Running advice

[ziggy]

Any runners in the house???

For the past two months I've been trying to exercise 6 hours per week, through some combination of cycling/ walking & running. ( Lost 9 pounds so far, woohoo! )
I'm trying to get to the point where I can run 3 miles nonstop, right now I can run about 1 mile without stopping... on a good day. Today was not that good.
What I did today was run 1/2 mile, walk 1/4 mile... wash-rinse-repeat 4 times until I reach 3 miles.

Any advice on what I can do to be able to run the full 3 miles by mid December???? (my goal)

[SWedd523]

I've run cross country at my high school, and while I've always been in good shape from basketball and soccer, I found it difficult at first to run a steady three miles.

Most importantly, its basically up to how you push yourself, you have to WANT to run the distance. Always have an iPod or something to take your mind off your fatigue. If not, then count your steps or hum a beat or something in your head. Don't concentrate on being tired.

Make sure you breathe correctly. I've been told to breathe in through my nose, and out through my mouth. You usually get cleaner oxygen through your nose because it filters more pollution. Also, pace your breaths--take deep slow breaths for long distances, not short sharp ones. If you start getting tired, a few DEEEEEP breaths usually calm you back down. (Also, don't run with your head down. Keep your head up and focus on an object you want to reach). Never stop and walk, if you stop your jog then it's even harder to start back up again. And don't waste your energy by swinging your arms really far, but take long leg strides

Don't eat before or drink cold cold water. Try and set goals. This week, one mile. Next week, mile and a half, etc. Eat bananas or potassium after, and try and walk about 1/4 a mile.


What works for me: Singing a nice fast-paced hip-hop/dance song in my head to "keep my energy up" (or get pissed off about something haha), breathe deeply and at an even pace, focus on an object to reach, and tell myself to never stop running. In 2-3 months I got my 5K time down to about 19 minutes

But ultimately, you have to find what works for you. Experiment with different things and find your comfort zone:biggrin:

[ziggy]

Thanks Swedd, one thing jumped out that I must be doing wrong. I have a tendency to run with my head down ( looking at the pavement ahead of me ). The next time that I'm out, I'll focus on keeping my head up.

Another dumb question: How long should I stretch prior to running?

[SWedd523]

I honestly don't stretch much. I lift weights and stay active, but the worst part of my regimen is stretching. Feels useless since I'm young:rolleyes:

But realistically, just do some leg stretches--quads, hammys, and calves. I usually do some walk-sprint-jog-walks to loosen up and get them warm. But once again, since I'm younger than you I don't need as much to warm up

[ziggy]

Youth BAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Man, Enjoy it while you have it. :)

[Muttley]

I'm actually running a marathon in Raleigh on Nov. 2nd. I'm not a very competitive runner, I'm just running it to do it. Anyways, I was going to give you advice about running, but Swedd covered it very well.

For stretching, I've found it to be very important. Obviously since we're not high schoolers, it's probably going to be more important for you or I, Ziggy, than it would be for Swedd. I stretch everything; calves, hamstrings, quads, groin, etc. If you have the time, it's probably worth it. For a really good hamstring stretch, lie on your back and use a door jamb or someone else to push against your leg. After ten seconds or so, resist back against the stretch (pushing your leg against the wall or friend's hand) for 10 more seconds. After that, stretch again and you should find that you can actually stretch farther than you did before. Flexibility will help you run further and also prevent injury.

[SWedd523]

:biggrin::biggrin:don't hate me 'cause you ain't me. HAYYY

No but really, running technique is also really big. I've been told to run with using more hips than legs. Its hard to explain over the computer. But when you run try lifting your legs up at your hips instead of knees. Thats why marathon runners look weird. It saves energy to use a joint instead of a muscle I guess.

Also try and land with as much flat-footedness as possible. Landing with a lot of heel causes shin splints.. and I don't know about you but I HATE shin splints

[x2pacalypse]

HIIT i think its called high impact intensity training

basically its running as hard as u can for 30 seconds, then jogging for a minute, then full out sprint again for another 30 seconds

at first do this until u cant do it any longer, then try to improve every day

its supposedly great for ur metabolism/cardio routine

[ziggy]

Thanks for all of the advice, its been very helpful. Since the first post about 2 weeks back, I've made some progress. Yesterday I ran 2.3 miles without stopping to walk, and I felt like I could have made it to 3 or 2.5 at the least but my knee felt a little funny so I stopped. The knee in question didn't bother me all day until about 6pm and its been kind of tender since then. I'm hoping that a good nights sleep gets everything back to normal.
If the knee isn't a problem I should get to the 3 mile mark soon.

[Muttley]

I ran 26.2 miles today!

It was awesome.

[ziggy]

I ran 26.2 miles today!

It was awesome.

Man, congratulations! Completing a marathon is an amazing feat. How long did the run take, and were there any parts of the run where you thought that you might not make it?

[Muttley]

Man, congratulations! Completing a marathon is an amazing feat. How long did the run take, and were there any parts of the run where you thought that you might not make it?
Thanks! I was running almost the whole way with my girlfriend so that really helped me through a lot of it and then at the end I just flat out ran as fast as I could for about 3 miles. I finished with a time of 4:20:15, which beats a ten-minute mile pace, which was what I was hoping for.

[amour217]

Here's some running advice: find Sean May, tie some twinkies around your neck....RUN!