Runners! Beginner needing advice and questions answered please!

blueeyez939 wrote: »

But.... Any slower and I'd just be at a fast walk :-/

Then walk. Build up slowly. Try a run/walk interval program like couch to 5k. It takes time to build up your lungs and even more time to get your legs used to running. Take it slow. If you can't sing while you run you are going too fast.

Good luck.

I'm pretty new to running much distance but in conversations with much longer time runners, they say (and I have found) that I seem most winded in the first mile but after that breathing evens out.

I also attribute leg strength to 1-1/2 yrs of strength classes like Pilates, yoga, P90x and Insanity. Squat a lot is my mantra.

I'm 52 years old so its not like I'm some spring chicken who is fit as a fiddle,

I remember when I started running, around a mile I felt was my limit or my wall. So would jog, walk, jog almost the same pattern. Oneday decided to push out another quarter mile, best thing I ever done. I pushed passed my wall and although it was the slowest jog ever, I passed it and 5k followed quickly after.
I find the backend of the 1st mile the hardest, this is due to your lungs, muscles and heart rate all suddenly picking up. After your mile you settle in to a rythem and you wanna run just below you lactate threshold, your run will become more enjoyable and distance will increase.

You will get there in time. When I started I couldn't make it a quarter of a mile without feeling like my organs were going to burst. But I maintained a steady pace using my Garmin watch and pushed for a bit of extra distance each week. Even if it was just another tenth of a mile. Dont get too caught up in stats so early on in the journey, focus on form and enjoy yourself :-) the times and distance will come later

The hardest part of my current training is learning to run SLOW. The object of training is no longer to establish the pace at which you want to run your race and hold that pace for longer and longer periods until you reach your goal distance, (it used to be that way a while ago). Training is now to run at a "conversational pace", a pace at which you can hold a conversation and not be gasping for breath, and increase distance at that conversational pace. According to my coach, this "teaches" our bodies to burn fat, which is more plentiful but harder to access, rather that carbs, which are easier to access but more limited. In this way we build our endurance and stamina and, once this is accomplished, speed increases.

I've been at this training plan since July 4 this year, training for a Half Marathon September 25. Not only have I been able to increase my distance, my long runs to 13 miles, my 5K and 4 mile times have decreased, and the training runs are more enjoyable and I'm not burning myself out each and every week. I have also, knock on wood, kept away from injury.

Run/walk at a conversational pace. If you can't complete a sentence, you are going too fast, slow down. Walk if necessary. Start running again once you can keep that conversation going.

Increase you distance no more than 10% per week. Keeping at the conversational pace.

Keep at it. And you will get to your distance and speed will follow.

BTW, it is harder than it sounds to keep at that conversational pace, particularly at the beginning of any run. Trust me, you'll feel the effort as distance accumulates.

Enjoy.

it's normal to be out of breath if you're not used to running. try c25k or a similar app and follow it religiously.it took me exactly 6 weeks to go from running 1minute and feeling exhausted and out of breath, to running 20 minutes non stop and feeling like i could go on.

You must slow down and take it one step at a time. It is completely normal to be out of breath however you must not exert yourself so I will agree with the people before me... start with a structured program like C25K and build up from there, at your own pace.

blueeyez939 wrote: »

But.... Any slower and I'd just be at a fast walk :-/

If that's what it takes, walk.

It takes time to build up your aerobic base. Rather than running at a pace where you need to catch your breath try walking for 9 minutes and then running (slowly, as close to conversational pace as you can get) for 1 minute (repeat 3 or 4 times), then in a week or two walk 8, run 2 and so on until you can run continuously for 10 minutes with a 1 minute walk break. When you reach that point you have to decide if you want to continue with a run/walk method (google Galloway) or run continuously for longer periods.

