is my exercise effective?

so i started running everyday in the mornings with my polar heart rate monitor.
i run for about 40-45 min and burn around 400 calories
monitor says that my average heart rate is 175bpm and highest heart rate is 199bpm

the problem is that i don't think i'm doing that great. in the gym i can run straight 30 min without stopping, but outdoors i have to stop very, very often. is this exercise effective???

by the way, my muscles are sore 3 days in a row (started running 3 days ago)

any answers would be appreciate :)

Replies

  • ieva015
    ieva015 Posts: 93 Member
    bump :/
  • What you are doing, is over working yourself, what you need to do, is start of gradually and build up to 45 minutes, and then you will notice that your body will not ache as much....

    Advice, try this

    This week, run every day for the next 6 days for 30 minutes, rest for 1 day.
    Next week, run every day for the next 6 days for 40 minutes, rest for 1 day.
    Week After, run every day for the next 6 days for 50 Minutes, rest for 1 day.

    Try that and see how you get on. Re-fuel your body well, with the right source of protein. so grilled chicken....

    Give your body rest for the next few days, as your muscles are not use to the constant activity of training, build it up, and then see how u get on....

    If you need any more help, message me.....
  • lambertj
    lambertj Posts: 675 Member
    I find that running outdoors is a lot harder than running on a treadmill. I can run much further without stopping on a treadmill too
  • clocklady
    clocklady Posts: 111 Member
    I'm not a super experienced runner or anything, but when I started I was sore also. It took a couple of weeks to not be sore when I ran. I run anywhere from 30 minutes to 60 mins at a time. Running outside is different than running on a treadmill, your body just needs to get used to it.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Personally, after taking more than 6 weeks off from a stress fracture, I wouldn't run on back to back days unless and until you're REALLY ready for it. If you're really sore, you're not ready for it.

    It's a great calorie burn, but not worth it if you end up injured.
  • tabi26
    tabi26 Posts: 535 Member
    Running outside is harder than on a treadmill because the ground is uneven. Even if it looks flat, there will be a slight slope and it's never completely level (like a treadmill) so your feet will be hitting the ground at slightly different angles as well. So even if your run outside is slightly downhill one way, I assume you run home as well, so if it was downhill one way, it will be uphill to get back. Or the reverse :).
  • lacroyx
    lacroyx Posts: 5,754 Member
    are you running on a treadmill when at the gym? if you are, it's easier overall because the treadmill helps propel you forward. outside you have to work harder to push off the ground to move. this can explain why you can go longer at the gym than outside.
    hope that makes sense.
  • yokurio
    yokurio Posts: 116 Member
    Be careful running everyday, you could easily get an overuse injury which is something like IT Band Syndrome or stress fractures. Your connective tissue needs to adapt to the increased activity before you can go much further than you are now. Try cross training like swimming or biking on alternate days. Connective tissue isn't like muscles in the sense that it will adapt after a week or two, it needs to adjust a lot more slowly.
  • yokurio
    yokurio Posts: 116 Member
    are you running on a treadmill when at the gym? if you are, it's easier overall because the treadmill helps propel you forward. outside you have to work harder to push off the ground to move. this can explain why you can go longer at the gym than outside.
    hope that makes sense.

    if you put the treadmill on a 1% grade incline it will fix that for you. Whenever training for any races I have read that increasing the grade of incline will simulate the effect as if running outside. I ran outside yesterday for the first time this year and I have improved my endurance by following this method.
  • lizal76t
    lizal76t Posts: 13
    I agree the incline of #1 will make the treadmill more like running outdoors. Also I am not sure if you have thought of this but even if you have mild allergies it can be much harder to run outdoors. I only run indoors on the treadmill b/c of my allergies. Try running later in the day/early evening to avoid most of the pollen.

    Also I know a lot of the better treadmills have simulated trails you can run on (they will increase and decrease the incline throughout your workout to simulate an outdoor 5k for example).
  • ieva015
    ieva015 Posts: 93 Member
    okay, so if i want to keep running outside, what should i do? :/ how hard and for how long? i'm really confused :/
  • Lily_Rose
    Lily_Rose Posts: 38 Member
    Echoing some of the folks on the board...running is, for me, more difficult outdoors. Wow, 45 minutes. That seems like a long run for someone who just started running. I started out by only running 15 minutes and have worked my way up to 50 minutes over the coarse of many months.
  • Lane1012
    Lane1012 Posts: 211 Member
    listen to your body, it will tell you what is too much, but you need rest. 175 is a really high sustained heart rate, 199 is almost dangerous. I would check to make sure you're not overworking the ticker. I run every other day to give my body time to heal and I generally feel good. My routine is normally 2 shorter runs (4-6 miles) and then a longer one on SAT or SUN (10-13 miles).

    EDIT - I've been running for almost a year now. I did not start off at those distances .. I would be shooting for 2-3 miles during the week and maybe a 4-5 miler on the weekend if I were just starting out.
  • TinkrBelz
    TinkrBelz Posts: 866 Member
    okay, so if i want to keep running outside, what should i do? :/ how hard and for how long? i'm really confused :/

    I am not a runner, but what Oneofakind said seems good. Start at shorter times then each week increase. If I was going to run, I would work my way up gradually.
  • Lolli1986
    Lolli1986 Posts: 500 Member
    As someone who used to run almost daily, I would not run to that intensity daily yet, maybe if ever.

    My running routine was:

    Day - Run
    1 - 5K (30-35mins)
    2 - 2K very slow, lots of stretching
    3 - 5K (40mins)
    4 - walk and stretch
    5 - 3K at 1K intervals, 'fast' for 1K, incline for 1K, warm down for 1K
    6 - 5K+ (45mins)
    7 - rest so I can beat my time on day1

    Even then I would have to mix it up between treadmill and outside to decrease the impact, and week 2 I would have to swap out 1 x 5K and the 3K for something else, usually strength or hill climbing.

    this took me over six months to build up to. basically my routine was always 3 days at maximum distance with an 'active rest' on the days between so that my muscles had time to recover.
    7 - rest
  • js370
    js370 Posts: 140
    Make sure you stretch out good before starting. Walk a few minutes to warmup then increase to a moderate pace. Your heart rate is a bit high. I'm guessing that your running too fast. You should find out what your resting heart rate and maximum heart is and keep the rate somewhere in the middle at least until you get used to it.
  • js370
    js370 Posts: 140
    PS. Proper breathing helps too. Something I can't really explain. When I used to run I'd take a breath on every right step and out on the left. Be careful, though if you're not used to it you could get dizzy in the beginning.
  • ieva015
    ieva015 Posts: 93 Member
    ok so i changed my rutine abit. does this look any better?

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/78933752@N08/7060628863/in/photostream

    thanks everybody :)
  • bgelliott
    bgelliott Posts: 610 Member
    Outdoor running is always more difficult. On a treadmill you have the belt assiting in your forward movement. If you want the treadmill to be closer to what it's like outside, put the incline up to 1.5 - 2%