For Joggers and Runners

[Thinker]

Like most people, I've never much cared for jogging or running.

Four months ago, I started using Weight Watchers online and eventually started adding a little exercise to the mix......weights and cardio in the form of stationary bike, stairs, and hills.

I avoided jogging because......well.......because I don't like it.

The weight loss has been promising as well as losing inches around my belly. Truthfully, the belly fat has been my issue. I finally accepted that the only way to rid myself of the last few pounds and inches is to start jogging.

Just last week, on September 1, I started a walk/jog program. I have surprised myself each day at how much of my time has been spent on jogging. I assume that the time I spent running stairs and hills got me in a little better shape than I realized.

So I have to admit that it hasn't been miserable and that I do feel inclined to continue down this path. I'd like to call myself a "jogger" one day, but I know I have to earn those stripes.

For now, I am eternally gratefully that I'm doing this, that nothing is hurting, and that I feel more and more confident each day. Today, for example, one of my "jog sessions" was 10-minutes long!! I jogged 10 consecutive minutes. (I did a total of 28 minutes today; my best was 30:30.)

My walk time between jogging sessions is 3 minutes, and I'm averaging 8 minutes of jogging per jog session. I fully expected to start with jog 1 and walk 4 for about 30 minutes, so you can probably see why I have surprised myself.

Any others here on the Planet who jog or run? How long have you been doing it? What is your workout like?

[Gráinne]

I used to run, and just started a couch to 5k program . I can vouch that running or jogging feels great and is good for the mind

[Thinker]

Originally Posted by guihong

I used to run, and just started a couch to 5k program . I can vouch that running or jogging feels great and is good for the mind

Do you have a 5K already scheduled......like a goal date?

Good luck on your program!

[Amber2010]

I have always been a walker.. Well a power walker. I prefer to go up stairs no matter how many flights to taking the elevator. I also park as far back as I dare and walk and love to watch people who are looking for a parking space follow me then give up. Ha Ha
I did start jogging myself a few years ago to also get rid of that spread in the middle. I am not a big eater but notice with age comes that middle spread. I have felt more energy and more of a positive attitude in my life when I am running. I started doing the run/walk to save my legs. Sometimes they really hurt after. I think it is a great way to listen to yourself think things through and also the best form of exercise at least for me. Inside fitness centers are just not for me.

[Thinker]

Originally Posted by Amber2010

I have always been a walker.. Well a power walker. I prefer to go up stairs no matter how many flights to taking the elevator. I also park as far back as I dare and walk and love to watch people who are looking for a parking space follow me then give up. Ha Ha
I did start jogging myself a few years ago to also get rid of that spread in the middle. I am not a big eater but notice with age comes that middle spread. I have felt more energy and more of a positive attitude in my life when I am running. I started doing the run/walk to save my legs. Sometimes they really hurt after. I think it is a great way to listen to yourself think things through and also the best form of exercise at least for me. Inside fitness centers are just not for me.

I have trouble with fitness centers too, Amber. I try, but it's just too much to be in that kind of environment doing BODY work with so many strangers. Just not a fan...

I am looking forward to the time when I can actually think about something other than the jogging!!! I'm still at the point where I look ahead for a marker where I have permission to check the time. Ha! I imagine it will be much more pleasant for me when I'm not worried about how long it has been or how much more I should go.

I guess when I get to where I can go for 20 or 30 minutes without stopping I will feel less stressed about it.

Thanks for your post.

[Sparkle]

I've recently added running to my exercise routine.

I've never particularly enjoyed it and I've not run consistently since I was a teenager and training for sports teams.

I'm currently in week 5 of the C25k programme, but I'll be running week 4 again because I had a miserable time of it last week. Week 4 heralds in the 5minute intervals and I struggled through every single one of them.

I started C25k because I was growing bored with speed walking and I knew I needed to up my aerobic activity to continue to lose weight. I also needed an aerobic activity that required very little money. My house is on a bike path that stretches for miles in either direction, so I bought a decent pair of running shoes and started.

I'm not focused on running a 5k, it would be a great "side effect", but its not my goal.

My goal is to be able to run for 30-45minutes comfortably so that I can feel fit and that I'm doing my best to take care of my heart, so that I can lose/maintain weight, and so I have an aerobic activity that I can do anywhere.

It has been really challenging. And right now I'm feeling very impatient with myself. I want it to hurt less and be easier, and now please.

