More running questions - sorry! Should I be pushing harder and if so how?

Do you think the problems with breathing / dizziness are related to your anxiety or a lack of fitness? Your trainer could be right but it depends really...

Nicola, everyone changes at different rates. Not meaning to be too personal but do you have some background on your weight and exercise levels? There's no one given rate of improvement and if you have gone from never exercising to running you may need more time to adjust.

All the advice above is good with relation to the shin pain and foot numbing. Worth checking out what running shoes you are wearing and if you haven't had one a gait analysis could be a good idea to make sure the shoes you have suit your stride and physiology. I was running for weeks with pained ankles only to find that I needed a shoe with less arch support as this was over-rotating my ankle. New shoes and suddenly pain free.

Finally I would add that pace is so important and in a way a group helps and hinders that. The group will naturally set a pace, if that's too fast for you for consistency then you will be stretching yourself to keep up, wearing out and having to slow to a walk to recover. However if you struggle to keep a consistent pace without an outside indicator (like a group of people) then a group can help. Its also more fun, easier to get motivation and ultimately safer.

I find if I know that I am setting off for a longer run that I will start with a slower pace and force myself not to push too hard too soon as although it may seem ok at the start keeping it up isn't always possible. You may need to look at the pace you are setting, I would challenge you in that anyone can keep up consistent motion for 20mins, the question is what pace you are setting for that. If your trainer says you should be able to run for 20mins that might be fine but it depends what the definition of 'run' is in terms of that pace. You need to experiment and find what pace you can keep for 20mins regardless of what anyone else is doing and then make it a goal to keep that going every run, then try and improve it.

nicola8989 wrote: »

... making up reasons not to push through?

If you have shin pain then you don't want to be pushing yourself to go harder or faster, but with respect to the rest it really depends what's meant by doing better. I'd echo the points above about regulating your breathing at your current pace being most important.

From everything that you're describing it sounds like a touch of anxiety might be contributing. Stress can lead to shallower breathing, which is the opposite of what you want when you're running. It might be as well to find some exercises to help you breathe more deeply.

Don't forget you can always ask for directions too! I always feel a bit paranoid running in new areas (I run by myself, mostly in the countryside), but if there aren't signposts there's usually a helpful farmer or dogwalker...

You could have a myriad of issues. Sore shins could be shin splints or sometimes that muscle gets very tight. The breathing - you just need to relax and focus on it until it becomes more natural to breathe deeply while running. The dizziness is probably related to the breathing issue. Numb feet could be - tight muscles and/or tendons impinging a nerve, shoes that are too small or have a pinch point or a tight toe box etc, or it could be your socks pinching nerves in your feet, or it could be callouses doing the same thing.

I would: A) start planning your routes ahead of time. Sometimes I even write out a list of turns or landmarks to look for during my long runs. Get a foam roller or a racquetball and massage your legs every night before bed. C) Focus on breathing and maybe running a hair slower until you are comfortable. I tend to find that my out of breathed-ness sort will get to a point and then it doesn't get any worse unless I'm pushing beyond that point. So you run at a comfortable pace, get comfortable with the feeling there and then ramp it up a little and run at that pace until you are comfortable there, and so on. Also, think about your runs in phases long-slow run or warm up run in the "Green", mid-run or middle distance run in the "Yellow", sprints or fartlek or end of run pushing through the finish line run in the "Red".

Also, join the MFP Long Distance Runners Group, there are a lot of very knowledgeable runners there who can give you good advice!

moyer566 wrote: »

but walk up to the dogwalker please.
I have so many people run up to us. some dogs will see it as a threat

I've had people run/bike past on the dog side and almost lose a calf

just a mini thread hijack

Dogs on the shared paths where I live generally seem well enough trained to cope with bikes, runners and horses, or they'd not be taken on those paths. But I always slow down for them because otherwise they usually want to come with me. If they're small that means I risk treading on them, and if they're large, that means I risk accidentally stealing someone's dog.

I always walk past horses, in case they get spooked.