If you’re in reasonable shape already then an injury is in the post for most people who start running. Your lungs are miles ahead of your legs - to avoid getting hurt you really need to take it easy like others have said. Like really easy - first couple of months should be all about conditioning the legs and you shouldn’t do anything at threshold for any sustained period IMHO (if you’re breathing too hard to maintain a conversation you’re going too hard).
If you’re out of shape, though, rising from the couch, then this is less of a worry as your legs and lungs are in sync - they both suck equally badly
A counterpoint to this if you stick with it and start to run regularly, is that you have to develop a judgement about what’s pain, and what’s real pain. If everyone rested up every time they had a little muscular niggle then you wouldn’t see a runner on the streets ever. OTOH, misjudging things and trying to run through something more fundamental can cause serious injury. I guess the answer is to be cautious until you build the experience of how your body behaves.
Don’t worry about age-grading unless you’re comparing racing performance. Those tables aren’t intended for grading training runs.
The main use is rather than using age groups, you apply age-grading and find that this 50 year old “beat” this 26 year old by running a better relative time.
Mind your mechanics. I tried running a long time ago, and was heel striking and slamming my feet all over the place. It felt wrong - I was basically pounding my knees and ankles into numbness for the first 15-20 minutes of a run, and after a couple of years I gave it up. (It seemed like I was aiming for quite a gimpy middle-age.)
I restarted several years ago, and this time transitioned to a fore/midfoot strike, with smoother body motion and a springier stride. It’s made a lot of difference in stresses and recovery, and seems much more sustainable long-term than was my old form. (Much less consideration about running surface, as well, though my calves are not always happy.)
I’m not a coach or anything, though, so I’m likely talking out my ass.
Not really.
However, I’m guessing you were actually overstriding. It’s possible to heel-strike with no more pounding than midfooting. The key is that the footplant has to be directly under your center of gravity
I used to run as a youth, with classic heel strike.
I later stopped running for many years, because of life.
I took up running again in middle age (to do a tough mudder). Man, was it hard to actually run! I thought it would be easy, because I had been doing elliptical. (IMHO, elliptical is easier than treadmill is easier than running a flat track is easier than running streets is easier than running trails, work-wise. Running trails is more fun and interesting, though. Just be extra careful, because there is more opportunity to hurt yourself.)
When I started up, I tried doing heel strike, which was okay. Someone suggested forefoot strike, so I transitioned. I would strongly suggest forefoot strike or midfoot strike (avoid heel strike) to middle aged folks getting into running. Much better for knees, hips, and back. It does move the stress to the feet and calves (and Achilles tendon), so watch those. It’s a good way to start running, because hopefully your wind will keep you from overdoing it at the beginning. (If you are more trained, switching to forefoot strike can kill your calves.)
I’d bet you’re right - even today, I have to remind myself to take shorter, quicker strides. I’m 6’2" and 210#, and can get a bit enthusiastic in my gait when I’m all endorphinated.
The surface you run on is just as important as your shoes. Avoid concrete sidewalks and asphalt. Find a nice dirt/grass path or a local high school with a spongy-track for the best experience and least joint abuse.
At first I thought you were me, with the matching stats, until I read the final word.
The runner’s high is a myth! (imho)
I have run more than 15000 miles over the years (nothing special, just keep plodding along for enough years and it adds up), and I have never felt the runner’s high. Not once.
As far as I can tell, it doesn’t exist.
Just thought of something else: do not neglect to get new shoes periodically. When I first began running regularly, I had several minor injuries over the first couple of years. In retrospect I think it was because it never occurred to me to replace my shoes. The standard recommendation is every 300-500 miles, I think, but I just watch my soles like a hawk and when the wear starts to look significant, I switch to new shoes.
Maybe it’s just coincidence, but I have not had a single injury since paying careful attention to this.
Also, don’t force the chest up and out to breathe, try to breathe down into the belly.
You can practice that by lying down with a book on your stomach, the book should rise as you breathe in.
Warm up before running hard and (personal anecdote) maintain your core strength. I always had more trouble if I slacked off on the core work.