I had a few runs, two weeks back, when I had that rush of endorphins afterwards and I felt like a million dollars. I'd quite like that feeling again. And I'd love to get to a point where that is how I feel after every run.

Two things I'm currently struggling with and would love to hear other people's experiences of:

Finding a comfortable pace as the running intervals become longer
and breath control, I'm still having a hard time maintaining a good breathing rhythm.

[Thinker]

Originally Posted by Sparkle

I've recently added running to my exercise routine.

I've never particularly enjoyed it and I've not run consistently since I was a teenager and training for sports teams.

I'm currently in week 5 of the C25k programme, but I'll be running week 4 again because I had a miserable time of it last week. Week 4 heralds in the 5minute intervals and I struggled through every single one of them.

I started C25k because I was growing bored with speed walking and I knew I needed to up my aerobic activity to continue to lose weight. I also needed an aerobic activity that required very little money. My house is on a bike path that stretches for miles in either direction, so I bought a decent pair of running shoes and started.

I'm not focused on running a 5k, it would be a great "side effect", but its not my goal.

My goal is to be able to run for 30-45minutes comfortably so that I can feel fit and that I'm doing my best to take care of my heart, so that I can lose/maintain weight, and so I have an aerobic activity that I can do anywhere.

It has been really challenging. And right now I'm feeling very impatient with myself. I want it to hurt less and be easier, and now please.

I had a few runs, two weeks back, when I had that rush of endorphins afterwards and I felt like a million dollars. I'd quite like that feeling again. And I'd love to get to a point where that is how I feel after every run.

Two things I'm currently struggling with and would love to hear other people's experiences of:

Finding a comfortable pace as the running intervals become longer
and breath control, I'm still having a hard time maintaining a good breathing rhythm.

Always love your posts! Thanks for sharing your experiences here, Sparkle.

I gotta tell you... I don't have working knowledge of what I am/am not doing right now. I'm just doing it. I will say, though, that I start my little jog at what I would call a snail's pace because I know me and if I start out any faster it will hurt and I will quit.

My wife told me that as she looks around at others, I'm going at their pace or better. I find that hard to believe because I feel like I'm just shuffling along, but I may very well be unaware of exactly how strong my pace is. *shrug*

My breathing feels good, which really is the most shocking part of all for me. And I wish I could tell you what I'm doing, but I really don't know; I just started this, and I gave myself permission to go slow so that I could keep moving at a pace other than a walk for longer and longer periods of time.

Sometimes I'm afraid if I think too much about it, I'll mess myself up. I'm pretty sure I'll get to a point where I want to do better and have more knowledge of what's really going on; until then, I'm freakin' stoked that I haven't quit yet!!

I like your thoughts about having an activity you can do anywhere. I never thought about it that way before.

Kelt, in the weight loss thread, shared this article with me. It's exactly what I needed to reinforce my decision to go this route.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0825105018.htm

[Dominique]

Hi Thinker.

Just like you, I went from moving to moving more. Then up stairs. To some jogging and then some running and some walking. I wasn't enjoying running or jogging, but was getting my heart rate up and knew I was doing my heart good. Like you, kept doing it, every day a little more, and a little longer. One day I RAN long enough to catch what they call the runners high. Wow. I wanted that every time I ran, and it came easier, quicker the more I ran. Within a reasonable amount of time, I became a runner.

I started to enter 5k's, 10'ks, half marathons, full marathons.....it's still my activity of choice-as I get into the *zone* very quickly.

Unfortunately, I have very high arches and do not have the feet to be a runner. I bought the arch supports (orthotics) but still sufferred from planar fascitis. Nothing like waking up every morning and walking on knife blades. Reluctantly, I have had to accept the elliptical machine in the gym. Every once in a while, I'll push the envelope and take off for a couple mile run, knowing darn well I am risking inviting plantar fascitis back into my life.
I am considering a 10 k in October. I will only train on the eliptical. No road work. IF I do this. It is good for you, but it's not for every one.

[JAGG]

Originally Posted by Thinker

Like most people, I've never much cared for jogging or running.

Four months ago, I started using Weight Watchers online and eventually started adding a little exercise to the mix......weights and cardio in the form of stationary bike, stairs, and hills.

I avoided jogging because......well.......because I don't like it.

The weight loss has been promising as well as losing inches around my belly. Truthfully, the belly fat has been my issue. I finally accepted that the only way to rid myself of the last few pounds and inches is to start jogging.

