Did an actual run today. Got to 1.3 miles before my muscles ached too bad. Cardiovascular(ily) I felt like I could run three more miles, but the muscles in my calfs/shins just aren't up to the task yet.
Just finished reading about 30 pages of this thread - exciting stuff. I just got into running about 2 months ago and now am running about 5-6x a week (twice on Fridays). I usually run to and from work on Friday (11k each way). I was thinking about doing this twice a week and was wondering if I could be overtraining? There would be ~9hours between the runs.
Anyone have a good training program for 3 weeks until I run a half-marathon? I heard I should be toning down my running before the event.
L_Master United States. August 16 2012 12:10. Posts 3488
On August 16 2012 07:17 caznitch wrote: Just finished reading about 30 pages of this thread - exciting stuff. I just got into running about 2 months ago and now am running about 5-6x a week (twice on Fridays). I usually run to and from work on Friday (11k each way). I was thinking about doing this twice a week and was wondering if I could be overtraining? There would be ~9hours between the runs.
Anyone have a good training program for 3 weeks until I run a half-marathon? I heard I should be toning down my running before the event.
If you're specifically referring to running 2x a day as being the worrisome part, then no there is nothing dangerous about doing it. In fact, the large majority of elite runners run 2x a day most days.
The key is just making sure your not overdoing yourself by running too much, too soon OR by hammering too much. Some occasional faster runs are absolutely a good thing, but overdoing it all the time can get you in trouble. As long as most runs are easy, and your consistently feeling recovered and not dreading every run on your tired legs you are probably in the clear.
Neo.G Soulkey!
AirbladeOrange United States. August 16 2012 14:45. Posts 2072
On August 16 2012 07:17 caznitch wrote: Just finished reading about 30 pages of this thread - exciting stuff. I just got into running about 2 months ago and now am running about 5-6x a week (twice on Fridays). I usually run to and from work on Friday (11k each way). I was thinking about doing this twice a week and was wondering if I could be overtraining? There would be ~9hours between the runs.
Anyone have a good training program for 3 weeks until I run a half-marathon? I heard I should be toning down my running before the event.
3 weeks is not enough time to get any real work done and recover from it. Just keep doing whatever you're doing and back off for the few days before the race. Make sure you're running an easy effort and for less time than usual when you get close to race day. Have fun! Let us know how it goes and if you want more specific training ideas feel free to ask me or post in the thread.
On August 16 2012 07:17 caznitch wrote: Just finished reading about 30 pages of this thread - exciting stuff. I just got into running about 2 months ago and now am running about 5-6x a week (twice on Fridays). I usually run to and from work on Friday (11k each way). I was thinking about doing this twice a week and was wondering if I could be overtraining? There would be ~9hours between the runs.
Anyone have a good training program for 3 weeks until I run a half-marathon? I heard I should be toning down my running before the event.
3 weeks is not enough time to get any real work done and recover from it. Just keep doing whatever you're doing and back off for the few days before the race. Make sure you're running an easy effort and for less time than usual when you get close to race day. Have fun! Let us know how it goes and if you want more specific training ideas feel free to ask me or post in the thread.
I figured as much. Just wondering if there is any pre-race stuff worth doing.
I forgot to add some info to my situation as I was at work the other day and my lunch was ending.
I also bike to and from work (expect when I run to and from). Then I run at lunch. Is there a minimum rest between activities or is it just a matter of listening to your body?
I also appreciate the "run slow" advice here. I've been running every day with the goal of going fast enough to just nearly avoid a heart attack by the end of it - I think it's taken a toll on my knees so I'll take er' easy from now on. I always had the "no pain, no gain" or "if you have any juice left, use it" mentality which doesn't seem to work for distance running. I think I've got a slight case of runners knee in my right knee . Its only a dull pain I feel when I stop running. Do you guys suggest I don't run at all until this heals or to just do light easy runs until it heals?
Any opinions on the safety of running a marathon? I was playing around with the idea of signing up to one after my halfer (pending results) but have heard a lot on the adverse health effects of running and even training for a marathon. My goal is to have fun, be healthy and run fast - I'm not one of those people that challenge themselves for the sake of challenge. I'd assume I'd have fun training and running the thing as opposed to striking it off my bucket list and going back to the couch. That said, I don't want to be 70 with arthritis in my knees that can be traced back to marathon running.
