Forums >Running 101>new to running looking for advice
Hi,
I am 26 years old and just started running in Dec. I was 240lbs and not active at all. Since Dec I have started running and have gone from 240lbs to 198lbs. I usually run 1.5 - 2 miles every night to every other night. Since Dec I have taken my 1.5 mile time from 20 minutes to 14 minutes. When I finish my 1.5 mile I am usually a little worn out but by the time I walk the 1.5 mile back I am fine. I am trying to work myself up to running 3 miles in 28 or less minutes and possible build my endurance to where I can run 5 miles.
The problem I am having is that even when I try and pace myself I am just as worn at the end of the 1.5 as I would be if I just jogged it. Also the first quarter mile seems to be the hardest for me. Is this normal?
I usually try and make it so that I run the entire distance without walking no matter what I am doing the run for that night. Should I change this?
Like I said I am very new to this and have never really done any running in my entire life. When I was young I ran the mile in about 14 minutes. Just to give you an idea of where I was at before.
Also I do all of my running outside. It is mostly level. I do not have access to a treadmill.
Not dead. Yet.
Well you are doing great. I started with a C25K program, which sounds close to what you are doing, but I don't think you are walking. The C25K is a program that gets you from inactive to running a 5K (3.1miles) safely. It has you intersperse running with walking in regular intervals until you can run the entire 3.1 miles without walking., It sounds like you are most of the way there. I would check out the program and pick it up wherever you feel comfortable. Once you can do a 5K, if you are hooked, you can start moving to longer and longer distances, and then to specific workouts to make you faster.
http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml
For now, just keep going. If you are enjoying it already, like I did, then you are in for a bunch of fun as you get to longer distances.
PS. It takes a while to warm up. Try to do the first mile very slow to get your body ready to go. It's hard when you are only running 1.5 to 2 miles total I know. It takes me a mile or so before I get into the rhythm; before that it is always uncomfortable. Maybe you want to warm yourself up with jumping jacks or burpees before you start your run.
How can we know our limits if we don't test them?
Hey! So if I've understood correctly, when you go out running you'll run 1.5 miles out, and then walk back? Here is what I think might help you boost your endurance: start out running really, really slowly and start jogging the 1.5 miles back. i would start doing this by time: turn around and jog 5 minutes back, then walk the rest of the way.Your next run, jog 7 minutes back and walk the rest. And so on.
Alternately, you could front-load the walking, start out with a 7-10 minute walk and jog the rest. The walking might help you warm up, since you mentioned the first 1/4 mile being the worst...
The suggestion to look at some beginners 5k/couch to 5k plans is a good one as well.
Not sure I understood your question here: "The problem I am having is that even when I try and pace myself I am just as worn at the end of the 1.5 as I would be if I just jogged it." Are you trying to run faster than a jog? Because if you want to build your endurance, the best way to do that is to run SLOW - i.e. jog - and gradually build up the distance you can run. Forget about speed or trying to reach a time goal for the time being and just run. You may find your goal of running 5 miles at a time is closer than you think!
As for whether it's normal that the first 1/4 mile is the worst - yes I think so. You have to warm up. It takes me at least 20 minutes to feel warmed up on any run. .
Hi, I am 26 years old and just started running in Dec. I was 240lbs and not active at all. Since Dec I have started running and have gone from 240lbs to 198lbs. I usually run 1.5 - 2 miles every night to every other night. Since Dec I have taken my 1.5 mile time from 20 minutes to 14 minutes. When I finish my 1.5 mile I am usually a little worn out but by the time I walk the 1.5 mile back I am fine. I am trying to work myself up to running 3 miles in 28 or less minutes and possible build my endurance to where I can run 5 miles. The problem I am having is that even when I try and pace myself I am just as worn at the end of the 1.5 as I would be if I just jogged it. Also the first quarter mile seems to be the hardest for me. Is this normal? I usually try and make it so that I run the entire distance without walking no matter what I am doing the run for that night. Should I change this? Like I said I am very new to this and have never really done any running in my entire life. When I was young I ran the mile in about 14 minutes. Just to give you an idea of where I was at before.
I would work on building up your distance at slower speeds before you try to run faster. One of the most common mistakes runners make when they're starting out is to run too fast, but you'll actually progress faster if you forget about speed for the time being and work on building your endurance by doing more miles at a slow, easy pace. Make sure you're running slow enough that you could carry on a conversation while doing it. That may feel super slow at first (when I first started out I felt like I almost could have walked faster!) but it's better for you in the long run.
I can't answer most of your questions, since I am fairly new to running also. I think it's fairly normal for the first 1/4 mile to seem hard. For me, I don't really settle into my comfort zone for a good mile or more. The first part of my workout always feels a bit like I'm fighting against myself. Then I warm up and settle down and it feels much better.
So what everyone is saying I should do is try and do the first 1.5 mile at conversational speed, and then start jogging the 1.5 mile back?
If I can jog the entire distance back without stopping should i still stop and walk some? This jog back should i still try and be able to hold converstions? I usually run alone but it is not hard for me to tell if I would be able to converse or not while running.
Sorry for all the questions but I really never knew there was this much to running lol. I was really just winging it untill now.
