working at it slowly

123578188

Comments

  • Thanks guys - slightly off on a tangent but as well as being a virgin runner I am also a biker. I am delighted to find that with the exception of the miserable buggers who run near where I live and won't even give you a smile as you run past, everybody so far that I have talked to on or via this site have been as friendly as my fellow bikers - good on you all!!

    Anyway - the reason I am at 12 miles already Carold is simple - sheer unadulterated panic - after stupidly agreeing to run, one late boozy night near Christmas I realised I could stumble for 1/2 a mile then collapse and had 17 weeks to April 18th. So I looked at all the training plans and realised I would have to ignore them all. I run 3 times a week eg this week 4 miles tonight, 8 miles on Friday and 14 this week on Sunday. This coupled with my seeming inability to allow myself to walk resulted in fairly rapid if not pleasant increases in distance!! And yes I know I am taking big chances with injury etc but I didn't feel like I had any option. Being close to the charity I am running for has helped a lot too (my wife is registered blind).

    sorry for the long post!!
  • Well done Gaz. probably a bit naughty disregarding the 10% per week rule, but we're not all the same, so don't all have to follow the same rules. As long as you 'listen to your body' you'll be fine.
  • Yes well done Gaz - if you're already a biker (assuming of the pedal variety) then you probably had a reasonable base of fitness to start with.
    If you're a biker as in great big machine ignore this waffle!
  • Thanks Carold - am I the only one who recovers so slowly - I read in other forums that people are running 5 and 6 times a week, I am due to run tonight (first run since Sunday) and my knees still hurt - thank Bob (or relevant deity) for ice packs and Ibuprofen!!
  • Sorry Poddler - the big fast noisy kind. Oh the joys of motorbiking through London in the pouring rain with lemmings all around, and the beauty of light reflecting off of the pools of diesel as you slide down the road on your face...

    Downside is that my commute each day takes me from the start of the highway down through parliment square - and its a long long way!!!
  • Gaz, it's not that you recover more slowly than everyone else, it's that you're pushing yourself too hard too fast.- The people who run loads of miles in the week are (generally) those who have built up slowly for years rather than weeks.

    If you need ice and ibuprofen, you need to back off a bit in your training or you just wont make the start line.-
  • Actually be careful with cross training. I`ve just discovered that volleyball and other such sports are a really bad combination with running.

    OK everyone else apart from me probably knew that.
  • Re points made about risk of being last - a fellow runner gave me this good advice - look at last year's results, and be cautious about entering races with fewer tna 200 runners unless they are women-only (no good unless you are a woman of course!).
  • Slow. 12 min miles is a good day to me. I'm in.
  • Thanks. The Levis designers don't seem to agree with me, it seems only Gap does!!!
  • gaz - it takes a long time to build up to 5/6 runs a week. your body will learn to recover more quickly as time goes on but at the moment it sounds like you are heading for an overuse injury.

    i understand that you are doing this for a good cause and one that is important to you but you need to be careful now if you want to make it to the start line at all. if you are currently on ice and ibuprofen then i would say the last thing you need is to be making big jumps in mileage.

    the 10% rule isn't a hard and fast one but it is a good guide.

    trinity's advice on x-training is good - also an elliptical trainer or stepper will help imitate the other stresses of running while taking the strain off your knees and shins.

    run slowly, run on grass or other soft surfaces where possible and try a sports massage once a fortnight or so - they can often pick up and prevent minor injuries before they happen

    it took me 15 months to get to be able to train 5 times a week. no one on here is superhuman (especially me!) - it just takes time.

    sorry for rambling on your thread trin - i was lurking and just couldn't help myself :-)

    good luck gaz!
  • Hi guys thanks for all the advice - I am following a plan all be it modified as I can't run 4 times a week so instead of doing say 4 6 4 12 I do 4 8 12 so doing slightly less mileage but in bigger chunks. Its from a book called The Non-Runers marathon trainer. I had to accelerate it a bit as it assumed you could run 30 minutes continuously from week one whereas I could do 5! But I caught up fairly quickly. I may have misled you slightly before - I use the ice and anti-inflamatories as a preventative measure as it seems to stop most of the soreness the day or two after my runs (dodgy knees from too much rugby too early). I started to develop a pain inside my right shin and so took the next week off (2 weeks ago) and it seemed to go away, so fingers crossed it stays away. My main problems are being 17stone and not having or wanting (bad ankle injury a few years ago) to run on uneven surfaces, this coupled with the fact that where I live is concrete city with no lit parks, and the fact that I can only run in the evenings means it all road work. But on the upside although I have actually increased in weight it seems to be more lean weight as the old love handles have all but gone now - worth all the grief just for that alone!!
    Again thanks for all the advice and support - gets a bit daunting sometimes having to train alone and not really knowing whats going on.
  • make sure youve got some good supportive shoes that are appropriate to your running style

