The OFFICIAL Unofficial Achewood Message Board
Trivial Pursuits => Sports & Leisure => Topic started by: jay-ell on March 19, 2012, 09:19:25 pm
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So, I'm running now or something. Walking briskly, with brief bursts of speed. Apparently I'm doing it wrong.
I went with Pedro this morning and he was surprised at how fast I was going, when I was going. I basically speedwalk for about 5 - 8 minutes, then put on a burst and run at (what he calls) "top speed" for 45 seconds to a minute, then continue speedwalking for another 5 or so. I keep the pace up between sprints to keep the cardio going, but apparently it is weird that my only two speeds are "brisk" and "roadrunner." He jogs most of the way, and we both average out to about a 15 minute mile. He says I run three times as fast but only sustain it a quarter as long, and my walking speed is almost as fast as his jogging speed.
I am not having too much trouble with getting overly winded, but my legs are so sore that it's keeping me from sprinting for as long as I would otherwise be able to. The shins, mainly. It's definitely muscle tenderness, not joint pain, so I'm hoping I can just work through it until it goes away. We are both eschewing expensive trainers for flat shoes and using the "barefoot runner" technique of running on the balls of the feet and toes, which actually feels much more natural and comfortable to me than wearing trainers and landing on the heel. But it works different muscle groups than walking does and the shin splints are really keeping me from being able to push myself as hard as I'd like.
Pedro thinks it would be easier on my muscles if I ran more slowly for a longer stretch of time. And he's probably right. But I don't get the concept of running slow. I don't know how to moderate my speed at all. How do I get my body to move as if I'm running if I'm not going full tilt? In my mind, it's binary -- you're either running or you're not. How fast do you run? As fast as you can. If you're not going as fast as possible, you're obviously not running.
What do y'all experienced runners think? Should I keep doing it my way and just keep taking ibuprofin? Am I going to cause lasting damage to my body this way? If I need to change the way I run, how do I turn off this instinct to try to break the sound barrier every time I decide to go full on? Anything y'all can share will almost certainly be helpful.
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I bet your muscle composition is fast-twitch predominant JL. I have the same approach to running, and I learned it in the boy scouts. Apparently American Indians would use this as a way to cover long distances quickly; alternating a run with fast walking (boy scout lore - I have no idea whether this is true). I'm not a long-distance runner at all, but I've covered 7-10 miles as a means of transportation many times using the technique (I didn't have a car in college). I believe its better for your joints; jogging combines the pounding of a run with the extended time of a walk. The worst of both worlds. In any case, you have instinctively picked a gait that works for you. Pedro might be (is probably) built differently.
The soreness you are experiencing is surely normal adjustment. I think repeated, short bouts of exercise is what you need to get through the adaptation period. Shin splints are no joke though, and you should treat them with ice and ibuprofen. If you don't get past them in a week or so, take some time off the runs and get them settled down. Short of giving yourself frostbite you can't overdo icing. Do it even on days you don't run, and more than once a day if you can manage it.
Its worth remembering that you need to be in shape to run - that you don't get in shape by running. Sedentary folks who suddenly start running miles inevitably get injured. The best progression is walks, long walks, long walks with periods of jogging/running, decreasing time walking during the workout, full running workout. Or so I hear.
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At the risk of making this TL;DR, I forgot a couple things worth mentioning:
1) Running on soft surfaces (e.g. a soccer field) is one way to keep the shin splints at bay until you're conditioned. You can run the perimeter (or hopefullly there's more than one field around) if you want to do distance, or you could do sprints down them (my preference for running training).
2) When you're doing the dog trot technique, pick a number of steps that you will run or walk for; I usually go 50 to 100. You'll walk the 50 steps slower than the 50 running strides, but that will give you time to recover for the next bout. It gets tedious pretty quickly, but after a while you'll understand the timing better and can sort of go automatic. If you want to listen to something pick music over a podcast.
3) Get dixie cups, fill them with water and freeze them. That's pretty much a perfect 1 icing session dose. As the ice melts you tear the cup away. Keeps your fingers from freezing too.
I'm sure I'll think of more.
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Ah, good to know I am not a freak. Or at least that I'm not the only one.
The soreness you are experiencing is surely normal adjustment. I think repeated, short bouts of exercise is what you need to get through the adaptation period. Shin splints are no joke though, and you should treat them with ice and ibuprofen. If you don't get past them in a week or so, take some time off the runs and get them settled down. Short of giving yourself frostbite you can't overdo icing. Do it even on days you don't run, and more than once a day if you can manage it.
Pedro came home from work with similar information re: shin splints. I did ice them down this morning, and he suggested I do strength training exercises for a few weeks to get my calves beefed up (ha ha ha).
Its worth remembering that you need to be in shape to run - that you don't get in shape by running. Sedentary folks who suddenly start running miles inevitably get injured. The best progression is walks, long walks, long walks with periods of jogging/running, decreasing time walking during the workout, full running workout. Or so I hear.
I like to think I wasn't completely sedentary before -- I do walk regularly, not super long distances but half a mile here, half a mile there. I live in a neighborhood such that I can walk to Starbucks, Barnes and Noble, the grocery store, my mom's house, etc., and whenever I have the option (e.g. it's not pouring down rain, I don't have the kids with me, I'm not in a super big hurry) I generally don't drive anyplace I can walk. But on the other hand, I wouldn't call myself "in shape" to begin with, either -- so this is good advice. I should probably stress out less about running more minutes and worry more about making sure I don't injure myself so badly I have to give it up entirely.
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Get a jump rope (a real one) to train your shins out of the splints.
That, sir, is a fine idea. Need to teach my kids to jump rope anyway. Danger Boy can manage it but slowly; Chaos Girl doesn't really get the concept. Neither of them has double dutched yet, I was not an athlete in grade school but I was wicked good at double dutch 'cause it's all rhythm.
We also have a 14' trampoline in the backyard. Some time on there would probably help.
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That works out because the most I have at this point in my life is 30 minutes 3x/week. I'm a busy lady.
I don't know how this is going to play out when the girl is out of school for the summer and it's too hot by 6 AM to go outside without fainting, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it I suppose.
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Sorry, what? Does 5:00 come twice a day now?
Oh, yes, I remember 5 AM. Back in college, that's what I called "bedtime."
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Heeeey, remember when I jumped rope (http://youtu.be/qyT6gkJ9yF4)?
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Re: your shin splints/leg pains. Stretch. Stretch. Stretch. Before AND after you run. Your yoga background should help you here -- think of the usual leg stretches (forward bends, Janu Shirsasana, Paschimotanasana) or standing balances to strengthen the lower leg muscles (Tree, Warrior 3, Standing Bow).
I would work on running continuously -- gradually upping the distance that you are actually running. If you run regularly, the amount of progress you make (and make quickly) will surprise you. As I've probably mentioned before, for me a huge part of running is mental -- finding that determination to just not stop. I'm not saying that your run/walk method is bad, but if it were me I'd be trying to make the run parts longer and the walks shorter every day. You CAN do it.
Also, if you have a smartphone, a run tracking application like Runkeeper (http://runkeeper.com/home) is really useful and motivational.
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Re: your shin splints/leg pains. Stretch. Stretch. Stretch. Before AND after you run. Your yoga background should help you here -- think of the usual leg stretches (forward bends, Janu Shirsasana, Paschimotanasana) or standing balances to strengthen the lower leg muscles (Tree, Warrior 3, Standing Bow).