Lastly - to any lurkers or people having a hard time getting into running, I suggest you sign up for a local 5k race. I was one of those people that decide to start running, then proceeded to run twice a week for a month before giving it up. I did this every couple of month for several years until my company signed us all up for a race as a part of a team building thing. It was my first race and it was life-changing; not in the "finding Jesus" sense, but in the "I finally get what the fuss with running is all about". I started running regularly 3x a week and it came easy as I had a goal in mind (the race). The actual race was a ton of fun; I'd describe it as one huge adrenaline rush. After the race, I immediately signed up for 2 additional races and I've been training 5-6x a week since. I can't say it'll work for everyone, but it only took one race to get my from viewing running as a chore to viewing it as a fun, worthwhile activity.
AirbladeOrange United States. August 17 2012 01:15. Posts 2072
On August 16 2012 07:17 caznitch wrote: Just finished reading about 30 pages of this thread - exciting stuff. I just got into running about 2 months ago and now am running about 5-6x a week (twice on Fridays). I usually run to and from work on Friday (11k each way). I was thinking about doing this twice a week and was wondering if I could be overtraining? There would be ~9hours between the runs.
Anyone have a good training program for 3 weeks until I run a half-marathon? I heard I should be toning down my running before the event.
3 weeks is not enough time to get any real work done and recover from it. Just keep doing whatever you're doing and back off for the few days before the race. Make sure you're running an easy effort and for less time than usual when you get close to race day. Have fun! Let us know how it goes and if you want more specific training ideas feel free to ask me or post in the thread.
I figured as much. Just wondering if there is any pre-race stuff worth doing.
I forgot to add some info to my situation as I was at work the other day and my lunch was ending.
I also bike to and from work (expect when I run to and from). Then I run at lunch. Is there a minimum rest between activities or is it just a matter of listening to your body?
I also appreciate the "run slow" advice here. I've been running every day with the goal of going fast enough to just nearly avoid a heart attack by the end of it - I think it's taken a toll on my knees so I'll take er' easy from now on. I always had the "no pain, no gain" or "if you have any juice left, use it" mentality which doesn't seem to work for distance running. I think I've got a slight case of runners knee in my right knee . Its only a dull pain I feel when I stop running. Do you guys suggest I don't run at all until this heals or to just do light easy runs until it heals?
Any opinions on the safety of running a marathon? I was playing around with the idea of signing up to one after my halfer (pending results) but have heard a lot on the adverse health effects of running and even training for a marathon. My goal is to have fun, be healthy and run fast - I'm not one of those people that challenge themselves for the sake of challenge. I'd assume I'd have fun training and running the thing as opposed to striking it off my bucket list and going back to the couch. That said, I don't want to be 70 with arthritis in my knees that can be traced back to marathon running.
Lastly - to any lurkers or people having a hard time getting into running, I suggest you sign up for a local 5k race. I was one of those people that decide to start running, then proceeded to run twice a week for a month before giving it up. I did this every couple of month for several years until my company signed us all up for a race as a part of a team building thing. It was my first race and it was life-changing; not in the "finding Jesus" sense, but in the "I finally get what the fuss with running is all about". I started running regularly 3x a week and it came easy as I had a goal in mind (the race). The actual race was a ton of fun; I'd describe it as one huge adrenaline rush. After the race, I immediately signed up for 2 additional races and I've been training 5-6x a week since. I can't say it'll work for everyone, but it only took one race to get my from viewing running as a chore to viewing it as a fun, worthwhile activity.
Don't do anything too unusual before the race. Just go easier and chill out, especially the few days leading up to it. Keep everything else normal. If you're still inexperienced it's not worth trying to do new things at this time.
If you're biking and running multiple times a day there's a couple of considerations. The first is if it aligns with your goals. What do you want to get out of this exercise? Do you want to run the fastest times possible within the next 3 years? Do you want to try to break a world record? Do you want to have fun and have a cheap way to get to work? If you have serious competitive goals then doing too much extra stuff that doesn't fit into your training plan is a bad idea. Every exercise session needs to have a specific and practical purpose. If you are not that serious about it then just make sure you listen to your body and are recovering from each activity before starting another one. And you will recover better if you each well right after a session and don't go balls to the wall much.
If your knee is bothering you take a few days off and see if that helps. If it's become progressively worse then you need to stop and really take care of it.
Running hard can be enjoyable but if if you're getting serious about training you gotta realize there is a time and place for it. Easy distance runs are not the place. Workouts where you plan on running fast are there to do it. Tempo workouts you get to go fairly fast and interval workouts are where you really let loose.
Running is inherently bad for some parts of your body. It's generally bad for your lower body's joints. That being said, not everybody has these problems. And many people who don't run have these problems too. But running is good for other things like your heart and all that other stuff scientists tell people to exercise for. My advice is just to do what you like to do and don't worry about it (within reason). Ever hear NFL retirees say they wish they hadn't played football because now they have joint pain? I never have. But again, nothing is ever guaranteed, injury or no injury. Most of the older people I know who had to stop running because of bad knees or whatever only have pain when they run, not during everyday activities.
