ILX running running thread

Some friends I run with barely go above walking pace...

Key is not stopping: I'm not sure how far you go, but better to go from 30 mins at whatever slowish pace feels comfortable, then 40, then 50 etc...Eventually speed will follow, but until you learn to breathe evenly (ie maintaining a steady pace), it's hard to relax and enjoy it.

I run every other day, normally 3 laps of Prospect Park, which takes 80-90 mins, and is about...11 miles? I used to run the Brooklyn bridge and round seaport, battery, and up the west side highway - there are some good routes around there.

i guess it's better to run further/for a longer time and slower than to push yourself wrt speed but only manage to run for half an hour, then?

agreed.

stopping is ok if you plan to start up again though--if you break up an hour run into 15-20 min segments walking a couple minutes in between it can be good for your endurance

i want to start going a little faster soon, my "short" run now is 3.5-4 miles but i think i want to add a day per week of intervals or pyramids? suggestions? i run no faster on short runs than on long runs, which is wrong.

A couple things I find helpful when I run

1. Try to be in your head and chest instead of in your legs, if that makes sense. Like focus on your upper body moving forward and not your stride (though you should check your stride from time to time)

2. Keep your torso/shoulders somewhat moving and loose -- this might just be personal because I have a shoulder/back problem that tends to cramp up when I run

no 2 makes sense - last week it suddenly hit me that my shoulders were SO TENSE when i was running - consciously trying to relax them seemed to make everything a bit easier

Anyone have advice for avoiding shin splints? During the winter I run on treadmills and don't have a problem. But I like to run on the street when it gets warmer, and it's not long before my shins start to hurt. Shoes are obviously the main factor. Last year I bought a new pair of shoes that weren't quite wide enough and they murdered my feet and shins. Now I have a pair that fits right, but I still find that I get some mild pain in my shins after running outside. I stretch for quite a while before I run, although I often run first thing in the morning and I feel like my whole body is a lot stiffer than it would be later in the day. I wonder if that has anything to do with it.

i guess it's better to run further/for a longer time and slower than to push yourself wrt speed but only manage to run for half an hour, then?

haha, i consider half an hour to be pretty good. i usually get bored around then.

what i post about when i post about running

Today: 5k in an exhausting 27 mins.

yeah i'm starting this tomorrow, i've made a couple false starts the last few months but time to be less slothful

Hmm, the splints. I've never stretched, and never had too many problems (sometimes heels though). I also feel less limber in the morning. Main thing, I think, is shoes. It's worth paying more ($150/year for exercise is cheap!) to go to a proper place that will analyze your running style on a treadmill, make the right suggestion (ie avoid going to a shitty chain store). Also, if you're used to treadmill / soft surfaces, the road takes a little while to adjust to - your shins are working slightly differently and complaining cos they're not used to it. So make that move slowly, if possible (a park with a dirt track?). Also, when they hurt, stop. It's no good trying to run through it, which can work with other kinds of running pain.

Also, harbls right about stopping if you feel like it - between each 30 min lap of the park, I often stop for a minute or two to drink water, or tighten laces, or just calm down a bit...I meant more that it's better to maintain a steady pace than to run fast for 6 minutes then stop, winded, for a few more, then gallop off again.

I get shin splints sometimes, but I can't really find a correlation between what I'm doing and the pain. A friend (Jeff, who started this thread) recommended that I get a gait test done at a one of these places http://www.fleetfeetsports.com/.

I've read that if your calves get overly strong compared to your shins, that your shins suffer.

W/r/t words of wisdom, I'll just tell you things I have done (I'm at around 6 miles max and usually 10 mpm). 1. Measure distance and time. Being on a treadmill really helped me with this. Or you can use http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/ to measure your distance.

In any case, knowing the distance you run and the time you spent was invaluable for me b/c it helped me to quantify my accomplishments, not to cheat, and to set new goals.

2. I vary my speeds and distances. I read stuff about why doing this is good, and it seems to make sense and it feels good, so I do it. I guess you get to work on both speed and endurance this way.

