ILX running running thread

When I was starting out a few months ago, I put myself through the Couch to 5k programme (http://www.c25k.com/), which is a gradual build up of running and walking intervals to get your strength and stamina up enough for a 5k constant run. I heartily endorse it, and am now running upwards of 20km most weeks (not all in one go, I hasten to add).

And get a decent pair of trainers.

I've been looking at that site but from the couple or so runs I've gone on lately, I think I'm already just about at the 5k mark. Is there a 5k to 10k one? Also, while looking at it, there's one thing that interests me. they keep mentioning stuff like "run for a certain distance then jog slowly for the same distance". Is this to make it easier to get into running or does it have another purpose?

As for the decent pair of trainers, are there important things to look for when buying them? Right now I'm running with a very basic pair of shoes.

and also, thanks scotstvo!

http://www.runnersworld.com/subtopic/0,7123,s6-238-244-259-0,00.html

my heel is killing me
this is tha worst

jibe, i asked the same question upthread a few months ago and got good adive from La Lechera, so i'll paste it here.

advice needed (sorry if all of this has already been covered)

i'm going to start running this week. i ran for a bit a few years ago but i was getting terrible migranes at that point so i had to give it up and i didn't get back into it once they had cleared up. my goal is to get a little fitter progressively rather than barge right in and risk overdoing it. fwiw i think i have a pretty good build for running so i'm not too worried about that. i'm hoping it might also help with my depression and focus/clear my head, and also, possibly, with my sleeping pattern. i stay up so late atm just because i have expended so little energy during the day that i don't feel tired until the early hours.

so... it's very cold here at the moment but currently not icey. i have running shoes but no other running gear. should i just wear longish shorts in spite of the cold? a lightweight nylon jacket? also do you /should you drink water when you run? i don't see many serious-looking runners with bottled water but i feel like maybe i need to. how should i start off tomorrow? with a run-walk-run alternating or just run until i feel like i've had enough? also i intend to start the days with a run rather than run later on, is this a good idea? should i breakfast before and let that settle for a while before running or wait until after the run to eat?

thanks in advance!

― jed_, Tuesday, 4 January 2011 00:25 (4 months ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

a good place to start for inexperienced runners (i used this and now i have improved like 600% at least and am not injured, which is a big thing for me) http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-380-381-386-9397-0,00.html

-- i don't think you need water if you are only going out for like 30-40 min at a stretch in the winter

-- wear whatever's comfortable but remember that you're going to get warmer if you're running. i wear 2 shirts + hoodie and tights/shorts

-- take it easy, don't try to push yourself too hard at first, focus on making a habit (this can take a looooong time)

-- running will help with mental health (has for me, at least, big time) and will also help with sleep, so good idea there

-- everyone does what works for him/her, so figure out what works for you. this will take time, don't push it too fast. let it develop.

-- that is my condensed advice for now, but i am extremely conservative, not into tracking data, and not competitive at all

― ergonomically chromium plated fish slice (La Lechera), Tuesday, 4 January 2011 03:13 (4 months ago) Bookmark

and i'm not at around the same point as scotsvo, running either 2 miles or four each day (depending on how much free time i have) with maybe two days off in the week. i'm feeling much better than i did at the beginning of the year, physically and psychologically.

thanks for the links and advice tehresa and jed_. i really feel like the toughest thing will be getting off my ass and keeping a regular running schedule.

you'll be surprised - there's a point at which it switches from "i can't be arsed" to "i wish i could go out for a run now [but i don't have time/it's too late/the rain is torrential]"

I definitely hope I'll reach that point where it's no longer a hassle soon.

if yr also just looking for regular activity may i suggest commuting by bicycle

honestly, earlier this evening i was considering and looking forward to my run. it took me a while to realise that i had already gone for a decent length one at lunch time. xpost

commuting by bicycle would be nice but I don't have a job right now, i don't have a bike either and the last two bikes i had were stolen ;;
i really do like cycling tho but right now i'm guessing it's going to be cheaper to keep running with the shoes i have than to buy a bike. and tbh i have no idea where i'm going to end up working and running is really the easiest thing to do just about anywhere.

I missed a run Friday due to pouring rain and it sucked. I will run in light rain but it was cats n dogs.

I'll run in pretty much any weather. Maybe not a tornado.

i would like to be a runner again

ha, it was really windy today and this was the first day i realised how much more strenuous/exhausting it is to run into the wind.

I probably wouldn't run in a flood either.

yeah i can run in anything but wind

i really feel like the toughest thing will be getting off my ass and keeping a regular running schedule.

yup ^^

just go run— the more frequently the better, don't worry about distance really—just get on a regular schedule and you'll be good

actually looked on google maps and realised my usual 'probably about 10k' route is actually more like six and a half, sigh

http://www.geodistance.com/

is good for distances and route planning

yeah jibe just keep at it and you'll start to enjoy it. everyone says this but it's true. i've been having on/off injuries lately and it actively annoys me when i can't go running, or worst of all, when i run 500 yards and then realise i'm in too much pain to keep going.

find a route you like would be my advice too, somewhere that is nice to look at, and extend your run by short distances each time. the visible improvement is a real motivator.

went running today before lunch. my route is actually quite nice, i get to run under trees, nice view, while running through hordes of tourists apparently having a great time. went running for about 6km, it was actually quite nice with the great weather. i'm aiming for 2-3 runs a week for now, because i don't want to be completely dead for my weekly 5 a side football game. i know i'm not too used to running cos my shins were a bit sore at the end but apart from that it was great.

