How do people run so much
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I also suggest Couch 2 5 K. I used to could only run one minute and now can run 4.5 minutes (I'm on week 3)--- definitely not huge, but that's a huge gain! You've got to take baby steps. Your lungs and heart need it and your muscles too. I actually could probably cardiovascularly run longer than 4.5 minutes, but my legs will start to splint up. It just takes time and youve got to keep at it.0
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@khpsrt There is a C25K Group here on MFP. Lots of support and encouragement.
As @autumnblade75 and @MeanderingMammal have said slow down and at some point in time you will want to get fit for True Running Specific Shoes at a running Speciality store.
A few links that might be helpful.
Buying Shoes
5 Common Newbie Mistakes
http://running.competitor.com/tag/new-runner-series
There are so many great videos available on-line.
Welcome to the crazy world of runners.0 -
StealthHealth wrote: »I get all breathless in first few mins and have low stamina I guess
I'd echo the advice of getting a decent plan in place.
I would also like to add that I have run distances up to a HM and the first few minutes of every run, to this day, are always sucky. This is because you use your anaerobic system for a little while before your aerobic system kicks in and things feel more "comfortable".
I think this quite natural process puts a lot of people off because they think the first few minutes of exertion reflects what it will feel like for the entire run and they feel it will be too hard, they can never improve and so on.
^^Agree with this. Some people call it the Toxic 10 - first 10 mins of a run that feel like hell, but after that things settle down. It's very, very rare for me to feel great running right off the bat.
I never knew about that
I can run about 15 minutes and stop cos of boredom / shin pain rather than breathing
does the shin pain settle as well?0 -
I agree with all of this. It took me a good 6 months before I got up to even 2 miles. I used c25k also. I repeated some weeks and I'd give myself an extra 5 minutes of walking before I turned the app on. I think for new runners or even experienced ones who aren't great about stretching, 5 minutes might not be enough warm up time. Depending on your current fitness level I would also suggest you work on the muscle groups running uses. Runners tend to have weak glutes (and possibly hips and hamstrings) which can lead to injury.
I started running at like a zero fitness level. I was 200lbs and 5'3" and had never really worked out. Even walking made me out of breath. Start slowly. Walk for 5 minutes then start your warm up for your program. Don't worry about speed, inclines, or any of that. It will all come. You want it to come without injury.
Make sure you have decent shoes. They can really make a difference. If your initial run is a 4mph jog that is totally fine. Even now when I run 10-15 miles a week I still keep a pace around 5mph. I'm still overweight but running has given me more confidence, better lungs, and strong legs. The first .5 miles still sucks. Then I hit my groove.
Don't over run. Elite runners can run daily. The rest of us need recovery time. If I run more than 3 days a week I get stress fractures. That doesn't happen to everyone by any means, but if your just starting out you will need at least a day in between runs to recover. On those days, lift, do yoga (boooorrrriiiiinnnngg), ride a stationary bike. Whatever. I would suggest you keep your off running days to something that is lower impact.
Lastly, If it aint fun, don't do it. Like any other exercise running just isn't fun for everyone. Like I want to like yoga, but I hate it. If it doesn't feel good or you dread doing it find another exercise.0 -
I never did couch to 5k but I came to running from swimming/walking and could do about a mile off the bat. I've heard nothing but good things about that program, though!
A friend of mine who "can't run" (her words) was actually just trying to flat-out sprint and call it "running." If you're breathless in less than a minute, slow it down. There's no hurry. Jogging = running, really.0 -
This is what I do when I've been off for a while.Any suggestion how I can improve and run better
Distance matters.
Frequency matters.
Time does not matter.
So for me, I'm looking at something like this:
Two weeks of:- four days of 2 mi
- rest 1 day
- one days of 3 mi
- rest 1 day
Trails also help with strength and endurance (plan to be slower on trails).
Avoid *dread*mills.
Find a running club.
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i started with c25k, then b210k, and then a half marathon plan thru Asics.
before that i was a couch potato that hated the idea of running0 -
StealthHealth wrote: »I get all breathless in first few mins and have low stamina I guess
I'd echo the advice of getting a decent plan in place.
I would also like to add that I have run distances up to a HM and the first few minutes of every run, to this day, are always sucky. This is because you use your anaerobic system for a little while before your aerobic system kicks in and things feel more "comfortable".
I think this quite natural process puts a lot of people off because they think the first few minutes of exertion reflects what it will feel like for the entire run and they feel it will be too hard, they can never improve and so on.
^^Agree with this. Some people call it the Toxic 10 - first 10 mins of a run that feel like hell, but after that things settle down. It's very, very rare for me to feel great running right off the bat.
I never knew about that
I can run about 15 minutes and stop cos of boredom / shin pain rather than breathing
does the shin pain settle as well?
No, unfortunately not. The toxic 10 is the runner settling into a HR/breathing/running rhythm which, when achieved makes the rest of the run less "upsetting".
The stuff you're talking about is muscular/bone/tendon inflammation - shin splints. You can't out run them since they are a symptom of too much too soon. In this instance you need to back off the running and adopt a progressively increasing program (just like strength training eh?)0 -
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Through practice. If you want to run farther, you need to run farther. If you want to run faster, you need to run faster.
