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COMPLETELY NEW TO RUNNING NEED HELP! (Read 407 times)

asal728


    I am so new to running I have no idea what to do! My husband is in the army and is physically fit but having him help me out is like asking a two year old to give me directions! For some odd reason I am able to jog on treadmills for thirty minutes on speed five, but can NOT jog/run outdoors for more than five minutes. I also get bored while running which causes me to not want to continue. I would like to know some techniques to help me with prolonging my running endurance (time wise), and also the proper breathing technique used to run! Any help would be great since I would really like to lose about 30 pounds! Thanks!


    A Saucy Wench

      My guess is that when you run outside you are going faster than you think you are.  Slow down until you find the pace you can keep running at.  If you cant carry on a conversation or need to keep a specific breathing technique at this point, then you are running too fast.  Once you have more experience there are times for harder efforts, but not yet.   Because it isnt just boredom stopping you if you can make yourself do it on the treadmill (possibly the most boring thing on earth)

       

      Question, if you are bored by running why do you want to do it?  Because if you are a gym rat who likes the gym, running isn't the only path to weight loss or health.

       

      And my suggestion for how to get interested, go sign up for a 5K.  If you can do 30 minutes on the treadmill @ 5 then you can finish a 5K.  Perhaps event running will spark your interest enough.

      I have become Death, the destroyer of electronic gadgets

       

      "When I got too tired to run anymore I just pretended I wasnt tired and kept running anyway" - dd, age 7


      some call me Tim

        +1 on signing up for a 5k. Having a concrete goal to focus on certainly did a lot for me. And yes, the tip on conversational pace is also a good one, though 2in-2out is a very common breathing pattern (as in 2 strides per inbreath and 2 strides per outbreath). I read somewhere that although 2-2 breathing is probably the easiest to deal with, using 3-3 breathing to check if you're running easy is a good test. Works for me, anyway. Best of luck and don't forget that exercise is a pretty small part of creating a calorie deficit Smile

        TJoseph


          +1 on slowing down outside.  For me, the treadmill is very boring, but running outside is not.  When I was in better shape and driving around for work, I would always have my running clothes in the car and would stop at some beautiful places to run on the way home.  Music helps when I am on the treadmill and I turn on the TV without sound.  If you really hate running, you could try cycling or swimming.  You are most likely not going to keep doing it everyday if you don't like doing it.  Also, I can't lose weight by just running.  I have to diet to get it off, but once I lose the weight running helps me keep it off.

            i agree that running is one way to lose weight along with eating healthier.

            There is a 'couch to 5k' (C25K) exercise program that many friends have found successful.

            I have run all my life and found trail running to be my heart and soul.  Therefore, it is very difficult for me to run on a TM but there's not much choice when it's below zero degrees and even more frigid with the wind chill.  As I have 'matured,' experience has taught me to train smarter, and most importantly, recover smarter.  I follow the philosophy of Jeff Galloway 'run, walk, run' with some modifications.  It has resulted in overall performance and finishing races with better times than those who run continuously throughout a race.

            It takes more than just 'running,' there's running plan for not only endurance, but speed, strength, on form, breathing, etc...

            Have a plan.

            Start slowly, it takes patience but also consistency and discipline.

            Find a support group online or a group of runners who meet weekly, etc.

            Be creative and curious by researching articles that fit your level.

            Nothing worse than being around discouraging people.

            You can do it.

            robinde


              I lost over 100lbs last year and running was part of my success.  Just remember that weight loss happens in the kitchen and physical fitness happens in the gym (of course for me it was on the road).  I'm new to running myself, so I can't really offer much advice except to say that signing up for races is a great way to motivate yourself to keep at it.  Best of luck to you!!


              Roadrunner's Apprentice

                I found running outside took a real adjustment after using a treadmill exclusively.  If you can do a constant 30 minutes though, you have built the basic stamina.  Now it's about adjustments, like shortening your stride going up hills, and staying focused on breathing and form.

                 

                I run with music (specifically mixes from Podrunner) which keeps my foot cadence constant throughout my workout.  That's not to say you keep your stride constant, but running at a constant number of beats per minute can help with maintaining a regular breathing pattern as well.  I like a 3-3 pattern but going up hills I'll drop down to a 2-3 or even a 2-2 if needed.

                 

                Good luck!

                2014 Goals:

                - sub-26 5K : sub-56 10K : 1st half marathon

                - Tell my excuses to shut up and lace up...

                  I am so new to running I have no idea what to do! My husband is in the army and is physically fit but having him help me out is like asking a two year old to give me directions! For some odd reason I am able to jog on treadmills for thirty minutes on speed five, but can NOT jog/run outdoors for more than five minutes. I also get bored while running which causes me to not want to continue. I would like to know some techniques to help me with prolonging my running endurance (time wise), and also the proper breathing technique used to run! Any help would be great since I would really like to lose about 30 pounds! Thanks!

