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Discouraged (Read 334 times)

robertaajr


    I started running about a month ago and I made my own training plan and i've been doing pretty much 5 miles a day and then I tried to do 10 miles and at about mile 5 I had nothing left, I started walking and trying to jog some. My pace hasn't been over 9:00 since I started running and I did about 10:30 pace on my 10 mile run. I got really discouraged and pissed with my time. Anyone have any words of advice for my next 10 mile this week or encouragement. I know I can do it so it's not that it was to much to soon. I never want to see a 10:00 pace again. That was awful for me.

      You've ramped up your miles quickly and should expect your body to be pretty tired. It takes time for the training to soak in. You'll be fine.

       

      And if it's any consolation, I struggled to run 12 minute miles in my 7.6 mile race on Saturday.

      Runners run

      CanadianMeg


      #RunEveryDay

        It takes time to build up endurance. I've been running for years and I'd love to have an easy pace of 10mm. I'm not there yet. Don't beat yourself up over one run. Some runs will feel easier and some will feel harder.

        Half Fanatic #9292. 

        Game Admin for RA Running Game 2023.


        Feeling the growl again

          It sounds, like many new runners, that you are looking at your per-mile pace as your benchmark of success with your runs and probably just working too hard each and every run.  This is counter-productive.  The vast majority of your runs should be at an easy pace....no matter what the clock says.  This will enable you to run longer...which will make you fitter...and over time your easy pace will naturally get faster.

           

          Hammering each and every day will have the opposite effect.  You will always be tired, frustrated, and not progress.

          "If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does.  There's your pep talk for today.  Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

           

          I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

           

            The bad news - It was too much too soon. Trying to jump straight into a run that's twice as far as anything you've yet done is a recipe for disaster, and it's no surprise at all it went the way it did. You have to build a base, and build up your "long" runs incrementally.

             

            The good news - You stuck it out and finished that run anyway. You didn't quit. A lot of people in that position would just bag it. And now it sounds like you're more motivated than ever. If you take what you learned there, (and the advice you're likely to get here) and use it to progress the right way, you'll be fine and will be there before long.

            A list of my PRs in a misguided attempt to impress people that do not care.


            Feeling the growl again

              I just looked at your log.  Holy crap.  You are either very talented or pushing way, way too hard for a new runner.  For what it's worth I had been running for 6 years and was down to a 17:01 5K before I ever ran over 7 miles.

               

              Take your time building fitness.

              "If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does.  There's your pep talk for today.  Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

               

              I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

               

                 

                 

                And if it's any consolation, I struggled to run 12 minute miles in my 7.6 mile race on Saturday.

                 

                I was like, wtf, mikeymike struggled to run 12:00 miles, I have to see this,... and it was up Mt. Washington.

                Sees-the-Ground


                barefootin'

                  I had a couple sub-2 hour half marathons and my training pace was 10:30 to 12:30.  I didn't get to around-10 minute miles in training for a couple years.

                  Bill Wagnon / stl

                  robertaajr


                    I really appreciate all the advice and encouragement it helps. I guess I'm just a big perfectionist so when I don't reach my goals I beat myself up. Often time I've been known for setting to big of goals to early, but I like to reach for the skies so to speak. But all the advice I'm getting here is really helpful. This website I found has been a blessing. All you guys here have been very helpful in my small success. Thanks

                    NikoRosa


                    Funky Kicks 2019

                      If you want to be a runner for a long time, you have to be able to let go of what you perceive to be failures or you're going to lose the joy of the sport.  I'm 39, I started running when I was 13.  The only reason I'm still running is because at some point I stopped trying to compare myself to others, and stopped keeping track of my pace unless I felt particularly great that day, and I just took pleasure in the fact that I'm physically capable of running. I think all runners start out with time and distance goals, which can be helpful and sometimes it can ruin things for you.  Just remember you're doing this all by choice, your choice.  No one but yourself is telling you that you have to do X distance in Y time.

                      Leah, mother of dogs

                        The other factor you might not have considered was heat.  IT got pretty hot and humid last weekend and I know quite a few people that had miserable long runs.  Like everyone else said, don't worry about pace so much.