I started running 2005 and could only jog a mile or two. In 2009 I completed a 100 mile endurance run.0 -
It takes time. A few years ago I went from feeling like death running for 60 seconds, to running for an hour at a time. It took me several months to build up to it. Following a long period of inactivity I started from scratch again, and followed couch to 10k. I'm now just at the point where I can keep going for more than 60 minutes (having started my 'second round' only able to do around three minutes). Time, patience, consistency. I know at the beginning, the idea of being able to run for 10 minutes straight seemed like an impossibility to me.0
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What worked for me was downloading a couch to 5K app on my phone. Then I would plug my headphones in and it would tell me exactly when to start running and when to start walking. It starts off with very little running - one minute of running and then four minutes of walking (or something similar) and then gradually, over 12 weeks, works up to 5K. If there was a week that I felt I needed to re-do (aka, I didn't think I was ready for the next level) then I re-did it once and then tried my hardest to do the next week even if it was really difficult. Slowly, but surely I increased my distance and was able to do a full 5K. Now I can do 5K reliably and am working my way towards 10
Here is the app I used, but there are others out there, just do a search:
Couch to 5K by RunDouble
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.rundouble.companion&hl=en0 -
I didn't use C25K but I've heard great things about it. You need to go about it gradually - of course you won't be able to go out and run a 5k your first try.
I was in the same boat as you - could only run maybe 30-45 seconds at first. Yesterday I ran 40 minutes straight! You need to slowly build up your stamina. I was never in my life a runner or an active person until recently. If I can do it, anyone can do it.0 -
Also remember each extra pound of body weight can 4 to 5 times extra weight to be translated onto your knees. So 20 pounds overweight could translate to 100 pounds extra strain on your knee so watch that.
I would start walking uphill and use programs as mentioned previously.
Go slow and pace yourself. Use proper form.0 -
enterdanger wrote: »Lastly, If it aint fun, don't do it. Like any other exercise running just isn't fun for everyone. Like I want to like yoga, but I hate it. If it doesn't feel good or you dread doing it find another exercise.
This! If its not fun, don't do it. I love walking and thought it would be a natural transition to running. For me, it was not, I had shin problems, foot problems, hip problems and I struggled to breathe. I found I love the IDEA of running but the PRACTICE of it made me unhappy. So I walk, ride my bike and do yoga. Those are exercises I enjoy and can incorporate into my life. I've still managed to lose weight doing it too (75lbs).
Exercise isn't the means to losing weight, its only part of it, and it must be done for the rest of your life for your health so find something you like. If you keep coming back to running being it for you, go slow, learn everything you can, be prepared for set backs and just keep at it. You will push through and one day you will find that 60 seconds turned into 120 or 240 and you hardly noticed. Good luck!
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I'm currently doing C25K, have done it in the past. As far back as 2005 when I was 25 years old. At that age, I started in March, and ran a half marathon that October at 10 min miles. The key, as others have mentioned, is to run really slow. Now at 36 years old and 30 pounds heavier, I am not expecting as quick of progress, but I would like to get to the point where I can knock out a quick 3 miles in half an hour.
Right now, though, I have my treadmill set at 5.0 mph (12 min miles) and 1.5 incline to be able to run without losing my breath. Once I'm able to run a full 3 miles at that speed, I'll hold for a while and then try to increase either distance or speed.
In the past to increase speed, I would use the C25k program but use the "walk" intervals as the current pace and use the "run" intervals as the goal pace.0 -
StealthHealth wrote: »StealthHealth wrote: »I get all breathless in first few mins and have low stamina I guess
I'd echo the advice of getting a decent plan in place.
I would also like to add that I have run distances up to a HM and the first few minutes of every run, to this day, are always sucky. This is because you use your anaerobic system for a little while before your aerobic system kicks in and things feel more "comfortable".
I think this quite natural process puts a lot of people off because they think the first few minutes of exertion reflects what it will feel like for the entire run and they feel it will be too hard, they can never improve and so on.
^^Agree with this. Some people call it the Toxic 10 - first 10 mins of a run that feel like hell, but after that things settle down. It's very, very rare for me to feel great running right off the bat.
I never knew about that
I can run about 15 minutes and stop cos of boredom / shin pain rather than breathing
does the shin pain settle as well?
No, unfortunately not. The toxic 10 is the runner settling into a HR/breathing/running rhythm which, when achieved makes the rest of the run less "upsetting".
The stuff you're talking about is muscular/bone/tendon inflammation - shin splints. You can't out run them since they are a symptom of too much too soon. In this instance you need to back off the running and adopt a progressively increasing program (just like strength training eh?)
Chuckle ...yeah @stealthhealth I get that
I use running as a warm up for strength exercises TBH ...used to do 20 mins on elliptical, but had an arm injury so my trainer started focusing on my cardio more
Now I'm back to strength training I quite like the treadmill over the elliptical for warm ups which shocks meMeanderingMammal wrote: »
I think I need decent fitted shoes if I'm going to go for further distance ..I do have issues with my hamstrings and tight adductors at the moment so I'm pretty sure that must be connected
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Alatariel75 wrote: »I agree with the Couch to 5km, because of that app I ran for 20 minutes today!
Hey I did the 20 minute run too today!
Feels great to have completed it0 -
I thought that I can't run. I get sore knees after I start running because I would start with a three mile run. I started walking and then added short runs during the walks until I became a runner. Start slow and build, it will happen!0
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