Yes, I'm doing lots of this. Tons of Warrior 1&2, and trikonasana/triangle to get the hamstrings. Hadn't considered using balance poses to work the calves. Pedro doesn't stretch at all! I was horrified.
Also, if you have a smartphone, a run tracking application like Runkeeper (http://runkeeper.com/home) is really useful and motivational.
I'm using Runkeeper alongside Zombies, Run (https://www.zombiesrungame.com/). Those of you who know my real name can follow me on Twitter @[First][Last]; I've been tweeting my progress when I remember. I've also got a "health goals" circle on G+ for those who are interested in hearing about stuff there.
I've got a review of ZR in the pipeline; I'll post a link when it goes live. (I submitted it last night.)
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I'm using Runkeeper alongside Zombies, Run (https://www.zombiesrungame.com/).
Will you be my Runkeeper friend, JL?
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There are friends now? I haven't fucked with the social bit yet. Add me and I'll try to figure out how to accept. PM me if you need a username or something.
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I did what ended up being about a 14-minute mile today, alternating running and walking. I had taken more than a week off from actually running, but I kept up walking and iced my shins and did crazy amounts of stretches until the shin splints faded. Thanks for all the advice on getting those calmed down.
Today was the first day I've actually run at all, and I took jaydub's advice and sought out unpaved trails at a large park that happens to be adjacent to my kids' speech therapy office. I dropped Chaos Girl off for her 45-minute session and walked/ran almost two miles. It would have been more but I was worried about not being able to get back before her session ended -- next time I'll take the full loop instead of cutting across the community center parking lot. It's a great trail; shady, with soft mat and not a lot of roots or stones to trip you up. It's also where I run on Fridays when Chaos Girl has a dance class in the afternoons.
Ultimately, I would like to be able to run the full loop without walking (1.4 miles). It would be cool to be able to run it twice. But I would settle for being able to run it once and walk it once in the thirty minutes or so I have available (after allowing travel time to walk the quarter-mile to and from the clinic).
So there it is. A specific, attainable goal has emerged. I'll let you know how that works out.
In the meantime, thanks for all the advice. I am really starting to believe that there is more collective knowledge on this board than just about anywhere else on the planet.
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I did what ended up being about a 14-minute mile today, alternating running and walking.
Good jerb!
Ultimately, I would like to be able to run the full loop without walking (1.4 miles). It would be cool to be able to run it twice. But I would settle for being able to run it once and walk it once in the thirty minutes or so I have available (after allowing travel time to walk the quarter-mile to and from the clinic).
So there it is. A specific, attainable goal has emerged. I'll let you know how that works out.
Excellent. That's what I do. I keep a goal in the back of my head and just keep after it. I'm not so worried about how long it takes me to get there, as long as I'm making steady progress. And then when I get there, I move the bar to the next one. Current goal - 50 miles this month.
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I've been running with a guy that is ridiculously faster than me for the last month and a half or so. It is extremely aggravating during the runs themselves, but I'm getting faster, so I guess it's working.
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Ach, I screwed myself up today. For one, it is EIGHTY FIVE fuck*ng DEGREES and I did not take a bottle of water. Second, I decided, "I'm short on time today, so I'll do a different trail; I think this one is only a mile, I don't need to check a map." D'oh!
The one I chose is actually the longest of the three; I had to cut across the playground area in the center of the park in order to pick up Chaos Girl on time. But, it encouraged me to run harder, with fewer walk breaks, I guess. My first mile was the slowest of the three; after I hit the fifteen minute mark and realized how far I had to go, I hoofed it. Also, a greater percentage of the longer trail is paved, and I try to avoid running on paved areas out of respect for my joints and bones.
Also, I didn't have time to run last week because my brother was in town. I am going to be so fuck*ng sore tomorrow.
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I did what ended up being about a 14-minute mile today, alternating running and walking. I had taken more than a week off from actually running, but I kept up walking and iced my shins and did crazy amounts of stretches until the shin splints faded. Thanks for all the advice on getting those calmed down.
Today was the first day I've actually run at all, and I took jaydub's advice and sought out unpaved trails at a large park that happens to be adjacent to my kids' speech therapy office. I dropped Chaos Girl off for her 45-minute session and walked/ran almost two miles. It would have been more but I was worried about not being able to get back before her session ended -- next time I'll take the full loop instead of cutting across the community center parking lot. It's a great trail; shady, with soft mat and not a lot of roots or stones to trip you up. It's also where I run on Fridays when Chaos Girl has a dance class in the afternoons.
Ultimately, I would like to be able to run the full loop without walking (1.4 miles). It would be cool to be able to run it twice. But I would settle for being able to run it once and walk it once in the thirty minutes or so I have available (after allowing travel time to walk the quarter-mile to and from the clinic).
So there it is. A specific, attainable goal has emerged. I'll let you know how that works out.
In the meantime, thanks for all the advice. I am really starting to believe that there is more collective knowledge on this board than just about anywhere else on the planet.
If you are using minimal trainers, easing into it is good -- this is what I did. You will find the calves and shins beef up to adjust to the load.
I would suggest doing at the very least bodyweight squats or glute-ham raises (you can do a ghetto version with a bosu ball) to increase burst speed, which takes place entirely in the posterior chain.
for the love of the levantine giraffe-god Dagon, do yourself a favor and get a foam roller. You will not regret it.
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eet ees la brujeria
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I haven't been running for a while due to time factors and now it's too hot to run outdoors. I did get myself a dang ol' jump rope, though, and have been spending time in the (relative) cool of the evening on the kids' trampoline when possible.
I am possibly training for a zombie 5K this fall. We'll see. I can't think past Friday just yet -- this is Danger Boy's last week of school, with all the usual end-of-year shenanigans.
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I haven't been running for a while due to time factors and now it's too hot to run outdoors. I did get myself a dang ol' jump rope, though, and have been spending time in the (relative) cool of the evening on the kids' trampoline when possible.
I am possibly training for a zombie 5K this fall. We'll see. I can't think past Friday just yet -- this is Danger Boy's last week of school, with all the usual end-of-year shenanigans.
This zombie 5K, tell me more.
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http://www.raleighmudrun.com/ (http://www.raleighmudrun.com/)
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I'm doing this thing again.
Over Turkey Holidays we were in a hotel with a fitness room so Pedro and I took it in turns to go treadmilling every other day. I'm trying to keep the momentum going and get some kind of cardio 3x/week but with Danger Boy home from school it's been a challenge. On Monday we raked leaves together. Today I put him on his new bike (no training wheels!) and tried to keep up with him.
I got home about five minutes ago and I think at this point it's safe to say that I've made a terrible mistake. If you never hear from me again, it's fairly safe to assume that the exertion has killed me.
The sweet thing actually kept hitting his brakes early on in the run, and I thought he was just nervous about being a little unsteady still. But then he was going downhill and cruising just fine and he hit the brakes and swerved a bit, and I started to get suspicious. "Are you slowing down so I don't have to run, buddy?" I asked.
"Yeah," he replied, grinning his cute little toothless first-grader grin, and I melted a bit.
"Bud, you're supposed to be making me run," I explained, and he smiled again and took off.
Those were the last words I was able to say 'til we got home.
