So my two year anniversary of no smoking is coming up. I promised myself I would get involved in some kind of cardio program when this day came.
I’ve been very excited about getting into running. I live smack dab in the middle of three very beautiful Biking/Running trails. So running seems like a great fit for me. Enjoy the scenery while getting fit too!
So anyway, I know absolutely ZERO about the world of running. I’m looking for any and all advice. From what type of shoes I want to how often a week should I run.
My first goal is to be able to run the 5K by summers end. Does that sound like a reasonable time frame? Too aggressive? Too weak?
As far as exercise goes, I know I need to start working out my core, anything else I should start working on? (I was thinking Pilates maybe?)
Thank you guys for your input.
PS. Some of my stats in case it matters:
44yo
215lbs. 6’0".
Had my ticker checked three weeks ago by a Cardiologist, got a clean bill of health.
I recently (last 4-5 months) got back into running after no running for 7 years. I’m in my mid 30s, 6’ tall, about 250 lbs (burly and strong but overweight). I started with a relatively short route, mapped out online – about 1.4 miles or so. On a whim I bought Vibram Five-Finger shoes, and I’ve worn them ever since – I love them, whether for running or walking around town (but runners are VERY conflicted on these shoes, I’ve noticed… some love them and some hate them. I love them). At first I couldn’t even jog the full 1.4 miles without having to slow to a walk every few minutes, but after a few weeks I could jog the whole route (very slowly, though – maybe an 11 or 12 minute mile pace). I tried to slowly improve my pace, and added a bit of distance periodically – now I do up to 2 miles at about a 10 minute mile pace (sometimes I go a bit faster for a little shorter distance). When it’s cold outside I use the treadmill in my building’s gym. I try to run 3 times a week – sometimes it’s only 2 times.
Your 5K goal sounds reasonable. I would just start with what you can do without severe pain, and periodically add small amounts of distance and speed.
Congrats on your accomplishments so far! Doing a 5k by the end of the summer is very doable. A great way to get into running is to join a running group. There are all kinds of training groups with all different types of goals. Find one which caters to beginners and you’ll be able to get great advice specific to your needs. Find stores in your area which cater to runners and ask them. Not only will the store employees be able to give you great advice, they will know the different training groups in town and can recommend the right one for you.
If you’re not a training-group type of person, you can totally do this on your own. Checkout sites like Couch to 5k which provide guidance and training plans to get you to that 5k.
Running Coach beat me to it (:mad:). C25k is the way to go. Realize that there are two versions of it, time & distance based. They really are the same thing (since you run x feet in y seconds) just get the one that works better for you. If you’re on a trail, the timed version would be better because you probably don’t have distance markings.
As for shoes, you’re best bet is a local running store, not a sporting goods store that sells running shoes. The employees of the former are typically not only runners, but much more knowledgeable about how you run (they’ll watch you take a few steps) & what would work best for you style.
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Also get some nice comfy running shoes. You honestly don’t need a 300 dollar pair of New Balance’s or anything, but some Reebok Zigs, Sketchers, something neat looking and made for sports will suffice
Don’t run on your toes the whole time cuz it’ll bite your ankles. And don’t try and go too fast! You’ll wear yourself out too quickly.
In Canada there is a Learn to Run program developed by The Running Room that teaches you to run by building up gradually. 1st day: Run 1 minute, Walk 1 minute. 2nd day: Run 2 minutes, Walk 1 minute (you get the idea) until you’re doing what they call “10 and 1’s” - Run 10 minutes Walk 1 minute. I bet it’s similar to the US Couch 2 5K program.
The very first thing you need to go is go to a specialty running store and get fitted with proper shoes for your feet and your gait. The employee will look at how you walk and run and recommend specific brands and styles of shoes. You shouldn’t have to “break them in” and make sure you’re conscious of any rubbing feeling when you try them on. Don’t be nervous to try on a number of different pairs until you get the perfect one. Don’t be cheap either, here good running shoes go for $150 and up. Pay it. Trust me. And buy double-layer sweat-wicking socks! They’re pricey but you NEED them if you don’t want blisters. Whatever you do, do not wear cotton socks.
Also, buy proper running gear made with sweat-wicking CoolMax or similar fabric. Do NOT wear cotton! Layer your clothes so you can shed layers as you warm up.
Buy a hydration belt (iFitness makes a fantastic one, I think you can only get them online) and sip water throughout your run.
If you can find a Learn to Run program in your city I highly recommend it. If you can’t find one, try the Running Room website because they have online courses that aren’t too expensive.
Subscribe to a Running magazine such as the American “Runner’s World”. It’s a wealth of information.
Sign up for a 5K race in the fall so you have a goal. It will keep you motivated.
Doing a 5k by summer is a pretty weak goal, but there’s nothing wrong with it. You could easy work your way up to a 10k by then if you wanted to. I started running seriously when I was about your age and went from almost nothing to half marathon in 6 months.
Get fitted at a good shoe store for a good pair of running shoes. Make sure you go somewhere where they’ll watch you run and recommend what type of shoe you need. Start off short and slow, and then work your way up as you feel more like it.
