RunningAHEAD - Topic: Need advice for starting again

KatJ

posted: 6/24/2008 at 5:36 PM

Hello everyone! Smile

I started running during the winter of 2007 and ran up until the middle of July. At that point I stopped because I was pregnant and unable to continue. Im ready to start again, now that my daughter is about 2.5 months old. When I started before, I tried to follow the C25K program but didnt like the rigidity of the timing. So I sort of did my own thing, just jogging at a comfortable pace for as long as I could and then walking until I felt like I could jog again. My pace went from about a 20 minute mile to a 15 minute mile from Jan-July. I completed a 5k in June in 41 minutes, which was probably my best time for a 5k. Anyway, even though I did improve, I didnt like that I still had to slow down to a fast walk during my runs. I was never able to run a full 5k without at least a little bit of walking to slow my heart rate and catch my breath. I want to do it differently this time. I am probably out of shape again since I havent run or done much of anything in almost a full year. So I know my time is going to be slow again, but what can I do to prevent needing walk breaks? It happened during just about all of my runs, except towards the end if I did a pretty slow 1 mile I recall a few times that I ran/jogged the whole thing through. Should I follow C25K exactly to fix this? Will that "train" me to run a full 5k without slowing way down? Any advice/tips for me for starting out again? Thanks! Smile

JennerVT

posted: 6/24/2008 at 5:45 PM

Hi Kat, and congrats for getting back on the running wagon Smile

I'm doing C25K now and I'm one of the few who actually like the intervals but that's probably because I run on a TM so it's easy to see the time and stuff. Anywho, you might consider getting a HR monitor (if you don't already have one) so you can see where you are in terms of your HR at various speeds/places in the run. You can adjust your speed if your HR gets too high and that might help you run longer (at a slower pace) until you can get to the point where you can increase your pace too. I swear by by HR monitor to give me an accurate idea of how hard my body is working...so many other factors, heat, humidity, breathing, etc can affect how hard I feel like I'm working but the numbers don't lie. Good luck!

2009 Goals:
PR 5K (Ha, current 43:10)
Run a 10K
Meet Seasonal Weight Loss Challenges
Complete my first Sprint Tri

KatJ

posted: 6/24/2008 at 5:54 PM
modified: 6/24/2008 at 5:55 PM

Thank you for the response! What HR monitor do you use? I think getting one would be a good idea because I am terrible at trying to figure it out on my own. Also, for anyone who knows, should I be working harder/focusing on how fast I am going or how far I am going? Of the two, which will help me lose weight the fastest? I have about 20 lbs of baby weight that I want gone! Wink

TanyaS

posted: 6/24/2008 at 6:05 PM
modified: 6/24/2008 at 6:07 PM

Quote from KatJ on 6/24/2008 at 5:36 PM:

. So I know my time is going to be slow again, but what can I do to prevent needing walk breaks? It happened during just about all of my runs, except towards the end if I did a pretty slow 1 mile I recall a few times that I ran/jogged the whole thing through.

Congrats on getting back to running! I think you've answered your own question in the part highlighted above. You were eventually able to slowly run a whole mile near the end of your original 6 months of training without walk breaks--You'll be able to do that again and probably sooner. Don't worry about taking walk breaks when you're first starting out. But if you find that you're taking breaks due to being out of breath and your heart racing, try to run more slowly. I'm not a fan of not follwoing rigid plans either--or wearing monitors. The more you can get a personal sense of your own self and your comfort/discomfort zones, the better you'll run and the more you'll enjoy running. Good luck! MTA: In answer to your "fast or far" question, slow and long will burn more fat than speed.

Ennay

A Saucy Wench

posted: 6/24/2008 at 6:18 PM

Go farther. Absolutely. If you go too fast you will be unable to go farther, if you focus on farther one day you will realize you are going faster without even trying.

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

monnik

posted: 6/25/2008 at 2:20 PM
modified: 6/25/2008 at 2:22 PM

Congrats on getting back into running! Don't focus on speed. Try to go a little further each time without stopping, and stay SLOW. Speed will come eventually with distance. Or so I hear. I haven't gotten that far yet. Blush

In terms of losing weight, though, you'll hear people say on here to run for fitness and eat healthy to lose weight. This is SO true. Don't get caught up in the 'I ran today so I can eat an entire pizza mentality. Not that I think you would take that approach, it's just easy to assume that running alone will make the weight come off, and it usually won't.

-Monica

Slow and steady ~~wins the race~~ means a lot of fast people pass you.

Need advice for starting again (Read 657 times)