Runners? Insight requested.
 

Back in HS I loathed running, it was the worst part of every sport Football, Basketball, etc.. I also did track but only pole-vault (exibition 400m). Anyway, I am thinking that maybe I hated the running because it was always at 10/10ths (coach screaming at you or actual races in track) rather than semi-relaxed????

So do you guys find running a relaxing way to exorcise or is it as bad as I remember:) I NEED to do some consistant form of exorcise and I have an awesome trail system behind my place. Basically just looking for experiences/insight.

I ran about 4 days per week for about 6 months before falling off the wagon. Only did 2 miles per day, was working up to 3 when I quit. I am planning on getting back into it after the Holidays. I ran at a leisurely pace, 8 minute miles or so. I personally found the following:

1) The first mile always sucks, no matter how long you have been running.
2) After that you settle in and it becomes a tolerable experience which gets exponentially easier with time.
3) I began to find myself feeling much better about myself and having less stress.
4) It is a great time to clear your head and just consider your day, etc. Relaxing.

Now then, having said all that I have never been a big exerciser and personally find it hard to get going on a program. Once I got going I found it to be more beneficial than I thought.

I ran competively through HS and college, and now do it recreationally. I don't race anymore - I'm competitive and I might hurt myself. :p People always gave me a funny look when I said I ran cross country and distance events in track. Usually they had the same thoughts as you - why would someone want to do the worst part of every other sport as their whole sport? Yes, it is hard, but it's also very rewarding. Start out with low mileage and find some way to keep motivated. I find a great way is to go home after work and put on running clothes every day. Then decide if you want to run or not. It's a cheap mental trick, but it works. Run harder when you feel good and relax on days when you don't. But push yourself once or twice a week (assuming you're working out 4 times per week).

Buy good shoes - spend at least $80 for something that fits. I go to a running store, not Foot Locker. You'll get better advice. Get some good socks - especially if you're planning on starting to run outside in MI this time of the year. You'll be more comfortable if you have no cotton next to your skin.

Find someone to run with. Even if it's once a week, you can go on some nice long runs at a "talking pace" and the miles just breeze by. We used to do 12 miles every sunday morning at 10 am - there were about 6 of us typically. So we'd take off down the trail and compare notes of debauchery from the night before.

Well, that's about as much undirected insight as I can offer right now. :)

If you want relaxing exercise, take up cycling, but it take a lot more time to burn the calories you do while running.

Thanks, but I think being alone is one of the big draws for me. Maybe I'll swing by the running store today.

I think I will in the Spring, but with snow coming biking is out of the question.

I try to run outside in the spring/summer. Fall/winter, I use the machines inside at the gym. I'm up to burning 1000 calories in 40 minutes on the stepmill.

Use to be an day runner covering 2-3 miles a day. I was 165 lbs at that time (about 2 yrs ago). I fell off the wagon too and shot up to 195 lbs. So in the last month I started running again, only about a mile a day. Man, its alot harder than it use to be. But I;ve dropped 5 lbs so far.

Tell me about it.

I was doing 6 miles/day in college. I was 175 at the time. Now I'm 240. Puts a lot more stress on my knees/calves/ankles.

I never ran before I went to Basic Training. Fell out of the first mile run. Thanks to the foot in the asss support of the Drill Sergeants I actually got good a running. Never liked it, but got good at it. Have run lots of 5K's and 10K's even two marathons. To this day I still have to motivate myself to get dressed and go run.

So why do I still run? Cause it is guaranteed to burn calories and the only expense is some running shoes and cheap clothes. When I was 18 I weighed 155lbs. This morning when I weighed myself I was 158. Oh, and I am now 50 years old.

I'm still at 145 where I've been since I was 19. (A whopping 5 years ago...) I'd be more satisfied with that if I didn't know that was because my body fat has gone up at the same rate I've lost muscle mass.

You might also want to take up hashing. Just don't fool yourself into thinking it's healthy -


http://dmoz.org/Sports/Running/Hashing/North_America/United_States/Michigan/

Re: Runners? Insight requested.
 

