Well, it's Sunday, it's 10.20am and I've just pulled an all nighter in an attempt to get my sleeping pattern back in sync. I've drunk a large mug of coffee, and it hasn't really helped. I'm thinking of going for a run. This is the first time I've run in a LONG time! I play 5-a-side once or twice a week, but I want to do more. Get fitter pretty much. What sort of distance should I aim for? I'm willing to push myself. Half a route I've worked out is 1.5miles and according to google maps it'll take 30 mins to do, I know for a fact that's bull, takes me 15 mins walking. Anyway, what sort of distance? I've got no fancy tech, just me and my shoes. What would be a decent distance to aim for?
Firstly, you shouldn't drink anything besides a glass of water up to 1 hour before running. As for the distance, you should aim for something a bit further but go slow for gods sake. You don't want to sprain something within the first mile. If you play 5-a-side you should be in okay shape tendon and muscle-wise. So I would suggest something like 3.5 miles and then do it SLOW. Start of running in a trot that allows you to talk. If this is too easy go a bit faster but remember that it is much better to finish somewhat fresh as opposed to not finishing at all and having to walk back. Oh and as for the walking, you should pressure yourself into running the entire thing. Even if it gets hard and you want to stop, just go slower but keep running.
Thanks, I had the coffee about 9, so that's cool. I'll take it at a normal job pace then. I'll dose up on water as well before I go, gonna grab some food, let that settle, then crack on with it. Thanks man. +rep
Yea, it's better to go slooooow the first time, remember that you can always add some pace later, but if you start flat-out and end up with a strain it's gonna take 8 weeks before you can run again .. I know this, I tried it the hard way while preparing for half-marathon :-/
I used to do a 5 mile run twice a week in my younger days , I would pace myself untill the last half mile and then i would pick the pace up.
No-one mentioned warm up (at least that I saw), its probably the most forgotten part of excersise. I know this as I forgot before I went to play 5-a-side, then snapped my achillies (I hadn't played in over a year), dr says that if I'd have warmed up it would have reduced the chance of it happening.
I lived! Just got in! Don't know if this is good or bad, probably bad, but the last 0.5miles both my calves suddenly got really tight, not cramp, but really tight. Hopefully it's not too bad. Done my warm down etc, still a little painful, and walking is entertaining. But considering I haven't run for nearly 5 years, I'm rather pleased!
its supposed to hurt if you're not used to it. Cross country isn't easy at first. Start with 2-3 miles for a couple of weeks, then move on to 4 miles for about a month. DON'T run everyday!
Gonna give myslef a few days before I go again. This wasn't really cross country, just ran along the sea front... And good, at least the pain's good! Haven't cramped up yet, so that's a bonus.
Good job. Protip: running more than 3 miles can get boring if you do it regularly. To mix it up, you can try intensity intervals. Start with 2 minutes of 50% pace, then 2 minutes of 100%, then 2 minutes of 150%, 100%, 50%, etc. Where 100% is your natural pace for whatever distance you are running. Added bonus of forcing your body to recover actively, good AT training too. Other than that: wrap up warm, warm-up, warm-stretch, run, get back and stretch as part of a cool-down. Do the last part and your muscles will feel less stuff the next day
Thanks, I'll try the 50%, 100% etc another time. Going to see if my mate wants to join me next time, his legs are screwed after football, so he couldn't run. As for the stretches and stuff, I did a lot of that when I did Taekwon-Do, so it was the first thing I did after getting some water down me! Didn't need to wrap up that warm either! Football socks, basketball shorts, t-shirt and a thinish hoodie with a beanie and I was fine, that kept me toasty warm. Hands were mighty cold at one point though...
I found Google Maps really quite bad for measuring short distances, I needed to do a mile and a half in a certain time for a fitness test and Google was rather wrong. I now use Sports Tracker on my Nokia 5800, great free little app and the distance measurement is much more accurate I've found, it also gives you a little route map after your run with a load of stats which gives you a nice sense of progress. Either that or treadmills are woefully inaccurate and made me run too far...
Gah, I haven't done any exercise in 5+ years... I think it would kill me, all I do it sit around on my arse drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes. Might try and surprise myself one day.
I pulled an all nighter last night too in hope of restoring some sort of sleeping pattern! Managed to resist the mid-day naps but kinda got a second wind and I'm not feeling tired at all anymore.. Worried I might have just made things worse!
I feel shattered, going to sleep like a baby tonight! I think the run's helped as well. Tired my body out!
Yeah I think I could do with some exercise to be honest, way too much excess energy! My current diet and exercise 'regime' dont really lend themselves well to a good night's sleep.. used to sleep like a log when I'd go to the gym daily and eat right.
I'm realizing that I need to do something again. I used to skate every day for my exercise but after a fall that fractured and compressed a disk in my back, I don't do that anymore... Six years later, the pounds are going up along with blood pressure. I hate running though and I've never been able to run any kind of distance. Even when I was active, one lap around a football field would typically have me winded/light headed. It makes me jealous of those saying they run 3-5 miles.
