how do you runners do it?

[ThatVikRinA22]

so spring is in the air

and im finding it a bit difficult to get to the gym (multitude of reasons though i am still going) so i thought "i know - ill go for a run, its free, its nice weather, ive been going to the gym for over a year, im not that unfit...how hard can it be?"

i must have done about the sum total of 2?? miles...and i am knackered. i look like im on the verge of collapse/heart attack

ive just staggered back in...im hiding the mirrors for at least half an hour

am going to leap into the shower and attempt to feel/look better (haha! leap?? who am i kidding!! make that hobble painfully)

so...if i were to attempt a run a couple of times a week...would it get any easier? or would i have to go more often to feel any difference in my fitness levels?

last year i did the couch to 5k...but over winter ive just been going to the gym and not running outside at all, and i hate running on a treadmill, so its just been 10 or 15 mins on it.

im not going to be able to walk tomorrow....i can feel it now.

i glanced at the serious runners thread...i feel pale just reading. how do you do it?

yep - i did all of 2.1 miles! oh dear...

went and did it in the car to see how far id run. How fast should i be trying to increase on this rather pathetic distance?

start the couch to 5 k again?

:)

you were probably going too fast.. but i'd say if you can manage 2miles you should start couch to 5k at about run 8mins / walk 2/3mins and work up from there - it will only take about four weeks of 3x per week to be up to 5k and beyond.

Yes, of course it gets easier! Don't despair. Maybe try some intervals to build up your stamina - jog 5 mins to start, then walk 2 mins, then run a bit faster 5 minutes, then walk 2.... you get the picture! Maybe easier to face than 30 minutes of solid running all at once. Also very good for your fitness level.

Or start the couch to 5k again, but start at the mid-way point, as you're not exactly 'couch', are you??

x posts with fluffles

Chiiiiillll ooouuuuut.

Step 1 - don't focus on distance. As you're building up your fitness (as 'real world' running, whilst being a million times more enjoyable than using a treadmill, is far harder) just try to do blocks of time (1 min running, 1 min walking, etc), like you've already done with the c25k programme.

Just a couple of times a week is fine - but never increase your workload week-on-week by more than 10% (i.e. 2 miles this week, 2.2 miles next week, etc).

This advice coming from by-no-means a proper runner. I do 6 miles on Saturday, 4 miles + the Shred on Sunday, interval/hill training Monday, swimming Tuesday, 2xfitness classes Wednsday, spinning Thursday, WINE NIGHT Friday (clink).

15 stone 6 March 2010, 11 stone 6 today. It's been a slog. I sarted just doing a 2.5km circuit of my local park every few days. Now I'm a proper fitness nut.

Just strap yourself in to some pounding music and enjoy going at your own pace. I know it sounds cheesy but you will 'know' when it is time to push yourself harder.

x post with loads of people, sorry!

LOL Divebomb great minds think alike

What everyone else said. With knobs on. Take a friend if possible. Or a phone, even. Point is, you should be able to talk (probably in short, monosyllabic sentences, but still!) while you're running. If you can't talk, slow down. If that means brisk walking, walk, just remember to sling in a minute's gentle jogging from time to time.

In less time than you can believe, the gentle jogging will replace the walking, then it will start to get quicker.

But do remember that part of it is genetic and some people (aka 'front running bastards') will always be happy to carry on a detailed discussion on the limitations of Tory monetary policy in the 1980s with particular reference to the joining of the Euro while banging out 6 min miles and the rest of us just have to content ourselves with steady 9.30s, only surging to 9.15 min miles if chased by wolves.

Love, Gizmo

haha! love it gizmo

so think i may just take the advice and go back to the couch to 5k at about week 6?? cant remember what that is...think its about a 10 min run?

i should be pleased i suppose that i managed 2 and abit miles without heart attack, since ive not run for about 10 months.

but i really enjoyed it far more than the gym. just have to find some nice places to run...could be a challenge round here!

thanks everyone...ill keep at it.

i think week 6 jumped to 20 min run....twas a shock i tell you!!

i think thats about what i did today - so maybe the week before then? ill have to download them all again and check....

wish id kept at it now over winter! lesson learned.

vicarinatutu I would have been THRILLED if I could have managed 2 miles on my first run! When I started I was lucky to managed 2 minutes without my lungs burning and my heart jumping out my chest...

Like everyone has said, just start slowly and build up gradually - eventually you'll be churning out the miles and wondering what all the fuss was about. But if you start off pushing yourself too hard in the beginning you'll either put yourself off or end up injuring yourself, so go easy.

2 miles is really good if you haven't been running for some time.

another run today - already finding the going a bit easier!

2 miles is good!

undertone thats fantastic, bet you never imagined you would be doing that much this time last year? what was your motivation to start?

2 miles is amazing!

My DH ran the London marathon today, and ten months ago couldn't manage a run around the block!

Keep it up!

omg! the london marathon! well done to him, i am a bit in awe of anyone who can run 5k at the min let alone 26 miles!

i had to force myself to go but i love it when its over!

plan is to go again on tuesday!

Good luck Vicar We've all got to start somewhere! :)

Good luck and persevere, vicar! It happens quite quickly and before you know it (around a month) you will be flying along and improvements can be made in terms of distance and pacing from there.

Couch to 5k is definitely your friend at times like this.

I dig out my old podcasts whenever I have had a break of more than a couple of weeks (bad knee/snow/Christmas/allergy to cold winter mornings.......).

Much better to try a shorter run with intervals - and actually complete it - than try and fail to do too much.

gizmo - you are so right - some of us will always be bringing up the rear / the last to be selected for the team, no matter how much we run!

Good luck vicar. you can do it!

Sorry for hijack but Undertone did you start running at your top weight? I'm considering couch to 5k but wondering if running is bad for joints if one is overweight. That is fabulous weightloss, well done. Did you diet too? mlm.

hey chaps. Motivation to start was ditching rubbish boyfriend and wanting to take control of my life a bit. And clothes! Wearing nice clothes suddenly seemed so important.

Was running at 15 stone - I bought myself a cheap cross-training machine which I squeezed into my tiny flat. Warmed up on this for 10 minutes first (x-trainers are good as it's very low impact on joints) and then did a 10 minute gentle run around a park i live next to. Gradually increased distance I ran, interspersed with walking. With a proper warm up and sticking to a comfortable pace, running is fine even when large.

I found it important to listen to very poundy music - not only did this keep the pins pumping but it masked all the twunts heckling me with things like "on yer way to a pie shop, are yer?" and "keep it up, luv!" Ignore - they are jealous! I bound past little shits like them now like a frikkin' gazelle.

Used foodfocus.co.uk throughout to monitor calorie intake, adjusting the data input every stone or so to keep calorie maximum intake in line with adjusting natural cal burn (less when you're lighter!). Stuck to net calorie intake of ca. 1400 every day. I also started to get my groceries delivered so no tempation browsing shops.

It's been dull. It's now getting hard, as my body does not want to lose this last 1.5 stone and I'm having to bast myself quite hard on exercise, but whn I get there it will be amazing.

bast?? BEAST, rather.

Oh - and I would say I cheated and ate too much probably 2 days out of every 14 - and I put half a stone on over xmas