3. Double espresso. Especially if I'm feeling tired or unmotivated, a shot of caffeine can turn a slogging, annoying jog into a decent run. Also at times when I've been trying to push myself to new goals, this helps. (I read this in a newspaper's health section and I also read something in a Men's Health or somewhere about how a flat Coke is perfect for when you hit a wall on a long run.)

it's good because it is a shot of sugar, so

^ yeah i've never understood this because sugary stuff when you're exercising is so gross, and causes cramps! whatever works.

anyway i've just gotten up to 6 miles (takes me an hour but oh well!) but i have trouble running during the week so i'm doing ok with long runs but not shorter, faster ones! fail.

http://www.doitsports.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg.tcl?msg_id=0009w6

I read a magazine article posted in a coffee shop about how caffeine before running can be a good thing.

By the way, the reason I do double espresso instead of a coffee or soda is that it's more concentrated, not b/c I think it contains more caffeine. A minor peeve of mine is when people get all het up about espresso keeping you awake for days, etc.

It's strangely ILX-ish over in that board.

I forgot I started this thread.

Jesse, let's run today. We'll race.

I won't run unless I can track it somehow. Currently I use the Garmin Forerunner 305, but I'm jealous of the smaller 405 these days.

Having said that, I haven't run since 1/4/09 when I ran 2 miles in 19:21. I was so dissapointed in myself I haven't done anything since then. Plus it's been too damn cold.

I have only really done any serious running on the treadmill and I will not be racing you. I will run w/ you, though not today.

OK, I ran. 2.35 miles in 22:21. It was pretty miserable. I think I need to go to an ENT before I do that again.

I want to start running. I'm afraid I'll be one of those guys that gets a heart attack immediately. Oh well. Where to start? There's a gym down the block from me that's only $5 a day. Should I be intimidated by the 'gym people?' Just bought an iPod shuffle. There are lots of nice places to run outdoors here too. Is the 'runner's high' real? Help me get started!

i think the best thing is to just make a start. and don't feel bad if you go slow! i agree with that person up there that said just keep going as far as you can, even if it's just a shuffle.

I've heard this site/program is good for starting out: http://www.c25k.com/

No need to be intimidated by the gym people - they are just there doing their thing and you don't need to worry about being judged. If you're going to run on a treadmill (which I think is good to do sometimes to get realistic assessments of progress, as discussed above) getting an employee to show you how it works could set your mind at ease. They're pretty straightforward, but still.

Also what gem said - just do what you can to begin and if you keep it up, you will be fine. Following a program would be a great idea.

I don't know about runner's high - can anyone speak to that? I've heard that it's the rush of endorphins you get at some point during a hard run, but I don't know if I've ever experienced it.

i did the couch to 5k--didnt get up to 5k but i was doing 2 miles in around 20-25 minutes when i stopped (which is a HUGE accomplishment for someone like me). i think its helpful for the kind of person (like me) who needs concrete goals, times, distances, etc. in order to feel and measure progress. without it i would end up spending a week just sort of running for half an hour at a time and abandoning it because there was no structure. once you complete the c25k you can just go out there and start doing 3 mile runs or whatever. i should take it up again really.

i haven't gotten it recently but i did sometimes get runners high when i was in better shape, like when i was 19. i think you would know if you got it though. it feels like you don't have to try and you could keep going forever, not like the struggle it normally feels like. cruisin'

I have gotten that sort of feeling. I just thought it was supposed to be some sort of euphoria. Maybe my standards for euphoria are too ambitious.

lol people who tell u runners high is like ecstasy are people who have never done ecstasy--its more like "being in a good mood"

yeah

i try to do btwn 3-5 miles every other day & basically track totals by month which helps a lot w/ the structure and measuring aspect

No runner's high for me. It is miserable every single step.

Every winter gets me totally out of the routine and out of shape, but I'm getting started again since the time change, and since the sidewalks haven't been iced over for a couple of weeks. (I know some people get out of bed an hour earlier to go running in the cold just before sunrise, but...no, I run because I *like* it). Right now I'm only running about 3 miles a couple times a week, and I'd like to work up to more regularly running 5 miles again, hopefully approaching 10 in the summer.

I don't think I've experienced runner's high, which I've always thought is because I like to fall into a comfortable groove that I can keep up for a long time, instead of pushing myself so hard I break through some kind of crazy physical barrier...but if it's more "cruising" and less "euphoria", maybe I have!