Just last week, on September 1, I started a walk/jog program. I have surprised myself each day at how much of my time has been spent on jogging. I assume that the time I spent running stairs and hills got me in a little better shape than I realized.

So I have to admit that it hasn't been miserable and that I do feel inclined to continue down this path. I'd like to call myself a "jogger" one day, but I know I have to earn those stripes.

For now, I am eternally gratefully that I'm doing this, that nothing is hurting, and that I feel more and more confident each day. Today, for example, one of my "jog sessions" was 10-minutes long!! I jogged 10 consecutive minutes. (I did a total of 28 minutes today; my best was 30:30.)

My walk time between jogging sessions is 3 minutes, and I'm averaging 8 minutes of jogging per jog session. I fully expected to start with jog 1 and walk 4 for about 30 minutes, so you can probably see why I have surprised myself.

Any others here on the Planet who jog or run? How long have you been doing it? What is your workout like?

Hey Thinker good for you!!! I run all the time. Believe it or not you will become addicted. Not in a bad way, just that a day will come when you find yourself longing to run if you don't get to. Or you will be driving down a road thinking, hey this would be a great road to run on. I played basketball , softball. We would always have to run a mile before basketball practice, I would always be the fastest runner on my team. But I never enjoyed running, although I was always real fast, as far as distance running . I didn't like running it seemed painful and boring. But then I joined the Marine Corps and well you run ALOT in the Marine Corps. Not just running with sneakers on either. Running in full combat gear, with boots a pack and a rifle. Hills and sand and mud . So running with sneakers on a paved surface seemed real easy to me after that. HAHA Anyway I run to stay in shape. I know if it's too cold I dread it, so I don't run in the winter. But I run about 2-5 miles tues-sat. and sometimes on Sunday depends on how I feel. I run early in the am before the sun comes up. I'm not running for speed just pleasure. It's how I meditate. I get alot of thinking done then. But the reason I wrote this is to tell you, running is mind over matter. I have helped hundreds of people lose weight and get into shape. Most of them like you never ran before ever. Housewives and teens all age ranges and body types. Running is more in the mind than the body. If you can walk 5 miles you can run 5 miles. I mean run without stopping. If you can walk 2 miles you can run 2 miles with out stopping. It's all in your mind. You have the ability , you just don't think you can or should whatever the reason. In fact most people can run a marathon right now if they wanted to, they just don't think they can. I mean physically they could do it with no adverse effects like stroke , heart attach , slipped discs, etc... Sore muscles yes , pain yes , but they could if they pushed themselves. They just talk themselves out of it. They let their body tell their mind what to do. It should be the other way around. Let your mind tell your body .Talk to yourself, seriously, it works wonders and it will change the way you operate when you run. Say things like, don't stop, don't quit, so what if it hurts, it should hurt. Tell yourself,you're out of shape because you've taken the easy way out for so long. Tell yourself motivating things. Like I'm going to run 2 miles without stopping no matter what. No walking allowed. No whimps allowed. Yesterday I was soft and I've been soft for too long ,no more taking it easy on myself. When you run the 2 miles without stopping and you cross the finish line, don't stop and bend over gasping for air, instead, sprint as fast as you can for as long as you can, then stop running. Then tell yourself, I did that just in case you thought 2 miles was too much for you, in case you thought you were tired , I wanted to show you , you weren't tired, you're just faking it. You are sort of your own personal hard core trainer. Try it, let me know how it works out for you.

[Sparkle]

This is a shaping up to be a great thread!

I'm going to take the advice and try to consciously slow down and not worry about my pace.

Thoughts on warming up and stretching, anyone?

There seem to be conflicting beliefs on the effectiveness of stretching before a run. I often have a lot of tightness in my calves and it can make my run painful.

[Thinker]

Originally Posted by Sparkle

This is a shaping up to be a great thread!

I'm going to take the advice and try to consciously slow down and not worry about my pace.

Thoughts on warming up and stretching, anyone?

There seem to be conflicting beliefs on the effectiveness of stretching before a run. I often have a lot of tightness in my calves and it can make my run painful.

I'm a big, big fan of stretching. I tore my right hamstring when I was in high school, and it bothers me even on long distance *drives*. Seriously. So I don't do anything active without a good 10-15 minute stretching session; I stretch everything with extra attention on my hamstrings and groin.

I've heard/read the recommendation that a light 5-minute jog is all you need.......or is recommended *before* stretching......but I just can't. I do the stretching before anything else and then again after I'm done and after my heart rate gets back to normal.

