December 2018 Monthly Running Challenge
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TimeToReduceFat wrote: »Any tip for beginner runners? I desperately need to get fit. Just climbing up a floor makes me breathless. Never been this bad.
Welcome! And great on you for wanting to make a change!!
I've been running for about 5 1/2 years, and still consider myself to be a beginner. My friend started me off on a run 2 minutes, walk 2 minutes for 20 minutes, 3 times a week. I kept at it until I felt better at it, increasing my run minutes, eventually cutting down the walks, until 1 day, I just ran. That's MY story in a nutshell.
Several people, both here & in my personal life have gotten amazingly good results with the CT5K (Couch to 5k) programs, like others have said. I was so impressed with their results that I started using the CT10K when I started training for that.
I agree with the others: REST days are a MUST! Even if you think you can do more, rest. Your body will thank you. Go slowly at first. Yes, kinda goes against what you want to do, but building up a good base is important! Get some good shoes. No, not talking about a new pair of Walmart shoes, but go to a running store, get fitted. THAT was possibly 1 of the things that has helped me the most. I started in a pair of Walmart tennies (nothing wrong with them, they just ain't made for running!) and ended up making my knee issues worse, and I had to take a few months off running per the doctor. Set a goal for yourself. Small ones are great (eg: run 3X this week, once I make 10 miles, give myself a pedi) for me, I entered a 5K 5 months after I started running. (When the idea hit me, I had to google how long it even was!) I picked one that meant a lot for me and my goal was to cross both lines. I wasn't fast, I didn't care. I accomplished my goal!
And don't be afraid to talk to people & ask questions. There is a lot to learn, and as you get going, there will be more, too.
Good luck to you, and hope to see you posting!5 -
Monthly questions...
Who inspires me as a runner? The people who ran the ragnar race in "From Fat to Finish Line". I had given up on the thought of ever running again then watched that documentary. It made me realize that everyone starts somewhere and it inspired me to give it a try again.
Next year when you pop in here claiming your
December 2019 mileage, what accomplishments will you have made? I will have 1) run a 5k without stopping 2) completed a 10k 3) completed a half marathon 4) made new friends and had experiences doing something I never thought I would do4 -
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Well, I ran this morning. Was supposed to be a 5 miles. Started around 0430. In the 2nd mile, my good, ole "Runners Gut" issues started, and made me slow & I had to pause a few times. (that continued for the remainder) Then, just before mile 3, it started raining. Great. Then it hit me, this phone isn't water resistant, and I had my open case on. Great! So now phone is tucked into my shorts, rain is mixing w/sweat & hitting my eyes, plus I'm pausing every so often....I decide to call it, thinking "If I do 3 - 3.5 miles, I'll be ok." As I get to my house, I look down & see 3.73 miles. Decide to keep pushing to a 4 miles. I figure at THIS point of training, 1 mile isn't going to kill anything. 8 miles scheduled for Thursday - whoo boy!
12/1 - 7.02
12/4 - 4.02 miles - 11.04 miles done
________________
Dec 16 - Hot Chocolate15K Tampa9 -
No run again yesterday but about 8.5 miles of walking around Hollywood Studios! Another fun day! It's my favorite time of year at WDW with everything decorated for the holidays.
Dec run miles: 0
Dec run goal: 30 miles
Future races:
Run Houston! Minute Maid Park 10k - 2/23/2019
Rodeo Run 10k - 3/23/2019
10 for Texas 10 miler - 10/2019
Wine and Dine half marathon - 11/3/20196 -
dreamer12151 wrote: »Well, I ran this morning. Was supposed to be a 5 miles. Started around 0430. In the 2nd mile, my good, ole "Runners Gut" issues started, and made me slow & I had to pause a few times. (that continued for the remainder) Then, just before mile 3, it started raining. Great. Then it hit me, this phone isn't water resistant, and I had my open case on. Great! So now phone is tucked into my shorts, rain is mixing w/sweat & hitting my eyes, plus I'm pausing every so often....I decide to call it, thinking "If I do 3 - 3.5 miles, I'll be ok." As I get to my house, I look down & see 3.73 miles. Decide to keep pushing to a 4 miles. I figure at THIS point of training, 1 mile isn't going to kill anything. 8 miles scheduled for Thursday - whoo boy!