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I'm here all week. Remember to tip your waitress. ;)

I ran seven marathons as a pack-a-day smoker and thought I'd never stop running. I'm only 34 now and haven't done much more than treadmill running in the last two yrs. There's a saying that goes something like: "Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone." Well, that's where I am now. I really, really want to get back to outdoor, trail and long distance running. But I'm a big guy and my knees have a lot of hard miles on them already. Sometimes I just want to stay on the treadmill, watching the hotties in front of me bouncing around, while going through my Walter Mitty fantasies with my Discman. Not quite the same endorphin fix as serious running though.

After falling off the wagon, I started running again 2 months ago. I run at a liesurely pace ( 6, 6.5 mph) which gives you a 10 minute mile. Start with 20 minutes the first week ( 2 miles ) and add 5 minutes every week. I find mornings Mon., Wed. and Fri. work best for me. No matter how bad my day goes from there I know I've done something good for myself.

Yeah, go Hashing. That stuff is fun!

I personally hate running by myself. I need the exercise though, so I started playing soccer. I much prefer running around after a ball with a team of guys to running down the block with my iPod. I play pick-up 3 times a week now and Im so much happier than I was trying to run or lift by my lonesome.

So running sucks, no two ways about it? I mean even you run-nuts say it is a struggle to stay motivated which means it's not likely to work for me then. For instance I enjoy playing basketball(full court two hours straight once a week) but even then I miss some weeks. So if I loath the activity all together........I don't like my odds:(

Running down the beach is about as relaxing and fun as you're gonna get., i'll do it anytime. But running on the streets beats the heck out of my joints, so I don't do it anymore. A little biking, some walking, some striding on soft grass if i get time.

I used to be 235 lbs and couldn't jog a step without injuring my achilles. now i'm 200 and it's not nearly as hard on my body to do stuff.

Why not pole vault your way back into shape ;-)

Would that I could, but I think I would need a telephone pole to support my big ass anymore:)

Think of it as inertia. It's much easier to sit around or to sleep in than it is to get exercise. I don't think running requires more motivation than other sports, it's just more typically solitary, and therefore it's more internal than meeting to play basketball or soccer. If your goal is to be alone, clear your mind and get exercise, then you really can't beat running. But the tradeoff is that you have to be disciplined.

Outside of CA, I'd bet the Wash. DC area has the best running culture in the US. There are a lot of great places to run, which was usually my motivator. Before I got really hardcore, I'd have a friend drive me 10 miles or so from my car and drop me off. I had nothing but my ignition key, no wallet, no dime, no cell, no gun. That motivated me for sure. One time I dropped my ignition key in the woods and didn't notice it for a few miles. I had to run to a pay phone to call my gf to rescue me.

Cold weather is another motivator. It's very difficult to get started. But I'd always wear shorts and not too much up top in very cold weather. That way you have to keep running to stay warm. There were times when I was so far out in the woods, running on frozen-over slush and rocks, that if I'd gotten hurt, I would have died from exposure before anyone found me. Another motivator!

I can't find the study. but years ago an orthopedics journal issued a report that showed microfractures of the articular surfaces in the knees of all runners over 70kG (about 155 pounds).

Low-impact is far superior for joint health. Like Rick said, "Be kind to your knees, you'll miss them when they're gone."

Probably true, but on the other hand I'd rather be alive with bad knees, then not run and be dead from a heart attack due to being overweight and out of shape.

Like you, I hated running in high school. I still hate running. I try again and again to enjoy it, but there is simply no joy in it.

The only time I EVER enjoyed running is when I lived in Hawaii. I would go to the gym and then down to Ala Moana beach for a run 4 to 5 days a week. The scenery was great and the ocean right there to run in when I started to overheat. Did that for about 2 years. I never enjoyed running anywhere else.

Now I just have a stationary bike (gym quality) near the big screne TV. It make it much more difficult not to ride the bike instead of just sitting down and watching tv. The bike is much more gently on the aging knees too.

Moral is, you have to make an excersie program fun. if you don't you simply won't stick with it. So my suggestion is (1) either move to Hawaii and run on Ala Moana beach, or (2) get a bike and sit in front of the TV while you exercise. go with No. 1 if you can. ;)

If you have a motivation problem, it's best to run with a partner or running group. It's also a cool way to meet new people. That how I met GeorgeW here and he got an '86 Carrera after a few sessions of running with me. If I plan to run alone, it's always easy to blow it off. If someone is expecting you, you will show up.