I have been into running for about 4 years and after reading this thread I realized I had the wrong approach. I used to think that in order to get the maximum gain from my training I had to run as hard as I could for as long as I can, which made running a burden. So I just wanted to thank all the experienced runners (L_Master especially) for their advices in this thread who made me understand how easy and fun running should be if you don't try to kill yourself everytime.
Sorry for some qq but its really annoying. First easy run of the new season and im out again Thought some strengthening of the leg would fix it and i felt stronger than ever but appearently not...
My problem is that my legs seem very prone to small, nagging muscle injuries. No real tears with visible bruises a PT or doctor could easily diagnose, but more like a muscle tightens up after a run and refuses to work for weeks. After an XC race in winter my right quad just died and i couldnt even walk for 2-3 weeks. Doctors weren't able to diagnose anythign except a very tight muscle. Later on, same thing in my lower calf. With ongoing activity the muscle just got stiffer and stiffer and sidelined me again for 6 weeks.
Everytime I massaged a lot, got myself a foam roller and rolled the heck out of the stiff muscles, vistied PT and everything but its looking more and more like a problem deep within my body.
After the injuries described above I ramped up my stretching (10 minutes after every run), did a lot of rope skipping, form drills, worked on my core just to have the same sht again after 4 weeks of off-season (just 2 easy runs per week) in the first easy run of the new season. This time it's in my left calf so it's not a one sided issue.
I don't think that my training is wrong. All the other guys in my club are fine with it. I dont kill my easy days (8 minute miling) and even try to avoid concrete and asphalt. My running form improved a lot, I slowly transitioned from bad heelstriking to a solid mid/foref. strike. I dont wear minimal shoes. Any advice for my situation? Should I seek a doctor to look at my blood levels? That's the only thing I haven't looked for so far.
Last edit: 2012-08-18 20:55:35
"The greatest pleasure in life, is doing the things people say we cannot do."
SupplyBlockedTV Belgium. August 19 2012 04:40. Posts 200
Anyone has advice on running 10k in 100F? (im from belgium, so this weather is unusual)
I want to run in the middle of the day, because i want to see if i can do it in this kind of weather, i like a challenge, but i also want to be prepared..so here i am asking for some advice xD.
On August 19 2012 04:40 SupplyBlockedTV wrote: Anyone has advice on running 10k in 100F? (im from belgium, so this weather is unusual)
I want to run in the middle of the day, because i want to see if i can do it in this kind of weather, i like a challenge, but i also want to be prepared..so here i am asking for some advice xD.
What kind of heat? Dry or humid? Humidity is far worse than general heat.
dudeman001 United States. August 19 2012 06:54. Posts 2123
On August 18 2012 20:54 Occultus wrote: Sorry for some qq but its really annoying. First easy run of the new season and im out again Thought some strengthening of the leg would fix it and i felt stronger than ever but appearently not...
My problem is that my legs seem very prone to small, nagging muscle injuries. No real tears with visible bruises a PT or doctor could easily diagnose, but more like a muscle tightens up after a run and refuses to work for weeks. After an XC race in winter my right quad just died and i couldnt even walk for 2-3 weeks. Doctors weren't able to diagnose anythign except a very tight muscle. Later on, same thing in my lower calf. With ongoing activity the muscle just got stiffer and stiffer and sidelined me again for 6 weeks.
Everytime I massaged a lot, got myself a foam roller and rolled the heck out of the stiff muscles, vistied PT and everything but its looking more and more like a problem deep within my body.
After the injuries described above I ramped up my stretching (10 minutes after every run), did a lot of rope skipping, form drills, worked on my core just to have the same sht again after 4 weeks of off-season (just 2 easy runs per week) in the first easy run of the new season. This time it's in my left calf so it's not a one sided issue.
I don't think that my training is wrong. All the other guys in my club are fine with it. I dont kill my easy days (8 minute miling) and even try to avoid concrete and asphalt. My running form improved a lot, I slowly transitioned from bad heelstriking to a solid mid/foref. strike. I dont wear minimal shoes. Any advice for my situation? Should I seek a doctor to look at my blood levels? That's the only thing I haven't looked for so far.
I'm honestly no doctor, but is anything possibly missing from your diet? I know that if I don't eat bananas when I'm actively running my calves love to cramp up a lot.
I'm completely speculating, but its possible you may be short on potassium. Beyond that and massaging your muscles I have no idea.
I was worried about my midterms today, but I saw someone walking around in a cow outfit carrying a skateboard. It was at that moment I knew I was ready.
