avid runners... help a beginner out.

[immanurse]

i can't lift a weight, at the moment. the only thing i can do is run/walk without aggravating my injury. i have an issue that radiates from the neck to the fingers. i cannot hold a barbell. i cannot control the right side of my body... i randomly release the weight when i bench and the bar drifts way forward when i dead lift. i am going to get an MRI when i can.

anyway... i need to find a beginner running program. any thoughts? thanks in advance.

 

[These Two Hands]

Couch to 5K is probably the best I have found. I used to be cardio king when I was training/fighting in amateur Muay Thai many years ago and would run 10km up to 5 times a week. Now I'm older and fat every time I tried going for a run I'd always end up pushing myself too hard and injuring myself, then not run again for months or longer. The Couch to 5K programs ease you into it which avoids that; currently working through the "Pooch to 5K" one with my pitbull and we're both loving it.

I've tried plenty of other programs, but imho the Couch to 5K is the best beginner program out there. I don't think I can attach pdf to my posts or I'd attach the Pooch to 5K one for you. Sorry.

 

[ironwolf]

There are tons of free running resources online you should look around find something that suits you and your goals.

You could even get on a beginners marathon plan and run a marathon in a few months if you wanted.

 

[tenniswhiz]

If you have a herniated disc then you might not even be cleared to run for a few months.

 

[KnightTemplar]

If you have a herniated disc then you might not even be cleared to run for a few months.

Good point. If the injury is this severe, TS should be cleared by a doctor before starting a Running program. Running, after all, places significant strain on the joints.

 

[immanurse]

If you have a herniated disc then you might not even be cleared to run for a few months.

Good point. If the injury is this severe, TS should be cleared by a doctor before starting a Running program. Running, after all, places significant strain on the joints.

how did you folks come to the conclusion i have a herniated disc? and which joints are we talking about here (running).

 

[Midnighter]

Just wondering, have you actually seen a doctor yet?

 

[tenniswhiz]

how did you folks come to the conclusion i have a herniated disc? and which joints are we talking about here (running).

I didn't come to that conclusion.

But if you have pain that "radiates from the neck to the fingers" then it's very likely.
Probably C4-5 or C5-6.

You should see your doc, get the MRI, and go from there.

As for "joints", he is probably referring to vertebrae. Running impacts every part of the spine.

 

[immanurse]

I didn't come to that conclusion.

But if you have pain that "radiates from the neck to the fingers" then it's very likely.
Probably C4-5 or C5-6.

You should see your doc, get the MRI, and go from there.

As for "joints", he is probably referring to vertebrae. Running impacts every part of the spine.

Just wondering, have you actually seen a doctor yet?

sorry for the confusion. i have seen an MD. i work/volunteer with a couple, also. and without any sort of imagining done, there is no definitive diagnosis. hence, i said i needed an MRI. i displayed with the same symptoms i wrote in my original text... and none of which told me to stop running. running does not bother me. so i figured i can run? but i might be mistaken here...

 

[JauntyAngle]

I didn't come to that conclusion.

But if you have pain that "radiates from the neck to the fingers" then it's very likely.
Probably C4-5 or C5-6.

You should see your doc, get the MRI, and go from there.

A trapped nerve or nerve damage of some kind can cause radiating pain like that. And it doesn't have to be serious- something like that can sort itself out and be good as new again.

Best not to diagnose people over the internet.

 

[JauntyAngle]

sorry for the confusion. i have seen an MD. i work/volunteer with a couple, also. and without any sort of imagining done, there is no definitive diagnosis. hence, i said i needed an MRI. i displayed with the same symptoms i wrote in my original text... and none of which told me to stop running. running does not bother me. so i figured i can run? but i might be mistaken here...

A very good rule of thumb is that for any exercise is that if it doesn't aggravate your symptoms, you can do it. In your case, if running doesn't make the radiating pain worse, go ahead.

There are various beginners' running programmes out there (people mentioned C25K). Any one of those will do. Or you can just wing it. When you start off running, the idea is to build up your ability to accumulate "easy miles"- distance covered that doesn't tire you out much or get your HR up too much. That kind of running builds your aerobic capacity and also makes a lot of the changes that your body needs so you can run well. When you are doing easy miles, you have to check your ego at the door- if a 50 year old man or two attractive college students blaze past you in the park, you stick to your guns, just keep gently plodding away at your unathletic-seeming pace.

