Calling all runners...

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Replies

  • stoked2b
    stoked2b Posts: 136 Member
    Hello all, I recently completed C25K for the third time in my life and am currently running around 3 miles three days a week (including the full 5k today). However, my priority is weight loss so speed and time is not important to me. Instead of timing myself, I use a heart rate monitor to keep myself in the 70-90% of max heart rate zones. I'll stay focused on diet because I want running to get easier so I don't burn out. In the past I have found I lose interest and quit running after 2-3 months.

    @jelleigh I would recommend timing yourself and use a heart rate monitor. If you're not hitting 80% max heart rate you could push yourself to go a little faster. 37 minutes for a 5k is about a 12 minute mile (5 mph), so really anything in the 33-43 minute range sounds great.
  • LoveyChar
    LoveyChar Posts: 4,335 Member
    edited May 2021
    Question for you runners:

    Yesterday we had a heavy downpour of rain, the type that has you wiping the rain water off your eyelids so you can see through it. It was difficult. Tomorrow I'm running my 20. Now if it's a lighter rain tomorrow the way it is today, I'll run 20 in the rain even though I imagine it will be pretty miserable. If it's a hard rain I'll either have to change when I run or make adjustments.

    If things are "bad" tomorrow, husband suggested I go to our community center where I can pay a day use fee to use the gym facilities. I love the suggestion. Could I get the same benefit of a 20-mile training run on a treadmill? I do need to get it done!

    Also, big epiphany, wear a hat to help block the rain!

    Any and all suggestions welcome!

    Adding: I'm already two days behind in getting this training run done so I'm a little desperate to get it over with!
  • Djproulx
    Djproulx Posts: 3,084 Member
    @LoveyChar - While I have a number of friends who've done long mileage on a treadmill, I found that 2 hours was my mental limit. With that said, we've run LOTS of miles in rain, snow and cold. My suggestions would be to wear a hat (which you discovered!), wear cycling or running glasses (I have interchangable lenses and often insert the orange lenses in cloudy/rainy weather) and, if its not too hot, consider wearing a wind vest to minimize the impact of pelting rain on your core. Finally, as much as its can be very uncomfortable, there's a mental toughness benefit from doing a few runs in foul conditions. Really makes us appreciate the sunny days - and wildflowers! Good luck.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,613 Member
    I never run in full rain. I'm fine with sprinkles...I just don't know how to dress for rain. I wear glasses, so it's hard to see and I'm afraid of ruining my shoes. I have a lot of hair and don't know what kind of hat to wear. Any suggestions? My other issue, since summer is coming, is high heat and humidity. We get up into the 90s-over 100 with high humidity. I try to run mid-morning if possible.
  • LoveyChar
    LoveyChar Posts: 4,335 Member
    edited May 2021
    Djproulx wrote: »
    @LoveyChar - While I have a number of friends who've done long mileage on a treadmill, I found that 2 hours was my mental limit. With that said, we've run LOTS of miles in rain, snow and cold. My suggestions would be to wear a hat (which you discovered!), wear cycling or running glasses (I have interchangable lenses and often insert the orange lenses in cloudy/rainy weather) and, if its not too hot, consider wearing a wind vest to minimize the impact of pelting rain on your core. Finally, as much as its can be very uncomfortable, there's a mental toughness benefit from doing a few runs in foul conditions. Really makes us appreciate the sunny days - and wildflowers! Good luck.

    Thank you! I called the place where I was planning to run and you run on a 55 minute reservation. However, you can run back to back reservations if nobody is waiting for a treadmill.

    Good news is that the rain is warm, weather in the 80's so being cold isn't an issue. I did not know there was such a thing as a wind vest or running glasses. Thanks for letting me know these things so I can look into them.

    Thank you for commenting, I appreciate you!

    Adding: I'm going to wear a hat tomorrow and brave the rain. I'm running close to home, three mile stretches (1.5 miles back and forth). Today was light rain. I'm hoping tomorrow will also be light rain if we even get any at all. It cleared up now and chances dropped, then raise in the morning but only up to 20%. Now I'm thinking I'm being a big baby.
  • LoveyChar
    LoveyChar Posts: 4,335 Member
    I never run in full rain. I'm fine with sprinkles...I just don't know how to dress for rain. I wear glasses, so it's hard to see and I'm afraid of ruining my shoes. I have a lot of hair and don't know what kind of hat to wear. Any suggestions? My other issue, since summer is coming, is high heat and humidity. We get up into the 90s-over 100 with high humidity. I try to run mid-morning if possible.