Had a beauuuuuuutiful run this morning, and long overdue because last week sucked. 63 degrees (F), shorts, sun coming down but I was running in the shade, ahhhhhhhhhhh. Felt great.

I missed two running opportunities last week and missed it a lot. I realized that this is probably the first healthy obsessive habit I have ever had. Yay me? I'm going on two years, and I'm sure many of you would not be impressed by my progress, but it's (1) definitely a habit now and (2) much less arduous than it was when I started. My lungs feel a lot healthier than they did. I'm obsessively moderate, I guess.

8 miles today, 1 hr 25 min, 90 degree heat on a nutso hilly trail. feeling great. lots of sweat though. lots.

still hobbling :(

Got some new shoes, saucony kinvara 2's. Will rotate them with my newtons.

ooh how are you liking the newtons?

i have no experience with newtons but LOVE the kinvara. i have two pairs, both original version. bought a second pair of them before they went out of production. fantastic road shoe. i think in v2 they changed the upper a bit (more supportive/better fit?), left everything else alone.

how do i tell if my shoes need replacing, was kinda feeling like they could be hurting my shin splints a bit, they both look a bit \ / (not such a steep angle but worn on the outside...prob had them for 7/8 months.

played e2-e4 as my running soundtrack this morning, so amazing, don't know how i never thought to before.

man those kinvaras look way cooler than the saucony's i got... maybe i'll move to those next if i decide i really like neutral shoes (i think the ones i got are supposed to be transitional from stability to neutral).

loooooooooooooove gottsching for running!!

I like my Newtons a lot. I'm up to 345 miles on them, so I think I've totally adjusted to running with them. The thing I'm most amazed about them is they are not showing very much wear at all. There is now soft EVA cushioning to breakdown, so they should last quite a bit longer, which is good because at $175, I don't plan on buying a lot of them.

I'm considering trying to ween myself off of my custom orthotics, I'll try the Kinvara's with just the sock liner. Maybe I'll just go with some superfeet.

Oh, my shoes: http://media.dailymile.com/photos/150161/e6ff7c6276c5aa79f0e6515f097c396d.jpg

Went with black, since my other shoes are bright blue. Can't be flashy all the time.

Kinvara with orthotics/superfeet/arch support/whatever kinda defeats the purpose imo

wow, how did I never hear of E2-E4? it's amazing!

I need to get back to the gym so I can listen to music again.

good idea on the e2-e4!

45'33 as well obv

I am all about this e2-e4 album. My run today sucked though, I started off way too fast and it was hot as hell, so I conked out at around four miles.

going to hit big sur hot springs tomorrow. 20mi round trip. going to try and run as much as I can. should be interesting.

^ jealoussss

I had to cut my 4 miles down to 2 on Sunday because my knees have taken to stabbing me with PAIN at every footfall and now I can't even walk down stairs without limping.

Having gone from 0 miles a day for my entire life to 4 miles every other day immediately, for the last 3.5 weeks, I suspect I've just overdone it. I'm also probably not warming up properly, and everyone's telling me my bought-in-2005 (but barely used) trainers are almost certainly too old and won't be giving me the necessary support.

London trainer shop tips? Warm-up/warm-down tips? How-not-to-be-a-running-noob tips? Right now I feel like I'll never run again, and that's GUTTING because I've been loving it and it's doing me real good.

― Background Zombie (CharlieNo4), Tuesday, September 1, 2009 12:08 PM (1 year ago) Bookmark

This is basically me right now. Has anybody had any good experiences in a London running shop in the last two years? I live SE and the one in Dulwich has closed.

I went from getting basically no exercise in a year to running two miles a night for a week, partly up a hill; in retrospect this was obviously stupid but having taken a week off I'm getting creaky patella-knack even doing moderate short bursts to ease back in. I'm not in agony but it feels achey and wrong.

Want to get a gait analysis done, but reluctant to be told by enthusiastic running shop dudes that I need to immediately replace my new birthday-present Nikes with some Asics shit that costs £120. Have also run without pain before (but not as regularly) so wondering if it's more of a general lack of fitness in the surrounding area

lol I downloaded E2-E4 yesterday, awesome.

I am just getting back into running. Started running 20 min/day 2 weeks ago and the plan is to up it by a minute a week til I'm running 36 minutes (and hopefully 4+ miles) a day by the end of August.

But my 22 minute run yesterday had me absolutely gassed. I know it takes a while to get back into the groove, but damn. Maybe it's age.

you went from no exercise at all to two miles a night every other day? the older you are, the more you are flirting with doing yourself a serious injury it will take months to recover from.

xpost

yeah, I didn't realise how far it was until I checked today. I became 28 last month, having previously been invincible

I'd start with a walking/running mix, and by running I mean jogging... like 12-14 minute mile pace. Shoes don't matter at this point, you should be spending six or eight months letting your muscles and bones adapt to your new running regimen. Your heart and lungs can make the adjustment in two or three weeks, but the rest of your frame takes far longer.

imogene registration on june 1, it goes fast yall

http://i.imgur.com/MQIZwl.jpg

24mi round trip on a bad heel. rolled my right ankle twice. last 12mi in the rain. almost fell off a cliff. so awesome.

^ warrior king

my 26th birthday is in two days. think i may do 26 miles on my 26th birthday, then try to keep up the streak for future birthdays (27 miles for 27th birthday, etc.)—is that totally stupid, or am i onto something awesome?