                        FTYC


                        Faster Than Your Couch!

                          One part of running is learning to "run by feel", and to manage adversity.

                           

                          If it feels hard, it IS hard for your body. And while there's a point to sticking it out and pushing through, it is also very valuable to assess the perceived intensity and adjust your effort so that you CAN actually pull through the rough patches.

                          Sometimes you'll have to slow down for a while to recover, or to just let your body settle into the workout. That is true particularly for running in heat and/or high humidity. The heat and humidity might have played a major role in your "miserable" run (which I think was pretty good anyway).

                           

                          And there will always be days when a run doesn't go as planned. I can be very helpful for races (or other runs) to learn to "go with the flow", and to not necessarily fight your body and try to force it to do something it is not capable of doing now. If you meet your limits (like you did on that run), it helps you to learn to work within them, and you also learn to recognize early signs and symptoms of running too hard for the conditions of that day and that course. You'll figure out ways to help your body recover and still finish a run or a race at an acceptable (or sometimes disappointing) time, and not give up.

                           

                          Don't "forget" the miserable runs, but learn from them. They might be even more valuable for future running and racing than the "good" runs!

                          Run for fun.

                          BeeRunB


                            It takes time, Rob. It takes years. The aerobic fibers in your muscles need to build. Capillaries need to build. The more they do, the more endurance you will have and you'll be able to run faster for longer. Think long term. If you approach this impatiently, you'll probably end up injured or quitting. 10:30 for ten miles might even be too fast right now. Your heart rate is a good indicator of how hard you're working at a given speed. What you're looking for is to be able to go faster at the same heart rate, over time. Today, you might be able to run 10:30 per mile at 140 beats per minute, in 3 months with proper aerobic training, you could probably run 9:30 per mile. If you don't use a heart rate monitor, you have to go by perceived exertion. You should get faster at the same perceived exertion.

                             

                            All of it takes time. Make sure to include recovery in your training. It's equally as important as the running.

                             

                            Long walks help.

                             

                            There's a ton of information on training on the web. Educate yourself on these points, so you can make informed decisions:

                            --aerobic system and how to build it

                            ---running aerobically

                            ---the anaerobic system, how to build it, and how much is too much

                            ---running anaerobically

                            ---the importance of rest and recovery

                            ---periodization.

                            ---tempo runs

                            ---long runs, and how fast or hard you should do them

                            ---heart rate training

                            ---training by perceived exertion

                            --the 3 states of overtraining and how to avoid them

                            --walking and the aerobic system

                             

                            These are some of the running gurus and programs that you might want to check out to lift information:

                            --Jack Daniels, Pete Pfitzinger, Jeff Galloway, Phil Maffetone, Hal Higdon, FIRST training,  etc.

                             

                            Good luck. 


                            King of PhotoShop

                              What accurate and positive feedback you have gotten so far, from everyone hear.  Listen to these people, as they are quite accomplished runners. Wish we had a "Like" button as FB does and I would have clicked it on all of them, especially Spaniel and Meg.

                               

                              Many years ago I made an observation that when a new runner who is a guy starts out, he will run as far as he can at too fast a pace until he gets tired, then walk back to his car and go home.  A woman will jog til she's pleasantly tired, walk some, then run again.  The woman will get to run long distances sooner. Remember that running is more a cardiovascular activity than one of exercising and strengthening the legs, so it takes some time until you get to a point where you can run "tirelessly" as Lydiard used to tell his athletes.

                               

                              When I saw the heading "Discouraged" I had to open this and comment.  You are doing great so far.  Just make a few tweaks, reduce your expectations and go back out there joyful, like a little kid.  Good luck, and post again about how you are doing.  Spareribs

                              robertaajr


                                Okay so last Saturday I ran those 10 miles and had to walk and run toward the end. I ran 10 miles again today and I didn't walk once. I kept a jog the whole 10 miles and cut off about 10 minutes from my time last week. The last two miles I had a 7:30 pace so it leads me to believe if I keep running I should be able to keep that pace for all 10 miles. Thanks for all the encouragement. Before the run I made it up in my mind, no matter what I'm not going to stop running.

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