Just bought my shoes & ready to start...suggestions? (Read 939 times)

I am ready to start running again. After raising babies and going back to school, I am ready to start training for long distance running. I have been using the eliptical during the winter and the roads are now clearing from all of the snow and ice, I need tips on how to train right for outdoor running. How often should I run? How far should I run? When do I start to increase my distance? Treadmill running and road running are totally different for me. My foot form for road running seems off - what is the right technique I should be using? I have been told I push to much off the front of my foot while running and that I need to put more heel into it. Any thoughts? Thanks!

Let's see, regarding form, don't over think it. Just get out there and let whatever happens happen naturally, then as you get into better shape and start running faster, you'll have time to tweak your form IF there's anything funky about it. But there may not be, and you could get hurt if you try something tweaky before just getting used to the road. As far as how often to run, well, it depends how motivated you are. Do you want to race 5k's this spring and 10k's or longer this summer, maybe aiming for a half over the fall or a full early next year? I would start with 5 low key days a week and be ready to bail if you don't feel like running one day. You could go 5 days in a row or go 2 days, day off, 3 days, day off. You'll have to find what works best for your temperment and time availability. How far have you run? If you have just logged a few miles on the treadmill, say 2-3, try 2-3 miles on the road. if you've regularly put in 5 miles on the treadmill, you can go a little longer. So, can you give more detail on what you've been doing and how long you've been doing it? That'll determine when you move up in mileage also. So, the questions are; race goals? and what have you been doing?

Just over a year ago I started with week 3 of this: Couch-to-5k Running Plan I had no intentions of ever running more than a 5k. Late last Oct. I ran my first half marathon. I got hooked BAD after my first 5k race. I'm still really slow, but I love it. Hubby likes to joke that I can run long distances slowly for forever... Next year I hope to have the time to train for a full marathon. My best advice--follow the 10% rule...never increase your workouts by more than 10% from one week to the next. For me I figure this in duration, though you could do it in miles, too. The Cto5k got me really thinking of my runs in terms of time on the road, moreso than mileage logged, but it all comes out pretty much the same in the end. Good luck and enjoy your early weeks of running! k

Go out and have fun. Nothing more. Nothing less. For now. Three days a week is a good start, a little longer or harder on the weekend. But for now, have fun and build a base.

There is no better advice than this. This is how I finally became a runner, how the habit finally stuck. I did whatever it took to make it fun. A couple years ago, every run (3-4 miles at most) I was walking as much as I was running. Until it seemed like fun to run faster. Or longer. Or more. Nowadays its not much fun to run less than 40-50 miles a week, or less than 7 miles at a time. These days, taking a day off isn't fun. All because I accidentally tripped over Trent's good advice. I made it fun. Until it became a habit, a part of my life. Now it's either fun - or I'm horribly trapped in an addiction, and deeply in denial. Either way, I'm running. When you want to run 4 days a week, do it. Or 5. Or longer. Or faster. When you want to, do it. Not before. Not until it seems like a fun idea. Trent's advice should be given to every new runner - and they should be banned from reading any other advice for a year. It's that important.

Go out and have fun. Nothing more. Nothing less. For now.

I'd recommend remembering to double-knot your shoes.