Too bad you aren't closer to me ... I run at the same time as you - 0430! I also sometimes have gut issues around mile 2 so I usually circle a loop around my house just in case! I'm near Orlando and I see you are in Sarasota although the picture doesn't look like it! It was raining when I got up at 0407 but then wasn't when I left.
Good job persevering through all that weirdness!6 -
I met my goal of running one mile nonstop on Sunday so, this week begins my next goal of running a 5k. I will be following the Hal Higdon 5k program and have a 5k scheduled for 1/13. I decided to be kind to myself and scheduled an indoor 5k since there is no telling what the temperature/road conditions in Maine will be in January! Here we go...14
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debrakgoogins wrote: »I met my goal of running one mile nonstop on Sunday so, this week begins my next goal of running a 5k. I will be following the Hal Higdon 5k program and have a 5k scheduled for 1/13. I decided to be kind to myself and scheduled an indoor 5k since there is no telling what the temperature/road conditions in Maine will be in January! Here we go...
Far warning - Indoor 5ks are harder than outdoor ones, IME. I could not tell you why, maybe it is the gazillion laps you have to run (many indoor tracks will take 25-30 laps to do a 5k), maybe it is the lack of fresh air, or whatever. I dunno. I have just always found them harder than outside ones.
Not saying do not do it, but saying to be mentally prepared for it.
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Long run day today - didn't know how I was going to feel given I've not run consistently over the last month, but set out with option of half marathon distance. At about 13k exhaustion overtook so decided to cut it short and jump on the train back - only to realise I didn't have my card on me (normally sits in my phone case) so had no choice but to do the remaining 7k on foot. In the end I managed to run up the last hill and on for a little bit more making 16.8k, then decided to walk the rest.
In actuality I did a walk/run combo for that last 4km - more to keep warm than any intention of running though!
03-Dec: 4.5k + 3.3k (Commute to/from work)
04-Dec: 16.8k (Long run)
Total: 24.6km (Target: 225km)
Upcoming Races:
14-Apr-2019: Brighton Marathon12 -
PastorVincent wrote: »debrakgoogins wrote: »I met my goal of running one mile nonstop on Sunday so, this week begins my next goal of running a 5k. I will be following the Hal Higdon 5k program and have a 5k scheduled for 1/13. I decided to be kind to myself and scheduled an indoor 5k since there is no telling what the temperature/road conditions in Maine will be in January! Here we go...
Far warning - Indoor 5ks are harder than outdoor ones, IME. I could not tell you why, maybe it is the gazillion laps you have to run (many indoor tracks will take 25-30 laps to do a 5k), maybe it is the lack of fresh air, or whatever. I dunno. I have just always found them harder than outside ones.
Not saying do not do it, but saying to be mentally prepared for it.
outside is better than treadmill is better than an outdoor track is better than an indoor track
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TimeToReduceFat wrote: »Any tip for beginner runners? I desperately need to get fit. Just climbing up a floor makes me breathless. Never been this bad.
Two years ago I was morbidly obese and couldn't walk to the mailbox without getting out of breath. A month ago I finished my first half marathon. You have taken the most important step by just coming here, asking for help, and resolving to change. Now take small steps towards your goal every day. You got this!
C25k is excellent but is best for people who have a base of being able to briskly walk 30 minutes at a time. If you're not there yet, get some good, supportive walking shoes and start walking. If five minutes is all you can do at first, do five minutes. Then more the next time. When you can briskly walk 30 minutes, you're good to start c25k. Rest days from walking/running are an excellent time to work on your upper body strength - I started by swinging around water bottles, then moved gradually to real weights.
