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Advice-TM:Outside (Read 211 times)

meg2the5th


    Hi,

     

    I am new to running. I have been running for about  9 weeks and have almost made it through the Ease to 5k, just a couple of weeks shy as I was so out of shape I had to take it even slower than 8 weeks. I have so much stress in my life that I had to make it go somewhere and I don't drink and I am so tired of being fat and eating cookies to deal with it. I hated running and thought I could never run 5 minutes much less 2 or 3 miles without stopping.   As a nursing student I feel like if I can run and make it through nursing school I can do anything.  I have been running on my treadmill just because it is winter time and it is convenient.  I want to start running outside, but I am afraid that I am just building my confidence and I don't want to get discouraged.

     

    Any tips for psychologically  and physically making the transition from inside to outside? I am going to be away from the TM this weekend and I do not want to go 3 days without running.  I am a little stressed about it. I need to run, I just started liking it, and I don't want to lose that lovin feeling.Smile

     

    Thanks,

    Meg

    MJ5


    Chief Unicorn Officer

      It's all just running. You're psyching yourself out when really you're just moving the same activity to a different location. My advice is just to do it. Break out of your comfort zone, but pay attention to your pace because some people have a tendency to be moving faster than they think they are when they're outside, which then leads them to tiring out quickly and giving up. The best line I ever got from a coach was this "if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you always got." So shake it up a little. Don't use the cold as an excuse anymore. Don't over think it, just step outside and start moving.

      Mile 5:49 - 5K 19:58 - 10K 43:06 - HM 1:36:54

      zoom-zoom


      rectumdamnnearkilledem

        Running outside is great...you won't believe how much faster the time flies!  As a runner Spring is like some long-deserved gift.  Get out there and take it! Smile

         

        BTW, kudos on your progress.  9 weeks of running is a solid commitment.  You've got this!

        Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

        remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

             ~ Sarah Kay

        redleaf


          When I started running the first time in 2008 I ran inside on the treadmill - I was so overweight I didn't want any witnesses. So I got used to it and it worked well. But then some people on here convinced me to go outside and it was different, and yes, hard at first, but I ended up liking it a whole lot better.

           

          Like MJ5 said - watch your pace. Go slower than you thought was possible the first time.

           

          I stopped running for a bit and then started again in the fall last year. Back to being overweight but I figured no one out there actually cared what I looked like and I ran outside for most of the winter (and I'm in Canada) unless it was pouring rain and near freezing.

          First or last...it's the same finish line

          HF #4362


          Ostrich runner

            Trail running.

            http://www.runningahead.com/groups/Indy/forum


            some call me Tim

              Yeah, just take it easy when you first get out there and you'll be fine. I also really recommend trail running but depending upon where you live and what the trails are like, you may need trail shoes to deal with the muck in the springtime. Do what works for you, but once you run outside anywhere I think you'll have a strong preference for that over the treadmill.

               

              And almost any conditions are runnable. I've run outside on trails all winter here in western New York, and though conditions are sometimes tough I have bragging rights when I talk to other runners... plus I get to be surrounded by natural beauty on every single run.

              Zelanie


                I started Couch to 5K outside, but at some point got discouraged and did most of the rest of it on the treadmill.  Until one day, I went to run and the treadmills were full.  I didn't have time to wait for one, so I started running outside, and realized I could do it!  I think it does feel slower when you're running outside compared to a treadmill, so be careful to keep an even, steady pace and don't worry if it seems too slow.  You can do it!

                  Not sure where you are to know what kind of cold and snow you're dealing with. But I'd 2nd the suggestion to get on some trails, if you have some near you. Our trails are hardpacked snow right now, so it's like running on dirt without the roots and rocks trying to trip you. The other thing about trails is that nobody is watching you, so it's easy to do a relaxing run without "spectator" pressure.

                   

                  Congratulations on the progress you've made so far. Now take it outside and play with it. Smile Have fun!

                  "So many people get stuck in the routine of life that their dreams waste away. This is about living the dream." - Cave Dog
                  meg2the5th


                    Thanks guys! Appreciate all the advice and motivation!

                     

                    About my winters, I live in KY, I am sure you are laughing if you are from NY or Canada. I am just spoiled and am taking one inconvenience at a time. It is hard when you have been used to plopping on the couch and eating instead of moving, much less in the cold.   Where I live there are hills everywhere and I mean very steep intimidating ones. My husband used to run and he keeps telling me just to never look up and I won't dread the hills, easier said than done.  Also, not a running friendly road that I live on, you have to say a prayer and get your last rites before walking on our road, it is one of those that one car has to stop to let the other pass. (I know, probably just more excuses)

                     

                    Pardon my ignorance, but I don't really understand what you all mean by trail running. I live on 10 acres of woods and my hubs sometimes mows a trail for us to walk through, is that the kind of trails you mean, or do you mean like a gravel or paved trail? Do you just take off running in the woods?  If that is the case, I am set for life on trail running. Woods everywhere, here.

