I am in ok shape (5’9’’ 163lbs). I biked 25+ miles on Saturday and felt fine. I work out a few times a week and play handball twice a week. But when I try and go jogging I feel like dying after less than a mile. Yesterday I got a splitting side ache and had to start walking about a mile in. What can I do? I want to be able to run further (my gf is a marathoner) but I just suck at it so much!
Also, when I run I start getting a terrible ache in my upper back, kind of near my left shoulder. I try and think about it and keep my shoulders relaxed, but it still happens.
Any advice on workouts, routines or diet that can help me would be appreciated
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The side pain and the shoulder pain are the same thing-a side stitch. You’re probably running too hard. Practice belly breathing.
Go for the same perceived effort as when you bike. Be aware that you are not used to a weight bearing activity(biking vs. running) so you will need some time to adjust.
It takes the human body about 2 months to fully adapt to a new activity, though it should start feeling easier before that.
The best way to get better at running is to run. Nothing magical. As I learned while in the army my body has an upper limit no matter how much I practice. I can get to the point where I can run far but I’ll never run fast. Now I’m in my 40s with two bad knees (not from running) some those days are behind me.
don’t run on grass. The surface is uneven and isn’t much fun.
Find a high school track to run on. Most high schools have tracks made from rubber. The surface yields enough to lessen impact on your joints significantly compared to asphalt or (shudder) concrete. The surface is also dense enough to provide a solid, non-squishy contact point. They are well designed and very comfortable for running.
I also endorse a gradual work-up like runner pat linked to. You have to start slow and (most important) keep at it. Many years ago I couldn’t run a lap, but within a year I was running races: 5k, 10k, even a half marathon.
When I get my ACL fixed, I want a titanium-bionic replacement of some kind, so I can run again.
You sound like my SO. He’s a fantastic cyclist and a great swimmer, but he hates running, and kind of sucks at it.
Why? He’s too competitive to just ease into the sport, he goes, goes, goes. He thinks he should be able to run a 4.5 minute mile, but he doesn’t bother working up to that, he just goes for it. He does 5km so fast, he’s gasping for air by the time he’s half way through and hating every damn step of it. He refuses to acknowledge that a 10km run pace should be slower then a 5km pace (“If I do 5km in 22 minutes on the treadmill, I can do 10km outside in 44”) so he pushes as hhaaaard as he can to get it done. And misses out on the enjoyment.
I think you’re trying too hard. Do you ever just do 1 mile? Do you do hill training, run stairs, go for slow runs? Or do you have a preconceived notion of what you should be able to run because you’re already fit and if you don’t attain that, you feel like a failure?
Don’t forget that running is higher impact and harder on the body then cycling. You have to push your body up and forward, which you don’t do in cycling.
Another thing to consider is your posture. Head up, shoulder back, slight lean forward. Arms loose, swinging fairly parallel to each other. Breathing should be inhale every two paces, exhale every two paces (try to exhale all the way, this is also great for getting rid of stitches, push ALL the air out, tighten the core). If you’re breathing faster then this, you’re pushing too hard.
second everyone’s suggestion of s-l-o-w-i-n-g d-o-w-n.
I ran cross country in high school. I sucked at it, relative to students, but I could run a 6:15-6:30 mile for 3 miles.
After college I decided I wanted to get back in shape. I tried multiple times - each time thinking I should at least be able to do an 8 minute mile. After 3-4 re-start attempts ending in failure with sore and painful leg muscles, I finally learned that I just wasn’t capable (yet) of what I thought I could do. I went out, got a heartrate monitor, used it to help me force myself to slow down, and never looked back. That was 3-4 years ago.
That happened to me when I started running. It comes back sometimes, if I have to stop for a few weeks and then get back into shape.
It’s frustrating as hell, because you may not even feel tired, but that pain will bring you to a dead stop. Don’t fight it. Stop and wait until it goes away before resuming. If you have to knock off for the day, try again the next day–a little slower. Pretty soon, like magic, you’ll be in better shape, breathing better, and you won’t get that pain any more.
Honestly? Biking is a joke. You can make progress doing nothing. Can’t do that running.
I biked 30 miles like it was nothing, but ran a mile like I was dying. Take it easy. Don’t get hung up on distances. Go as far as you can and without feeling pain. Discomfort? Meh. Normal. Pain? Stop.
Really…don’t think about miles. They will come. I fought for one mile with about 5 breaks, and was up to non-stop 5 miles in five weeks.
