On May 09 2013 11:04 Sqisgar wrote: Hello I just started running. This thread inspired me. My job keeps me moderately active, I move ice all day so i get some strength exercise but have never really had good cardio endurance. I wanted to start running to change that and lose a little flab. I'm 5'9" about 170 pounds.
I've started with a nice slow jog to start, barely more than a walk, but i can do it for 20 mins at ~13 min/mile pace. Going to shoot for 4 days a week to start. Building up from there.
Does this sound good? Advice?
Great initiative! My best advice is to do what you can to enjoy every run you do.
On May 09 2013 11:04 Sqisgar wrote: Hello I just started running. This thread inspired me. My job keeps me moderately active, I move ice all day so i get some strength exercise but have never really had good cardio endurance. I wanted to start running to change that and lose a little flab. I'm 5'9" about 170 pounds.
I've started with a nice slow jog to start, barely more than a walk, but i can do it for 20 mins at ~13 min/mile pace. Going to shoot for 4 days a week to start. Building up from there.
On May 09 2013 04:15 llIH wrote: What do you guys (men specifically) wear when you run outside? I just want to hear the general opinion in here. In norway where I live. So many men wear tights. I just don't know if I can be comfortable wearing that? I actually got a nice ass (at least people say so) but still feels gay to wear. The important thing to know is that I do not wear clothes for looks, just for performance.
My favorite type of running attire for winter. I live in the midwest in temps that can easily drop below -34c. These pants are very stretchy so they don't impede. They are also tough as mine have survived bike wrecks without holes. If the temp drops below -18c or so you can wear tights beneath these and be very warm.. if you are so worried about the look of tights haha.
Thanks man. Im just not a tights guy. :D
If anyone knows any good training tights let me know! Want to pick up a pair for lifting/playing rugby on turf. I love skins but they're pretty pricey.
On May 09 2013 04:15 llIH wrote: What do you guys (men specifically) wear when you run outside? I just want to hear the general opinion in here. In norway where I live. So many men wear tights. I just don't know if I can be comfortable wearing that? I actually got a nice ass (at least people say so) but still feels gay to wear. The important thing to know is that I do not wear clothes for looks, just for performance.
My favorite type of running attire for winter. I live in the midwest in temps that can easily drop below -34c. These pants are very stretchy so they don't impede. They are also tough as mine have survived bike wrecks without holes. If the temp drops below -18c or so you can wear tights beneath these and be very warm.. if you are so worried about the look of tights haha.
Thanks man. Im just not a tights guy. :D
If anyone knows any good training tights let me know! Want to pick up a pair for lifting/playing rugby on turf. I love skins but they're pretty pricey.
You really just have to try them on. Buying stuff like that without testing it out is risky. I've always had good luck with Brooks apparel.
Jesus. Was rewatching Komen's 3000m world record. If you haven't watch do yourself a favor and do so:
A goddamn monster, distance running's greatest, and forgotten, talent
Unreal running, as that is 3:56 per mile pace, or 58.7 per 400m. To give an idea how good that is both Bekele and El Geurrouj took cracks at it. Neither was close. Bekele could barely come within a second per lap of it, and after Hicham's 7:23 attempt it was the most spent I ever saw the guy, and he just had the look of "no fucking way" on his face.
Just an insane, crazy talent. Comes out of absolutely no where at the age of TWENTY, after two years of training and runs 7:20. Also runs 12:39 for 5000m for the WR. Wins gold at World Championships in 5000m a year later, then...quits.
I really believe this guy was the greatest distance running talent the world has ever seen, and lord knows what he may have done had a stayed with it.
I've been really inspired reading these threads. Had thought I wasn't cut out for running as kept getting shin splints. Now got some decent footwear for and will start off slowly on a couch potato to 5K plan. I'm not concerned about weight loss, just loss of inches/cm and the 'muffin top'!
One question for veteran runners here: another concern was pain in one knee. If I take it slowly should it be safe enough, especially with proper running shoes or should I get it checked out first?
do you have knee pain or are you worried about getting it? Same thing with shin splints just don't push your body too hard too fast, just because your muscles can take it doesnt mean your joints can (yet).
That WR was insane. Those legs...looked like he could run that pace for hours.
Finished my second race of the year now, and I am glad I did the 10 instead of the half. Granted I have not seen alot of courses, but this was like.. Pure hill. 500ft elevation change in a 10k. Took me an hour 6min when i came in expecting a sub 55. Least it taught me a lesson about skimping on hill training.
On May 12 2013 02:50 LagLovah wrote: Finished my second race of the year now, and I am glad I did the 10 instead of the half. Granted I have not seen alot of courses, but this was like.. Pure hill. 500ft elevation change in a 10k. Took me an hour 6min when i came in expecting a sub 55. Least it taught me a lesson about skimping on hill training.
Yea 500ft elevation change in a 10k is pretty decent...tho being in Colorado changes my outlook. I've raced a few 5ks that have more than 600 feet of uphill and 600 feet of downhill.