    and its worth adding some run walk - so you can lengthen the mileage /maintain the cadio vascular training (if you walk briskly ) and lessen the impact on your joints - whilst building up the time you spend on your feet - which is an important part of a get you round marathon schedule
  • get you round is a good plan
    theres a thread on the FLM one, nice peeps, go and say hello gaz


    i also think you are building up a bit quickly----take care






    Right
    hadd test



    the idea is to run 2.4 km at heart rates of 140/150/160/170/180/
    note how long it takes you, and how your legs and breathing feel at each stage and have 90 sec rest between each
    the idea is to determine your personal lactate threshold---better than an age related formula


    more info on the base traiing thread on traiing--itss a hell of a read
    im no expert

    the
  • Morning all

    Legs a little tender after the rub down yesterday, but he says that he feels that the FLM is a very real possibility!!!
    Have to build the mileage now.

    Well muppets walked .......... in the daylight yay!!!

    I'm off to do the work thing now

    cya later,happy plodding all
  • Hi all - hope you're all doing well! Gaz, I'd echo the others about being careful on the buildup - after my first 10k I got a bit enthusiastic with 1/2 mara training, trying to go faster/further too soon which led straight to a hobble to the physio (but that was before I found RW & these forums - know better now!). Well, done my weekly version of speedwork at the gym this morning which always causes much mirth & merriment with the instructors (recoveries at 5mph with 1 min bursts at 6, 6.5, 7, 7.5, 8, 3x8.5 mph). 3 miles of this took me 32 mins (+ warmup/cooldown) hey-ho but I live in hope that over time doing these might notch speed/aerobic fitness up a bit. Next run Sat's long-slow. Today's fab news - the gym's lunch-hour running club starts up again soon - yippee aye!
  • Morning all
    Thanks hippo for the info - another silly question though. How will I know which is my lactate threshold? Obviously it's going to get harder as I try to work at a higher heart rate and lactate build up will make it hurt but is there something I am looking for?
    Hi Caren - yes daylight - nice - downside for me is that all the fair weather walkers start showing up now with their unknown muppets :o( and as one of mine is hormonally anxious she doesn't really like unknowns on her patch!
  • Hi everyone. This thread sounds just what i need. I have been running for nearly 5 years and was doing ok (by my standards) until last autumn. had done some half marathons, 10 milers and FLM 2002 (5hrs 13) then split with hubby, re-united with hubby then had nervous breakdown resulting in hospitalization breifly and medication which all stopped my running for a few months. had no motivation at all and felt depressed because i wasnt running. Now, however, I've decided to start running again and get back to fitness. trouble is I started smoking when going through the bad stuff and now I am having real trouble with my breathing when I run. Would love to give up the weed but find willpower elusive. My times are 35 minutes for 3 miles and thats running/walking so I am a slow runner. Feeling that all the progress I gained before has gone and I am now back to complete beginner. Sorry for rambling.
  • Larraine - welcome - this sounds like your spiritual home! I know there are other threads on quitting smoking - have you had a look at any? Might have a different slant on how to go about it?
  • No, havent looked at other threads. will do that. have made appointment for doctors for tomorrow to get some patches and will try that. I just know how hard it will be as i gave up once before for 4 years. what a fool to start again.
  • Hi Larraine - there are a few threads on the weed with loads of tips and support & there's a book in particular that people seem to swear by (can't remember the name of it....) or else why don't you start a thread - people are v friendly & tend to rally round!
  • hi,if anyone fancies talking another newbie i could really do with some like minded people to chat with. ive been running for a couple of years and im very slow, but just as i start to see some real progress and feel good about myself i pick up injury/illness and have to take time out. ive never entered a race, i always look at the race diaries but am scared to enter in case i make a complete fool of myself and get laughed at. im thinking about entering a 3k fun run next week, has anyone got any advice on what to expect and how to go about it. cheers,
    chrissy
Sign In or Register to comment.