                     

                    I am going to be in a wooded area near the lake this weekend, so it is very hilly there, too.  This will be an adventure, I will just take it slow!

                     

                    Thanks again for the motivation!

                       

                       

                       

                      Any tips for psychologically  and physically making the transition from inside to outside? I am going to be away from the TM this weekend and I do not want to go 3 days without running.  I am a little stressed about it. I need to run, I just started liking it, and I don't want to lose that lovin feeling.Smile

                       

                      Thanks,

                      Meg

                       

                      first off,  just want to congratulate you on the decision to take up running!  for many reasons some people have a difficult time pushing aside all the negative stuff & getting out & doing it.  you have broken through the biggest barrier of starting & now face another one (outside vs TM).    as mj5 said "its just running"  that's all it is,  relax, you will be fine.  don't put all that pressure on yourself.  my suggestion would be get outside & have the attitude of keeping it fun.   its ok to go slower, take in the fresh air,  look at all the beautiful scenery.  its even ok to stop & walk abit.    would also +10 on the trail running idea.   sounds like you have a great opportunity with your 10 acres of woods.   as for this weekend,   is it a safe area for you to run alone?  if so then yes,  just take off running in the woods.   ok to walk those hills & run the level parts.  stop at the lake & enjoy the view.    take your time, concentrate on your running form, & be careful of uneven ground.

                       

                      I like to mix things up in my running,   changing where I run,  how I run (slow, hills, trails, tempo, intervals, long & slow, etc).  somedays (usually day after a harder run) I go out with no set idea of where Im going, just taking it easy, even stopping a few times to window shop around town (checking out the car lots for great deals) & just relaxing & enjoying the fact that I can run & do what I want.

                       

                      bottom line:  get outside & have some fun!   no reason to "lose that lovin feeling"    "its just running"

                      meg2the5th


                        Thanks Skyedog!

                         

                        I have started and stopped many exercise adventures that I just don't trust myself!  I think I will take your advice and walk the hills and run the rest! I am going to stop thinking about it now and just do it!

                          yeah,  good for you!

                           

                           

                          "just do it" -  Nike

                           

                          "Run Happy" -Brrooks

                          npaden


                            Don't be discouraged when you go out there and start running and are out of breath in a minute or two.  More than likely you will end up running much faster than if you had the treadmill setting the pace for you.  If you start out feeling like you are going slow and think you should pick up the pace a little, don't you are probably doing just fine.  Just try not to go out too fast and make your first run outside a bad experience.

                             

                            Also, +1,000 to the fact that it's perfectly acceptable to walk up the steeper hills.  There are a few hills on some of my routes that take more effort to walk up them at a brisk pace than it does to run at a much faster pace on flat ground.  You want to work on even effort, not get wiped out trying to go up a steep hill right at the start.

                             

                            Good luck and have fun.  Keep a conversational pace and look around and see the world around you.  Enjoy life.

                            Age: 50 Weight: 224 Height: 6'3" (Goal weight 195)

                            Current PR's:  Mara 3:14:36* (2017); HM 1:36:13 (2017); 10K 43:59 (2014); 5K 21:12 (2016)


                            Snowdenrun

                              I agree with pretty much everything said above. In my opinion you've broke through the toughest running barrier that makes so many people quit. You actually like running now and got the "loving feeling". And trust me, that feeling only get better and better when you run outside. I too started out on the treadmill and had a hard time transitioning to outside. Not sure where it changed but now I hate the treadmill. I think I ran on it once this winter.

                               

                              Maybe you could focus on staying outside for a certain time instead of a certain distance. That way you aren't focusing too much on how fast or slow you're running compared to the treadmill, you are just running.

                               

                              And, Enjoy!

                              FTYC


                              Faster Than Your Couch!

                                Take it easy, and don't get discouraged if you can't go your usual distance or time without having to walk in between. That's fine, just walk, and then run again. Try to shorten the walking intervals, until you can run your usual distance again, then either go longer/faster, or just stick with it.

                                 

                                Watch out for obstacles, even curbs or ramps, these may be tricky when you're not used to them. Sounds silly, but I have rolled my ankle just by jumping down from the sidewalk into a mud puddle on the street!

                                 

                                Choose your clothes right, wear layers, take off the top layers if you get too hot. Wear mittens, your hands might get cold easily. Take some tissues with you. You might have to make some adjustments with the clothes the first few times, until you can gauge more easily what to wear.

                                 

                                Don't forget the sunscreen... and perhaps insect repellant.

                                 

                                I love running through the neighborhoods in spring, watching the trees sprout new leaves and blossoms, and looking into yards for flowers. That makes the time go by quickly. Don't worry about other people, they don't care, and if they stare, they probably think something like "What a tough runner. I wish I had run through winter!" Or at least, assume that's what they think. Wink

                                Run for fun.

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