Thanks!
I am also a natural red head and burn very easily. I use Neutrogena Sport Face sunblock on my face and neck and it seems to last for all my runs, even a long training run or half marathon. I also use Neutrogena Ultimate Sport spray on my hands, arms and shoulders. I typically wear a hat so my scalp doesn't get burned especially along my part. Since I have a hat on I don't put sunscreen above my eyes so it doesn't run down into them.
I have gotten hats at Target (Champion brand) but I love my Asics and UA and other brands that are made specifically for running. REI is a good place as are any of the running stores like RoadRunner Sports.0 -
Very helpful! Thank you for posting this0
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womanofgod4893 wrote: »I was on week one day one of c25k yesterday.. just about killed me lol. I felt like I couldn't breathe. But I did finish. I didn't give up so I was pretty darn proud of myself for that! Does it get any easier though?
I haven't done the C25K program, but when I did start running last year, my first few runs were extremely difficult...and I was only going around the block. It does get a lot easier as your cardiovascular system gets used to working out, and gets more efficient. It won't happen overnight, so don't get discouraged if after a few weeks you still find running extremely difficult.0 -
Did my first 5K in April in under 36 minutes. Doing another on May 16th. But I feel like my running is getting worst. I need some motivational help.0
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womanofgod4893 wrote: »I was on week one day one of c25k yesterday.. just about killed me lol. I felt like I couldn't breathe. But I did finish. I didn't give up so I was pretty darn proud of myself for that! Does it get any easier though?
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Bump! I want to be able to re read this later.0
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cathyjones08 wrote: »Did my first 5K in April in under 36 minutes. Doing another on May 16th. But I feel like my running is getting worst. I need some motivational help.
How do you define "worse"? Are you slower? Any injuries? One thing to remember is that as the weather gets warmer, the same effort will feel harder. Many people run slower during the summer months compared to fall, winter, and spring.0 -
womanofgod4893 wrote: »I was on week one day one of c25k yesterday.. just about killed me lol. I felt like I couldn't breathe. But I did finish. I didn't give up so I was pretty darn proud of myself for that! Does it get any easier though?
It will get easier. The beauty of the C25K and other run-walk(recover)-run programs is they are designed to be achievable by anyone and to ease you into the program so that you have no excuses to quit.
Your fitness will naturally improve as long as you stick with it. It will, just ask anyone who has gone through the program and transformed themselves in the process.
When I started running last fall I feared but really had no idea how bad my fitness had become (I was then a "former" distance runner). My first run, and many runs after that, were very depressing to me, mostly because I had the wrong mindset to start with. I still remembered my running days and had set far too high a bar.
I soldiered on but almost quit. I did not adopt a program like C25K **but should have** as it would have made it physically, psychologically, and emotionally much easier for me in the early going and reduce or eliminate the risk of me quitting. I'm damn lucky I had a supportive wife who ran with me and suffered all my wheezing stops. Had I been on my own from square one, I can't honestly say I'd have stuck it out. I don't think I would have made it and I sure wouldn't be here on MFP today if I had failed.
C25K and programs like it are different than simply lacing up shoes and going for it, which is basically the approach I took and do not recommend. The C25K methodology is such that anyone can make it work. You aren't trying to run a hilly 2.5K on day one, 100 pounds too heavy, without stopping, like I was (dumb, dumb, dumb)!
Yes, it will get better / easier and yes you will see significant progress by the time you are done. Huge progress. You'll be smiling ear to ear!0 -
womanofgod4893 wrote: »I was on week one day one of c25k yesterday.. just about killed me lol. I felt like I couldn't breathe. But I did finish. I didn't give up so I was pretty darn proud of myself for that! Does it get any easier though?
You should be proud of yourself. When I started C25K that first day almost did me in too but I kept on working on it and even repeated some weeks again. Now I am on week 8 and I couldn't be more proud of myself for getting this far. This 54 year old overweight woman can almost run 2 miles without walking now and last night I signed up for my first 5K run on May 23rd. By then I will have finished C25K, hopefully have a few more pounds off and be able to run the whole distance.0 -
Oh yeah... forgot to mention, dropping the pounds DEFINITELY contributes to making you faster and/or making each run easier.
