The runners thread
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You think that I should first focus on reaching an adequate weight and BMI first?
I would start your training now. If you eat healthily and start swim/bike/run training you should see the weight come off anyway.0 -
marcelo_templario wrote: »marcelo_templario wrote: »marcelo_templario wrote: »marcelo_templario wrote: »marcelo_templario wrote: »Wow, good luck...I dream of completing an Iron Man.
Check out the Long Distance Runners group as well as the Triathletes group since you are interesting in Ironman. The tri group isn't terribly active, but usually posts in there get plenty of attention.
I'll give you my standard response when someone talks about Ironman in a "running" context. The run at the end of an Ironman has almost nothing at all to do with a "marathon" despite the distance being the same. You can't treat them the same way, you can't approach them the same way. Ironman is a different beast entirely than simply "running".
That's exactly what I want to hear...
I am unsure if I can ride a bike good enough as for the ironman, last time I did a long trip was like 17 years ago.
Nobody just gets off the couch and completes an Ironman. There is significant training needed before even considering it. Most people take years of focused training before attempting their first one.
My calculation is 3 and a half years of preparation:
-Get an ideal weight
-Build some muscle
-Focus on swimming 1 year (I am good at it)
-Train bike for 1 year
-Train running and bike for a year
Do a half Ironman and then a full Ironman..
I'd be almost 40 by then...is it liable?, also I want you to consider that this is a personal challenge, like climbing Everest or a pageant contest.
Also, if I never make it..I'd be still satisfied with all the accomplished during training.
3 years is good, but let me change your proposed schedule:
Start swimming, biking and running right NOW. Keep an eye on your diet to get weight in check if necessary. Don't worry about "building muscle". If you are already good at swimming there shouldn't be a need to "focus" on it for a year. You will improve on your swimming just in the course of regular training.
Download a beginner's triathlon plan from Beginner Triathlete. Use it to race a few short distance triathlons. Sprint and Olympic distance.
Next year build yourself up to doing a half. Then you can make a decision if going for the full is right for you at that time, or if you want more time.
I have a friend who did his first full Ironman at 60. 40 is nothing. In fact at 40 you are in one of the fastest amateur age groups at the full distance.
That's what I call advice!!! Thank you so much...gonna follow those recommendations, so exciting to have such a goal now...gonna briefly update about my training, I wish I wouldn't have to work full time and spend 6 hours a day in training instead.
I know the feeling. I do have a full time job that is thankfully pretty much a set 40hr week. I train anywhere from 10 to 20 hours a week depending on how close I am to my A-race (usually an Ironman). The nice thing is you can be quite successful at this stuff training an hour (maybe two) on weekdays, and putting in longer efforts on weekends.
For example my schedule in general kinda looks like this:
Monday: rest day (maybe some core work or some weights)
Tuesday: 1hr run, 30 minutes easy bike
Wednesday: 1hr swim, 1hr bike
Thursday: 1hr bike (intervals of some kind)
Friday: 1hr swim, 1hr run
Saturday: long bike (3-5 hours or 50-100 miles) + 2 mile transition run
Sunday: Long run (1.5-2.5hrs or 10-22 miles) + easy swim.
Those sat/sun efforts go from the shorter side when far from the race to the higher side of the range as the race approaches. You build up the volume.
My body can take the volume, but it has taken me years of day in day out focused training to be able to put myself through it.
I think your schedule suits my needs by now, I guess I'll need a race bike and not a mountain bike.
You think that I should first focus on reaching an adequate weight and BMI first?
Bikes are a whole 'nother subject... Definitely recommend either a road bike or better yet a tri bike for racing. For a sprint or Olympic, it doesn't matter and nobody will think anything of a MTB on the rack. However for IM and half IM most race companies (Ironman for sure) will actually prohibit MTBs. You need either a road or tri bike.
I know nothing about your weight situation, but there is really no reason not to get started right away. If you need to cut weight, you can do that while training (makes it way easier too since you are training). Nobody will bat an eye if you show up to your first race at a higher-than-ideal weight.
DO NOT try to jump into the kind of volume I described above though. You are sure to hurt yourself. Check out the plans at Beginner Triathlete that I linked to above, and if you feel like you are ready to jump in somewhere in the middle, that is fine.0 -
Tri bike...no idea such a thing existed, thanks again to all of you guys. I am 10 kilos overweight, losing 8 is good enough, I put a lot of weight every december.0
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Running has changed my life.. I don't love it however, but wow did it help me lose inches. Unfortuately my knees aren't too thrilled so I try to do so on the treadmill sometimes. Either way.. I do a 5K at least 4-5x a week. What a difference.0
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Once I heard that knee injuries are genetic. I believe it is true.0
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Running has changed my life.. I don't love it however, but wow did it help me lose inches. Unfortuately my knees aren't too thrilled so I try to do so on the treadmill sometimes. Either way.. I do a 5K at least 4-5x a week. What a difference.
