Advice from runners, please

I run three days (for me it's Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) and try to lift weights and do other stuff like elliptical or long walks, bike rides, ab workouts.. that sort of thing on the other days. Don't get it in every time, but the running I always do. No excuses!!!

A very typical week for me would be 3 days HIIT running and 3 days of weight training. But I have a bad habit of doing cardio on my free day, which is usually an open-ended run (not HIIT) or bike ride. Sort of taking advantage of the weather which is getting sort of nicer here lately.

If your just starting you dont want to hunt yourself so its best to have that days rest... On your off days do some yoga or the eliptical something low impact maybe some weight training. you want to give your legs time to heal a bit. It is super easy to set yourself up for shin splints.

Oh an remember go at your own speed. I did week 2 for 2 weeks and week 5 for 3. Know your body and dont give up... try to push yourself but dont hurt yourself.

Ya definitely go at your own pace! I will be running my 3rd day of week 5 day 2!

I am currently not running, I used to. I also know what you're talking about. Here's the thing, it boils down to recuperation abilities. If you run intensely then workout intensely, that would be a lot of stress on the body, can you recover from that the next day? Maybe, maybe not. I quickly "glanced" at couch 2 5k. It looks like interval training. Interval training can be intense on the body.

High intensity burns a lot of sugar and uses type 2A and 2B muscle fibers. Which are used for higher intensity work. What I would do if I was you.. is, Yeah do my high intensity stuff one day. Then do low intensity cardio (such as walking) the next. The key is to avoid over training. A good thing to do is to take your resting heart rate in the morning. Do it for a few days in a row. Then start the program, If your heart rate is higher then your resting heart rate, you need more rest, so don't do high intensity that day.

Run as often as you feel comfortable doing. Some people can run daily, others are happy to run 3x a week.

I tend to run my Long Slow Runs on Saturday or Sunday and try to run at least three other times a week.

For variety, I will do 30 day shred, or some weight training at the gym. Strength training is an exceptionally good thing to counter cardio workouts with and makes you a stronger runner (especially if your are looking at weight loss, insofar as if you gain muscle, you have more muscle to burn fat with. Cardio is very good at burning fat)

Best advice I can give is Listen to your Body, don't try to fight thru injuries, and make sure you have the right shoes (and replace em every 300 miles or so).

Feel free to add me as I have a wealth of running information that I frequently share.

I run 2 to 3 times per week and usually do Tae Bo or another video twice per week. I want to start working in some strength training too! My friend who is a personal trainer said the best exercise you can do to advance your running is lunges and squats. So I have been adding them in to strenghten my muscles to take on those hills!

That seems pretty good, the exercises could lead to stronger contractions. Running is more of an endurance event, It's based on buffering lactic acid. Resistance training doesn't offer this benefit. It trains the muscle for stronger contractions, doesn't have much to do with lactic acid.

I run 3x per week and no more than that. When I first started running I did not do cross training at all... unfortunately this has led to weak legs and weak hips and now I am REALLY need to focus on cross training.

I now am starting a program on Legs on Tues and Thurs (non running days) and intense ab workouts!
In the end, cross training will help you!

I run almost every day (if I can get the time; I do), but it has taken years to go to this point. The thing to remember with running is your bones and joints have to adapt and get stronger. Just like your muscles your bones and joints need rest. They acctually become more dense over times from the impact. The most common injuries in runners is from running too often or too far. Stick with the 3 days Good luck with your running goals! :flowerforyou:

I used to run about 5-6x a week for 30-60 min for like 6 months and then do circuit training for 30 min. Best combo to lose and tone up.. I do less running now cuz I wanna keep muscle. Good luck!