Forums >Running 101>Beginner questions
Hi,
I started "running" a little over a month ago. I'm 40, for a few more days at least, and haven't done anything really aerobic in 20 years. I started with the c25k program... twice. The first time, last fall, I ran the way I thought I should be running. I didn't get through 2 weeks between being sore and taking every other day off (I need to do this almost daily to make it a habit) I couldn't stick with it.
About a month ago I tried again. This time after doing a little research and reading about the maffetone method. Building an aerobic base seemed like exactly what I was trying to do. I mean I'm not going to the Olympics, this is about aerobic health! So I got a HRM, set it to beep at 140 and started up c25k again. That lasted a few days before I just decided to use the timer on c25k and try to go a pace that didn't make me walk.
So in early May I averaged a 14 min/mile pace with all the walking, trying to stay under 140. I stuck with it and watched the sub 140 pace increase. I've tried to slow my jog to minimize the walking. My pace is in the low 12s now and I can go a pace that has hardly any walking but the jog has horrible technique. I figured I'll worry about the technique later.
I've had a five mile and a lot of four mile "runs" in the last two weeks. I did 22 miles last week. My pace has improved almost every day to get to a best of 12:04.
Now I've noticed that in my first mile the pace is always the best. A lot better than the last. That's while maintaining a <140HR, no big deal, but this week I started watching some YouTube videos on technique. I tried a few things on one of my "runs." My first mile was under 10 minutes with no walking and my HR was still sub 140! I didn't even know I was going that fast till I looked at handy runner! The effort was no different than my 12 minute pace!
Then I started to walk as my HR hit 140 and my calves started screaming. I think I was landing on the ball of my foot instead of mid foot in an attempt to get a wheel like motion going. I still finished 4 miles that night and 3+ the next but I took 2 days off since to get the calves back to normal. I could have run tonight (day 2) but my legs aren't 100% and it's raining.
So I'm looking for advice, input, ideas on how to approach this. My goal is improving my cardiovascular health, and then my pace, as rapidly as possible.
Should I...
-keep jogging with a poor technique that doesn't tax my legs at a pace that keeps my HR under 140
-run with proper technique for 5-15 seconds at a time (till my HR hits 140) and walk the majority of my runs.
-or is there a third option that I'm not aware of?
Thanks for any help
run, rest & read
Just a little advice. Remember that it's not just your cardiovascular system that needs to adapt. A lot has to go on in your bones and ligaments as well. Get running more, even if it means you break 140. Still think about using a c25k run/walk progression. You've made some aerobic gains, so slowly bring the rest of your body along.
I'm sure you'll get a lot more suggestions and ideas from others. Just remember to take it slowly and enjoy yourself.
Did you get properly fitted for running shoes? Ones that match your body and gait? If not, do that, since badly fitting shoes can cause a lot of physical issues.
I think you're trying to do too much too soon. Instead of running every day, try running every other day and do something different on the off days: walking, bike, Pilates, yoga, weights. You'll still be creating a daily exercise habit, but you won't be stressing the same joints and muscle every single day.
I would try to keep good form as much as possible rather than get into bad habits that will be hard to break. What specifically did you notice that you were doing differently? The idea that you must run mid-foot is not necessarily true. Many top runners heel strike. OTOH, good posture is good no matter what.
Thanks Harold,
I guess I underestimated how quickly my cardiovascular health would improve and over estimated the durability of my legs.
<p> </p><p> </p><blockquote pid="fab9f64dc26c4a6a844527ee933cf3a5"><p>Did you get properly fitted for running shoes? Ones that match your body and gait? If not, do that, since badly fitting shoes can cause a lot of physical issues.</p>
No, I haven't. I don't know what my gait is yet though so it seems premature.
<p> </p><p>I think you're trying to do too much too soon. Instead of running every day, try running every other day and do something different on the off days: walking, bike, Pilates, yoga, weights. You'll still be creating a daily exercise habit, but you won't be stressing the same joints and muscle every single day.</p>
Yeah I'm realizing that the legs aren't cut out for this on a daily basis yet.