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So, I downloaded the couch-to-5K mission packs for Zombies, Run! and my plan is to work through the 8-week mission pack between now and the Boy's next track-out period. By the time he gets another three-week break, which starts the second week of February, my goal is to be able to run alongside his bike for thirty minutes. (We don't get snow in February here; it might be cold but it'll still be warm & dry enough to run outside.)
I have no idea how reasonable this is, but the app seems to think it can train me to run a 5K in eight weeks so I suppose anything is possible.
Oh, and I took y'all's advice and got myself some actual running shoes. It seems to help with the shin splints so now I can focus on building my cardio. Not that I don't get sore, but now it tends to hurt after running, not during.
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4 months ago I couldn't run half a mile. I currently run 8 miles a day, so I might have advice for you. At work/on iPhone so not now though. Also, I have gained mad weight in fat since I started running so I may want advice from you peeps too.
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Folks tend to think they can eat more because they're exercising. Pro tip: exercising actually doesn't burn many calories...and it does make you hungrier. If you're male, put on some slabs of lean mass with weight training and your portion control can slip a little. Also, lots of running with a belly will tend to make your belly bigger for the same reason boobs head south when brassieres are forsaken by the bodacious. Running itself is actually not a very good way to lose weight.
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I'm still on my iPhone for at least a while, but, well I guess I have kinda thought about stopping the running except for I fuck*ng love it and it makes me feel great. Like I have anxiety and OCD issues, and running kills that shit dead.
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You go JL. You go girl.
WOOOOOOOOOO!
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Thanks. Pedro seems to think that keeping up with a nearly-eight-year-old on his bike is too lofty a goal for most people, especially a non-athlete like me. Maybe so -- but at the moment I can only keep running pace for forty seconds at a time, so there's nowhere to go but up.
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I'm still on my iPhone for at least a while, but, well I guess I have kinda thought about stopping the running except for I fuck*ng love it and it makes me feel great. Like I have anxiety and OCD issues, and running kills that shit dead.
That is a much better reason for running than trying to lose weight.
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Yeah, so the advantage this time of getting back in the saddle is that I retained the muscle that I built up earlier and my legs aren't hurting like they were before, at all. That could also be partially because I finally got some decent running shoes, but even my butt muscles, which used to kill me after every session, haven't bothered me in the least this time through.
So that's something.
Also, I totally fucked up my lower back the other day, but my PT said that as long as it didn't hurt *while* running, movement and exercise is the absolute best thing for the kind of compression pain I have, so he gave me his blessing to keep right on. Which is good, because the only thing it really hurts to do at this point is sit.
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I'm glad you're not butthurt.
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Welp, I did 4.5k in 45 minutes today, that's a step I guess.
I might have gone 5k but the training program made me stop for knee lifts every 2 minutes five times between sprints, and there was a full 2-minute stretch break that had me not moving at all, so that nerfed my mileage/pace a bit.
Also, I added "Don't Fear the Reaper" to my playlist today, and that is a pretty good one for running from invisible zombies.
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Seriously.
This app is pretty awesome, it tells a story that makes the training drills make sense. "Oh, we're training you so that you can collect supplies for us, so just take a quick jog around the camp, OH WAIT THERE ARE SHAMBLERS IN THEM THERE HILLS, run, motherfucker! *BAM* OK, we got 'em, you can walk again."
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Today I squeezed in a run even though Chaos Girl was off school by taking her to a playground and running the trail that circles it, like, twenty times in a row. Thanks to the leaves not yet being on the trees, I could keep her in my sight the whole time.
So that's neat -- I might not have to miss my training the whole time she's out of school in June. Unless, of course, that it's too hot to run on a nearly shadeless trail by then.
This is the only time in my life I've ever thought that it might sort of make sense to have a treadmill t in my house. Can you rent those?
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Best bet is to get one cheap off Craigslist. No shortage of them. You will use it 3 times in the first week, once a week for another month, twice in the following 6 months. Then you will put it on Craigslist.
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Well, I just want to use it for a month between the time my daughter finishes preschool in June and the time she starts Kindergarten in July, but I would use it 3x/wk during that time. After that if it's too hot or cold to run outside I can go to the gym.
I looked on CL and they range in price from "what's the catch?" to "delusional." I'm not sure I can justify paying $200 for something I know will be obsolete in a month, but I suppose that if I can re-sell it for even half of what I paid for it, it'll be worthwhile.
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I broke 5K in 52 minutes today for the first time. And I totally got hit with freezing rain halfway through, so I'm double bad-ass today.
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I haven't run in 2 weeks because of a (knee) problem.
I'm going to run tonight. Wish my knee luck.
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I'm on my own '5k a day' plan and stroking hard.
Every day? 7 a week? Damn!
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Yeah, I can only manage 3x/week due to scheduling. But I think even if I had time for more I wouldn't be able to get by without my day in between to recover.
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I find that I'm less sore if I only skip one day in between -- not sore at all any more actually -- but I don't do nearly as well on the second day if I go twice in a row. I need the day in between to regain my *mental* energy, if not my physical stamina.
Today I ran 6 minutes straight (no walk break) for the first time ever in my entire life. That is pretty amazing, both in the accomplishment and the fact that it took me 34 years to get there. On Saturday I'm going to go for 7 without a stop, which is the amount of time allowed between stretch breaks in the training program this week. Then on Monday I'm going to try to do it twice in a row with only a 2 minute break in between.
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Okay, so I run a lot. I smoke like 2 packs a day and rolled my own cigarettes with no filters for 8 years before I started running. I had never run and literally couldn't run 2 blocks straight 9 months ago. Now I run about 10 miles a day (I just switched to mornings, so am cutting myself some slack-did 6-8 mi all last week and 10 today (oh, my weeks start on thursday))...anyways, you will work through that sore unable to run thing. Some days are good and some are bad, but I am generally at like 78-83 minutes for 10 mi no matter how good or shitty I feel that day. I mean, if you are doing a race, yeah, don't run the day before (i would actually not run two days before, then run much less than usual/the race length the day before), but you can run consistently daily without a weekly break, not to mention a break every other day. All you have to do is run! Every fuck*ng day. And it gets better as you go. And don't let your mind tell you what your body can do. That little thing inside you that is all, yo, I am sore, why I am doing this... be all hey me, I am going to run for at least 6 minutes straight and then see how I feel, and then I am going to keep running, because I ran six minutes straight yesterday and I can again today.
Also, everything you eat is wrong, if you are like most people at least. Probably the easiest solution would be to have a really big spinach salad with no dressing for breakfast and at least 3-4 more servings of raw fruits or veggies throughout the day. That will make you feel full and make your body feel amazing, in general and for running purposes.
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Also, I drink 6 liters of water a day and no soda or coffee. That might be too much, but stay really hydrated.
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That's pretty fast, Keith!
I have been off for 3 weeks with a sore knee and circumstances. But I'm back running tomorrow. Knee is much better -- it was weird and I knew I needed to rest for a while because I had "pain" instead of "soreness" if you know what I mean.
I run four days a week, usually between 4.5 and 5 miles at about 9:30 per. I also have the vinyasa yoga thing going on at least 5 days a week, generally right before I run. Tennis season is starting up and we'll usually play 3 - 4 times a week so sometimes I'll sub out some tennis for a run, especially in the high summertime.