You will be fine. Don’t add mental stress to the physical stress.
(Just kidding about biking. It’s so much different that it doesn’t mean anything in terms of running sometimes)
Yeah, don’t run on grass or concrete (sidewalk). Track is best, but asphalt/road is OK too. Dirt or gravel paths are good, just look out for ditches, holes and trip hazards. And yes, take it slowly at first.
I love getting to that point, after months off, where running suddenly becomes effortless- I’m not breathing heavy, my legs don’t hurt and aren’t tired, my body feels like a machine that’s just made to churn out the miles… it’s a great feeling. You’ll get there. Rome wasn’t built in a day.
While researching training for marathons and then triathlons, the general concept seemed to be that you need to go on a cycle of 1 week hard, next week recovery, the next week somewhere in-between. Within each week you’ll cycle through short and intense and long and, well, grueling.
As runner pat said, the side stitch and shoulder pain are the same pain. It will go away with more training.
I can give you more details if you want them, but the idea is basically this:
Monday: Cross train
Tuesday: Short, easy run. Run so you can talk while running. Make this half the distance that you’ll run on Sunday (see Sunday)
Wednesday: Short, hard run. Run so you really can’t talk while running. Alternate between running and walking. Make this distance about half your Sunday distance.
Thursday: Copy of Tuesday.
Friday: Short and hard, but not as hard as Wednesday. You want to be just on the cusp of being able to talk.
Saturday: Off
Sunday: Long and easy. Make this a stretch distance. If you can barely get to 1 mile now, make this 1.25 miles. If you can barely get to 2 miles now, make this 2.5.
Cycle your Sunday runs like this:
First Sunday: 1 mile
Second Sunday: 2 miles
Third: 1 mile
Fourth: 2.5 miles
Fifth: 3 miles
Sixth: 2 miles
Seventh: 4 miles
Eigth: 6 miles
Ninth: 3 miles
etc.
As I said, the idea is to push things up for a couple of weeks, then recover. Same with the intra-week workouts.
There is something called your aerobic threshold or lactic threshold. You want to get beyond that threshold for about 15 or 20 minutes at least once a week during your non-recovery weeks. During recovery weeks stay below it. This threshold is generally at the point where you can no longer talk while exercising.
You will find it very difficult to stay above your AT for 15 or 20 minutes at first. That is okay. Push into that zone for as long as you can and eventually you’ll get there. Pushing into that zone along with the long runs is what will make you a marathoner in 6 to 9 months.
I’m on week 2 of the Couch to 5K program (based on recommendations from a previous thread) and it’s been going great. I’ve truly been a couch potato for the last couple years and this program reeeaaaalllllyyyy eases you into it — which had been my biggest problem in the past. I used to try to go too hard, too fast, too far. This program (and tips from the rest of that site) slowed me down.
I would third the couch to 5k program. I did this and it was great. I will turn 50 this year and I can easily run 3 miles (in fact did that today) at just a little over 10 minute miles. But when I started this program if I ran for 1 minute I was beat and out of breath. Frankly it isn’t the cardio that does me in now–it is my legs, they get tired, but I am not out of breath at all.
A few weeks ago I ran 4 miles in one stint and I was damn proud of myself. I seem to have a mental block though at 3 miles now, I get there and decide to stop. I do a 5 minute cool down and feel like I could run again, but so far haven’t, I just feel I need to do it without stopping I guess.
But don’t give up–do the couch to 5k, you won’t be sorry
I completely disagree. Back when I was in the best shape of my life and running up to 12 miles a day, I decided to go on a hilly bike trip, 20 miles each way.
After the 20 mile stretch one way, I didn’t think I was going to make my way back. (I did, after hitting a pub for a number of beers to ease the pain.) It’s a completely different set of muscles.
Just go slow and ease into it. And, to be honest, it’s that first mile to two miles that’s always been the hardest for me. Even in my best shape, it wasn’t until mile 3 that I started to feel like I was on “autopilot” and could go on for awhile. You may be similar. Just don’t get ahead of yourself, it really is a different set of muscles than cycling. You may have the cardiovascular fitness necessary, but your muscles aren’t quite ready for longer runs yet. The couch-to-5k program is a good start. I, personally, since I have some experience, start with 3 mile runs for a couple of weeks, with some intervals thrown in, and then build up to 8, 10 miles after about two or three months of conditioning.