I don’t run much anymore (always hated it), and I found it useful to do the whole length I was shooting for, and walk whatever I couldn’t run. So you might start off walking your 5k route, and then adding some running in the middle, gradually lengthening the start and finish of the run until you’re running the whole length.
When you do your race, don’t get lulled into sprinting off with everyone-- almost all the runners will start out too fast. Know your pace and stick to it and don’t worry about who is passing whom when.
If there are several running trails in your area there are probably several running groups. Sometimes running stores sponsor groups for beginning (and more advanced) runners. My daughter coaches a group like the Charlotte area and the goal for the beginners group is completing a 5K at the end of the three month session.
I’d suggest you look into something like that. It’s fun, you make new friends and you’ll likely meet your goal.
I did C25K, which was great. I took all the above advice, including getting fitted, twice, at two highly-recommended local running shoe stores, and ended up with two pairs of puffy, bulky monstrosities I hated, which gave me numb toes. So I ran in whatever lightweight shoes I had, including a pair of water shoes, some off-brand trail running shoes, whatever. I was much more comfortable in these.
I’ve fallen off the running wagon these days. Maybe when the weather warms up again (I’m a big wuss about temperatures) I’ll get out there again.
BUT, I also wanted to say, despite peoples’ best intentions, sometimes running just isn’t for them, and, if that happens to you, OP, that’s OK. Try other stuff.
I dont have anything to really add to the excellent advice already offered here. Except to reiterate taking it slow, real slow, at first. It may seem impossible to make progress, but stick with it, and very gradually you will be able to do more. My first outings were horrible, and I could not make it around my 3 mile loop without walking, but eventually I could run it without stopping - that was the first of many milestones. Stay healthy!
I’m going to go against the grain and say that the most important thing is to go run right now. You don’t need $150 shoes or fancy socks or sweat wicking clothing, you need to start running. Yes, all those things will make it easier and perhaps reduce the risk of injury, but you can get by fine just fine in sweatpants and old sneakers.
I don’t know, maybe you have a golden goose or something. But many people don’t, and there’s really no need for a novice runner to spend a ton of money.
The OP is in Texas so he doesn’t have to worry about cold or snow. However, wicking material is a huge improvement over cotton in all weather. Target has excellent prices and I’ve found high-end stuff in thrift stores.
Depending on his biomechanics, Shakes may get away with cheap shoes for a time but he might need the good stuff from the start.
I messed up both knees in high school (76-78) using supermarket shoes and only doing 3-4 miles.
Well, I did do 40 minutes on the treadmill today. (5min warm up, Alternate 1 minute running and 1 minute walking and then the last 10 minutes straight running followed by a 5 minute cool down.)
But yeah, I was wearing cotton from head to toe with out issue. I agree for now, cotton is fine, but once I get more advanced I’m sure I’ll opt for the other type clothing folks are talking about up thread.
I have some Nike tennis shoes with the air padding or what ever it’s called. They were really comfortable. (Just tried them for the first time today) So I think I’m fine in the shoe department. However, once I know I’m going to embrace this thing, I might be inclined to go to a run store and get fitted for some fancier shoes.
Have you considered biking as well? I hate running, I have dodgy feet. I’m a hair away from being officially flat-footed, but I love biking and you say you can do that locally as well. I wouldn’t dive in buying a bike straight away, much more expensive than a good pair of running shoes. You can probably borrow/rent one long enough to give cycling a try as well.
Most definitely! If my plan goes as I envision it, I plan on buying a bike once I get my fitness level up. I’d like to get to a point where I could ride my bike to work 6 miles away. (We have showers at work.)
Actually you probably don’t have to get your fitness level up. The thing about biking it’s incredibly efficient. Assuming (since your in Texas it said upthread) it’s pretty flat where you are you could cycle 6 miles to work with the most minimal build up. Now you wouldn’t burn much calories/improve your cardio significantly, with a gentle pace. But you could easily build up to a blistering pace over a few months. It would probably be much easier on your 44 year old joints (I speak as a 43 year old) than pounding the pavement as well.
While I have always been fairly fit, I was never able to run for more than a couple of minutes. Then I started C25K over 4 years ago. One of the best things I have ever done! I can’t recommend it enough. I still run regularly. C25K is essentially 30 minutes 3x/week, so it is very doable.
I used the Podrunner C25K podcast. The techno music took a bit of getting used to, but I found it really useful for pacesetting, especially in the beginning.
Don’t worry too much about the gear in the beginning. It will accumulate as you get more into running. If you have a smartphone you can have Strava track your runs and then view them online.
There’s an app I really like called PaceDJ - it takes the music on your iphone and sorts it according to Beats Per Minute. You set the pace, it gives you the music. You can adjust it on the fly for faster/slower tempos. Best of all, it can run in the background of other apps, so if you use a GPS tracker to map your runs or some other exercise app you can use this too.
It can’t scan the BPM automatically for every song (basically if a song has an intro that’s pretty different it gets confused) but the tool to manually enter beats per minute is like a weirdly fun mini-game.
I like C25KFree, you can play your own music and it tells you when to walk and when to run. Once I no longer needed that (completed the program) I switched to Runkeeper for mapping/pacesetting.