L_Master United States. August 19 2012 09:33. Posts 3488
On August 19 2012 04:40 SupplyBlockedTV wrote: Anyone has advice on running 10k in 100F? (im from belgium, so this weather is unusual)
I want to run in the middle of the day, because i want to see if i can do it in this kind of weather, i like a challenge, but i also want to be prepared..so here i am asking for some advice xD.
You'll have to run dramatically slower to get the same effort but yea it's doable, especially since it's only 10k. I'd advise against a longer run that would be up over an hour and a half. Don't be surprised if you find your pace being anywhere from 30 sec/mile to 1:30 min/mile slower than normal, with it being MUCH worse if it is humid as well. That kind of heat is tough anywhere, but is significantly more brutal with more humidity.
Neo.G Soulkey!
L_Master United States. August 19 2012 09:46. Posts 3488
On August 18 2012 20:54 Occultus wrote: Sorry for some qq but its really annoying. First easy run of the new season and im out again Thought some strengthening of the leg would fix it and i felt stronger than ever but appearently not...
My problem is that my legs seem very prone to small, nagging muscle injuries. No real tears with visible bruises a PT or doctor could easily diagnose, but more like a muscle tightens up after a run and refuses to work for weeks. After an XC race in winter my right quad just died and i couldnt even walk for 2-3 weeks. Doctors weren't able to diagnose anythign except a very tight muscle. Later on, same thing in my lower calf. With ongoing activity the muscle just got stiffer and stiffer and sidelined me again for 6 weeks.
Everytime I massaged a lot, got myself a foam roller and rolled the heck out of the stiff muscles, vistied PT and everything but its looking more and more like a problem deep within my body.
After the injuries described above I ramped up my stretching (10 minutes after every run), did a lot of rope skipping, form drills, worked on my core just to have the same sht again after 4 weeks of off-season (just 2 easy runs per week) in the first easy run of the new season. This time it's in my left calf so it's not a one sided issue.
I don't think that my training is wrong. All the other guys in my club are fine with it. I dont kill my easy days (8 minute miling) and even try to avoid concrete and asphalt. My running form improved a lot, I slowly transitioned from bad heelstriking to a solid mid/foref. strike. I dont wear minimal shoes. Any advice for my situation? Should I seek a doctor to look at my blood levels? That's the only thing I haven't looked for so far.
Does it hurt afterwords when you try to walk and such? I'm no injury expert at all but the more info you can give us the better.
These may or may help, or might not even be quite what you are experiencing (if any one really sums up what your are experiencing let us know though, so we can narrow our own searching).
I also came across the 'calf heart attack' thing but the more I look into this topic the stronger I believe it's just general weakness. I'm torn between just some more strengthening and training in shoes like Nike Free or just return to a more heelstriking form and dont force myself on the forefoot. If I do so I may avoid some injuries but my form will suffer a lot( not to mention that my coach will prolly kill me) and in the end running in spikes will be even more painful.
"The greatest pleasure in life, is doing the things people say we cannot do."
L_Master United States. August 20 2012 13:32. Posts 3488
Thinking about doing a 10k next month. I've never run a 10k before, but I do 5k about 3-4 times a week and play 2 hours of football (soccer) twice a week. 5k isn't difficult, but I normally stop there either because of time constraints or boredom (since I'm mostly on treadmill).
Would it be possible for me to do the 10k for the first time on that day at a reasonable pace while just continuing what I've been doing? Or do I need to try to train up to running 10k?
AirbladeOrange United States. August 22 2012 01:36. Posts 2072
On August 22 2012 01:19 Sein wrote: Thinking about doing a 10k next month. I've never run a 10k before, but I do 5k about 3-4 times a week and play 2 hours of football (soccer) twice a week. 5k isn't difficult, but I normally stop there either because of time constraints or boredom (since I'm mostly on treadmill).
Would it be possible for me to do the 10k for the first time on that day at a reasonable pace while just continuing what I've been doing? Or do I need to try to train up to running 10k?
I'm sure you could finish one but you'd do much better if you trained for it.
L_Master United States. August 22 2012 02:20. Posts 3488
On August 22 2012 01:19 Sein wrote: Thinking about doing a 10k next month. I've never run a 10k before, but I do 5k about 3-4 times a week and play 2 hours of football (soccer) twice a week. 5k isn't difficult, but I normally stop there either because of time constraints or boredom (since I'm mostly on treadmill).
Would it be possible for me to do the 10k for the first time on that day at a reasonable pace while just continuing what I've been doing? Or do I need to try to train up to running 10k?
As Airblade said, you won't have any problems finishing it at all. and assuming your treadmill runs aren't particularly hard you'd likely be able to do the 10k at least as quick as you do those treadmill runs.
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Thought some strengthening of the leg would fix it and i felt stronger than ever but appearently not...