Good luck & have fun!

cosmonew wrote: »

I ran in the Army for 20 + years, I found these things helpful.
stretch before and after
Breathe in though your nose, out through your mouth
track your heartrate to determine a workout speed you can continue.
use headphones and upbeat music so you can't hear your panting, it will also increase your pace.
If you want to increase your pace, look at your footlengths, can you lengthen your stride , (less steps more distance)

Some of this is good info but there's been a few changes in thinking around running over the past 20 years or so. One of those deals with stretching. I was a gymnast back in the day so was surprised, myself, when I found that static stretching before exercise is now considering a big no-no. Dynamic stretching has been found to decrease injuries if done before a workout, static stretching can be done after the workout when muscles are fully warmed up. I usually start with a 2 minute brisk walk followed by some stretches I found online to activate my glutes, hamstrings and hips.

Listening to music to drown out your panting actually made me LOL. I am apparently a loud panter because I can still hear myself over mine....

The last thing you want to do is lengthen your stride, especially when first starting to run and you're going slowly. 180 steps per minute (90 each side) is the optimal cadence for running because it keeps your steps short and your feet under your center of gravity. When running really slowly it may be a bit lower than 180 but the point is to keep your feet beneath your body and not landing out in front of you. This reduces impact and that reduces injuries. Experts are now saying that where your feet land is more important than on which part of your foot you land when running. Longer strides are for sprinters because their bodies are leaning forward and the center of gravity is farther out.

SueInAz wrote: »

Dynamic stretching has been found to decrease injuries if done before a workout, static stretching can be done after the workout when muscles are fully warmed up. I usually start with a 2 minute brisk walk followed by some stretches I found online to activate my glutes, hamstrings and hips.

SueInAz wrote: »

180 steps per minute (90 each side) is the optimal cadence for running because it keeps your steps short and your feet under your center of gravity. When running really slowly it may be a bit lower than 180 but the point is to keep your feet beneath your body and not landing out in front of you. This reduces impact and that reduces injuries.

I agree 100%. I also start with a brisk walk (2-5 minutes depending how I feel and how cold it is outside I need more time in colder days) and the do some dynamic stretches.

I was like that at the start. Took about four weeks of C25K before my lungs settled and longer for them to stop complaining at all. Now I can run an hour and a half before mine start to complain. My legs wobble first now. It takes some of us a while to train our lungs.

Running is a gait, not a speed. Especially on those days when it's hot and humid, when I started I could sometimes walk faster than I could run, and that's okay. It's better (and safer, and more fun) to rack up slow, easy miles than it is to keep burning yourself out. I liked C25K, but I highly recommend you find any program that seems interesting (Zombies! Run is a popular one too).

Hey OP, don't worry about your speed. I think i could walk faster than run when i started (brother and husband both 6ft2.. i have to walk pretty fast to keep up). People did actually walk past me on several occasions. Also had a retiree jog past me A LOT... seriously good motivation that.

Have you looked into running or triathlon clubs in your area? Btw you don't need to be at all interested in doing a tri, or the swim/bike part of the training to join a tri club (i certainly didn't! ended up getting well into it though). The club should cater for complete noobs and be all welcoming, they will give you coaching/advice on your posture, cadence, gait etc and running with others is great fun. Don't worry about 'holding others up', this is what club training is for. Clubs will also alter the run training they're doing, so you'll get distance runs, hiits/fartlek and short fast runs to choose from and can then incorporate that into your solo runs.

If you don't already have one get a run/tri/sports logging watch or fitbit, it doesn't need to be fancy or expensive but the more you can pay the better it will work. If you can afford one with GPS it'll work better than one that works on movement alone. Try ebay for secondhand ones. Check out the amazon reviews for anything you're interested in before buying it though as some watches are just useless, even from well known manufacturers.

Also, if you don't do it already, try doing some weight and body-weight training that focusses on core/back and legs. Again, a gym with free instructions, classes or PT is best for this if you've not done it before as posture and not overdoing it is essential.

Don't worry about your speed or distance for now, concentrate on posture, gait and breathing (one at a time), they'll soon fall into place for you.