Forums >Running 101>Nearly new to running!
YoYo
Hi all. I have been on the slippery since early 2011 when injury and life meant running drifted out of my life. I have had a few attempts at getting back including training for a marathon in 2012 but I think I'm at an all time low now (or high) weighing in at 234lbs. I'm about 60lbs overweight and Ive gotta sort this out. This is my third day back managing just over 3miles per day. Its tough but I have to do it both for me and my family. I guess I'm just looking for someone to give me some encouragement or hear from someone who has been in this place before and got themselves back on track. I'm going to try and run everyday for at least a mile to try and make running part of my day and life again. Thanks
"The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare." Goals: Keep on running!
an amazing likeness
No need to put a ton of pressure on yourself...set a simple to measure, achievable goal -- I recommend it be 30 minutes of walk or jog every day -- and give yourself credit when you do it.
Acceptable at a dance, invaluable in a shipwreck.
Welcome back to running, Slo Mo. Remember to run easy--it's getting out there that counts.
I had a long hiatus due to depression. I hear ya.
Call me Ray (not Ishmael)
Remember that running is a lifestyle, not a race.
With races, you can get discouraged by a bad race or you can attain your goal (lose your 60lbs, qualify for Boston, ...) or you can feel like you've done all you can do.A lifestyle lasts forever. You're never finished. There's always more you can do (and need to do, and want to do) tomorrow and next week.
Enjoy!
Life Goals:
#1: Do what I can do
#2: Enjoy life
Although I am not really new to running, I have struggled with the same thing the last few years. I finally got going again at the beginning of this year. I don't really know why this year is different, but I have been careful to ramp up slowly this time and avoid injuries (and an excuse to quit again). My back did go out at the end of August and I had to cut back for a few weeks, but I got back out again and am still running. Some of the things that I think have helped motivate me are:
Latent Runner
I have a similar story which I hope can serves as some encouragement for you.
Injury (surgery following a badly broken leg and partially detached foot) kept me away from running between 2003 and 2009, and then "life" as you put it, took me away from it again in mid 2010. By April of this year I had ballooned up to 250+ and I'm only 5' 8", yeah, I was chubby to say the least.
I started an every other day running regimen in mid-April, and then upped it to roughly two runs in three days in June. By July I was running six to eight miles pretty much every day, weather and "life" permitting. The tally as of last night was 998 miles since mid April, and more importantly, my weight has dropped down into the high 180s to low 190s depending upon the day.
The two most important keys to my weight loss have been staying injury free by running on dirt trails and resisting my natural tendency to run too fast too soon by converting my ever improving levels of conditioning into longer and longer runs at a fairly slow pace (as in slower than ten minutes per mile). I'll be the first to admit that it is difficult to run slow when you've been able to run much faster in times gone by; this is something I've been struggling with for a long time now and running too fast was probably why I kept getting injured in the six years following my broken leg.
The first time (this year) I allowed myself to be sucked in by the "moment" and dial up the speed to a sub eight minute pace was during my sixth and final leg at this year's Reach the Beach New Hampshire where I ran my final 2.45 miles at a mid-seven minute pace (at which point I'd logged some 700+ LSD miles since April).
Long story short, keep it long and slow, allow your body time to heal/recover, and stay with it.
Fat old man PRs:
This is me all over! Its always been to fast too soon for me. As they say "slow miles are better than no miles!"
Although I am not really new to running, I have struggled with the same thing the last few years. I finally got going again at the beginning of this year. I don't really know why this year is different, but I have been careful to ramp up slowly this time and avoid injuries (and an excuse to quit again). My back did go out at the end of August and I had to cut back for a few weeks, but I got back out again and am still running. Some of the things that I think have helped motivate me are: I don't like the way I feel when I am overweight and out of shape. I really do love running when I am in shape. I don't just run for the results. The first few weeks aren't that fun though. My daughter got married last month and I used the wedding as motivation to lose the weight. I bought a new Garmin GPS watch to replace my aging 305. It was expensive and I felt I had to use it to get my money's worth. I have been travelling to Guam on business this year. It is hot and humid and generally sucks to run there. You need to get up and get your run in before the sun comes out, unless you are a local who thinks running in 88 degrees with 88% humidity is normal. With the jetlag, I was up at 4 AM anyways the first week and I made it a habit. My trips are usually 3-5 weeks. There are 5K races almost every weekend in Guam. Even though I was out of shape and slow (and even slower in the heat and humidity), it was a lot of fun to run these races with co-workers and seeing an improvement in my times kept me motivated. I shared my running log with a co-worker who also runs and we keep each other motivated (or maybe he is sick of me motivating him, but it keeps me motivated).
I definitely think staying within the running community is important. I have a couple of old running mates who keep at me to get back at it and hopefully they have finally got through to me. I think the community here is great too. There is always loads of encouragement and advice.