I have missed running like hell for the past 3 weeks. It's like I have all this spare energy that's not getting burned off. I was afraid I was going to pack on the weight without running, but so far it seems like I haven't. I eat more when I run.
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I mean -- in addition to the thing where running daily makes me wear out faster, which I know will improve with time -- there's also this problem I have where I am not a single guy with relatively few responsibilities.
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I am not a single guy with relatively few responsibilities.
Oh this is so huge.
I mean, it kind of sucks for your kids to grow up and not be little and sweet and cute and so forth any more. But it sure is nice when they grow up enough to drive themselves around to their own crap. So much time for activities!
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My sainted wife is struggling with this right now. In a sense, its her own fault: she encouraged my daughter to try out for the traveling basketball league (on top of her school team and CYO) and get on a swim team. I think she had thought through the schedule hit for our daughter, but not so much for herself. I'm coaching for 2 nights a week, plus both weekend days for 3-6 hours at a stretch. She also has this hangup at the moment where if she can't make the specific class she wants, she just skips exercising that day. She had been making pretty good progress with Weight Watchers and her exercise program - but now she's back to just trying to control portion size (which is good and all, but probably not enough). My mantra for her is if there is no time in the schedule, then you have to make time. Prioritize yourself above some of the other things in the list.
This didn't use to be so much of an issue (my daughter's schedule) because my niece was generally available to take care of the little guy. This semester she has all night classes though, so that put us back in the same boat as most other parents of young kids with regard to free time for caring for ourselves.
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I mean -- in addition to the thing where running daily makes me wear out faster, which I know will improve with time -- there's also this problem I have where I am not a single guy with relatively few responsibilities.
Oh, I get that, even if it seemed like I didn't. What I am saying is whenever your excersize fits into your schedule do not let your head control your body. Your body is much stronger than your head thinks, at least if you are like me.
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Ugh, I did NOT manage to run as long at a stretch this time. I did five minutes straight and then burned out. I couldn't sustain a run for more than 2 minutes after that without feeling lightheaded.
I don't know what the deal was -- I ran counter-clockwise on a trail I usually run clockwise and it seemed steeper in that direction, but I also worked 7 hours (with very little sitting) before hitting the trail so maybe my legs were a little fatigued from running around the store all morning. Or maybe I was just having trouble getting enough oxygen in the pollen-so-thick-you-can-see-it haze that has descended upon the Carolinas. Regardless, I don't feel like I had a really good quality run today but I guess you can't hit them out of the park every time.
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I'm just telling you what works for me-ymmv.
So yeah, do not make excuses like you were working or the pollen haze, etc., just think okay, I didn't do as well today, but I will do better tomorrow (next time for you). When you say things like what you say you are making excuses, which makes it out of your control, but it is very much in your control. My way you just think, okay, I did my honest best today and will again next time. Also, it is a really good idea to switch directions every other time you run outside if you have an established course. Almost mandatory.
My mantra (?) is no personal limitations- just think that when you run and try to get to a place mentally where you are thinking about nothing while running, then you hopefully won't think about how hard it is.
Also- raw veggies!!!
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I don't feel like I'm trying to make excuses. I'm trying to figure out whether the fact that I didn't perform as well or better was something over which I have control, or if it was just the way things were.
I mean, obviously if am running a steeper incline I am going to get tired faster. I don't mind my pace getting nerfed if it means I'm still getting a good workout. But I don't really feel like I did -- I felt like my body gave out sooner than usual and I didn't get the most out of my run yesterday. I am wondering if there's a reason for that so that I can avoid that kind of situation in the future. Schedule my run for a time other than "right after work?" Eat a better/lighter/more veg-oriented lunch? Or was it just the air being heavy with pollen making me lightheaded and I wasn't going to get a good outdoor run regardless?
My sinuses are completely fucked up today so I think maybe it was the latter. In which case -- yeah, try try again. Unfortunately it doesn't look like I'll be able to try that particular trail again tomorrow because my kid has been puking all day and isn't going to be able to go to school. I'll have to do the trail near my house instead, which is flatter and not as pretty.
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We all have off days but what makes a real difference is that you were sub-optimal AND YOU STILL RAN.
OK, that is a big deal. A lot bigger than falling some small percentage short of your performance goals. You can't fail if you don't perform, risking failure is a mental hurdle on the route to being a Tough Guy (wimmen admitted). Stay committed, chicky-boo-boo.
(hey eggman, the hinge letting you run it out?)
Yeah, pretty much. Hip problems are back, but I just have to go back to rolling them I think.
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We all have off days but what makes a real difference is that you were sub-optimal AND YOU STILL RAN.
OK, that is a big deal. A lot bigger than falling some small percentage short of your performance goals. You can't fail if you don't perform, risking failure is a mental hurdle on the route to being a Tough Guy (wimmen admitted). Stay committed, chicky-boo-boo.
(hey eggman, the hinge letting you run it out?)
Yeah, I don't know what the deal was. I did run that same trail again yesterday and felt like I hammered it home, so I'm gonna blame the yellow haze making it hard to breathe and move on with my life. I didn't make it to 7 minutes x 2 reps but I did a 7 and a 5 (along with a couple of 2s and 3s with brisk walking in between) so I'm going to take that as a win.
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My biggest advice for runners these days is to wear armor. Jeez.
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I knew we could count on you Bobby.
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Well if more runners had bombs then we wouldn't have to worry about bombers.
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I had another terrible run today, but I know the reason. This might be TMI, but I'm having my Lady Days and it was brutal. Forget what those Tampax commercials show you about spinning on the beach in white dresses, it is hard to keep pounding the pavement when your uterus is trying to kill you from the inside.
Exercise is supposed to help with cramps, but I imagine that's just because if you work out long enough while menstruating you eventually pass out for a few days and consequently don't notice them.
Gah. I'm going to re-run this mission on Saturday and see if I can kick its ass, because today, it kicked mine.
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Well if more runners had bombs then we wouldn't have to worry about bombers.
That's a 1000 can quote.
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Gah. I'm going to re-run this mission on Saturday and see if I can kick its ass, because today, it kicked mine.
Some days are just like that. Tomorrow's a new one.
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Exercise is supposed to help with cramps, but I imagine that's just because if you work out long enough while menstruating you eventually pass out for a few days and consequently don't notice them.
Yeah, in my experience that is total bullshit, like everything else that's supposed to help with cramps other than dangerous quantities of ibuprofen. And menopause.
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I'm getting slower. Why am I getting slower?
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I'm getting slower. Why am I getting slower?
One of two reasons:
1. You are pushing yourself too hard.
2. You are not pushing yourself enough.
Due to the mutually contradictory options, diagnosing this can be rather bothersome. Remember the following rules of thumb:
1. The body adapts to whatever stimulus it experiences the most of. If you work it harder, it gets harder. Consequently if you let yourself lapse, it will revert to a softer state.
2. Joints and tendons and fascia and other soft tissue take much longer to adapt than muscle and bone.
3. Your muscles and bones will not grow/adapt unless you eat enough protein and rest.
What is your routine?
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Okay, this is as simple as I can say it and running is the only thing I've ever been decent at- stop making excuses- you've said you aren't making excuses as you are making excuses here in the last two pages- no pollen, no period, no bullshit. Second- dont worry about how fast you are going, why you aren't going longer, etc. What you do is you say, okay, I am going to run Monday Wednesday and Friday (whatever your schedule is) and on those days you run the best you can. You do it to the point that you know you have done your best and you can be proud of what you've done and you won't need to make excuses and you will run faster eventually.