Rick - I think you're right. Lots of good trails around here. I once broke my nose on a trail in Annandale. It wasn't a hobbling injury, but it was my first adult experience with shock, and I could have been in serious trouble if it were colder and I didn't have a group with me.

Moses, while I agree that low impact is better, there is no reason why you can't mix it up. Trail running or treadmills are a good way to exercise different muscle groups involved in running while minimizing impact. Good shoes and staying asphalt helps where there are no good trails. Also, not running everyday and listening to your body when it trying to tell you its hurt is important too.

Anything worth doing will eventually kill you.

Doing nothing will eventually kill you.

Does that make doing nothing worth doing?

YEah, here's another vote for serious shoes. Whatever they cost, they're worth it. Cheapest place in the country hands down in RnJ Sports in Rockville, MD. It's best to bring an old pair of shoes to show the sales guy. If he knows what he's doing, he'll be able to tell from your soles if you pronate and how much. I used Asics Kayanos for so long, thinking they were the best because they cost the most. Then some guy at RnJ commanded me to walk a straight line for him and told me I totally had the wrong shoes. Now it's Asics Gel something or other and they're about $20 cheaper than Kayanos. That's what I call a real shoe store.

True to a point... but a good training plan and a heart rate monitor will do wonders. I'll put in 100+ miles on some days, but I've got done 45 minute interval workouts that were absolutely brutal.

With lots of running and a couple marathons under my belt, I've pretty much given it up completely for cycling. I feel much less beat up and still stay in good shape. YMMV

-Bernie

The data associating exercise with longevity is not terribly convincing. It may be that runner only increase their life expectancy by about the actual number of hours they spent running. ;)

Didn't someone make a movie about that?


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It's about quality, not quantity. Most ultrarunners run into their sixties and even seventies. It appears that the majority of Americans in that age group have difficulty negotiating a curb. . .

It's a self selecting group. Very few disabled people run marathons. You need to compare healthy runners and healthy non-runners. It's not as simple as it looks.

Everything is as simple as it looks . . .

Maybe you're right. If you compare healthy runners (normal weight, non-smoking, cancer-free) with a group of similarly healthy non-runners there will be little, if any difference in life expectancy. If running is it's own reward, then keep running. Simple.

I'm not concerned about extending life expectancy but I am interested in extending an active life-style. Two people die at age 70. The first is 100 lbs overweight and dies while watching re-runs of NYPD Blue. The second dies at mile 30 of a 50 mile race. I'd rather be the latter than the former . . .

I ran thru High School and College. Long distance....was in great shape and did very well. Low 4s in the mile and a 1:50 in the 1/2.

Later blew my knee out twice (ACL) and an achilles tendon. Biking is about all I can handle....

I hate to run, but I found it to be very rewarding, especially if I run before sunrise...That said, I have fallen off the wagon when the Fall semester began.

Soemthing on Pelican I'm actually qualified to comment on. I logged over 60k miles as a runner and another 10k as a jogger. 30 years ago I never thought I'd be the big old boy I am today and made fun of all those guys. But at 51 my career is over. No major injuries, bad knees hips, ankles whatever. After pracitally accomplishing everything I set out to do in running I can make some basic blanket assumptions. I also coached some state champs in one of the larger classes in Texas.

It is all about efficiency. If you aren't biomechanically efficient you are going to have problems with more than your knees. Especially if you are even slightly overweight or training big miles. I could go on and on but to make it simple. Go out and run on a hard surface on a calm day. Somehing you can hear your footfall very easily on. Run at a comfortable pace where you would do the majority of your training. If you hear your feet clomping like a Clydsdale you have problems. If you are whishper quiet you are in luck. After coaching many many runners, knowing many many elite runners it all boils down to that.

As some of the posters above have stated it has a mucho to do about shoes. I won't go into the types of shoes but there is a shoe for all types of folks. And having 2 pairs of shoes and alternating them every other day is smart. Also not using the same brands but the same type will keep you from sinking into an overuse injury. But thes are only my simple opinions.

Those are awsome stats, especially the 880 time of 1:50.
Did you win the State meet? I ran a 1:57 back in the early
1970's in HS and I thought I was good...