Training for the hills helps, though if you really weren't used to them at all its really easy to mess yourself up with pacing. Go a little too hard on those first hills and you can lose TONS of time later on.
Still, grats on your second race and I'm sure you've learned some thing from this race and preparing for it and will be even more deadly at your next race!
On May 10 2013 21:51 stargirl01 wrote: I've been really inspired reading these threads. Had thought I wasn't cut out for running as kept getting shin splints. Now got some decent footwear for and will start off slowly on a couch potato to 5K plan. I'm not concerned about weight loss, just loss of inches/cm and the 'muffin top'!
One question for veteran runners here: another concern was pain in one knee. If I take it slowly should it be safe enough, especially with proper running shoes or should I get it checked out first?
If you have chronic knee pain when you are not running, i.e. just during daily living, I would get it checked out first.
Otherwise, assuming you're a normal, healthy individual you don't need to be especially concerned about knee pain when running. It's not an issue for most people. If you are worried about long term damage to the joint, that is a myth. Research in that area is inconclusive, as some studies have found risk for increased arthritis type factors, and others have found no effect, or that running can even be beneficial for knee joint health.
General rule for if you feel pain while running is that if the pain increased as the run goes on: stop. If it remains the same or gets better, you can generally continue. If you find yourself consistently getting knee pain while running then it's generally muscular issue and it becomes a matter of figuring out what the cause is and doing some stretching and strengthening to alleviate the imbalances and symptoms.
Half marathon is just a week from tomorrow! Getting excited, a little nervous as well. First running event over 5K I've ever attempted.
I've been working up my long training runs to 8, 10, 12 miles over the past few weeks and I'm still averaging about 20-25 miles a week. The biggest challenge for me will not to be going out too fast over the first half of the race. My main goal is to just complete the race strong considering it's my first real long distance race, I would still love to get in with anything south of 2 hours. According to running calculators and predictions based off 5k times I should be capable of running like a 1:50 or something but I think my weekly mileage is a little low to put too much stock in that. I can run 4-5 miles pretty fast with relatively low mileage but overall endurance still needs work so I'm really not going to try and kill myself just for a specific time in my first half marathon. gonna go mainly off feel, if I'm hurting I'll just slow it down a little even if it means a couple extra minutes on the finishing time.
My plan over the next 7 days before the race is to cut back on mileage so I'm 100% fresh by race morning. I'll probably put in like 10-12 quality miles over the week but mainly spend the rest of the time on a bike or something less intensive on the legs, also going to eat smart the few days leading up to the race, gonna load up with a few extra carbs and whatnot, treating it a bit like a marathon.
LuckyFool - Looks pretty good. What pace did you say you have been doing most of your runs at typically, and what are your 5k/10k prs?
As far as getting out under control, just be smart. During the beginning of a race with lots of people and adrenaline its very deceptive. You'll often feel like you went out at 6:00 pace only to realize you went out at 5:15 pace. I'd just play it safe and commit to jogging slowly the first 200m, then keep it feeling like easy jogging through 800, then take stock. Odds are this will put you right about on the pace you want to be, and even if you truly do keep it on the slow slide you'll be at worst 20-30s behind...which isn't a problem at all.
Personally, I'd keep the hurt to a minimum through the 10 mile mark, but at that point you can go ahead and push it good. Half isn't really like the marathon where you can push, even late in the race, and have the wheels come off hard late. If you aren't dying at 10 miles, just gradually put the hammer down and really let it rip the last few, it's a good chance to practice racing mentality and mental toughness.
most of my long runs have been done in the the 8:30/9 minute mile range which right now is very manageable for me (pretty much around a conversation pace) I have only done two of them over 10 miles though (both of which I think ended up being more around 9:30/mile pace) so I'm really just wondering how miles 10-13 will go.
I think with a few days rest leading up to it I'll be fine though because right now I'm literally running almost 7 days a week. (Some days are very short fast efforts though like Thursday I ran only 2 miles but it was at 6:40/mile pace and then did 15 miles on bike) I've been trying to keep my training pretty well balanced with some faster shorter days, some hill days and then some long slow days, hopefully I can piece it all together on race day.
Also the course I'm running there is significant hills and stuff right around the 10-11 mile mark which is a bit scary but I do practice hills a bit and will probably race accordingly.
an almost all out 5K for me a few weeks ago I ran in nearly 21 minutes flat which is right around my PR (21:02) I haven't run any 10K races but 10K times are usually somewhere in the low 50 minutes in training I believe.
I feel I know exactly what to expect through the first 10 miles but after that it'll be a little unknown territory, I think I'm pretty set though, I feel really good/strong even through some harder weeks of training recently.
You will DESTROY 2 hours. Barring like losing a leg on course, or running the first 5k in 20:45 you will run under 2 hours.
To be honest I think 1:45 is a reasonable goal. The last 3 miles is nothing to be scared about by the way, it really isn't like the marathon. It's more like being worried about the last km of a 5k race, or last mile of a 10k. Sure, you could falter off pace a little, but you aren't going to be reduced to a slow moving crawl.