So, in terms of progamming, what you do is gradually increase both distance/time and frequency. When you start out, you might just do it twice a week for fifteen minutes. A week or two later you might do it twice a week for twenty minutes. Your general target is to get the time up to 40-60 minutes (the period of time some people think is ideal for getting positive changes to your heart). You can also gradually add days- start off doing it twice a week, and once you are feeling good do it three times a week, then four times a week.

IMO, you want to build up to doing 25-40km a week (e.g. 4 runs of 8-10km each), all at the "easy miles" pace. You may need to run for longer than an hour sometimes in order to hit your distance targets. And once you can handle that without ever being tired or stiff, you need to keep that up for a 2-3 months.

This will in no way make you a good runner, but it will mean that you can run recreationally, and also allow you to train more seriously if you want to. A bit of speed work, threshold training and some practice 5ks and you'll probably have an okay-ish 5k time. Or you can further increase your mileage and train for longer distances. In either case, you will have the basic aerobic capacity and physical readiness to take on harder training without hurting yourself.

 

[Old Man]

• Couch25K is a good program and easy to find on the internet.
  
• The excellent book Daniels' Running Forumula has a 16 week beginner program.
  
• Another good resource is Hal Higdon's website.

 

[Deleted member 409801]

There are tons of free running resources online you should look around find something that suits you and your goals.

You could even get on a beginners marathon plan and run a marathon in a few months if you wanted.

I don't know if that's a great idea man. Personally I think someone should have a good foundation before they start trying to bite off 40 mile weeks ( that's low end as you know) . It takes at the MINIMUM a year of consistent running to inure your joints and connective tissue to the pounding .....especially if you've got any size on you. I'd start of more modestly , do a few 5/10K or even half marathons. Fulls are another beast altogether .

Just my 2

 

[Deleted member 409801]

A very good rule of thumb is that for any exercise is that if it doesn't aggravate your symptoms, you can do it. In your case, if running doesn't make the radiating pain worse, go ahead.

There are various beginners' running programmes out there (people mentioned C25K). Any one of those will do. Or you can just wing it. When you start off running, the idea is to build up your ability to accumulate "easy miles"- distance covered that doesn't tire you out much or get your HR up too much. That kind of running builds your aerobic capacity and also makes a lot of the changes that your body needs so you can run well. When you are doing easy miles, you have to check your ego at the door- if a 50 year old man or two attractive college students blaze past you in the park, you stick to your guns, just keep gently plodding away at your unathletic-seeming pace.

So, in terms of progamming, what you do is gradually increase both distance/time and frequency. When you start out, you might just do it twice a week for fifteen minutes. A week or two later you might do it twice a week for twenty minutes. Your general target is to get the time up to 40-60 minutes (the period of time some people think is ideal for getting positive changes to your heart). You can also gradually add days- start off doing it twice a week, and once you are feeling good do it three times a week, then four times a week.

IMO, you want to build up to doing 25-40km a week (e.g. 4 runs of 8-10km each), all at the "easy miles" pace. You may need to run for longer than an hour sometimes in order to hit your distance targets. And once you can handle that without ever being tired or stiff, you need to keep that up for a 2-3 months.

This will in no way make you a good runner, but it will mean that you can run recreationally, and also allow you to train more seriously if you want to. A bit of speed work, threshold training and some practice 5ks and you'll probably have an okay-ish 5k time. Or you can further increase your mileage and train for longer distances. In either case, you will have the basic aerobic capacity and physical readiness to take on harder training without hurting yourself.

What this ^ guy said.

 

[arrmike]

A few of my personal rules. They might or might not help you.

Only run outdoors. Only run on trails. Run without music, and you get much more in touch with your breathing and it becomes nearly medatative.

Start slowly. No need to stretch before a run, but you can walk a bit before you start to jog. For out-and-back runs (where you turn around halfway), you should always run a negative split, meaning faster on the way back. This ensures that you are starting slowly, and also ensures that you are building mental strength, which is one of the big carryovers of running.