If what I've experienced is a runner's high, and if that experience is what others consider euphoria, then I pity those people.

I ran 2 miles today in 18 minutes, which is Very Good.

i dunno it's kind of like you feel a switch go off, i really think you would know

also do you guys run in the morning? i can't do it, i always feel so stiff and tired, and if i plan to wake up earlier to run i just end up going back to bed. i'd like to do it in the morning just to get it done but i'm wimpy.

I don't even go back to bed, I can't get out of it in the first place. I ran in the morning when I first started, but I didn't need to be at work very early then, so it was easier.

I don't think I've experienced runner's high, which I've always thought is because I like to fall into a comfortable groove that I can keep up for a long time, instead of pushing myself so hard I break through some kind of crazy physical barrier...but if it's more "cruising" and less "euphoria", maybe I have!

this goes for me the exact same.

i only run in the morning... by the end of the day my energy levels are good enough to cycle home, but not really high enough for a run

yeah i don't mean i run and then get back into bed, i think i meant i go back to sleep and never get out of bed. i guess i'm a morning person but if i don't need to be somewhere i'm just going to sleep. i just need to do it and get used to it but it's easier said than done. thinking about summer though, if it's 95º during the day i should make myself run at 6 am when it's high 70s instead, or else i'll have to wait until it's dark out which is not always the best idea.

Jesse, when are you going to start running outside? I can't do the treadmill, I like running outside too much. I like the heat (whenever it gets here) and the lakefront views. And taking a break at the zoo.

I can't get up early to run, because I already get up at 5:30 to try and get into work by 7:00 am. To get up early would just give me so little sleep I wouldn't be able to run or work. Then I sometimes I don't leave work till 6:30 or 7:00 pm, so it's hard to get the energy to run at night either. I can't run at lunch because I don't have time and normally eat at my desk. So it's mostly weekends for me at this point. Not good for building up stamina.

I should get these today. I'm pretty excited, I'm tired of the wires of my current headphones bouncing everywhere.

I'm going to start when it gets a little warmer and isn't raining. This summer I plan not to wuss out and run indoors when it gets hot like I did last summer.

Those headphones seem pretty cool, but I do a lot of fiddling w/ volume, tracks, etc., so that might be limiting. Wires are the bane of my existence though.

I usually run in the evening right after work. For the past many days I have set my alarm so that I would get up and run in the morning, but I've been hitting snooze. When it gets lovely out I'm going to ride my bike to work which will be a nice change.

Oh, Jeff - why do you have to go to ENT? I'm assuming that means ear-nose-throat.

I prefer to run in the evenings, after work (or after sundown on weekends). I got used to this schedule because I found that during summertime, it was simply too hot to run during the day.

Yeah, figuring out timing is tricky. During the winter, it's too cold to run until the evening, whereas during the summer, early mornings is best (this is NYC). Combined with a job...weekends are the only easy time.

On the runner's high thing: I never feel that euphoric. The two types for me are the cruising feeling when it feels like running is no effort, that you're almost floating, and could go on forever (happens maybe every 5th run?), and the sense of immense well-bring after a run that lasts an hour or two. But no, not ecstasy-like at all.

I'm lucky enough to work a runable distance from home, so I can do it as my commute if I want. Saves lots of time.

Easiest runners high is got from a flat run with a nice tailwind behind you, sometimes you can stop trying and just float along. Is that cheating?

It's a great feeling. Cheating, yeah a little. Do you shower at work?

I have a feeling of great well-being after running too. It turns my mental state around, which is great if I'm depressed or just blah. The hard part is starting running when I'm feeling blah.

Having a shower at work is great. I'm lucky to have a full home-style bathroom at work, which is great for biking in. But I live about 8 miles from my work, so I probably will never run it.

I was out for a few months there due to a stress fracture in my foot along with plantar fasciitis. Then over the course of a week and a half my foot improved significantly, responding well to very gentle intervals of what can best be described as shuffling. I ended up taking a little trail run vacation over the weekend and it was glorious. Running on Navajo sandstone is like having a dance with god in fucking heaven.

I ran 15k for the first time, felt pretty good. I was only planning on 12 but I took a wrong turn which added 1k and I thought eh why not.