I'm slowly increasing my run/walk ratios. I'm currently at 1.5/2. I'm feeling good after my runs, but immediately following my run portion, I get a pain in my sides betwixt my hips and my ribcage. I'm not sure what's causing it, but it's only on my cooldown; I don't feel it when I'm running.
I thought I would be improving much faster than I am, I'm always trying to slow my pace, although when I look it always ends up being a sub 10 min/mile pace, so I'm trying to work on that. After running 1/2 R/W for a week or two, now when I run that first minute, it's totally fine, but the next minute I really feel it, specifically in my calves. I'm in an area with a ton of hills so finding a flat area to run is hard, and it really sucks being a beginner on hills (at least in my experience).
Keeping at it, but like I said, it feels slow. Here's to hoping it picks up faster in the future.
On May 14 2013 06:46 Arisen wrote: I'm in an area with a ton of hills so finding a flat area to run is hard, and it really sucks being a beginner on hills (at least in my experience).
Keeping at it, but like I said, it feels slow. Here's to hoping it picks up faster in the future.
FWIW, I run nine times a week and I still hate hills. Their perfect flatness is one of the things that makes running at a nice track appealing to many people.
Also, keep up the good work! Sounds like you are making some progress. Stick with it and greater strength will reward you.
Ive been running for a while, but recently I want to get a bit more into it. What is the right technique for running? I know I should run at 180 paces per minute and with as least heel touching the ground as possible, but when I run like that I get to 85% average HRMax, when i'm shooting for 70-75% easy runs.
On May 15 2013 01:53 ApocAlypsE007 wrote: Ive been running for a while, but recently I want to get a bit more into it. What is the right technique for running? I know I should run at 180 paces per minute and with as least heel touching the ground as possible, but when I run like that I get to 85% average HRMax, when i'm shooting for 70-75% easy runs.
Hmm, saying you should run at 180 paces per minute isn't entirely true. It's a good thought if you tend to overstride, as generally to bring that cadence up the stride must be shortened. However, you see elites running at cadences running from 170-200+. Keep in mind that is at race speed, and while cadence doesn't change tremendously (until sprinting) your cadence will get faster as you run faster.
Heel not touching the ground might work as a mental cue, but physically that is incorrect. The heel always makes contact with ground on any stride, and if you actively try to prevent the heel from touching the ground at ANY point, then you develop inefficient running technique, as you aren't taking advantage of the stretch reflex and loading of the calf. To be honest, I don't think heel-striking is much of a problem, as long as you aren't overstriding. As long as your foot is landing lightly under your center of gravity what part of the foot that touches first makes little difference, and you see elite runners with all types of footstrikes, including heelstrikes. Also, like cadence, landing is influenced by speed. When was the last time you saw someone sprint with a massive heelstrike? The faster you go, the more bias there will be towards a more midfoot/forefoot based strike.
As far as HR and running technique, it's probably some combination of two things. First is that often when you think about these things, especially cadence, you end up running faster as you are used to a particularly stride length and recruitment pattern. Additionally. as it isn't trained muscle memory yet the "correct" technique is not yet efficient. The solution to HR problem: slow your pace.
On May 15 2013 01:53 ApocAlypsE007 wrote: Ive been running for a while, but recently I want to get a bit more into it. What is the right technique for running? I know I should run at 180 paces per minute and with as least heel touching the ground as possible, but when I run like that I get to 85% average HRMax, when i'm shooting for 70-75% easy runs.
Hmm, saying you should run at 180 paces per minute isn't entirely true. It's a good thought if you tend to overstride, as generally to bring that cadence up the stride must be shortened. However, you see elites running at cadences running from 170-200+. Keep in mind that is at race speed, and while cadence doesn't change tremendously (until sprinting) your cadence will get faster as you run faster.
Heel not touching the ground might work as a mental cue, but physically that is incorrect. The heel always makes contact with ground on any stride, and if you actively try to prevent the heel from touching the ground at ANY point, then you develop inefficient running technique, as you aren't taking advantage of the stretch reflex and loading of the calf. To be honest, I don't think heel-striking is much of a problem, as long as you aren't overstriding. As long as your foot is landing lightly under your center of gravity what part of the foot that touches first makes little difference, and you see elite runners with all types of footstrikes, including heelstrikes. Also, like cadence, landing is influenced by speed. When was the last time you saw someone sprint with a massive heelstrike? The faster you go, the more bias there will be towards a more midfoot/forefoot based strike.
As far as HR and running technique, it's probably some combination of two things. First is that often when you think about these things, especially cadence, you end up running faster as you are used to a particularly stride length and recruitment pattern. Additionally. as it isn't trained muscle memory yet the "correct" technique is not yet efficient. The solution to HR problem: slow your pace.
What do you mean overstriding? how to Identify that im overstriding?
EPT
My job keeps me moderately active, I move ice all day so i get some strength exercise but have never really had good cardio endurance. I wanted to start running to change that and lose a little flab. I'm 5'9" about 170 pounds.
