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My wife wants to start running with me (Read 2265 times)


U.M.W.B

    How should i start her off?  I would love a running partner, and I dont want to scare her off or injure her.

    Should it be a run/walk sort of thing?  any advice will be greatley appreciated.

    Thanks

    Jim

    U.M.W.B

      there are all kinds of couch to 5k programs out there, but I don't know that she necessarily needs some rigid guidelines.  I don't know what her fitness level is like but maybe jog for 2 minutes, walk for 1, and repeat.  Her first 5k will be in xx time and she will see time improvements with less walking and more running quite quickly, assuming she sticks with it.  As she gets her confidence up a little you can also say 'ok we won't stop until we get to that big tree down there'...or the top of a hill.

       

      Remind her that that first 5k is the hardest distance and that it will get easier.

       

      Maybe take her to some kind of local event so she can see there are all ages and sizes that achieve long distances.

       

      And don't forget to compliment her on her smaller butt.  A lot.

       

      Good luck!

      AmoresPerros


      Options,Account, Forums

        Depends on her fitness and comfort levels, I'd think. Some people could go out and jog a mile tomorrow. Others would need to gradually work up to that.

        It's a 5k. It hurt like hell...then I tried to pick it up. The end.

          How should i start her off?  I would love a running partner, and I dont want to scare her off or injure her.

          Should it be a run/walk sort of thing?  any advice will be greatley appreciated.

          Thanks

          Jim

           If you want her to be our guineapig, let me know; send me an e-mail (nobby415@msn.com) or PM.  We have been workign on a formula that calculates your estimated VO2Max from questionair, not by 5k time or a mile time or whatever.  So far, we have seen the error rate of about +/- 5% which is not bad considering most beginner's have VO2Max of about 20.

          Zortrium


            I have a bit of personal experience with this sort of thing.  I think the most important thing when starting to run with a novice is to make the joint runs all about THEM -- you're just an encouraging tag along.  You go a speed and a distance that they're comfortable with -- if that means they want to push hard sometimes, then do that (at their hard pace, not yours), and if that means they want to jog very slowly, then do that.  What you can do is make sure they're not wiping themselves out right from the get go (easy for a beginner to do).  What you want to avoid at all costs is a feeling that either they're expected to keep up with you, or that they're compromising your own running.  E.g., at least at first, don't replace your own regular runs with the joint runs -- either just shorten your own runs by a little bit or just add on the joint run to your regular run.  Basically, you just want to start from a clean slate without any initial performance expectations.

             

            Obviously, as others have said, the specifics of pace, distance, and so forth will depend entirely on your wife's current fitness level.  For a relatively sedentary individual, I think a structured, progressing run/walk program like C25K can work well.

            Marylander


              My wife just started c25k last week. During the run sections I get behind her. Even during the walk sections I stay half a step back to try to avoid influencing her pace. I'm pretty excited about it and hope she enjoys it/keeps it up (and that I don't screw it up for her somehow).

              Zortrium


                My wife just started c25k last week. During the run sections I get behind her. Even during the walk sections I stay half a step back to try to avoid influencing her pace. I'm pretty excited about it and hope she enjoys it/keeps it up (and that I don't screw it up for her somehow).

                 I think this is a good strategy.  Having someone who's excited and enthusiastic about running is the most important thing -- as long as that doesn't get screwed up, the rest will probably work itself out (I'm jealous, by the way, I'd love if my wife would run with me sometimes).

                JML


                   I think this is a good strategy.  Having someone who's excited and enthusiastic about running is the most important thing -- as long as that doesn't get screwed up, the rest will probably work itself out (I'm jealous, by the way, I'd love if my wife would run with me sometimes).

                   +1 

                  I follow this strategy with my wife and it works well.  She runs at the pace that feels right for her and I get some easy miles in and offer encouragement.  Win-win!

                  Rebuilding my aerobic base....racing next year.....nothing to see here....move along now.

                  runnerclay


                  Consistently Slow

                    How should i start her off?  I would love a running partner, and I dont want to scare her off or injure her.

                    Should it be a run/walk sort of thing?  any advice will be greatley appreciated.

                    Thanks

                    Jim

                     Looks like you have been running for 15+ years. I would suggest (1)you do doubles on the days she wants to run. (2) go for a  run and do your cool down with her.

                    Run until the trail runs out.

