newbie intro/c25k/shin cramps (Read 1714 times)

First of all, welcome to RA!  

I would say, yes, a 10k in October is reasonable, especially seeing as martial arts and soccer are generally physically demanding.  However, I would try to get more than 1 run in per week.  Likely others can help more on the shin splint thing.

I think that a 10K in October is definitely doable.  However, you do need to commit to it, because trying to run it after training only one day a week is just a recipe for disaster. 

You need to make a commitment to this just ilke anything else you do. You said you do martial arts and soccer.  Imagine the difference if you did martial arts one day a week and had to go up against someone who did it every day - you'd probably get your ass kicked.  Same thing with runnign except the thing kicking your ass is yourself.

Grab that C25K program and stick to it.  You noted that you're worried about switching to all running from the run/walk.  That's why there's a program.  It gradually increased the amount of running, almost so you dont even notice and pretty soon you will be running continuously.  I would do the program start to finish - also, going in more gradually may help your shin splints as well.

If it helps, think of your weekly runs like your soccer practice/games and martial arts classes.  Set up a schedule and that is the time you are going to run.  Or better yet, find yourself a running club in the area and commit to running with them 3 times a week.

Best of luck

Jeff

A big post!  I am new to both running and this site and forum.  I guess I joined the site so I could log my runs and also because the Android app HandyRunner was free. :-)  Just thought I'd admit that now!  I haven't been lurking enough to comfortably know the nuances of the forum yet.

 

So I'm hoping to do a 10k in October basically starting from scratch here.  Does that leave enough time if I'm really bad at sticking at plans?  :-)  Let me explain: I'm not sure it's realistic knowing myself to think I'll run any more than 2-3 times a week.  Probably twice.  The rest of the week I'm either doing strength training, playing soccer, or practicing martial arts.  I don't want to come off as a super lazy bum, but I'm just really bad at keeping routines. And I'm actually pretty lazy when it comes down to it.  :-) I've dogged 5ks in the past, with many breaks (including stretching out my shins, explained later).  I think that I could one day run an entire one, slowly,  like I used to do in cross country in high school (so long ago!) but a 10k just seems like a bigger...true running endeavour.  Is the 10k a distance that I can do as someone who just adds in runs as part of an overall regime or will I have to really concentrate on consistently getting runs in 5 times a week? 

 

I was thinking of starting with something like the couch to 5k plan, but I didn't start off with the first week and I just took from it the run/walk philosophy to get the body used to the pounding away for at least 30 min.  Right now I've been experimenting with 3/1 and 4/1 sets to total about 30 min.  I might like it a bit too much and I'm worried about the hurdle of switching to continuous running even after upping it slowly.  Does anyone have any tips?  Does it actually work?

 

Also something I've always battled with randomly, whether walking fast to the train or ice skating with friends, are insane shin cramps.  Most of the time when I run, they seize up no matter how much I stretch them or warm up so I can't flex my foot.  I end up embarassing stomping along, landing flat footed.  It can also be painful.  I've tried searching around and asking my friends, but no one seems to have this problem.  Any thoughts?

 

Sorry for the long intro post. :-)  And thanks in advance!

Okay, ready for a long answer? ;o)

Welcome to running.  You signing up here and asking questions is admirable and shows some level of commitment so good for you.  However, picture this: When I was in college, I bought a used car for $500.  That was the first car.  It was a stick shift and, as I went uphill, the stick would fall backward from the 5th gear!!  It ran though.  Now we own Honda CRV and runs very well; I think it's 2 or 3 years old?  Gosh, how much was it?  You get what you pay for.  And training is just like that.  It's an investiment.  Look at it this way; you have a kid who's practicing piano.  There is a choice of taking 3 lessons a week vs. once a week.  Naturally, former costs more.  So you figure once a week is "good enough".  Do you sincerely honestly believe once a week is good enough and your kid would perform, 6 months later, just as well as someone else who's been practicing 3 times or more a week?