Me, too! I started walking, jogging a little in between and finally slowly running and now I would say I am a runner. I always thought I was short and curvy, but with the running, it turns out that I'm not! My body shape has changed so much, I love it. I also have to be really careful about my knees and now my calf, I seem to have pulled a muscle, so I've started weight training while it heals.
I am definitely not the fastest runner out there, but I can do a 5k in 30, which is ok I think for a 49 year old newby. I don't really like competing, though, I like running just for me.
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I let myself go and gained a lot of weight, so I used to have morning walks, one day I tried running a long lonely street without stopping and did it, I did not know I could run...the next day went for a longer running, I started doing 5k everyday, and a 9k every 3 days, sometimes a 13 k once 1 week, I saw my bloat melting and looked and felt fantastic, did not matter anymore if my arms were not like pro wrestlers's, I knew I could beat many of these guys in a resistance competition, I could defeat a hill with no problem, better yet...I knew I have a powerful tool for beating overweight problems.
Genetics play grand part in this, my father was very fit, my sister held several long distance records, and my body it not prone to injuries at all, just once a hamstring swollen. It recovers very easily and fast, I know this is pure luck...but well...I feel fortunate of this.
I like running.0 -
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I've been running for a few years but I don't think I can call myself a runner yet.
I've only ever done 5k's (6 of them). I'm still no good at them. My PR is 38 minutes. It is a sad state of affairs.
My cardio is pretty good. I can hike up and down mountains all day, I can cycle for 30 miles no problem and those things are fun for me but for some reason running for 30 minutes requires a Herculean effort and months of training.
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marcelo_templario wrote: »dfields884 wrote: »I am a beginner runner. My 1st short term goal this year is to be able to run a 5K with the minimum of 16 min/mile. I have 2 runs scheduled so far.
sorry...16 minutes a mile?
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Yes, 16 minutes per mile or less. I'll update whatever I do. Always room for improvement.0
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So why can't you call yourself a runner? A serious question. You run regularly, so you're a runner. Doesn't matter if you've only done a mile or a hundred, whether that 5K took 15 minutes or a hour.holothuroidea wrote: »I've been running for a few years but I don't think I can call myself a runner yet.
I've only ever done 5k's (6 of them). I'm still no good at them. My PR is 38 minutes.
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KathyApplebaum wrote: »
So why can't you call yourself a runner? A serious question. You run regularly, so you're a runner. Doesn't matter if you've only done a mile or a hundred, whether that 5K took 15 minutes or a hour.holothuroidea wrote: »I've been running for a few years but I don't think I can call myself a runner yet.
I've only ever done 5k's (6 of them). I'm still no good at them. My PR is 38 minutes.
I don't feel like a runner, I'm just a person who runs. I know runners. They run for fun, they run to relax, they run because it feels good to get to their goal. Running is none of those things for me. It is the most challenging and difficult activity I engage in, and I don't feel like I've reaped much reward for the effort I've been putting in.
I would love to feel that way about running, and I keep working at it. Maybe some day I will get there. Any advice would be appreciated.
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A possibly stupid question from a non-runner: I see a lot of talk about picking the right shoes for running. About actually going to a sports store and let a professional help you pick the shoes exactly right for you. Then there's my friend who's "sort of a runner", who swears that the best way to run is in shoes as old and sucky as possible because it allows you to use your own foot naturally.
Do the shoes really matter? What's this talk about natural running? If someone was to start running, what would be the minimum of equipment one should get?0 -
Hey,
Love running! Its just these past 2 days that have made me realise how much. For a couple of weeks it was a slog. Everything ached. Now I zone out for 30 or 40 minutes. All the worries of the world melt away. Its just me, my music, the crisp cold night air and the pavement.
I'm in no way a fast runner and nor will I ever be. Just an easy 10min/mile.
The best thing is you don't have to compete with anyone but yourself if you don't want to.
I suffer quite badly with depression and anxiety. Running is the one thing that eases it and actually make me feel great again. Beats any anti depressants the doctor could ever prescribe.