No one is there with you, no one is watching you, no one is timing you, maybe, MAYBE, two people outside of yourself actually give a fuck about your running, so you do this for yourself. If you are confident you've done your best you will not have to ask questions on message boards, if you are not then it won't matter what the answers are, you will never improve.
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Wow, between the two of you, I would not expect Bobby to be the one with helpful advice, and Keith to be the one that makes me want to throw my laptop out the fuck*ng window.
Bobby, my routine is to run every other day unless some scheduling weirdness prevents it. So generally I do Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Monday etc. Sometimes I have to take two days in between because there is nobody to watch my kids, but I have been guarding my running time pretty closely and, like, scheduling it ahead of time and stuff. I've run at least 3x/wk for 7 weeks and I've been very consistent about it, but because of scheduling I can't run at the same time every day or whatever.
Does that tell you anything? I can't go into any more detail ATM because some friends just arrived to play games.
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JL, when I was in top form and running 3-5 days a week, I would normally see a clear decrease in my stamina on runs the day before/of the start of menstruation.
I just came here to whine. I really miss running. Probably as much as I miss white wine and pasta. Not quite as much as I miss sushi. I am vaguely terrified as to how badly out of shape I'm becoming due to having no choice but to be sedentary. On Friday I was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection. At that moment, I had more things wrong with my body at the same time as I ever have ever. Regular breathing sounds like a tiny rusty hinged door is creaking inside me. Coughing fits make the baby kick. Sigh. There are a bunch of other things wrong with me, all pregnancy induced. I'm getting sick of all the things I'm told will "likely go away at delivery" and especially at women who respond "oh, I loooooved being pregnant" but baby is growing fine despite my deteriorating state. In two weeks we step it up to weekly ultrasounds, weekly visits to the endocrinologist... I'm already on weekly visits with the obstetrician. If I make it out of this pregnancy alive that will be a proof of a strength as great as anything I've accomplished. So I'll use that as fuel to become an even better warrior I guess. Considering the huge ding this has taken out of me physically, it's going to be hard for me to be patient about getting back into form though. I'm looking forward to lots of nice stroller hikes to start with.
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I'm being nicer to you because I am giving you the only advice you ever need. If you follow my advice you will get faster and probably stop worrying about getting faster.
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whatever, simon cowell
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whatever, simon LE cowell
FTFY
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Maybe she's just getting old and her body is starting to fail her.
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yeah I mean if she can't even keep up a regular jogging schedule, she's probably just getting old. That's why senior living communities have nice walking paths with lots of benches that don't stray too far from the housing units. Oh well, you had a good run while you could, ma'am.
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I love that Keith is saying exactly what I said last week and is getting shit on instead of me.
Stay solid, former Met.
::DAP::
(seriously JL, we all hit lulls, just keep running. Your body will figure out you are not fuck*ng around and get with the program. Improvement is not a smooth upward plane, it'll be full of lurches and plateaus. just keep running)
I actually said to Pedro last night, "If Ash had said what Keith is saying, I'd be like, "Oh, that's Ash." But coming from Keith, it's like...fuck, dude. All that weed should be making you more mellow."
I'm not giving up, even if Paul is right and I'm just getting old and falling apart. I mean, the whole point of this is to die young and leave a beautiful corpse, right?
I'm not trying to whine or make excuses. But I keep posting here because, to be perfectly frank, I was not an athlete in the least during the time in my life where I would have had coaches and mentors available to tell me basic things about exercise, so I don't actually know shit about dick when it comes to whipping my lazy ass into shape. I am not trying to be a whiner. I just never learned to tell the difference between "pushing yourself to get stronger" and "pushing yourself so hard you cause injury" and since I can't afford a personal trainer I figure people who have run this course already can probably help me with that.
Is all.
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Sorry, I am really into running, it has changed my life so much and I am just trying to help. These are the things I said and say to myself to get to where I am. I have been getting more and more ash like, at least in my personal opinions (just do stuff, basically, don't let things get in your way-whatever it is that you judge yourself by, our politics are still crazy different I'm sure.)
Seriously though, my advice is just to make yourself proud of what you are doing (like, really really proud) and you will enjoy it more, enjoy your life more, etc... It is easy to tell when you have done enough because you will feel great about yourself. The only time you have an injury to worry about is when you literally like can't walk or something. I've tried to run while injured a lot. It is also easy to tell when you are injured and not hurt or sore or whatever- you will just know. Pay attention to your body, you will have like a breakthrough type thing (it isn't a "high"- it isn't that pronounced) that is good. Pay attention to your body, you absolutely cannot run even though your mind is determined to- that is bad, that is an injury. Make sure that your mind isn't controlling your body- that should get easier to do the more you like running, which should come with running for pride.
I wasn't trying to call you a whiner, that is not what I was thinking or trying to say, but the things that you say completely conflict with what my advice is, so you do have to stop doing that (well, you don't, but that is my advice.) Seriously, do it to make yourself proud and you will eventually love doing it and all of your other issues will fall away- you will know when enough is enough, when you are hurt, how you are doing, etc. On the other hand, maybe I just had something in me that makes me love running and you could never take my advice because it just won't work for you. In that case I would try other cardio things, swimming, biking, whatever, and maybe you love that one and can get to the place I am telling you about with one of those activities. But seriously, I urge you, just try to follow the second paragraph of this post for a few months, then maybe you will understand how I am not being an asshole. Oh, also, I was not athletic either, was an alcoholic coke and pot head for like 6 years. I have smoked cigarettes and weed everyday for 13 years now. You can do this.
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Personally I would rather poke myself in the eye with a pointed stick than run, but I thought Keith's original post was good advice for almost anything you might want to do.
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Wow, between the two of you, I would not expect Bobby to be the one with helpful advice, and Keith to be the one that makes me want to throw my laptop out the fuck*ng window.
Bobby, my routine is to run every other day unless some scheduling weirdness prevents it. So generally I do Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Monday etc. Sometimes I have to take two days in between because there is nobody to watch my kids, but I have been guarding my running time pretty closely and, like, scheduling it ahead of time and stuff. I've run at least 3x/wk for 7 weeks and I've been very consistent about it, but because of scheduling I can't run at the same time every day or whatever.
Does that tell you anything? I can't go into any more detail ATM because some friends just arrived to play games.
Unless you've overstrained your tendons or knee joints, this should be sufficient rest between runs.
1. Eat more protein. Aim for 1 g/lb of body weight. Yes, that's a lot. Deal with it.
2. Improve your posterior chain explosiveness. I am dead fuck*ng serious about this, so much so that I'm passing a prime opportunity to make a fart joke here. Improve the power (vice strength) of your glutes, hams and quads. This means accessory work, to include:
a. Glute-ham raises
b. Squats
c. Deadlifts
d. Power Cleans, if you can find a way to do them conveniently
e. Plyometric versions of the above, where safe and applicable
For your size and strength, this isn't going to require a barbell (though those are rather nice and I recommend them), you can do this with dumbbells. The goal here is to improve your muscle fiber recruitment rate. So lift heavy, and aim for an explosive movement.
3. Get a weighted vest (TKO makes a nice one) and load it to no more than 10% of your bodyweight (and work up to that). Interval running/wind sprints/suicides/whatever.