Running distances would take some endurance.  There are many other forms of exercuse that would help.  But, for one, strength training, for example, won't add too much to improve your endurance.  Soccer, if done seriously, meaning like some serious players and do some good amount of warm-up and runninng drills, etc., WOULD add to your endurance.  Martial art...well, it COULD help but probably not as much as running would help those other activities.  Doing those other activities definitely helps--it's better than nothing.  Running twice a week is probably less than bare minimum.  It's a simple mathmatics; in 6 months, someone who's running, say, 5 times a week would be doing 120 running sessions compared to your 48 times.  It's like you're taking 3 steps forward each week and going 2 steps backward each week as well.  Take your shin problem for example; it could be some real issue but it could also be just simply a "growing pain".  It could be that you're hurting your shin on the day that you run (remenber, training effect IS breaking down of your tissues) but you're just not giving your body enough time to grow and strengthen.  It has always been said, since back in 1970s, that 3 times a week (of 15 minutes a day) is pretty much minimum to MAINTAIN your current fitness.  To run a 10k in October is definitely doable but you have to do your part of paying your due--whatever it may have to be.  It is doable but it's not the best approach to prepare yourself by doing all the other activities, however aerobic oriented it may be, and only running once or twice a week--particularly, hate to say, if your current level is such that you have a hard time running 2 or 3 miles without walking.  And if you're having a trouble putting your mind together to running 4 or 5 times a week, running may not be your thing and you're doin it for the wrong reason.  Remember; it is ALWAYS better to do little often than be a weekend warrier and do lots a few times.

C25K is a very decent program but I personally feel it lacks "continuous" running side of it.  It may pay you, if you can do 3:1 or 4:1 ratio for 30 minutes now, to actually try to get to the point where you can run 15 minutes without stopping first instead of keeping on going longer with lots of walking break.  Certain development does stop once you stop, or lessen, blood pressure by the heart.  In other words, you are delaying the development each time you stop and walk. 

In regards to your shin problem, it could very well be a number of reasons and, just by saying "my shin hurts" won't say much.  If you've been doing a lot of stretching and it just doesn't seem to help, it probably won't so it could be just a waste of your time.  I helped this guy on here at RA a few months ago; he was having a shin problem and, as it turned out, it was his running form that was contributing it.  He claimed that it stoped hurting almost immediately (within a day or two) as he changed his running style.  You could be lucky like that; but you could be unlucky and it could be something completely different.  For almost any shin soreness, icing should help.  Fill up a paper cut with water and freeze it.  Peel off a half an inch or so and hold it and apply it against your shin in a circular motion.  This massaging action is better than simply putting some ice pack on it.  Sometimes you get shin splint from exaggerated slapping of the forefoot.  This especially happens if you land hard on your heel wearing thick-heeled shoes.  Thick heel enhances slapping action and it is not desirable. 

Thanks for all of the encouragement!  I'll definitely try to find time to add more runs to the week when I can.  I guess cross training can't prepare you for everything. :-) I do have a 5k to run in April in addition to the 10k in October so I'll try to stay motivated!  It's true; soccer sucks while you're playing and so does sparring but it doesn't really build long endurance.

The shin problems are more muscle based and not shin splints (which I also have had before) and they just get super tight a lot of the time and it takes a long time for them to calm down.  I can punch and massage them for a few minutes but no usually to much effect.  I will try to get more calcium in my diet as suggested by steferfootballdu.  Thanks!  I have noticed that they happen more often and faster (or it's just harder to recover for them) when I run outside I guess because of the more varying inclines.  This is causing me to stick to the treadmill, which is less than ideal for me for so many reasons.  But then again I also hate being in the middle of a run and needing to stop because my shins have seized up and then walking back however far I am from home.  The treadmill does work well for now though since I can keep track of time and also listen to music (don't feel comfortable with earbuds in when I'm outside).