Most people of moderate athleticism can handle a 3 mile run as a good starting point. The first couple weeks are the hardest. You can see gains in your legs, lungs, and heart, but they don't happen at the same time so it takes a while to really see overall improvements in your running.

Your cool-down is way more important than your warmup. When you are done, walk, don't stop. You can ease into some static stretches. And do a few short sprints to burn off lactic acid. I see idiots run to their car, jump in, and drive off...smh.

I recommend 3-5x per week to start. I never recommend more than 6 days per week. And on anything less than 10 miles, as long as you begin hydrated and fueled, there is no need to bring anything with you (water, gel, bar etc).

 

[arrmike]

To mix it up with interval training, one of the best ways is to get a repeat timer on your watch and do 1 or 2 minute runs. You take the middle portion of your steady run and alternate fast and slow (for either 1 or 2 minutes). The fast portion is enough to be in oxygen debt by the end. The slow portion is about as slow as you can jog.

 

[JauntyAngle]

A few of my personal rules. They might or might not help you.

Only run outdoors. Only run on trails. Run without music, and you get much more in touch with your breathing and it becomes nearly medatative.

Start slowly. No need to stretch before a run, but you can walk a bit before you start to jog. For out-and-back runs (where you turn around halfway), you should always run a negative split, meaning faster on the way back. This ensures that you are starting slowly, and also ensures that you are building mental strength, which is one of the big carryovers of running.

Most people of moderate athleticism can handle a 3 mile run as a good starting point. The first couple weeks are the hardest. You can see gains in your legs, lungs, and heart, but they don't happen at the same time so it takes a while to really see overall improvements in your running.

Your cool-down is way more important than your warmup. When you are done, walk, don't stop. You can ease into some static stretches. And do a few short sprints to burn off lactic acid. I see idiots run to their car, jump in, and drive off...smh.

I recommend 3-5x per week to start. I never recommend more than 6 days per week. And on anything less than 10 miles, as long as you begin hydrated and fueled, there is no need to bring anything with you (water, gel, bar etc).

This sounds like mostly bullshit. "Get in touch with your breathing", "only run on trails". "You can see gains in your legs, lungs and heart".

Jesus.

 

[arrmike]

This sounds like mostly bullshit. "Get in touch with your breathing", "only run on trails". "You can see gains in your legs, lungs and heart".

Jesus.

It's definitely not bullshit. It might not work for you, but that's pretty much how I prefaced it all.

The reality is that timing your breathing with your stride is something that runners do. While personally I stop at simply being aware of my breathing, there are some extremely successful runners that do use running as meditation. Timothy Olson, course record holder of the Western States and a North Face athlete is one of those. There are parallels between the focusing on breathing that yoga teaches.

The worst thing about running is the high impact nature of it, and trails are the best surface to limit that. As an added bonus, when you run on trails you are also likely increasing the complexity of scenery and relief you are going to encounter.

And it's also true that as you improve, you are not going to see simultaneous improvements in every part of your running. Your cardio will improve before your legs, which will strengthen before your connective tissues. As your cardio improves, you are likely to notice that on any given day it feels like a different aspect of it is holding you back.

I was never a world-class runner, but I have had the luck to train with a few olympians through the years and most of what I said are things that can help you enjoy running. For the mostpart, running brings benefits as long as you do it. The more fun it is, the more likely you are to do it.

 

[ironwolf]

I don't know if that's a great idea man. Personally I think someone should have a good foundation before they start trying to bite off 40 mile weeks ( that's low end as you know) . It takes at the MINIMUM a year of consistent running to inure your joints and connective tissue to the pounding .....especially if you've got any size on you. I'd start of more modestly , do a few 5/10K or even half marathons. Fulls are another beast altogether .

Just my 2

I hear you man. But thousands of people do it every year and are fine.

 

[tenniswhiz]

This sounds like mostly bullshit. "Get in touch with your breathing", "only run on trails". "You can see gains in your legs, lungs and heart".

Jesus.

LOL
He probably forgot to mention the joint that he smokes half way through the out-and-back run.