Despite slippery wet snow underfoot (and rain for the second half) I ignored the good advice upthread (get comfortable running 10-12-15k) and did a half marathon. Legs were definitely sore in whole new ways I've never experienced for the last 3k, and aching for the rest of the day, but I'm glad I did it. Might sign up for a race later next year but I'll dial my regular running back to 5-10k for now.

I know this probably isn't impressive but I did a 2.25 mile run outside today and my heart rate I think peaked at 165. usually by the end its like 180 and I feel I'm gonna pass out. fitness!

Long slow runs are great for building fitness (and improving heart rate): run a bit longer distance than you usually would but at a fairly comfortable sedate pace

I went for my second run since the marathon in July a couple days ago and felt great but had to cut it shorter than I wanted as the dog was not coping. She was fine, just did not want to keep going. Hoping she builds back up to the place of smoking me every run!

update:
Dog smoking me every run

Trying the Hansons marathon plan which is running 6 times a week for average cumulative 70km's. Meant to keep the heart rate low which leads to the inevitable smoking by the dog. Going late at night when everyone in my town is asleep so she can run off leash along the ocean channel. It's a lot of sprint/stop/sniff and she is now probably the happiest animal in this entire town. It's the highlight of my day now and a great way to get yourself falling straight asleep as you hit the pillow afterwards

I know quite a few people from my club who've used the Hanson plan. It's not worked for all of them but the majority have done really well off it

I was doing pretty well with my running running until last week when a horse broke my ankle in a manner that required surgery and extensive hardware and now my running running is fucked for the foreseeable future

Ortho is all no you’ll be able to do stationary bike on low resistance in like a month so there goes my cardio fitness, enter jello body

Does the ortho think your ankle will eventually recover for running running purposes?

That’s unclear at the moment. My biggest issue is that I need excellent dorsiflexion for my all-consuming pastime/physical activity which is equestrian sports. I jump big things while perched on a horse’s back, which requires quite a bit of ankle strength and flexibility so as not to topple off :(

Really sorry to hear that quince

Thank you. I never really loved running running but it was my go-to for cardio. The other options just aren’t as simple and accessible, right? Rowing machine, exercise bike require a gym. . . what else do people do when injured?

Not a perfect answer but swimming is an awesome low-impact workout if you have access to a pool. I find it super boring so am very proud when I can overcome that hurdle and swim for an hour.

Oh duh swimming! I would be able to do that one the incisions are healed. But damn there is a lot more overhead than there is with running. Like finding a pool, for starters.

Running for me is hard to enjoy but just getting it done is so easy. Shoes on, out door, back in 30 min.

sorry you're having such a rough time, quincie. I know it's a hassle, but I'd recommend going to a gym (if you have a reasonably accessible one in your area) once you're strong enough to get around. I broke my big toe last year and couldn't do any running or much walking for five weeks, but I held onto most of my aerobic fitness by hitting the gym six days a week, alternating between swimming, stationary bike, and Zero Runner (elliptical type machine) workouts. I made a point of exercising roughly the same number of hours per week I typically run, and I even simulated my interval and tempo runs on the bike. my biggest complaint getting back into running was sore quads and glutes, but easy runs felt pretty much normal after a little more than two weeks, and I was back to my base level of fitness after about two months. for the first week of my injury I also fast walked a mile and a half a day on crutches, which fucking sucked tbph. in the beginning I was seriously bummed out at the prospect of losing three years of running progress, but cross-training at least took my mind off my fears of withering away. obviously a broken ankle is a lot more serious than a broken toe, but I hope you can find a good way to transition back into running over time

fwiw I've read that aqua jogging is the best way to maintain fitness after an injury, but that requires a deep pool and probably a special belt, so it definitely isn't the simplest option

That's good advice. My approach is usually to do nothing and just go into a deep depression, desperately hoping that I can eventually get back my fitness.

i'm a bit down as i have a chesty cough and haven't run in nearly two weeks but that's nothing on being destroyed by a horse, that sucks.

