new to running

[b'sgirl]

for all you experienced runners.Yesterday I ran for the first time.Well i would rather say run then walked run then walked.How do you train yourself to run.I was on a 1 mile trail.My goal is to be able to run or jog that whole trail.How long did it take you guys to get up your stamina.just curious.I was so embarassed yesterday i was so out of breath and had to stop.I thought i would do better becuase i had been doing 50 min. on my elliptical but that shows how much i knew.any body have any advice to help me along.

[Alexa]

Re: new to running

Hi b'sgirl,

I wouldn't call myself an expert runner, but I an expert at training to become an expert runner, lol.

I know what you maen about thinking you're fit on the elliptical and then trying running - it is so much harder.

I am trying to get back into running again and am finding it harder this time despite being 35lbs lighter than when I used to regularly run 3 miles. It seems to take more time for some than others... everyone is different.

I think it takes most people 2-4 weeks of it being really hard and then they start to see improvements. A great way to train is to do the couch to 5k plan. There are various plans around.

Two for different abilities at a triathlete site: http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/Pr...k_overview.htm

The one at cool running is quite well known: http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml That is most like the one I did and it has distance and time depending on how you prefer to do it.

Following one of these should get you running that mile in no time Good luck with it.

Also I'd say make sure you are ok to run healthwise and that you warm up and stretch each time as it really helps to make progress smoother. Again, cool running has some stuff on how to do this: http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_1/126.shtml

[b'sgirl]

Re: new to running

thank you baarb

[Grant]

Re: new to running

I'm not an expert either but I found a book that is basically just a variation on the coolrunnings plan and it's really helped me out.

5 minutes warmup (slightly slower walk then your normal pace)
2 minute walking
1 minutes very slow jog
repeat walk/jog combo 8 times
5 minutes cooldown (slightly slower walk then your normal pace)

Follow the above for a week, every other day. Next week increase your jog time to two minutes, week after that decrease your walk time by one minute, week after that increase jog by one minute.

Basically you just increase your jog time to walk time ratio until you are always jogging, after that speed up your jog.

A couple key points my book stresses:

1. Most people who quit this type of program do so beause they initially push themselves too hard. Don't do it even if at the beginning you think it's just too easy. You should be able to hold a casual conversation without too much weezing while you are doing this. If it's time to move up to more jogging and it's wearing you out too much you can repeat weeks as much as you like until you are ready to move on.

2. The "every other day" thing is important! Your body needs time to refresh itself so take a rest day every other day or do something that uses different muscles groups. Maybe try weight training for your upper body/core muscles or something low impact like swimming.

This approach has really been working for me. When I started exercising I could barely run a 1/4 mile without feeling like I was going to keel over. Last night I ran 3.25 miles and it felt soooooo good.

Good luck!

[Dorr185]

Re: new to running

I am in the same boat! I can go on for days on the elliptical, to the point where I wasn't even sweating anymore. So I hopped on a treadmill and started to jog, and I was sweating like a pig within minutes.

It's been about a week and I can go for about 5 minutes at a 12:00 mile before I have to start walking again at a 15:00 mile. Maybe I should try a slower jog to start?

[julirama723]

Re: new to running

I started running by doing distance intervals. I would walk .1 and then run .1, alternating for whatever my goal was, either 2, 3, or 4 miles, etc. When this became easier, I would walk .1 and run .15, and when this became easier, I would walk .05 and run .20 and so on and so forth. Eventually I would do 1/4 mile runs with recovery, then 1/2 mile running spurts, then eventually I'd run a whole mile. I started in January. January and February were HARD...I almost thought I wasn't even improving. March got easier, and April, even easier. The last couple weeks haven't been the best for my running schedule, but for my "standard" run I do 4-5 miles, for my long run I do 6-8 miles, and for my "short" runs I do 2-3 miles, usually tempo runs.

One thing that helps for distance is to run at a slower pace, one that you can maintain. I was wondering why I couldn't run for more than a mile when I'd go 6mph...I slowed down to 5mph and was able to do 4 miles. On my 4-5 mile runs I average about 11 min/mile. On long runs, I average about 12 min/mile. On short runs, I have done them as quickly as 8 min/mile, but usually am around 9 min/mile.

[ValidRouge]

Re: new to running

When I first started, I could run for like 15 or 20 seconds. SECONDS. There were NO minutes involved...except for the 5 minutes it took walking to get my heart rate back down LOL Now I can run 3 miles without stopping to walk and I am regularly going for 5 miles and did 7.5 on saturday.

Take the tips from the cool running site, and Grant's points are EXCELLENT.

What I found, for myself was that I get so gung-ho that I wear myself out at the beginning of a run and then I have to stop and catch my breath. I've been trying to learn to slow down and pace myself to get a longer distance without stopping. Dorr, you also want to keep shaking up your exercise routine. So, adding running in after you've been doing elliptical will really shake things up for your body. I should add my elliptical back in...I bet I couldn't last 5 minutes on IT before I'm sweating and out of breath LOL But it certainly would shock my system.

[Dorr185]

Re: new to running

All of the advice here is awesome.

I thought about something this morning. You know the saying "you have to crawl before you can walk?" Well I wish someone had told me you have to jog before you can run! I turned down the speed a little on the treadmill and I was able to jog for 15 of the 30 minutes I was on it, much better than the 5 out of 30 I was doing while running.

[ttdriver]

Re: new to running

Slow is what will get you there. It takes time for your endurance and stamina to increase and that comes by running slowly, but consistently.

I think when I first transitioned from power walking to running, it took me a couple of months to be able to run a mile without stopping. Yeah, incredible, isn't it ? But take it from a non-athlete .. if you have the drive, discipline and determination, you will totally amaze yourself .. just keep at it .. this 51 year old "never-was" has become a 2-time marathoner with over 5,000 training miles!

YOU CAN DO IT. Just take it slow, allow your body to adjust, and HAVE FUN!

Betty

[qbu]

Re: new to running

I started the C25K program today...well, actually re-started it. I tried last year and just didn't do it. This time I have the podcasts for the program and it was so much easier to complete week one, day one. It was actually over quicker than I thought.

I took the running intervals at a slow pace, but increased towards the end. I'm planning on keeping up with the program this time. The school I work at has a 5K in the spring. I wasn't able to go this past year (had a wedding to go to) but I'm already planning for next year. I want to be able to run in the 5K and be proud of how I do.