Shaun.0 -
A possibly stupid question from a non-runner: I see a lot of talk about picking the right shoes for running. About actually going to a sports store and let a professional help you pick the shoes exactly right for you. Then there's my friend who's "sort of a runner", who swears that the best way to run is in shoes as old and sucky as possible because it allows you to use your own foot naturally.
Do the shoes really matter? What's this talk about natural running? If someone was to start running, what would be the minimum of equipment one should get?
Don't listen to your friend. Best thing to do is go to a running store and tell them straight up you are new at this and need help. I have never been to a running store that wasn't happy to get people started with the right shoes.
Your friend's advice is a recipe for injury0 -
shaunroberts wrote: »Hey,
Love running! Its just these past 2 days that have made me realise how much. For a couple of weeks it was a slog. Everything ached. Now I zone out for 30 or 40 minutes. All the worries of the world melt away. Its just me, my music, the crisp cold night air and the pavement.
I'm in no way a fast runner and nor will I ever be. Just an easy 10min/mile.
The best thing is you don't have to compete with anyone but yourself if you don't want to.
I suffer quite badly with depression and anxiety. Running is the one thing that eases it and actually make me feel great again. Beats any anti depressants the doctor could ever prescribe.
Shaun.
There you go, running is a therapy...I wish I could work part time and run 3 hours a day minimum.0 -
A possibly stupid question from a non-runner: I see a lot of talk about picking the right shoes for running. About actually going to a sports store and let a professional help you pick the shoes exactly right for you. Then there's my friend who's "sort of a runner", who swears that the best way to run is in shoes as old and sucky as possible because it allows you to use your own foot naturally.
Do the shoes really matter? What's this talk about natural running? If someone was to start running, what would be the minimum of equipment one should get?
IME, they don't matter until they do. And when they do, the wrong shoes can be a real problem.
Some people can get away with not being fitted - either they don't run enough for shoes to really matter, they are very typical in their stride/gait/foot so basic shoes are OK, they get lucky and get shoes that fit them well, etc. But that's not the case for a lot of people.
IMO, I'd rather spend $125 on good shoes that are well fitted than $80 on whatever I can find on clearance at amazon. Peace of mind matters (nothing worse than getting 3 miles into a 10 mile run and having joint issues start to creep up, which has been my problem in the past), and I like supporting a good, knowledgeable, helpful local shop (which I'm lucky enough to have near me).0 -
A possibly stupid question from a non-runner: I see a lot of talk about picking the right shoes for running. About actually going to a sports store and let a professional help you pick the shoes exactly right for you. Then there's my friend who's "sort of a runner", who swears that the best way to run is in shoes as old and sucky as possible because it allows you to use your own foot naturally.
Do the shoes really matter? What's this talk about natural running? If someone was to start running, what would be the minimum of equipment one should get?
My first pair of shoes were fitted by a professional in a running store. I started having pain on the outside of my foot during runs so I looked at the wear pattern on the soles of those shoes and bought new shoes based on that info. That second pair of shoes was great and now it's the only type of running shoe I will use, I also use them for hiking when the weather and terrain permits because I will get the same pain on long hikes too if I don't wear supportive shoes.
I think when you're just starting out it's fine to wear whatever shoes you've got. After a while you will learn about your own individual running shoe needs. I wish I hadn't bought that first pair of shoes because they were expensive and only lasted me a couple months before I had to buy new shoes anyway. There's only so much a shoe store employee can learn about your gait in one visit, and you will learn more about your gait as you gain more experience running.0 -
A possibly stupid question from a non-runner: I see a lot of talk about picking the right shoes for running. About actually going to a sports store and let a professional help you pick the shoes exactly right for you. Then there's my friend who's "sort of a runner", who swears that the best way to run is in shoes as old and sucky as possible because it allows you to use your own foot naturally.
Do the shoes really matter? What's this talk about natural running? If someone was to start running, what would be the minimum of equipment one should get?
Your friends is near to truth but not so near as for beating knowledge nowadays, in past people did not run overweight, as a matter of fact no chubby runners made it to run...athletes were naturally slim, now, if somebody wants to run for improving his/her health, lose weight and tone, then probably is going to need the best shoes they recommend you, plus that..our feet had change over time because mixed genetic codes, making us prone to injuries.
Chaskis were mayan messengers who would run over 190 miles a day wearing sandals, but they were very light and kept a weight below the normal, also they ran 7 hours a day, every other day since the age of 14 or younger, so yes...they used their foot naturally but they neither wore shoes that made their feet flat, or spent 8 hours a day sitting.
Like somebody said above, wearing any shoes is a good recipe for a painful injury including 5th metatarsus fracture.0
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