                   

                  I agree with Ennay - if you don't enjoy it, there are other ways to lose weight. But part of your boredom may be related to the treadmill...

                   

                  Just wanted to mention that there are walk/run programs out there - Couch to 5k is one - and you could consider that for your outdoor running. You start out by alternating walking for a few minutes with running for a few minutes and gradually increase the time spent running while reducing the time spent walking. I think generally the programs have you running 30 minutes at a time, several times a week, within 4-6 weeks.


                  Maggie & Molly

                    I lost over 100lbs last year and running was part of my success.  Just remember that weight loss happens in the kitchen and physical fitness happens in the gym (of course for me it was on the road).  I'm new to running myself, so I can't really offer much advice except to say that signing up for races is a great way to motivate yourself to keep at it.  Best of luck to you!!

                    this.  The weight will come off through proper food choices.  I've lost over 60 lbs but it didn't come off until I made adjustments to my food intake.  I was already working out/running like mad.  Work on that.  The running, or whatever other moving you decide to do, will only supplement the loss and hopefully make you feel good overall.  Good luck to you in this process.

                     "It does not matter how slow you go so long as you do not stop."
                    Wisdom of Confucius

                    HF 4363

                    chaquita73


                      I started running in April 2012 in my mission to lose 100 pounds.  I didn't really like running but it was free, could be done at any time of day, and got me away from the house (and my young kids).

                       

                      As a former college athlete, I was completely discouraged and disgusted that I could not run more than 30 seconds without needing to stop.  I tried 3 different C25K programs until I finally found my way to running 1 mile without stopping, and since then, running has turned to enjoyment!


                      I ditto the advice to sign up for a 5k.  I trained all summer and ran a 6K on Thanksgiving.  Having signed up for the race, kept me on track with my running plan.  I am on SparkPeople.com for my weight loss and they have virtual races every week.  Not the same as a real road race but I am doing one a month over the winter until there are 5Ks that I can sign up for in the spring/summer/fall (I live in NE Ohio...not many road races during the winter).

                       

                      I also prefer running outside vs the treadmill.  Outside I can never run without my MP3 player.  I am lucky enough to have awesome running paths near where I live.  When the running paths are snow-covered, I do run at home on my treadmill.  I have a free hulu.com account.  So, I put on a video to watch while I run.  As long as it is something interesting, time flies.

                       

                      BTW, I'm up to running 4 miles in 1 hour without stopping.  Really slow to most people here, but I am happy with it.  I've taken my pace from 20 minute miles to 13-14 minute miles in 9 months.  Also, I was so focused on running from April-August that I gained/lost the same 2-3 pounds that whole time but I did lose inches and my pants finally fit again!  At the end of August, I started logging my food (no exceptions even on the "bad" days!), got a fitbit to track my activity 24/7 and increased my weekly mileage.  Since making those changes, I've lost 28 pounds.

                       

                      Best of luck on your journey!

                      MJ5


                      Chief Unicorn Officer

                        Yup, I bet you are going faster outside than you are aware of.  Slow down and enjoy your surroundings.  Even if you feel like you're going too slow, it doesn't matter.  Your pace should be conversational.

                         

                        I've been running for a really long time and quite honestly I've never thought about or felt the need for a "breathing technique."  I think someone else may have said it, if this is a major concern to you, again, you are probably running too fast for your fitness outside.  Breathing should happen very naturally.  It really shouldn't be something in the forefront of your mind.  Even when I am racing and working as hard as I possibly could, I don't think about it.  So just relax, and let it happen naturally.

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


                        Ostrich runner

                          Remember, quads are made on the treadmill. Weight loss happens in the meth lab.

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

                          exponentiate


                            running at a constant number of beats per minute can help with maintaining a regular breathing pattern as well.  I like a 3-3 pattern but going up hills I'll drop down to a 2-3 or even a 2-2 if needed.

                             

                            I like 4-4 (even numbers!!), but other than that--this! Counting steps/breath is also a good way for me to make sure I'm not going too fast, since I too am a beginner, and also I do it automatically because, you know, one of those brains. Smile

                            TJoseph


                               

                              I like 4-4 (even numbers!!), but other than that--this! Counting steps/breath is also a good way for me to make sure I'm not going too fast, since I too am a beginner, and also I do it automatically because, you know, one of those brains. Smile

                               

                              Its called OCD


                              some call me Tim

                                ^ha! this reminds me of my wife, who used to count her steps compulsively. when we first started racing together (and running in tandem much of the time) she could give me half mile splits because she knew exactly how many steps were in a mile. i got her a garmin and now she's free to obsess about other things at her whim.

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