About 6.5 to 7 mph struck me as a good starting speed for two reasons. First, it looks more impressive in front of the gym mirrors than .2 mph, which might well be more natural for me.
Second, there’s this outrageously built redhead who runs in front of me… For more information, see explanation #1.
Nightime:
I think you are giving up too easily. When you start running, you are supposed to get winded. You push yourself a little farther each time you run.
I think you’re right. I suppose the bottom line is that I don’t enjoy the exertion and discomfort of Rookiedom. Sounds wimpy, but that’s the truth. Of course, I felt the same way when I was lifting weights a few years ago. After a couple months, I actually enjoyed the “pain.” I think the other part of the problem is that I’m afraid I will overtax my heart and Something Bad will happen. (I have no cardiac history at all.)
>>> How does on explain the fact that a trim, otherwise “fit” guy with good non-running stamina has never had good stamina on the track? Can I even make that assumption based on, say, three weeks of irregular running? Could it be that I might have some real potential, but just need to develop it? Does anyone see any possibilities between me and that redhead???
Drifting into opinion territory, but this post struck a chord with me…
If your military experience has made you think that you’re a bad runner, or that running training always involves agony, you will have to deprogram yourself from that cult of pain before you take up running again.
Military running training is probably the absolute, bar-none, worst training program ever designed to build running fitness. You are forced to run in a formation, causing both your stride and pace to exceed your ideal training zone, thus quickly bringing you across the lactic acid threshold and then forcing you by threats to remain in that state. They teach that running slow is for the weak, not a hardcore thing to do. This is the best way I can think of to give someone permanent impediments against running, both physical and psychological. I can attest to this from my days in the Army.
Just repeat to yourself - It’s OK to run slow. It’s not a shameful thing, it’s safe and prudent training. It’s OK to run slow for a really long distance and to remain at this level for weeks or months until your body is ready. Enjoy yourself and take in the scenery. Challenge yourself now and then, but certainly not on every run.
Any runners with asthma? I’d really like to start running for the aerobic exercise, but everytime I try I end up wheezing and damn near having an asthma attack. Whenever I’m swimming or something my asthma is fine but I just can’t run and breathe well enough! Should I just keep on trying or just find something better to get my aerobic exercise from?
Another thing: bring music, preferably with a beat you can run to. If you’re concentrating on what’s playing you won’t give yourself a chance to feel tired.
I have tried to run, and very quickly I feel like my throat is being ripped out. I swore I tasted blood the last time. I am not in very good shape (obviously), but that is my only problem…legs feel fine…no side cramping (for awhile). This is why I quit. I don’t mind being winded–I play basketball some and breathing hard doesn’t make me want to quit. It’s just the feeling that I am about to start spitting blood…horrible pain.
Are you running in cold weather? I’m absolutely miserable running in sub ~60F because it’s very hard on my throat, so that may be it.
My only advice is not to push yourself too hard and STRETCH. You may start making progress quickly, I did, but don’t let that fool you into pushing yourself too hard, running 5 or more days a week. That quick progress turned into either shin splints or compartment syndrome (still unsure) and I still feel some soreness/minor pain almost a year after my last ~6 mile run.
Nope! It happens to me too. It feels like I have open wounds in my throat! It’s usually because I’m pushing myself too hard, but also if it’s been a while since I ran. So, I would suggest slowing down and cautiously pushing through it; if I start feeling that sensation, I’ll slow down a bit or even stop.
I’d also like to echo that pace is the key! I had never ran a full mile until I was 15. I hopped on a treadmill and decided to start slow at around ~4.8mph… then got distracted. Suddenly, I’d done a mile and I wasn’t gasping for breath. I went for another half mile just for the heck of it!
And, sure, it took a long time to finish that mile and a half, but it felt great.
When I try to run distance, even a mile, I always feel like throwing up. No matter what, when I’m done running, it feels like someone has punched me in the gut. I have no idea what a “runner’s high” is. I have trained for distance (2 miles for me) over a period of time, and every day was torture, no matter how slowly I ran.
I never understood how other people could just run a mile like it was nothing and with no training. I remember asking one of the sprinters on the college track team about her training habits in the off-season. She told me she never ran distance in the off season on her own (out of laziness), yet she never had a problem running a quick mile warmup.
I guess that just means some people are born with lousier base cardio fitness than others, right?
Piping up to say, make sure you allow for both warm up and cool down runs, they are important for conditioning. Also, I thought maybe you might find this recent article about runners and water consumption food for thought. Drinking too much water risky for endurance athletes.
I couldn’t agree with you more. I’ve had more than my fair share of stress fractures from not listening to my body. I ran competitively for over 10 years and my body just can’t take it anymore. I’m much more relaxed about running now and don’t feel the need to run myself into the ground. I’m hoping this attitude will prevent future injuries!
Another way to avoid injury is to stay off the pavement as much as possible. Trail running greatly reduces the amount of stress on your joints.
I’m a swimmer too. I tried running last summer and couldn’t make it more than five minutes at a time. I felt like my lungs were wet sponges that couldn’t get any air in, and there were knives down my throat. I always ran slow, too.
My personal theory is that swimming forces me to regulate my breathing. I can’t breathe too deeply or too often, and I can’t hold my breath when swimming. I can swim at an even pace for about an hour with no problems. I don’t feel like I’m gasping for air.
I think there’s something to the other poster’s theory that body type somewhat determines what kind of exercise a person can excel at. I think I will stop trying to run and concentrate on swimming instead. It’s just as good a workout, maybe better because of the lack of compression on the joints and it exercises all muscles in the body.