(maybe i'm a wuss but i googled and it seems a bad idea, i've gone on my low budget bike trainer a couple of times)

for the first week of my injury I also fast walked a mile and a half a day on crutches

Dear god in heaven I seriously cannot even fathom this. Even just about ten minutes of work with the PT when I was in the hospital (lap around the ortho floor, practicing stairs) was exhausting and left me with the most amazing core soreness--like, my ribs and obliques were just killed, not to mention my shoulders. I have a knee scooter now, which is much easier but also cumbersome to get around a very small house with lots of furniture.

My approach is usually to do nothing and just go into a deep depression, desperately hoping that I can eventually get back my fitness.

Yeah I'm afraid this will be me. Doesn't help that at 50 and perimenopausal, I'm already on the downward cliff of muscle mass and bone density.

I reached out to an aqua PT center (didn't even know there was one in town until I looked) and will plan to start there as soon as ortho says OK. In the meantime, he says three to six months before return to riding.

Thanks for the good wishes and for sharing injury experiences, it is helpful for sure.

For any beginning runners perusing this thread, I got the None to Run app and it has really worked well for me. It's an alternative version of the couch to 5k that ramps up more slowly and with a somewhat different strategy. It felt good to me to work through the weeks (3 runs per week) and see progress without it being overwhelming.

Left to my own devices, I just suck at sticking with running. I need someone to just tell me wtf to do and I'll do it.

I started the c25k thing this morning. It was hellish. I ride my bike a lot, so I thought I was in decent shape.

Nooooooope. Running felt kinda like being a big box of pots and pans rolling down a flight of stairs. Ordered some decent shoes. Will try it for a couple of weeks and see how it feels.

i think the c25k needs a week zero where you just walk around in the kit to get used to it all, work out places and times and how you're going to time the various bits.

Consider None to Run (N2R)—it was specifically developed for people who started C25K and found it discouraging at first. I was also a pretty fit person and found my first attempts at running were WTF this is so much harder than I thought!

I'm getting to grips with the fact that some runs will just feel awful for no discernible reason - though the cold i have at the moment certainly doesn't help. But how was the run i've just done 18 seconds faster per k than the one two days ago even though they felt equally awful?

I'm convinced that the both the feeling and the result of any individual run is completely subject to the whims of the Gods for any given day

It's a fun little part of getting into running: how will I feel today? Oh, terrible? Great!

17 years in, it never really gets better. It almost always sucks. But it sucks in a familiar and consistent way. Hey there old friend, nice to see you again. Let's suffer together for a few hours.

cool, i'm glad i picked such an uplifting new (er sort of) hobby!

i've signed up for a half marathon in may. hope i get some less awful runs in before then.

I often think half-marathon is the best of all distances

If by best, you mean worst, maybe. It just hurts so bad. 10 mile hard tempo followed by a 5K race. But all distances are bad in their own special way.

I do love running though. It's an interesting relationship we have.

Running is sheer happiness. My body is letting me run so I'm getting my feelings back and a bit of ambition with spring around the corner and the first flowers in bloom on my running path today. Since I last posted here I did my 7.3K city run (fun, temperature was 2 degrees, decent time) and I've been running 2-3 times a week. The 9k that was my long train run is now the short one, and I'm starting to think of extending the new long one (I haven't measured it yet, something like 12k). I should start to time myself too. But right now, I'm just enjoying it.

Running IS fun! And if it isn’t, just chill and walk for a while. That has increasingly been my approach as I deal with aging and the increasing injuries that involves. It’s great to train and get faster but it’s also just nice to be outside, on one’s feet and moving.

Yeah half-marathon is pretty much perfect, up to 25 maybe 30 is fine, but after that I'd get bored I think. I don't have the patience for running about 3.5 hours for a full marathon. Maybe I'll still do one someday just for the sake of it.

Agreed. I'm thinking of signing up for the next half marathon in May, it will be the 10th anniversary of me running my first (and then I ran another directly after). It's a comfortable distance because it's long enough that time does not matter too much. I wouldn't be able not to set myself the objective to run faster than in 2014, although that might be a challenge, as the first half of my marathon was way faster than the second. It was a whole different race, going from blissful to "uh oh" at km 25 to horrible at km 32.

Trying to come up with pun type names for a team we're entering in a relay competition. Anyone got any suggestions?

Google suggests things like Scrambled Legs, Chafing the Dream etc

Code Brown

Shin Sprints
Plantar FASTiitis

GU Hard or GU Home