    You and I are both in Texas, although, I think you're farther south than me. I'm in central Texas. I've run through hundreds and hundreds of scorching days, even up into 100 + degree days. I use hats when it's cold or super sunny out. Lately, though, I've been wearing bandana handkerchiefs around my head. When I wear a hat, I wear any hat where I can pull my hair through the back and that has some sun blockage in the front.
  • EimearTheDreamer4
    EimearTheDreamer4 Posts: 49 Member
    Hi, everyone! I'm a very new runner, coming to C25K from a very solid couch starting-point. I'd love any advice as I'm starting out! Right now, I'm doing intervals of 6 km/h walking speed and 8 km/hour running speed on the treadmill, as the weather is consistently foul here (the rain is just a degree or two warmer in the summer!)
  • Djproulx
    Djproulx Posts: 3,084 Member
    LoveyChar wrote: »
    ..............I did not know there was such a thing as a wind vest or running glasses. Thanks for letting me know these things so I can look into them.

    qdn0zbhdai2s.jpg

    Lots of choices out there. Its typical to find cycling/running glasses with multiple color lenses. Here's mine with clear, amber and dark lenses. Note to holes in the lenses to help let moisture escape. These weren't too expensive ($60-$70) and I've had them for years. They've lasted through hundreds of bike rides, runs and many races.

    1o2j9fzmojbh.jpg

    The vest has a two way zipper, so you can unzip from top or bottom as needed. When its cold, I wear this with a neck gaitor and slip my hydration vest over it. Don't know if you ride a bike, but its a game changer for cycling as well. :)
  • LoveyChar
    LoveyChar Posts: 4,335 Member
    Djproulx wrote: »
    LoveyChar wrote: »
    ..............I did not know there was such a thing as a wind vest or running glasses. Thanks for letting me know these things so I can look into them.

    qdn0zbhdai2s.jpg

    Lots of choices out there. Its typical to find cycling/running glasses with multiple color lenses. Here's mine with clear, amber and dark lenses. Note to holes in the lenses to help let moisture escape. These weren't too expensive ($60-$70) and I've had them for years. They've lasted through hundreds of bike rides, runs and many races.

    1o2j9fzmojbh.jpg

    The vest has a two way zipper, so you can unzip from top or bottom as needed. When its cold, I wear this with a neck gaitor and slip my hydration vest over it. Don't know if you ride a bike, but its a game changer for cycling as well. :)

    Oh great, I like those glasses, vest too! That will be a future investment in my runs!
  • gutzbgon
    gutzbgon Posts: 57 Member
    Hi, everyone! I'm a very new runner, coming to C25K from a very solid couch starting-point. I'd love any advice as I'm starting out! Right now, I'm doing intervals of 6 km/h walking speed and 8 km/hour running speed on the treadmill, as the weather is consistently foul here (the rain is just a degree or two warmer in the summer!)

    @EimearTheDreamer4

    My one piece of advice would be don't be of the mindset that you MUST walk and run at a certain speed every day, there are going to be days when you're just not feeling it and by telling yourself 'today I'm going to have a slow walk and jog a little bit slower than normal' allows you to still do a workout but without the pressure!! Any workout is better than a skipped workout because you just weren't feeling it.
  • moonangel12
    moonangel12 Posts: 971 Member
    Djproulx wrote: »
    LoveyChar wrote: »
    ..............I did not know there was such a thing as a wind vest or running glasses. Thanks for letting me know these things so I can look into them.

    qdn0zbhdai2s.jpg

    Lots of choices out there. Its typical to find cycling/running glasses with multiple color lenses. Here's mine with clear, amber and dark lenses. Note to holes in the lenses to help let moisture escape. These weren't too expensive ($60-$70) and I've had them for years. They've lasted through hundreds of bike rides, runs and many races.

    1o2j9fzmojbh.jpg

    The vest has a two way zipper, so you can unzip from top or bottom as needed. When its cold, I wear this with a neck gaitor and slip my hydration vest over it. Don't know if you ride a bike, but its a game changer for cycling as well. :)

    These are fantastic! I am going to check both of them out (now that I can wear non prescription sunglasses - whoop whoop!)
  • moonangel12
    moonangel12 Posts: 971 Member
    Hi, everyone! I'm a very new runner, coming to C25K from a very solid couch starting-point. I'd love any advice as I'm starting out! Right now, I'm doing intervals of 6 km/h walking speed and 8 km/hour running speed on the treadmill, as the weather is consistently foul here (the rain is just a degree or two warmer in the summer!)
    Having done C25K 2.5 times (two times about 8 years apart, the half comes from my break for a hysterectomy and another surgery shortly after so I didn’t need the full span of time to find my groove again), my best advice is to take it slow and repeat if necessary. I had to go through week 4 (maybe 5?) a couple of times as it was a big jump in time running and I just couldn’t do it at first. If that’s the case, it’s OK! You do you and try your best not to compare to others. I found myself saying “just a 5k” as if it weren’t an accomplishment compared to the mileage others ran, but by golly it is!