I’m 53, and have been running for 40 years. In my younger years I was semi-competitive (good enough to run cross-country for a small college, and run a mile in around 5 minutes). I also have semi-high arches, and find that getting shoes with lots of cushioning is important. I’m a big heel striker, so I wear out shoes quickly. The big thing is to listen to your body. I recently hurt my back badly falling on icy steps, and tried to come back too soon. I found that it worked better to start by running a quarter mile and walking 3\4. I’ve been slowly ramping up, and finding that I’m running faster.
They should decrease naturally, as you get into better shape, until they’re but a distant memory.
Oh, runner’s high definitely exists, though I think you may have to be biologically predisposed. Heck, endorphins are a big part of why I exercise at all. I’ll get different types of highs depending on what I’m doing - running gives me a clear beer/bowl high, swimming (I swim a technical, oxygen-depriving breaststroke) gives me a heavy wine/bong high.
And there’s a total high, when you push it far enough that your body thinks you’re in a life-or-death situation and floods your system with all the endorphins it can muster - mind/body separation, the most beautiful, glorious thing in the world. I’ve only been there a few times. (I’ve actually damaged myself when in that mode, leaning-on-a-hot-stove-and-not-realizing-it type stuff.)
In short, maybe you’re not really trying hard enough? ducks!, wobbles out of thread (ran today)
Yeah… I wouldn’t go with mind-body separation in my own experience. But I was telling my wife recently that I’m really, like really looking forward to getting my mileage back long enough to get THAT feeling.
For me it would come in stages; I’d get a second wind where it felt effortless about every four miles up to twelve. Those were nice.
Then…and bear in mind I’m no superstar, so… as much as I felt like shit sometimes hitting 17, 18, 22 miles, there is absolutely (for me) a visceral feeling of mind and body fighting over whether we’re going to die or keep going. It definitely counts as a high, and it’s addictive.
I think it exists. I think it is the real reason I got hurt.
When I took up running, my life was crap and I was taking steps to address one thing at a time. I should have been at rock bottom- everything was going wrong to the point that I was one problem away from becoming homeless. And more besides. I should have been depressed. But once I began running regularly, my attitude was, “My life is so fucked up, hur hur, it is hilarious!”
I was watching one of those drug documentaries on Netflix the other day. This wasted chick was like, “When I shoot heroin, my problems seem small…” [shoots heroin, passes out]. I was like, “That’s how I felt from running! Without the heroin!”
I still sleep like a baby, but after a long run I could feel my heart really pulsing away when I laid down. I would always get sort of hypnotized by it and fall asleep right off.
I liked traveling around and running races in various cities. I still really believe I am going to get back into it. I may receive stem-cell therapy to this end.
To be honest, I’m sure that the “Runner’s High” exists for many people, just not me.
I have given it as fair a chance as I could and still have never felt it–decades of long runs, short runs, runs in hot weather, cold weather, fast runs, slow runs, a run through a sketchy neighborhood with a sketchy dude tailing me for a mile or so on a BMX bike, and all kinds in between–I haven’t ever felt anything that could be described as euphoric.
The process of running in enjoyable, and I always tell people that the best part of going on a long run is stopping at the end.
I’ve noticed something which may be related to runner’s high:
I was doing squats and I felt discomfort increasing to the point that I usually find unbearable and which causes me to stop; It feels like the discomfort/pain will only get worse at an exponential rate. This time, I stuck through it. The discomfort decreased. It didn’t disappear but it waxed and waned. Then when I stopped, a general pleasant wakeful calmness similar to that of kratom (an opioid) and pot (cannabinoid) came over me. Enduring, powering through, bearing what feels unbearable seems to be what triggers the habit-instilling reward.
I went running on the ball of my feet while making little heel contact. I prefer this style of running overall, it seems more energy efficient and easier on the knees. It is harder on the calves though and today they are telling me how unhappy they are about their workout. Any tips on preventing and treating muscle soreness?
Yeah. Don’t make such a drastic change all at once.
Time cures all heels (D:) but you risk a muscle strain or pull trying to change all at once.
Try running normally but every couple of minutes go up on the ball of your foot for a few seconds. Gradually increase over weeks. This is a long term project.
Something to consider. I don’t believe that heel striking is that bad at slower paces. As long as the contact is under the center of gravity, there’s less stress landing on the heel.
I was a natural midfoot runner but at slower than 7:00-7:15/mile pace, I would start transitioning back to the heel. Jogging recovery intervals in track workouts (8:00-8:30/pace), I was very uncomfortable jogging midfoot.