Edit: just read that you already walk. Then you are way ahead of where I was when I started! I used the app on my phone when I started, strapped to my arm - no headphones involved.7 -
PastorVincent wrote: »Far warning - Indoor 5ks are harder than outdoor ones, IME.
Thank you for the heads up. I have a year long membership to the facility that is having the race so I will have the opportunity to run on the track before the event. Hopefully, that will help. My biggest worry is being slow and in the way of other people because it is a track. Unlike a road race where they can go past me and be done with me, on a track they will have to keep passing me.
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debrakgoogins wrote: »PastorVincent wrote: »Far warning - Indoor 5ks are harder than outdoor ones, IME.
Thank you for the heads up. I have a year long membership to the facility that is having the race so I will have the opportunity to run on the track before the event. Hopefully, that will help. My biggest worry is being slow and in the way of other people because it is a track. Unlike a road race where they can go past me and be done with me, on a track they will have to keep passing me.
just keep to the outside and you'll be fine. faster people on the left (typically)0 -
debrakgoogins wrote: »PastorVincent wrote: »Far warning - Indoor 5ks are harder than outdoor ones, IME.
Thank you for the heads up. I have a year long membership to the facility that is having the race so I will have the opportunity to run on the track before the event. Hopefully, that will help. My biggest worry is being slow and in the way of other people because it is a track. Unlike a road race where they can go past me and be done with me, on a track they will have to keep passing me.
Key for track running when you are not running to win overall is to stay to the outside lanes. Let the faster runners have the inside lanes and pay attention to who is coming up behind you best you can. On an indoor track, the runners do 15-20 min 5ks will pass those doing 30-50min 5ks MANY times, at least 10.0 -
TimeToReduceFat wrote: »Any tip for beginner runners? I desperately need to get fit. Just climbing up a floor makes me breathless. Never been this bad.
I am assuming you have the go ahead from your doctor to begin running. Mind you, I am an analyst and a researcher by nature. I study and research almost everything before I attempt it. If you are good to go, just walk to warm up, run a short distance then walk to recover, repeat, then do a walk to cool down.
This is my story. 27 surgeries after an accident, led me to believe I would not run again. I just ran my first mile nonstop last week. I attempted a C25K a few years ago but it was too much for me and I had to stop. I was out of breath quickly and felt pain in my knees and hips anytime I attempted to go from a walk to a run. I am not an expert by any means but I can share what helped me become a runner.
1) I got inspired to try running again after watching a documentary called From Fat to Finish Line on Amazon Prime. It isn't the greatest documentary ever made but it is inspiring and proves you can be any size or shape and still be a runner. Whenever I have a bad run, I watch it and it reminds me that everyone has set backs and bad runs. I could be running in the Florida heat overnight with alligators and cramping up like one of the poor women on the movie. What matters is listening to your body, making the appropriate adjustments, and not giving up forever.
2) I took everyones advice and I got fitted with running shoes at a real running store. Having proper support for my gait, pronation and stride made all the difference. Oh, and good socks. There is nothing worse than having your socks cause blisters or slide down your heels while you are trying to run.
3) I watched videos on proper running technique. Some might not agree with this but it helped me personally. I had my husband video tape me running so I could see what I look like then compared myself to the videos. I realized that had several bad habits that were causing my pain. My stride was way too long; I hunched my shoulders as I ran; I looked at the ground in front of me instead of looking up ahead of me; I was trying to run too fast; I swung my arms across my body instead of using them for forward motion. Once I started having better posture, keeping my head up and concentrating on having my foot fall directly under my body instead of way out in front of me, I could run without pain. I also realized that no matter how slow I thought I was running, I could always run slower which helped me build stamina. At first, when I was "fixing" my running style, it was exhaustive. I was constantly thinking about where my feet were falling...were my shoulders relaxed...slow down Deb, slow down...then it started to be normal. Now, I don't think about those things nearly as much.