Whenever you're running, do it at a conversational pace. You don't need a companion, just try reading a sign out loud, or speak the words to a song on your ipod, or just talk to yourself out loud. Can you complete a sentence without panting? I'll also use the nose test - if I can breathe through my nose, then I'm going slowly. If I'm puffing and panting, I'm going too fast.
It takes me about a mile to warm up. If I'm on a treadmill, I walk the first 1/4 mile, then run really slowly, then speed up. On the street, I start with a downhill from my house, so I just run very slowly for that first 1/3 mile, then head up the hill at a normal pace. You might try walking for 5 minutes, then jog slowly the rest of your mile and a half, turn around and walk a minute, then jog as far as you can toward home.
As you build your distance and endurance, your time will naturally decrease. What feels like a comfortable pace will change. When you can run non-stop, start adding in short bursts of speed - either fartleks (i.e. run as fast as you can from one mailbox to the next) or do strides or just running the last 1/2 mile at a fast pace.
PS - congratulations on the weight loss. That is really impressive.
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Front-loading some of the walking to get some warmup sounds like a clever idea.
It's a 5k. It hurt like hell...then I tried to pick it up. The end.
Forget the distinction between jogging, running, pacing and all that. Run your 'entire' distance at a conversational speed. While it's nice to have the goal to run 3 miles in 28 minutes of whatever, your initial focus should be to run for half an hour without having to stop and gasp for air or get too tired etc.
Two more points to keep in mind:
1. Your body responds to exertion after a few days. If you are doing too much by running too fast, you may not be able to continue your daily running
2. Whether you run fast or slow, you burn the same amount of calorie in a mile
So, slow down, focus on running frequency and running duration rather than distance or speed.
So what everyone is saying I should do is try and do the first 1.5 mile at conversational speed, and then start jogging the 1.5 mile back? If I can jog the entire distance back without stopping should i still stop and walk some? This jog back should i still try and be able to hold converstions? I usually run alone but it is not hard for me to tell if I would be able to converse or not while running. Sorry for all the questions but I really never knew there was this much to running lol. I was really just winging it untill now.
running is somewhat like playing golf to me. crappy shots all day long, ready to give it up & wondering why I'm trying so hard just to get this stupid little ball into a stupid little hole but then out of the blue comes a monster drive or a long putt that actually gets into the cup. bingo! that one shot keeps me going for the rest of day no matter how crappy I continue to play & gets me back out again on another day. strange. -- skyedog
Since Dec I have taken my 1.5 mile time from 20 minutes to 14 minutes.
This is great, at one level, but bad at the more important level. Since you haven't really increased your distances much, you're actually working out less now than you were before (14 minutes now, versus 20 minutes then). "Time on feet" is way, way more important than pace when it comes to building fitness and endurance. Speed (pace) comes later.
Slow down and/or use walk breaks -- whatever you are more comfortable trying. But aim to spend more time on your workouts. A slow 30 minute workout is better for you now than a fast 14 minute run.
How To Run a Marathon: Step 1 - start running. There is no Step 2.
so I am now jogging at a "conversational" pace. Since I started doing that I can now run my entire 3 mile route without stopping. One of the good things that I noticed about it is that when I am done I am not really very winded. Some people might think I am crazy because I check randomly to make sure that I can speak senteces without losing my breath or having to breath faster.
At first it did seem like i was going extremly slow and I wanted to go faster but I have stuck to it.
Another thing that I noticed is that my 1.5 mile time has only dropped about 2.5 minutes. It has gone from 14 min to about 16:30. The three mile time is now at 34 minutes. I know this is not very important thing right now but I am one of those people that have to have some sory of stat to track or I will feel like I am not getting anywhere.
I think I am going to do 3 miles for the next week or so and then go to a longer route.
I really appreciate the advice that you guys have given me and I just wanted to let you guys know how much it seems to have helped.
Nice! Keep it up and you will see the time for 3 miles drop as if by magic, without you even having to breathe any harder Good luck, keep us posted...
so I am now jogging at a "conversational" pace. Since I started doing that I can now run my entire 3 mile route without stopping. One of the good things that I noticed about it is that when I am done I am not really very winded. Some people might think I am crazy because I check randomly to make sure that I can speak senteces without losing my breath or having to breath faster. At first it did seem like i was going extremly slow and I wanted to go faster but I have stuck to it. Another thing that I noticed is that my 1.5 mile time has only dropped about 2.5 minutes. It has gone from 14 min to about 16:30. The three mile time is now at 34 minutes. I know this is not very important thing right now but I am one of those people that have to have some sory of stat to track or I will feel like I am not getting anywhere. I think I am going to do 3 miles for the next week or so and then go to a longer route. I really appreciate the advice that you guys have given me and I just wanted to let you guys know how much it seems to have helped.
So I took the leap and got a nordictrack t5.3 treadmil from craigslist yesterday for $50. Running on that is a little different than running outside. So I did not do quite as good as i did outside but once I get the hang of paces on there then I will be doing good.
You will also find (and you may have already discovered this) that losing weight helps your pace. I don't know what your BMI currently is, but if you still have more weight to lose your cruising speed will probably pick up a little when you lose it.
The treadmill is a lot easier on your legs than the road is. You might find you can go a little longer on the Mill (if you can handle the monotony) and that your recovery is a little easier. I do most of my running on the Mill these days, though I try and sprinkle in road runs just to make sure my legs are used to it when I want to run a race or something.