<p> </p><p>I would try to keep good form as much as possible rather than get into bad habits that will be hard to break. What specifically did you notice that you were doing differently? The idea that you must run mid-foot is not necessarily true. Many top runners heel strike. OTOH, good posture is good no matter what.</p></blockquote><p> </p><p> </p>
I think my posture is ok. I've been focusing on that even when running very slowly... but I recently started leaning at my ankles and doing the "controlled forward fall" at the same time I started lifting my feet higher. An occasional butt kick but trying to get the wheel like motion with my legs/feet. This is what I think beat me up, and had me increase speed significantly without much extra effort. In order to move as slow as I've been going I've needed to take small steps without much lift. Trying to move my legs fast but not far.
Thanks for the feedback and sorry about the quoting errors I'll try to fix that when I'm not in my phone.
I have a number of thoughts but it's late and bed is calling so I just throw one out. Worry more about mileage than speed. Even if you have to walk a lot get the mileage in, the speed will come as you get fitter and stronger.
You already got some good advice.
It is normal that your speed slows as you progress in the run and try to maintain the same HR. Over the time this slowness will reduce.
As you experienced, cardiovascular system improves a faster than body. That is why are calves are complaining, where your HR monitors is giving you improved results faster.
I would not run every day. Try 2-3 times a week and see how things got for a week or two, than add a day and so on.
I would go to local running store for get analysis and get proper shoes.
Seems like you know when you use good techniques and when not. I would go for better technique over maintaining a particular HR. I would focus on my technique and wont look at HR. Just try to maintain a run at comfortable pace (I know its hard to do when you are new).
Day dreamer,
I look forward to the rest of your thoughts... Before I started using the handy runner app I was running based on time. Now I try to go for 40 minutes to an hour. When I started using the app I was shocked I was going so slow, but the good side is that I have a tool that's allowing me to see my improvements. I'm not really concerned with a certain speed so much as the ability to move for a long period of time. I'm just looking forward to it being more of a run than a trot.
Hector,
I'm going to try every other day for a little while.
I've never heard of a store that does the type of analysis that's been suggested here. I'll have to look into that. I don't even know what to search for.
I don't really know if my technique is "good" or just better. I've watched some YouTube tutorials but they seem geared at people beyond my level. I'm trying to keep my body straight, core tightish, lean from the ankles, feet fall under my center not in front... I've got more research to do and eventually a talk with someone that knows what they're looking at.
My "comfortable pace" is probably around 140-150BPM if I'm running for more than a few minutes, but that's not really a "run" for me.
Last night, after my last post, I went out for 3+ miles. I ran the way I thought I should until my HR hit 140. Then walked until it fell below 130. The running sessions got shorter and shorter. I estimate I walked 80% of the outing. My avg HR was 139 but my max hit 201 at one point. That was after a sprint. I never felt uncomfortable but I couldn't maintain the running pace for extended periods. Legs slightly uncomfortable today but more in the front of my lower legs today. Not the calves. Average pace ended up being 11:47/m. A new low. Then again my max heart rate was much higher than any of my last outings.
Thanks for all the input. I didn't expect this much when I posted the original question.
Greetings, Earthlings!
I think it would be useful to work on form: in particular, cadence. Many experienced runners have a cadence of 180-190 or even higher. As Owen Anderson explains in Running Science, running with a cadence that high encourages good form in other regards (midfoot landing with the foot under the body, not in front, and relatively little vertical oscillation). To speed up or slow down, take longer or shorter strides, not more or fewer (cadence does go up when sprinting, but not proportionally to the increase in speed.
You might also want to take more days off. It seems as if you've built up mileage too quickly. It's good to cut back by 25-35% every third or fourth week, to allow yourself to recover more thoroughly; you can do that by shortening runs or dropping one or two.
The final bit of advice I have is to ditch the heart rate monitor as a training aid. (Keep it for tracking results, if you wish; a good sign of overtraining is a relatively high heart rate compared with your pace.) Instead, do most of your running at a pace where you can carry on a conversation (the "talk test"). It's normal for your heart rate to slowly get higher as you exercise at a given intensity; this is called cardiac drift. By training with a 140 bpm cutoff, you're actually decreasing the intensity of your workouts in later intervals. If you are going to train by HR, allow for a bit of drift. The talk test will ensure that you stay well below your lactate threshold, which is best for building an aerobic base.