How do people run so much
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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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It's all about pacing yourself
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Build up slowly - following an established plan will give you a better chance of success than winging it. Run slowly - you should be able to hold a conversation the whole time. Make sure you take days off so your body has time to adapt to the new demands you're putting on it. Running really punishes the legs. Your bones and tendons need to get stronger or you risk injury and that takes a good bit longer than the cardiovascular adaptations.
Other than that, patience and practice. Losing weight if you're above goal weight will definitely make things easier as you go, too.0 -
Agreed with C25K! And don't be afraid to repeat weeks if you need to. A lot of people do, I did for sure. Just because it's a "13 week" program (or whatever it is lol) doesn't mean you have to do it in 13 weeks. You just need to be consistent and avoid skipping the workout sessions. Things get easier as you lose weight too.0
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How do people run so much?
Easy
If want to run 10 km I run 15-20 till 10 becomes a walk in a park.
Joking aside I'm not really a fan of the C25K program. It's too long for my taste. Anyone who isn't morbidly obese (in that case you probably shouldn't run) can run 1 km. Problem is people do it too fast and they get out of breath.
I ran 3 km first time and went too fast. It was hell and I couldn't walk for days. Then I did a lot of reading during my chair bound days and formulated a plan. Suddenly I had a long run and 2 easy runs in my week. Easy runs were 3 k (easy pace, conversational) and the long run was 3.5 km, increasing it by 500 meters every week. Running easy worked wonders. I got to 5k in a month. I have been increasing my distances ever since.
Currently I do a 15 km long run (increasing by 1 km every week, decreasing it by 5 every 4 weeks), 2 easy runs (around 5-10 km, one is usually recovery run from long run ) and a speed work (progression run, tempo, a fast 5k etc)
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I'm glad no one ever told me about the 'toxic 10' nonsense. I may have believed them....
Before you start your run have a plan. Know what it is you want to accomplish and do it. If you have a longer run planned, start slow and stay slow. If it is shorter, don't worry so much about pace and just enjoy it.
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I have seen people's feed who run for 60 mins daily . I can hardly go on for 60 seconds . I have been trying for a while . I sometimes run 60 sec then take 30 sec break then run again for 60 . Any suggestion how I can improve and run better
First of all, slow down. Almost all new runners run way too fast when starting. Overtime, increase your running time, decrease your walking time, and increase the amount of walk/run repeats until you're running further and longer without walking breaks. It gets much easier with time, and you'll be surprised at how quickly you're able to run 1 mile, 3 miles, 6 miles, etc.0 -
The most I run is a few seconds to cross the street when the light is turning. Maybe about 2x per week.0
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Figure out your pace even if you are slow as a turtle as I am. I could barely run 30 secs. Now 5 weeks later I run 2 minutes at a time and am heading to week 3 my next run. I use Couch 2 5k by zen labs so the app talks to me everytime I need to run etc. It really does help. I had to repeat week 1 and a little of week 2 but I did because I listened to my body and not what you believe you are suppose to do and it helped massively. I also walked when it said run if I felt my legs hurt to bad or I would injure myself. I only moved onto the next week when I could do 3 days of runs all runs and no pain or walks.0
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AdrianChr92 wrote: »How do people run so much?
Easy
If want to run 10 km I run 15-20 till 10 becomes a walk in a park.
Joking aside I'm not really a fan of the C25K program. It's too long for my taste. Anyone who isn't morbidly obese (in that case you probably shouldn't run) can run 1 km. Problem is people do it too fast and they get out of breath.
I ran 3 km first time and went too fast. It was hell and I couldn't walk for days. Then I did a lot of reading during my chair bound days and formulated a plan. Suddenly I had a long run and 2 easy runs in my week. Easy runs were 3 k (easy pace, conversational) and the long run was 3.5 km, increasing it by 500 meters every week. Running easy worked wonders. I got to 5k in a month. I have been increasing my distances ever since.
Currently I do a 15 km long run (increasing by 1 km every week, decreasing it by 5 every 4 weeks), 2 easy runs (around 5-10 km, one is usually recovery run from long run ) and a speed work (progression run, tempo, a fast 5k etc)
That's hilarious. I'm not morbidly obese, but when I started C25K I could barely do the 1 minute increments, and I was going super slow. My stick-thin sister was the same. You don't have to be morbidly obese to be super out of shape. Being skinny doesn't give you a magic running ticket. I'm happy for you that C25K was too easy for you, that's great, but that doesn't mean everyone else is the same.0 -
Slow and steady wins the race.