Be proud folks, very proud. All our small victories build into bigger and bigger wins.0 -
Thank you for the advice regarding your running getting slower in the summer. I live in the tropics (Hong Kong area but not Hong Kong). It's getting very hot and humid here very quickly. I guess I should expect to slow down and have to walk more as it is I'm realizing that I'll probably have to get up around 430 to get any kind of run in to avoid the heat of the day. That and using both inhalers religiously.0
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This is a great post. I have a question and maybe you can help me out. Sometime around last summer I fell going down a hill. I was on the sidewalk and tripped over some uneven piece. I blamed my glasses and not being able to see it. Now I never wear my glasses on a run (only contacts). Ever since then, I'm scared to speed up going downhill and I think I'm leaning back to make that happen. This makes my lower back hurt. Maybe all I have to do is lean forward but that is easier said than done. What advice or tips do you have for running downhill. There's no avoiding it in my neighborhood, the hills are everywhere.0
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mandykent111 wrote: »I am getting ready to run my second half marathon....any advice?? I didn't train properly the first time, and although I finished and ran the whole time, I know I can do better!
Train properly this time.
I am off to a bad start! Between a move, work and a much needed vacation! Training has been put on the back burner, so now I have to catch up! lol0 -
Thanks for sharing. Great article0
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daperfectmix wrote: »This is a great post. I have a question and maybe you can help me out. Sometime around last summer I fell going down a hill. I was on the sidewalk and tripped over some uneven piece. I blamed my glasses and not being able to see it. Now I never wear my glasses on a run (only contacts). Ever since then, I'm scared to speed up going downhill and I think I'm leaning back to make that happen. This makes my lower back hurt. Maybe all I have to do is lean forward but that is easier said than done. What advice or tips do you have for running downhill. There's no avoiding it in my neighborhood, the hills are everywhere.
So downhill running can be very fun if done correctly, and it sounds like you just need to lose your fear of it.
Some form tips- lean forward from the hips, not the shoulder. Use your arms for balance. Don't overstride, make sure your feet are landing under your body. Look down the hill and not at your feet.
On trails I use what I call the 'three Fs' - foresight, foot placement, and fearlessness. I go back and forth from scanning the ground 10-15 feet ahead of me to looking down- and mentally plan my steps. Its a bit easier on roads because you don't have rocks to watch out for, but you do have those uneven sidewalks. The more you practice at it, the less fear you should have.
Also, if its safe to do on your route, consider running in the street rather than on sidewalk. The asphalt is softer and usually has less hazards.0 -
I'm having grinding and popping noises in my left knee and sometimes it will just give out. This happened a few years ago when I was training for a Tough Mudder. I slapped on a cheap brace from Walmart and it seemed to get better.
Now that I'm running more again it is happening again. Ok so I've been told that I have Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome.
And I have been told to buy a Patella Tracking Knee Brace. Anybody have a good idea that which I should buy that will do the trick, not slide down my leg or make me sweat to death, or cost me a fortune?0 -
Did my first 5K in April in under 36 minutes. Doing another on May 16th. But I feel like my running is getting worst. I need some motivational help.brandiuntz wrote: »How do you define "worse"? Are you slower? Any injuries? One thing to remember is that as the weather gets warmer, the same effort will feel harder. Many people run slower during the summer months compared to fall, winter, and spring.
Yesterday I had a run and I felt better about it. I think it might have to do with the weather. It was a little on the chilly side and threatening to rain. It felt good as opposed to the other day that was 15 degrees warmer and drier. Plus I changed my route. We'll see how it goes. Thanks for the comment.0 -
cathyjones08 wrote: »Did my first 5K in April in under 36 minutes. Doing another on May 16th. But I feel like my running is getting worst. I need some motivational help.brandiuntz wrote: »How do you define "worse"? Are you slower? Any injuries? One thing to remember is that as the weather gets warmer, the same effort will feel harder. Many people run slower during the summer months compared to fall, winter, and spring.
Yesterday I had a run and I felt better about it. I think it might have to do with the weather. It was a little on the chilly side and threatening to rain. It felt good as opposed to the other day that was 15 degrees warmer and drier. Plus I changed my route. We'll see how it goes. Thanks for the comment.
Bad runs happen. There will always be those days where, no matter what, it just kind of sucks to get through the run. I consider them character building.0
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