I’m slender and 140 pounds, I consider myself in good shape. I ran around the woods and fields all my childhood. Went on really long bike rides, jumping across creeks, stuff like that.
So now in my mid-30’s office job state, I did a mile run on a hot summer morning last year, on hilly paved neighborhood streets. I was about to DIE before I finished. I walked the last 1/4 mile or so. It’s a lot harder than you’d think.
Well, I just did day #1 of the Cool Running program and… I actually enjoyed it. WTF is that all about?!
So it appears from Gmaps that I only covered 2.2 miles in the 25 minutes, but it was quite hilly, and I accidentally underdid the walking and overdid the running. Looking forward to the next session. Thanks for the link, Hakuna Matata.
Earlier this year I started running again for the first time in a bit. Yeah, the first mile is a bitch. I did cut 2 minutes off my miles in 2 months though. I had some surgery and stopped. Hopefully I’ll start again this week and see if I can get my time down to under a 7 minute mile.
Good luck and keep at it.
The couch potato to 5K program looks like something I could actually do- but I’m wondering- how do you all time yourselves for the 60, 90 seconds? Seems like it would be hard to do if you’re not on a treadmill. Do you know of any way to get music with some kind of signal at 60 second or 90 second intervals? Or any special hints how to make that easier?
Er… a watch? 1 minute, 1.5 minutes, 1 minute, etc.
As noted in the Weightloss threads, I have started running recently (after dropping enough weight to not destroy my knees). I got up to running a mile in 12 minutes on the treadmill with an average 5% gradient, by increasing the speed of my walking program. I probably shouldn’t run with that sort of slope (up to 6.5%), but it really ups the calorie burn rate. When I finally tried a flat run on the treadmill with a 1.5% gradient I was able to maintain 10km/h (10 min per mile) for 2km (after a full workout).
I went for a real street run on Sunday - 4.5 miles. It took me slightly less than an hour, and I did realise that it is probably not much faster than a quick walking pace. <sigh>. So my goal (10km in an hour) is close, but I need to increase my on the street pace by about 25%. More time on the treadmill would help, but I spend enough time in the gym, and street running to and from the gym is a more efficient use of time, even if I am taking a circuitous route to up the distance. I think I need to edit up some music tracks with landmark timings to drive myself a bit harder.
Once I have the 10km down pat (participation in a Run10K for Cancer Research UK in September, probably), I’ll need a new goal. The Great South Run is 10 miles, or a short-course triathlon (which I have done once before, in 2001) or a half-marathon.
Si
Disclaimer: I have not used or listened to these podcasts.
These links
http://www.ullreys.com/robert/Podcasts/page4/files/category-7.html
http://www.djsteveboy.com/intervals.html
for podcasts that supposedly time for you are on the couch to 5k (www.c25k.com) website.
I thought this thread was going to be about having sex in airliner toilets.
I cannot recommend the Couch to 5k program enough - I pretty much followed that program, only I stretched it out over a longer length of time. I tend to have knee trouble, and I felt like I needed to give the muscles in my legs more time to build up before really progressing quickly.
Now, I can run 4.5 miles (slightly more than 7 kilometers) on the treadmill without stopping.
I am very relieved to see all of the others that have such slow mile times! I tend to stick between 11:30-12, and I thought I was horrendously slow!
I used a stopwatch, it´s easier to use with just one hand.
My best mile in HS was 5:06. I’ve never been quite sure how the hell I did that (I was typically a 5:20 to 5:30 runner), but it sure was fun. (Especially when the #2 miler on our track team looked over his shoulder after crossing the finish line to see who on Earth could have been dogging his steps the last six hundred yards. I couldn’t help but grin at his “what the hell are you doing here” look.)
And now I weigh over three hundred pounds and couldn’t run a mile with a grizzly bear chasing me. 
It’s hard. Very hard. I’ve been running for the past year, and I’m just now getting to a decent pace. It’s especially hard because I used to run several years ago, and I feel like I have to get back to that level of fitness. 7 years makes a huge difference.
One of the little tricks that I use is to gradually increase the speed during my run. So for instance I start off at a 6.0 mph on the treadmill. After the first 1/10th of a mile I increase the speed to 6.1 then 6.2 at 2/10ths of a mile. This helps take my time down for the mile, but I only feel like I’m running one 1/10 at a time. Instead of 1 mile, I have 9 segments. Makes it easier for me mentally.
Good luck and keep it up.
I love running. It’s one of the few activities where my brain quits doing its overdrive thing. Stuff percolates around, I get connected with the weather and the seasons and my neighborhood and most especially I love running uphill. LOVE IT.
I ran the Hospital Hill 5k this past weekend in Kansas City. It’s pretty hilly, which always surprises people about Kansas City, but the town was built on river bluffs. The elevation change for the 5k is about 200 feet, and most if it is on one short, steep hill. I was tickled to death that I ran it in 33.28 and came in fifth in my division.
If I can run, anyone can run.
I started using the afore-mentioned Podrunners: Intervals podcast the middle of last month. They have 5k and 8k training versions, depending on how experienced you are. I’m working through the 5k podcasts, and love it! Very easy to follow on either a treadmill, track or running outside.