Interested to hear what others have to say about it.

[afixer]

i love the runner's high, it's like crack to me.
i don't run much at all anymore, an occasional trail run with one of my dogs.
the air down here is extra nasty in the summer. come on fall and winter.

[Thinker]

Originally Posted by afixer

i love the runner's high, it's like crack to me.
i don't run much at all anymore, an occasional trail run with one of my dogs.
the air down here is extra nasty in the summer. come on fall and winter.

We get crisp, cold air here in the winter; I'm a little worried about it being an obstacle for me.....hurting my sinuses. My wife and I talked about getting a face mask; I don't really care to wear such a thing, but I don't want excuses for not getting out there either.

Today was pretty challenging for me. I managed to do 38 minutes total and 27 minutes of jogging, but I felt fatigued from the get-go.......mainly in my quads. They felt weak and tired.

I did extra stretching after and plan to do more this evening. I hope to feel much more fresh in the morning.

[Just_G]

I will walk down to the end of my block at a brisk pace and do my stretching there; no rhyme or reason, I just feel like if I get the blood circulating then stretch it will be better for me.

I have a horrible time stretching my hamstrings; they tend to feel tight in the midst of my run...so I stretch them really good before and after.

I also find that if I am scrunching my face up and concentrating on running; it is not enjoyable, so I always try to think of other things instead of my running...though one time I was watching my feet and a low tree branch snagged the hat and headphones right off my head! Scared the shit outta me!

Needless to say, I always watch for low branches now!

Originally Posted by Thinker

We get crisp, cold air here in the winter; I'm a little worried about it being an obstacle for me.....hurting my sinuses. My wife and I talked about getting a face mask; I don't really care to wear such a thing, but I don't want excuses for not getting out there either.

Today was pretty challenging for me. I managed to do 38 minutes total and 27 minutes of jogging, but I felt fatigued from the get-go.......mainly in my quads. They felt weak and tired.

I did extra stretching after and plan to do more this evening. I hope to feel much more fresh in the morning.

I'm not a runner but a cyclist and I find these...
https://www.buffwear.co.uk/catalogue/index.php/cPath/52
...help when it's cold and/or windy.

[Anastasia]

Originally Posted by Sparkle

This is a shaping up to be a great thread!

I'm going to take the advice and try to consciously slow down and not worry about my pace.

Thoughts on warming up and stretching, anyone?

There seem to be conflicting beliefs on the effectiveness of stretching before a run. I often have a lot of tightness in my calves and it can make my run painful.

It is best to warm up first before you stretch. Brisk walking, like Just G said, is an excellent way to warm up your muscles and then stretch. Remember to not stretch too hard. It is feel tight, but not hurt. After the run it is important to stretch as well. Same rules apply with respect to how hard to stretch, but hold the stretch longer (40 seconds, which feels like for freaking ever, when you are tired and just want to go Starbucks and get a scone.... just sayin')

I will try to look for some stretch videos on You Tube of stretches that I like for hamstrings and in general and post the links.

[Rockinonahigh]

Id like to get started running again but its been so long that my mind remembers how but my led feet have forgtten...can walk on the tredmill just fine or outside,power walk I can do but still am triping over myself if I go any faster.I have started rideing my redone 1960's bike and can do pretty well on it.

[Thinker]

Originally Posted by Rockinonahigh

Id like to get started running again but its been so long that my mind remembers how but my led feet have forgtten...can walk on the tredmill just fine or outside,power walk I can do but still am triping over myself if I go any faster.I have started rideing my redone 1960's bike and can do pretty well on it.

One step at a time, Rockin! The more you keep moving, the easier it will become.

Good luck with it!

[Anastasia]

In response to Saprkle's request for stretch recommendations. Here are a couple of videos of stretches I do.

After about a 0.2-0.25 mile brisk walk warm up, These stretches work well for me:

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmarsM7lEBQ"]Dynamic Stretching for Runners - YouTube[/nomedia]


Then after the run I do a 0.25 mile cool down walk then, these types stretches (sometimes followed by core strength exercises, but more often followed by a trip to Starbuck's.)

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aH5_raxOrUs"]Post Run Stretch at Home - YouTube[/nomedia]

[Thinker]

I had a good one this morning.

12 min. jog
3 min. walk
15 min. jog (YES, THAT SAYS FIFTEEN MINUTES)
3 min. walk
8 min. jog
4 min. walk

Totally different headspace from yesterday, and my quads felt MUCH better.