                     SCHEDULE 2016--

                     The pain that hurts the worse is the imagined pain. One of the most difficult arts of racing is learning to ignore the imagined pain and just live with the present pain (which is always bearable.) - Jeff

                    unsolicited chatter

                    http://bkclay.blogspot.com/

                      +1 on run/walk a half pace behind her so that she does feel like she is being pushed.  Let her set the pace and the distance.  Discourage her from pushing herself too hard or too far. 

                       

                      She WANTS to go with you?  You lucky guy!


                      U.M.W.B

                        OK so first of all thank you all so much for the advice,

                        Heres how it went.........

                         

                        I printed a copy of couch to 5k, we read it together and she said it sounded fine.

                        , I said to relax, go your own pace, and I would be behind her letting her know when to walk and run.

                        She says ok, we head up to the reservoir which is a 2.15 mile loop.

                        She proceeds to run the next 2.5 miles without stopping, at a 12:30 pace ignoring me completely.     

                         

                        She is already talking about when we can go next ..................

                        U.M.W.B

                          OK so first of all thank you all so much for the advice,

                          Heres how it went.........

                           

                          I printed a copy of couch to 5k, we read it together and she said it sounded fine.

                          , I said to relax, go your own pace, and I would be behind her letting her know when to walk and run.

                          She says ok, we head up to the reservoir which is a 2.15 mile loop.

                          She proceeds to run the next 2.5 miles without stopping, at a 12:30 pace ignoring me completely.     

                           

                          She is already talking about when we can go next ..................

                           That's great!!  I know of this guy down in New Zealand who was, about 20 years ago, one of the best local runners in Auckland area.  One day, his friend took him out for a run to make fun of him bending over and puking.  On the first day, he ran 10-miles and said he felt great!!  Maybe this is something some people want to call it "talent" or "genetics"???  I think he ended up running a 2:18 marathon but, interestingly, that's as far as he went.  Maybe talent alone is not good enough to go any further???

                           

                          What she had done previously CAN play a role; maybe she had biked a lot or played soccer or something???  While we worked on this VO2Max Interview, we found out that, depending on what kind of "exercise" people do, the result of running performance CAN differ quite a bit.  Originally, some people said they "worked out an hour a day" but, if that "workout" was like weights or that sort of more power-oriented workout or particularly non-weight bearing exercise to your legs; it really affects your running performance (not positively).  On the other side of the coin, if you are engaged in more physical type of activities during the day--like chasing kettles or sheep, or carrying water on your shoulders to the well on your feet for 3 hours on way kind of thing; then whether you had actually done much running or not in a systematic way may not matter that much. 

                           

                          All this being said, however, it would probably pay to be cautious in the beginning; sometimes fresh legs can take quite a bit at first.  Then they'll feel it most probably 2 days later and they may be sore or joints and tendons hurt or whatever.  After a week or so, the enthusiasm may wind down a bit...  Especially in the begining, the best time to stop is when you feel you want to do just a tad more; not twice as much as you thought you could have done in the beginning.  Leave that "urge" in you (or her, in this case) so you'd feel just as enthused tomorrow and next week and 3 weeks from now. 

                           

                          Congratulations to her nevertheless.  Keep it up!!

                            Wow, your wife did an awesome job!

                             

                            I think that you got great advice but I'll add a little.  In addition to allowing your wife to dictate the pace and the run, also let her be the one that drives her goals.  When I first got into running, I was shooting for a HM for a cause and my goal was to do it any way that I could.  My hubby started saying, "Well, you need to do ........"  While I appreciated the encouragement, I had to stop him several times and tell him to give me support but not a plan or my goal.  I needed to find my own incentive.  Eventually I found myself.  Turned out that my plans encompassed many of the things that he had originally said that I needed to do but the difference was that I arrived at the plan myself and was much more committed.

                             

                            Also, I agree with Aussie girl about telling your wife about how great her butt looks.  Over and over and over.  My hubby doesn't run with me much (I now run too long for him.Smile) but he when he does, he requests to get behind me and enjoy the view.  Corny but it makes me smile.

                            LedLincoln


                            not bad for mile 25

                              Good advice here.

                               

                              Be encouraging.

                              Let her control her own progress, i.e. don't tell her what to do, but offer advice if she asks.

                              Be okay with her running on her own or with a friend on occasion instead of with you.


                              That's Ms Squeak to you!

                                Hooray! my gorgeous man asked to start running with me about a year and half ago, and now he runs more than I do. AND he did a 50:33 10k in May. Woot! Very exciting, makes me proud all the time Smile We go for a romantic run around the local lake on Friday nights, and then get takeaway food afterwards, and try to convince ourselves that it evens out. LOL SmileSmileSmile

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