4. Without going overboard, you might want to look into a creatine supplement pre-run, combined with the above. You're not trying to get swole, but it will provide more sustained energy for your sprints.
The overall goal of all of this is threefold:
1. Improve CNS recruitment of muscle fibers for increased power (work over time).
2. Improve circulatory ability to handle spikes in BP and vascular whatever
3. Strengthen accessory muscles around joints and tendons to help defray some of the shock that would fatigue them
Finally, I'd look into your gait. I may have discussed this before, but if you can master a mid-foot strike (like folks in trainers, minimal shoes, or those vibram monkeyfeet things naturally do) then you will be able to take advantage of the Achilles tendon rebound and get a little more oomph per footfall. This should help with your time as well, but the majority of speed originates in the posterior chain and HIP (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utErvHmNGM0) DRAAAAHVE. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAFbOk4xtS8)
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I have trouble getting enough protein. I will look for ways to get more of it in my life. I also definitely do not get enough sleep, but that's been a chronic problem for years and there is very little I can do about it without quitting my job.
I do not have a lot of time to lift. It is hard enough to find time to run in the first place. That said, my training program has squats/lifts/etc built in to help with building muscle, and I try to do heel lifts and half squats at random times, like while I'm talking on the phone with my mother or standing around at work with no customers in the store.
As for the weighted vest and supplements, my gut reaction is "I am trying to get healthier, not built" but I will look into it.
I actually did try minimal shoes when I first started running last year, and while I was a crapton faster (wicked fast on sprints, for a white girl anyway) it tore the hell out of my ankles and shins. To the point where I had to stop running altogether for a couple of weeks, it was vicious. Learning how to land on my heels took a little effort and it slowed me down, but it's easier on my joints and I can sustain a sprint much longer at a less intense speed. Since my goal is to run a 5K this year, not to hit a certain pace, being able to sustain a run longer is an improvement.
Today's a run day, we'll see how it goes.
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You can add me to your "street team" on Runkeeper if you're keen to spy.
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Yeah, add me too.
JL, for now just keep doing what you're doing. The important thing at this stage of the game is establishing the habit and the routine of running regularly. I think you are very close to seeing some significant progress. One day soon you'll be out running and you'll find yourself running farther than you have before and it's feeling good. You'll feel like you can just keep on going, so you do. That's a good day.
So much of running is mental. Your attitude is so important. Part of it is just plain stubbornness -- even though it's unpleasant for the moment, I undertook to run X miles and By Gawd I'm gonna finish 'em. Part of it is subtler too. My expectations for a run tend to be self-fulfilling prophecies. If I start of thinking I don't feel good or it's too cold or it's just going to be hard today that generally comes true. Of course, it's tough to avoid those kinds of thoughts, especially when there's an objective basis for them. Thoughts about your own limitations can be self-fulfilling prophecies too. You can surprise yourself sometimes and do more than you think.
Why are you running? Do you have a specific goal? I think your approach to running should be driven by that goal. For instance, if your goal is to complete a marathon then there are specific programs you can undertake to accomplish that. If you are looking to improve your 5K time, there are ways to specific things to do to achieve that.
My running goals are just to improve and maintain general fitness. I don't go to races. I'm not very focused on my times -- only to the extent that I try not to let myself slack off by running too slow. I'm not actively trying to shave seconds off my pace, although it's nice when it happens. I'm a little more focused on distance, but only up to a point. I feel good about a run if I know in my heart I pushed myself just a little, if I did what I could. The times and distances that result are secondary.
And these days, a lot of why I run is for the experience in itself. It's nice quiet alone time outside. When I'm finished, I feel like I've accomplished something. When you get in the groove and are cruising along and you're feeling good and you think "I think I'll go another mile" and you go farther than you'd planned to, well, that's a really good feeling, isn't it?
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My goal is to run a 5K by the end of the year. There is one in October I would really like to participate in; it's a fundraiser for the Autism Society. I would like to run the whole 5K without a walk break. Time is not important to me, but if I can run the whole thing I don't see any reason why I wouldn't finish in under 40 minutes.
Right now I'm able to maintain a run 5 - 6 minutes straight without walking, which is up from fivefold from where I started. I was doing a 17 minute mile (mostly running, short walk breaks as needed) pretty solidly for about a week, but then my pace dropped to about 18.5 min/mi and I'm at a loss. If I were staying steady and just not getting any faster I'd be cool with that, but I feel like I've lost some ground and that's very frustrating. I feel like I'm pushing myself just as hard, but I'm wearing out faster and I don't know why.
I don't think it's mental. I had a really good week two weeks ago and went into last week expecting to do well, and it sucked. I realize that everyone has off days, but I had two in a row and I feel like I can't really afford that. I have to schedule my runs ahead of time and I can't squeeze in an extra run to make up for it (good grief, am I ever looking forward to my daughter being in school five days a week).
Pedro said that he would get me a used treadmill off Craigslist for Mother's Day. Being able to run indoors while my kids are playing Minecraft in the next room will be incredible. I could run five days a week, easily (and probably will switch to 5x30 instead of 3x50). I hope we can figure something out soon, though, because as of May 10, one or the other of my kids will be off school every day until July 8.
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I have trouble getting enough protein. I will look for ways to get more of it in my life. I also definitely do not get enough sleep, but that's been a chronic problem for years and there is very little I can do about it without quitting my job.
I do not have a lot of time to lift. It is hard enough to find time to run in the first place. That said, my training program has squats/lifts/etc built in to help with building muscle, and I try to do heel lifts and half squats at random times, like while I'm talking on the phone with my mother or standing around at work with no customers in the store.
As for the weighted vest and supplements, my gut reaction is "I am trying to get healthier, not built" but I will look into it.
I actually did try minimal shoes when I first started running last year, and while I was a crapton faster (wicked fast on sprints, for a white girl anyway) it tore the hell out of my ankles and shins. To the point where I had to stop running altogether for a couple of weeks, it was vicious. Learning how to land on my heels took a little effort and it slowed me down, but it's easier on my joints and I can sustain a sprint much longer at a less intense speed. Since my goal is to run a 5K this year, not to hit a certain pace, being able to sustain a run longer is an improvement.
Today's a run day, we'll see how it goes.
The weighted vest would actually double as a strength builder for your squats (note: for your knees' sake do full squats not half).
Also, please do not fear getting built. You don't have the testosterone for it. It's hard enough for men to get builkt.
Minimals need easing into, but once you build a good shin muscle you become an unstoppable machine. Again, ease into it.
Protein problems? Eggs, and whey protein isolate powder are your friend. Put some whey in everything.
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Keep whacking at the fuck*ng rock, it'll crack eventually.
ALSO: if Bobby keeps talking like that I'ma send him my little gold homey to hang with.
(http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z120/Asherdan93/littlegoldguy_zps0a57a872.jpg)
As if deadlifting 315 is something to write home about. Or is that 4 plates?
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JL, do you hit a point in your running where it seems to get a little easier, or to flow a little better? Can you tell when you've warmed up and hit your stride?
Also, have you messed with changing your stride length or your pace? For me sometimes it can seem to consume more energy to move slower. See how long you can keep a 15 min/mile pace. Are you conscious of how your body is moving -- are your arms moving perpendicular to the plane of your body instead of across it; are you spending too much energy moving up and down rather than forward?