My first time out I couldn't even do 1/4 of a mile. Now I can hit the pavement and do about 15 miles before I really feel like death. My longest was 21 miles and that's only because I hit a wall and had to throw in the towel. But it took a solid year of practice to get there.0 -
I'm glad no one ever told me about the 'toxic 10' nonsense. I may have believed them....
Before you start your run have a plan. Know what it is you want to accomplish and do it. If you have a longer run planned, start slow and stay slow. If it is shorter, don't worry so much about pace and just enjoy it.
I thought everyone knew the first mile never counts.0 -
you build up to it, like with any exercise.
i only do about a half hour, but for me, its supplemental and not my primary form of exercise. its just an extra i do when i feel like it or need to get out of my house 0 -
One foot infront of the other.0
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I run around 100km a week. It's not going to happen overnight. When a started a couple of years back I couldn't run 5 steps. Take your time slowly increase your distances and time running and your get there. Also the best advice I ever got was to run slow. You should be able to hold a conversation. It doesn't matter if you're slower than a walking pace to start your speed will naturally increase as you get fitter. The best way to be a better runner is to run. SO run consistently and regularly and build your distance at a steady but sustainable pace. Good luckI have seen people's feed who run for 60 mins daily . I can hardly go on for 60 seconds . I have been trying for a while . I sometimes run 60 sec then take 30 sec break then run again for 60 . Any suggestion how I can improve and run better
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C25K is excellent to start you off and like most others have said go really slow and sort your speed out later. Make sure you get really good shoes and have your gait checked so you are running in the correct shoes. When I started the C25K as I got to running for 20 minutes at a time, i had incredible pain in my hips. I was told to go and have my gait checked, which I did and got some new shoes. No more hip pain and now I can run for 30 / 40 minutes three times a week. Good luck.0
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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.
someone wrote once "the first mile is a lie"
LOL- that is so true.0 -
I get all breathless in first few mins and have low stamina I guess
Slow down, then slow down some more.
If you can only run for a minute or two (slowly) that's fine.......try something like run (slowly) 1 min and walk 9 for 3 intervals (total 30 min as your minimum goal), then next week run 2 minutes and walk 8, the week after 3 min running with 7 minutes walking etc etc etc until you can run 10 minutes straight as a conversational pace.
At that point you'll have a decision to make. You can continue using a run/walk method (lots of runners do this - google Galloway method) or try for continuous running - completely your choice.
Take your time building up time / distances. The objective is to have fun and remain injury free (most running injuries are too much, too soon, too fast).
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When I first started, I couldn't jog continuously for a minute. It might even have been less. I started by doing jog/walk intervals on a treadmill, gradually reducing the proportion of time spent walking. When I first transitioned to running outside it was SO SLOW it was like pushing an elephant through treacle. With time and persistence you gradually increase it. Walk when you feel you are really struggling, and jog again when you recover.
Now I can run a half marathon in just over 2 hours, which I'm not claiming is fast, but from where I've come from I'm really pleased with it!
Running speed/endurance is built gradually over time with consistent effort. Very few people are blessed to be naturally fast or to have the stamina to run for an hour once in a blue moon!0 -
I have seen people's feed who run for 60 mins daily . I can hardly go on for 60 seconds . I have been trying for a while . I sometimes run 60 sec then take 30 sec break then run again for 60 . Any suggestion how I can improve and run better
1st thing is to define running.. somebody once told me that running is just a bit faster then a walking pace.
Your doing a great job,
Week 1 - Run 1min w/ a 2 min break
Week 2 - Run 1.10min w/ a 2 min break
Week 3 - Run 1.2min
Week 4 - Run 1.3min
anyway, you get the idea.
I didn't like couch to 5K
Reason - because it went from 3 - 5min in one week,
Then it went from 5 - 7min in another week..
But really, you just need to push your self with small obtainable goals.
Also, if you use a treadmill set the incline to 3% as I was told it would mimic running outside.0 -
I have seen people's feed who run for 60 mins daily . I can hardly go on for 60 seconds . I have been trying for a while . I sometimes run 60 sec then take 30 sec break then run again for 60 . Any suggestion how I can improve and run better
You work your way up and you practice...nobody goes from sitting on the couch to running for 60 minutes overnight. Building your fitness takes time.0
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