    And I also run my own race. I am not in it to win it, I compete with myself, and sometimes a win is just finishing if my body is in a bad place (fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue).

  • EimearTheDreamer4
    EimearTheDreamer4 Posts: 49 Member
    gutzbgon wrote: »

    My one piece of advice would be don't be of the mindset that you MUST walk and run at a certain speed every day, there are going to be days when you're just not feeling it and by telling yourself 'today I'm going to have a slow walk and jog a little bit slower than normal' allows you to still do a workout but without the pressure!! Any workout is better than a skipped workout because you just weren't feeling it.

    @gutzbgon

    Thank you for the wonderful advice! I'm definitely guilty of falling into the perfectionism trap, and losing interest if I don't meet the goals I set out. I'll try not to let a 'perfect' run be the enemy of a good run 😁
  • EimearTheDreamer4
    EimearTheDreamer4 Posts: 49 Member
    Having done C25K 2.5 times (two times about 8 years apart, the half comes from my break for a hysterectomy and another surgery shortly after so I didn’t need the full span of time to find my groove again), my best advice is to take it slow and repeat if necessary. I had to go through week 4 (maybe 5?) a couple of times as it was a big jump in time running and I just couldn’t do it at first. If that’s the case, it’s OK! You do you and try your best not to compare to others. I found myself saying “just a 5k” as if it weren’t an accomplishment compared to the mileage others ran, but by golly it is!

    And I also run my own race. I am not in it to win it, I compete with myself, and sometimes a win is just finishing if my body is in a bad place (fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue).

    @moonangel12 Thank you so much for the fantastic advice, and it was great to hear insight from someone else with a chronic illness. Somehow, it didn't occur to me that repeating weeks were an option 😅 I think I need to get better at listening to what my body needs, rather than what I want it to do- it does so much for me already, and it tries so hard!
  • Djproulx
    Djproulx Posts: 3,084 Member
    Hi, everyone! I'm a very new runner, coming to C25K from a very solid couch starting-point. I'd love any advice as I'm starting out! Right now, I'm doing intervals of 6 km/h walking speed and 8 km/hour running speed on the treadmill, as the weather is consistently foul here (the rain is just a degree or two warmer in the summer!)

    Congrats on your decision to begin running. Fair warning: It can be addictive.

    Good idea to begin by using a plan. I've never used the C25K plan, but I seem to recall that it starts with some run/walk intervals, which is great. The reason I mention this is that many people don't realize that a run/walk interval approach is very beneficial, even for veteran runners.

    As an example, my friends and I often use a run walk approach on some of our long run days. Typically its a 4 minute run/ 1 minute walk. The beauty of this approach is that 4 minutes is achievable even when you're suffering ;), and the 1 minute walk brings your heart rate back down and you're then ready for the next run block. We've found that our long runs that follow a previous day's hard efforts (say marathon race pace) are much more enjoyable and just as effective as a full slow paced long run. In fact, the overall pace will be almost exactly the same.

    Good luck with your running.
  • LoveyChar
    LoveyChar Posts: 4,335 Member
    Always learning new things and looking to improve, I need to work on tips 1,2,3 and 8 because I do these things wrong.

    https://www.verywellfit.com/tips-for-proper-running-form-4020227#:~:text=8 Tips for Proper Running Form 1 Keep,your shoulder joint, not your elbow joint.
  • Djproulx
    Djproulx Posts: 3,084 Member
    LoveyChar wrote: »

    Good stuff.

    Regarding #8, there's an easy way to improve running cadence and gain the benefits of stride efficiency. I don't typically carry my phone when running, except for when checking my stride. Very easy to do, just download a metronome app for your phone, then set it to a cadence of 180bpm. As you run, simply match your steps to the beat (tick,tock,tick,tock, etc) and you will quickly get into the 180 cadence. As you do a few runs with it, you'll just naturally fall into that cadence. It tends to reduce any bounding strides and eventually you'll be using less energy to maintain your pace.
  • GummiMundi
    GummiMundi Posts: 396 Member
    Djproulx wrote: »
    LoveyChar wrote: »

    Good stuff.

    Regarding #8, there's an easy way to improve running cadence and gain the benefits of stride efficiency. I don't typically carry my phone when running, except for when checking my stride. Very easy to do, just download a metronome app for your phone, then set it to a cadence of 180bpm. As you run, simply match your steps to the beat (tick,tock,tick,tock, etc) and you will quickly get into the 180 cadence. As you do a few runs with it, you'll just naturally fall into that cadence. It tends to reduce any bounding strides and eventually you'll be using less energy to maintain your pace.

    Excellent idea, thank you!
  • LoveyChar
    LoveyChar Posts: 4,335 Member
    Looks like I'll be running 26.2 on a 90 degree day in the rain next Saturday.

    uasu4lap6mao.jpg