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As if deadlifting 315 is something to write home about. Or is that 4 plates?
Maybe they're 50 kilo plates.
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Maybe they're 50 kilo plates.
If only my gym had them :(
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JL, do you hit a point in your running where it seems to get a little easier, or to flow a little better? Can you tell when you've warmed up and hit your stride?
Also, have you messed with changing your stride length or your pace? For me sometimes it can seem to consume more energy to move slower. See how long you can keep a 15 min/mile pace. Are you conscious of how your body is moving -- are your arms moving perpendicular to the plane of your body instead of across it; are you spending too much energy moving up and down rather than forward?
I can tell that sometimes I feel loose and can run well after my 5-minute warmup walk, and some days my joints just feel tight no matter what I do and I don't move as well.
Today I did better. I felt better, I worked harder, I walked less and felt less miserable afterwards. And my average pace reflected it -- 17:17min/mi, officially. That included my warm-up walk and two 3-minute stretch breaks (as suggested by the training app) so my pace while actually running was closer to 15, I think -- if Runkeeper is to be trusted. That feels really slow to me, but if I go faster I can't sustain it half as long.
Two things I did today: 1) Drank a half liter of Gatorade half an hour before heading out, and 2) concentrated on my breathing. I now suspect mild dehydration has been nerfing my performance and making me sore and tight, and I noticed recently that pain tends to make me hold my breath. Bad combination.
So, more fluid might be the key. I thought I was drinking a ton of water before, but apparently the warmer weather is taking its toll.
Oh, also I noticed today that slowing down to go uphill is counterproductive. So you're right about that, Aug Dogg. The trail I run has a good climb to it -- 130 feet over 2.5 mi, mostly in two long stretches of low-to-moderate grade, so the downhill comes just when I really need a rest. But I've found that when I push to get to the top of the hill faster, rather than trying to conserve my energy in anticipation of the length of the climb, it doesn't hurt as much and I can look forward to it being over faster.
Fortunately the 5K I want to run this fall is a road race Downtown, so it'll be pretty flat. I'm hoping that if I train on hilly terrain, by the time I get to the Ribbon Run it'll seem easy.
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No way man.
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Last thing, who wants post toe nipping photogs?
Hell yes!
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I could take it or leave it. What did you do to yourself?
Pedro is on his way AS I TYPE to pick up my Mother's Day present (a treadmill). Hooray! I am not going to have to miss any of my training while he's out of town next week!
Edit: He picked it up and I am SO excited. He got it for $80 off Craigslist; this model usually retails for $600. So. Stoked.
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Why find out?
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Why find out?
That's way up on my list of favorite Achewood quotes.
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Left big toe...had an infection under the nail that I dug out and drained, that relived the pressure and pain some so I could run and get around to my day, but it needed some pharmaceutical help, then Oakey stomped it and its two adjoining little bothers and smashed them real good. Saw the doctor, got an antibiotic, made an appointment with a foot doctor, he's gonna go a cuttin'. Shit, I'm already missing a pinky toenail from another smashing last month. The foot doc is gonna think I'm either an idiot or some weirdo or both. Whatever, I'm running tomorrow.
Dude, OW.
I just can't seem to hit a natural pace.
Me either. I'd rather run circles around the gym than use the treadmill.
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Having gotten to a certain age, Wombles always assumes that if something hurts, it's permanently broken, the first step on the long slide into decrepitude. It hasn't actually been true yet but that doesn't seem to help.
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Yeah, I tried out the 'mill today and it's certainly not as nice as running outside. I found I had to readjust the speed to match whatever music I was listening to -- just a step up or down as the song changed. Otherwise, I had trouble keeping pace with the belt. It was interesting to see which songs that I chose made me push myself to go a little faster, and which ones gave me a bit of a rest.
Also, it is really hard to skip on a treadmill. This week's built-in strength-builder was skipping, and I had to speed up so that I could skip without breaking stride. It was weird.
Obviously if I had my choice (today excepted, because NEW TOY) I'd rather run outdoors. But if the choice is between running indoors and not running at all because of kidsponsibilities, obviously a treadmill is the solution to that problem. Otherwise I'm afraid I'd be tempted to let my training lapse, and who wants that? Nobody, that's who.
Next week is my last week of training with my couch-to-5K program. I don't know if I'm going to pass the final test (run 5K in under 50 min). But I guess that's why I gave myself 'til October to run a 5K race -- so if I'm not there yet, I've got plenty of time to keep working on it.
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Also, it is really hard to skip on a treadmill. This week's built-in strength-builder was skipping, and I had to speed up so that I could skip without breaking stride. It was weird.
Videos please.
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You do not want to see my fat ass trying to alternate running and skipping on a treadmill. Trust me on this.
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You do not want to see my fat ass trying to alternate running and skipping on a treadmill. Trust me on this.
Don't judge my kink!
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Another thing I tell myself to pump myself up/keep myself going, etc. is a Songs: Ohia lyric- it didn't used to be so hard, it used to be impossible. I like little platitudes I can tell myself, they work for me.
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Another thing I tell myself to pump myself up/keep myself going, etc. is a Songs: Ohia lyric- it didn't used to be so hard, it used to be impossible. I like little platitudes I can tell myself, they work for me.
Like "It works if you work it" "One day at a time" and "the process is a journey not a destination" ?
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You can do a lot in a lifetime
If you don't burn out too fast
You can make the most of the distance
First you need endurance
First you've got to last
Yeah, I try to choose music that not only has a strong beat at a pace that feels natural, but also has lyrics that encourage me to keep going.
I am not that into rap at all, but I just added Eminem's "Lose Yourself" to my playlist and DAYUM that's some good runnin'.
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I do not think it is an exaggeration to suggest that you require far less extrinsic motivation than 99% of the earth's population, Ash.
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I just like music. And having people read stories to me. I'm not doing anything else, so why not take advantage of the available time to listen to something good? If it helps me pick up the pace, so much the better!
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Treadmill is working for its intended purpose of not requiring me to miss training while I am bogged down with kidsponsibilities. However, the kids are so damn fascinated with the thing that I had to stop twice, catch my breath, and yell at the children to keep their hands/bodies/toy cars OFF THE DAMN BELT while I'm running on it.
Nothing can be easy, can it?
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Nothing can be easy, can it?
Nope.
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In 12th grade, megan was pretty easy. Everything else since then has been a gauntlet run through a fiery hellscape in comparison.
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I like little platitudes I can tell myself, they work for me.
My platitude of late is "Zero fucks are given." I hold up my hand and make a zero sign to remind myself.
(Work-related, not so much for running.)
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I had an ex whose motto in life was, "Fuck 'em if they can't take a joke."
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I ran 2 miles in 32 minutes today. I know that is hell of slow, but it's an improvement for me over my previous average pace. Including walk breaks, which used to be much more frequent, my previous best was 17 min/mi and I knocked that out of the park today. I did my first mile in 15:30.
I know that is crazy amounts of slow, and I still have a long way to go to make 5K in under 30 minutes by October, but it's an incremental improvement and I'm damn proud of it.
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That's great! It's not slow if it's faster than you were before. Did you run the whole 2 miles?
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Not quite. My training program plays a song, then about a minute of story, then another song, repeat etc. I was able to run through each song (I choose longer-than-average songs, 5 - 6 minutes) and only walk during the story bits.