4) I researched the documentary I had watched (remember, analyst) and found out they offer a free a program called Fat to First Mile. It is similar to a couch to 5k but less agressive and designed for the absolute beginner. There is a great support group on Facebook and you can sign up to have a running mentor. My running mentor is an ultra marathoner and triathlete. She's wonderful. Every Sunday, they have a live question and answer forum on FB as well. Ryk, one of the runners from the documentary is the person who answers questions live. I found this program to be a great way to break into running since I wasn't physically prepared to tackle a couch to 5k. If you feel like you are struggling, you can always repeat a week until you feel comfortable then move on to the next week.
5) I downloaded an app that let me preprogram all of my intervals so I didn't have to watch my phone to know when to run and when to walk. It is one less thing I have to worry about when I run. There are several different apps that do this. The one I use is called Seconds Pro.
6) I just started doing it.
Then, I found this group who are amazingly supportive and helpful. You can do this! Go for it!!!9 -
Thanks for the lotion and face tips!!! I took screenshots so i wont lose the info! I have some oil of Olay but my dd took it. I'll look at the clinique. I don't think I've ever used it. I love nutrigena (sp) products, but found out the euclyptis (sp) uh cmon, im in bed already, tired got my soft and warm kitty. Not looking it up.... Euclyptis irritated my skin. I use the hotel lotion on my face but its even drier in the morning.
Dh is being nice. I think hes stoked for Hawaii. Or is batshit taper crazy with his first full Saturday. Anyway, he'll buy me expensive lotion
@Elise4270 As a modern man hopefully I'm allowed to chime in on this topic
I personally use cooking oils. A mix of extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil works best and is multi-purpose - add a couple of drops of your favourite essential oil to get your preferred scent. (I keep a few so mix and match according to mood/time of day)
Add a little water, and massage into skin as a great moisturiser.
Add lemon juice for a facewash.
Add good quality honey and some epsom (magnesium) salts for high quality exfoliant.
Add chicken, seasoning and heat for great dinner!! (probably minus the essential oils though)
Even buying organic, it's much cheaper than buying dedicated products of similar quality, plus you can be a lot more confident about what you're actually putting into/onto your body.
Haha! I love this! My daughter uses coconut oil. I forgot that was even an option. Thanks!!!!2 -
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This morning called for 2.5 miles. I bundled myself and the dogs up for the 23F/-5C temp and headed out. It went really well, though my hips were a little tight/sore at first. I didn't worry about keeping my HR down like I did last time; this time I just tried to keep my breathing in check. This resulted in my average HR in the bottom of Zone5, whereas on Sunday it was barely into Zone4. I could actually tell the difference. Today was a little faster, a little harder.
Just before the end of my run, I started feeling some pain in my achilles. Never felt that before! I'd actually watched a video earlier about foam rolling it... so I did so when I got home. O.M.G. I also found a really nice knot in my quads that took my breath away. I really need to do that more.
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debrakgoogins wrote: »
i actually like the treadmill. i like to watch movies and run. preferably action movies like the latest marvel movie0 -
@TimeToReduceFat if you're already walking but climbing one flight of stairs makes you breathe hard, perhaps you could try walking faster. I obviously have no way of knowing what you're walking is like but you want to walk fast enough that your heart rate increases. No need to go so hard that it hurts, but push yourself hard enough that it's actually a cardio workout. This builds up your heart and lungs while getting your joints ready for the rigors of running.
Power walking, or fitness walking, is a fantastic way to get into running. It's how I started. I was power walking for a few months before I started running and it really worked well to get me ready for running.
And when you start running, go SLOW and take as many walking breaks as you need. That's where we all started.
@rheddmobile you're 50?!?! I would have guessed mid to upper 30's. Seriously.5
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