If you don’t want to interval train he also has the regular Podrunner, hour long mixes at different tempos depending on how long you want to go.
I ran my first 10 k race on about 2 months of training. I was very fit cardio wise (from cycling) and young, so I could get 8 or 9 minute miles pretty quick. I needed a certain time which was a bit under 8 to seed for a bigger race. I had to run harder than I ever had to make it.
At the end I was so pitifully sore that I winced when people would run by. I could barely walk, for a week. It’s probably been 8/9 years now, and I can still remember not being able to stand up without help at the end.
I’ve been walking now for 4 months and I’m down 32 pounds. All treadmill. Recently I’ve started using my own variation of the HIIT (high intensity interval training) program Here is one type.
I’ve found that with this program, though I’m not running miles and miles, that the fat is just melting off. I’ve never been a runner, but when I get myself into it, and I’m just winging by at 6.5mph I find that I’m on top of the world. I do that three to four times in a 60 minute cardio workout and not only is it getting easier, it’s REALLY working, more. If the studies are to be believed, than would simple running alone because of the activation of the fast twitch muscles.
When I started a few months ago I was stretching it to WALK a mile. I could wear the same gym clothes a couple days in a row. Not anymore. I’m still too big to run miles and miles and end up with my joints intact, but once I lose more weight, I’m going to shoot for running a 5k as opposed to walking one (which I generally do every day).
It seems the key to it all is constant change. I find, as Contrary does, that when I run, it clears my cluttered mind. I’m excited about the podcast links too, I’m getting tired of my music lately.
Thanks for all the replies, guys. I just wanted to ressurect this thread to tell you about my recent progress.
First, I’ve stopped having to walk during any part of a one mile run. I can do a constant pace that’s something above jog, but below a run, for the whole thing. I’ve cut my time down to 9:46, but running three times a week hasn’t helped me lose any significant weight. I’m absolutely dreading it, but I will have to drastically alter my eating habits to make any more physical progress. I have to lose probably 30 pounds or so to keep up with the 19-22 year old kids who can run circles around me, and get my BMI to an acceptable level.
I’m envious of you. You’re at the best part right now. You’ve stuck with it enough that you’ve started to make serious gains, and it feels good, doesn’t it?
I would say don’t worry about food. Look at it as fuel, and go on the caveman diet (don’t eat anything a caveman couldn’t) No bread, no sugar, just lots of fresh and freshly cooked basic ingredients, meats, and veggies and such.
You may end up gaining a little weight over the next month or so, don’t worry about it. Chances are it’s muscle and increasing bone density. Chances are if you were sedentary and overweight you don’t have a lot of muscle. Now you’re getting some.
I would say not to always focus on distance. Focussing on trying to beat yesterday’s time is a good way to injure yourself. Spend some days working on time.
The magic really starts to happen when you can run for 20 minutes straight 3-4 times a week. Work on trying to get to 20 minutes. At that level, your metabolism is forced to take it up a notch and it stays there for three to four hours after you stop!
That’s right. You burn calories at that increased pace for long after your workout. But, you got to get up to 20 minutes.
You’ll do pretty well and feel pretty good if you eat right and do that at least 3-4 times a week for a couple of months.
Once you are there, you just may stay there and be fine and happy. That’s good, because you’re getting about 80% of the benefit healthwise that anybody gets from running.
But, if you want to go to the next level, and be a little psycho, you might start thinking of a marathon.
To do that, you need to get up to 30-35 miles a week three or four months out. Real magic happens here. Your body will realize it’s now a running machine, and it will adapt and become leaner and stronger. You will eat lots and lots and lose weight.
I was 245 and a smoker in 1998. Had trouble going up stairs. Today, I’m 173 pounds of gristle, have run 15 marathons, and 2 fifty milers. I feel better than I have.
The big payoff is going to a pool party, drinking beer and working on your third hamburger and having some of the other dads (looking less than svelte,) walk over and congratulate on your “metabolism” that lets you eat so much and stay skinny.
Stick with it. Have fun. Feel good.
I’ve got a question for all of you running types, because it’s something I haven’t attempted since high school, and any mental blockage I can clear out of the way makes it more likely I will try it again…
About once a week I’ll take a long 60-90 minute walk with a friend. We saunter, talk, stop to look at flowers and toads, turn over rocks, stuff like that. These walks never leave me tired or sore.
Every now and then, though, I’ll take a walk by myself. Because I’m alone and have my walkman with me, I’ll go faster. Inevitably, if I walk for more than 30 minutes this way, my hips get terribly sore. I did it yesterday, in fact, and today I could barely walk before I took acetaminophen.
I do have a couple of underlying medical issues that could be blamed for the soreness, but I want to know: can soreness like this be caused by bad conditioning? Will more walking/jogging make it stop happening, if I apply myself? Is it normal?
Sattua - get some new shoes. I cannot emphasize this enough: bad shoes will cause you all sorts of pain.
Even though you aren’t running, go to a local running store and have them fit you for shoes. They will watch you walk and look at the wear pattern on your current shoes. Then they will recommend a pair that will fit you right and correct any issues you may have (your foot probably rolls in or out while you walk. This is normal and they make shoes to stabilize your foot). You’ll pay a little more, but it is absolutely worth it.