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Breaking your rhythm like that may be contributing to your problems. Finding your consistent stride, speed, and breathing makes a big difference.
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You assume that continuing past the six-minute mark won't kill me. Trust me, I *need* the walk breaks to get my breath back at this point.
I used to need them after two minutes, so I'm improving. But I'm not to the point where I can run ten minutes at a stretch yet, and if I try to go too fast I can't even do five.
I'm trying to stretch the amount of time I can do a sustained running pace first, and when I can do half an hour solid I'll start working on improving my speed.
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Here: http://jog.fm/workout-songs/for/15:00/minute-miles
Bump it up to 17 if you need to, but seriously, a sustainable rhythm is going to save you. Once you're warmed up, the breathing takes care of itself. I use marine cadence mp3s because I have too many friends who send me that kind of stuff, but jog.fm seems to work pretty well for anything else.
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Oh, yes. I make my own playlists based (partially) on bpm. Also I've been running on a treadmill due to Circumstances. Hard to unintentionally slow down on a 'mill.
Ash, I've been there. I've also had to drive out and pick up Pedro on the side of the road due to similar. One reason I usually run the same few park trails -- I know where all the restrooms are.
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Oh, yes. I make my own playlists based (partially) on bpm. Also I've been running on a treadmill due to Circumstances. Hard to unintentionally slow down on a 'mill.
Ash, I've been there. I've also had to drive out and pick up Pedro on the side of the road due to similar. One reason I usually run the same few park trails -- I know where all the restrooms are.
Keep your pace up to this instrumental and you'll be good. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNv8Neee7ok
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my little gold homey
(http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z120/Asherdan93/littlegoldguy_zps0a57a872.jpg)
There is no reason to be alive if you can't do deadlift. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWUcHKAj_tc)
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There is no reason to be alive if you can't do deadlift. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWUcHKAj_tc)
Related vid looks interesting
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuEnXw_Aodk
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Hills. Oh wobbly balls. Hills.
(http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z120/Asherdan93/ScreenShot002_zps30d4afc4.png)
Meh. (http://runkeeper.com/user/FrankDempsey/activity/173116164)
This one is a real joy too. (http://runkeeper.com/user/FrankDempsey/activity/173721586)
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There is no reason to be alive if you can't do deadlift. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWUcHKAj_tc)
This isn't new but I don't recall seeing it here:
(http://i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/494/759/b62.jpg)
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On that note, going for a 10 mile run two days after heavy deadlifts and squats ... my IT band is not a happy camper.
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http://mdmfundraiser.com/
The 100 pull ups are a deal breaker.
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This isn't new but I don't recall seeing it here:
(http://i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/494/759/b62.jpg)
Personal record, (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lqc9R7AHF-E) though I intend to beat it this evening.
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Dude if you can beat it to that, you set a new record.
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Dude if you can beat it to that, you set a new record.
I just dead lifted a tiny can for you.
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Personal record, (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lqc9R7AHF-E) though I intend to beat it this evening.
But can you Shabiha?
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/syrias-ghost-killers-steroid-mad-thugs-872075
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But can you Shabiha?
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/syrias-ghost-killers-steroid-mad-thugs-872075
http://doyouevenlift.tumblr.com/image/40425547771
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I fell off the wagon. I was pretty sick with a stomach thing for four days and then had a three-day migraine. Sandwich that between getting kidnapped and pulling long shifts at work and it's been almost two weeks since my last confession.
I'm gonna start up again on Monday but it's gonna huuuuuurrrrrrt.
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I'll say the same thing I ask myself and my wife when it comes to resuming exercise: Why wait? If you can go now, go. Putting it off until some future time (however definite) assumes your future self will have more willpower than your present self. Why would that be?
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That's not really putting it off. Monday is just a couple of days away and maybe she has a busy weekend planned.
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Pain is penitence.
Pain is weakness leaving the body.
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How You Feel is a Lie
That phrase is the Broz mantra. You simply can't listen to your body because it's lying to you. Broz can cite countless examples of athletes setting PR's on days they didn't even want to train, as well as days where the athlete felt like a million bucks but didn't fare so well in the gym.
Fact is, when I visited Broz he explained that the previous week his wrist was so sore that he could barely warm up with the bar during split jerks, but he pushed through it, eventually felt warmed up, and ended up jerking 405 lbs. The following day his wrist pain had vanished.
He describes this phenomenon as "floating pain" – your body has to hurt somewhere. It will simply migrate from one place to the next while you sleep, and when you awaken you'll discover where it landed.
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I completely agree with Jay Dub and Bobby- especially bobby. Somedays I am all, fuck, I do not want to run today- I sit on my porch just chain smoking and wasting time, then I leave really late, which makes me kinda stressed and not want to do it in itself- then I do the best I have ever done/best I've done that week, whatever. I always thought it was really weird and am kinda glad to know that is a thing. Also, somedays I feel great and am looking forward to run and...well, I randomly suck.
I have been yelling at my legs to shut up recently. Fuck those guys.
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That's not really putting it off. Monday is just a couple of days away and maybe she has a busy weekend planned.
Paul has my back here. Yeah, I basically have no days between now and Monday where I have time to run, even on my treadmill, because I'm working extra this weekend and have a billion other things going on. Unless I want to run at 11PM, which, seriously, fuck that noise.
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To be fair, when I wrote that it was Thursday and I thought it was Friday. Ha ha ha....
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Biking to work, my feeling is "oh god let it end, another hill, whyyy"
biking home I start up a hill and am like LET IT BURN YOU WIMPY ASSHOLE, BURN THOSE SKINNY LITTLE LEGS TO ASH. I go so much faster on the way home. What is the deal. That direction should be a lot harder, since it is uphill away from the river. Hmm.
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Probably because you want to go home, but you don't want to go to work.
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It also helps that night time is less hot, less sunny, and there are fewer cars. I also think I need to stretch before I bike to work... that first hill always feels awful.
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I didn't run for six weeks 'til today and now I hate myself.
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I haven't really run for six weeks either, although I'm getting ready to get back to it. I don't let it bother me; I've been doing other stuff and it's been hot. I've missed it, a little. I'm getting ready to ramp it back up in a week or so.
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I liked running that 5k, it's making me have stupid (http://www.halhigdon.com/assets/_legacy/10ktraining/10knovice.pdf) thoughts about running on the closed Marine Corp Air Station (http://www.racefortherescues.org/assets/therescuetrain/files/$cms$/100/1115.pdf) runways.
I guess that's the easiest possible place to run. Completely level the entire way. No hills to climb. Kinda like running in Houston.
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I ran a 'fun' 5k on the Fourth and then went on vacation drank lots of beer and didn't do doodly-squat until I started running again on the 15th. The first week sucked but now I'm rolling, so don't despair.
I liked running that 5k, it's making me have stupid (http://www.halhigdon.com/assets/_legacy/10ktraining/10knovice.pdf) thoughts about running on the closed Marine Corp Air Station (http://www.racefortherescues.org/assets/therescuetrain/files/$cms$/100/1115.pdf) runways.
stupid stupid stupid
When it comes to running, I really like the training regimens in this book (http://amzn.com/1609618025).
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I use air quotes around "marathon" because my time was so slow. The book has good training regimens for 5 and 10Ks, even though it bills itself as a primarily marathon-oriented book. The basic idea is that you aim for specific paces and distances, instead of pure mileage.