Running is hard :| others experience?

[Nyanmaru]

Nope, it is something I am born with. I am flat-footed (dunno what it is called), and on top of that I seem to miss part of a bone in my feet. And they don't dare to try surgery as the chance of them making it worse is higher than the chances of them improving it.

I feel for you, having a calceneal spur and gotten surgery twice without any sign of improvement. I can tell you I won't have third surgery.

But thank god there's insoles so I can at least go jogging.

[Zogarth]

I feel for you, having a calceneal spur and gotten surgery twice without any sign of improvement. I can tell you I won't have third surgery.

But thank god there's insoles so I can at least go jogging.

Yeah, I still feel pain whenever I walk for more than 500 meters, or if I walk too fast, or if I walk on bumby terrain.

[Spectral]

Cutting down on extremely unhealthy food is good but when you exercise you need lots of food. Some people burn so many calories that they start eating like some obese person. So it's not just about starving yourself.

Yeah, at ~50 miles/week, I have to add in about 700 calories per day to avoid losing weight. That's just short of half a box of pasta. That's a huge amount of food if you're someone that's accustomed to a standard thin person level diet.

- - - Updated - - -

Try skipping 5-10 mins a day if you dont wana do 20+ min runs. Worked for me.

That's an odd recommendation, but it does remind me that skipping is a great dynamic warmup. I don't really warmup much for normal runs, I just take the first mile slow and let that serve as a warmup, but for races, getting really loose before running is important, and skipping around some is really effective.

[MerinPally]

If you want to increase how much you run, do it slowly. Now I'm living at uni again and was home alone I was going running like every night as something to do. Went so often and varied the distance that I ended up fucking up my knee. This was on the 29th, it's now the 9th and its still so painful. Went running for the first time again last night with this extra knee support I bought but I'm pretty sure that's just masking the pain so I'm gona have to wait a few days to go again. I even slowed down and barely ran at all (3km in about 11minutes) but was still enough to stop me doing anything useful when I got back. Very disappointing, gona have to keep waiting to ensure I don't do any permanent damage.

[Spectral]

If you want to increase how much you run, do it slowly. Now I'm living at uni again and was home alone I was going running like every night as something to do. Went so often and varied the distance that I ended up fucking up my knee. This was on the 29th, it's now the 9th and its still so painful. Went running for the first time again last night with this extra knee support I bought but I'm pretty sure that's just masking the pain so I'm gona have to wait a few days to go again. I even slowed down and barely ran at all (3km in about 11minutes) but was still enough to stop me doing anything useful when I got back. Very disappointing, gona have to keep waiting to ensure I don't do any permanent damage.

If you don't mind me asking, what's wrong with it, in terms of feel? Just asking in case there's any helpful suggestions I might have in the mental bank, I dealt with IT band issues last spring and then again this year coming out of my marathon. Hope it's nothing severe!

[Zafire]

I've been having a problem with injuries too. When I started jogging, I would get this terrible pain on the left side of left knee. It was really awkward, felt more like a muscle than a bone. It would only last one day then go away. I then waited two weeks without jogging and got some running shoes and haven't had THAT problem since.

Just last week I was motivated to start getting a little more rigorous with my running. I did 3/8 of a mile (600 meters) sprinting at a pace between walking and jogging, clocked 2:43. Then I would power walk 200 meters, run 200 meters, etc. I could do it indefinitely, because after 3-4 laps of power walking I could go two laps running before I felt like stopping. It actually felt good on my heart and back. I didn't feel like I was putting any constant strain on anything.

Then I stop, and get this aching pain from hell in my lower leg above my ankle. It feels like the bone, but could be a muscle. Muscle was initially very tight at first. It doesn't really hurt unless I try running on it, but I can tell even now that something is definitely up with it. It's been about five days now and I can still tell it's not quite right.

Kind of sucks every time I get motivated I go and hurt myself. @_@ I didn't think I was over doing it this time either.

[Spectral]

Sounds like shin splints. Runner's World has a decent writeup here: http://www.runnersworld.com/tag/shin-splints

[Senathor]

Did anyone have sore shoulders when they first started running? My right shoulder has an unfortunate tendency of hurting like hell sometimes, no idea why. I do stretch a bit, perhaps not enough.

[Spectral]

I still get sore shoulder and back muscles from long runs, particularly at race paces. Keeping good posture for a couple hours at a whack while moving is a lot of work, particularly for those of us that otherwise spend a lot of time sitting around without the best posture.

[Deleted]

Did anyone have sore shoulders when they first started running? My right shoulder has an unfortunate tendency of hurting like hell sometimes, no idea why. I do stretch a bit, perhaps not enough.

possibly too much vertical movement of body/head, over emphasis of arm movement usually out to the sides....but most likely you have not got used to running enough to relax into it, probably tensing up and its just putting strain on your muscles that you dont usually use in this way.

[Paulosio]

I run a fixed route (same route i've ran for years) and time it. Doing this I can see my times improving and this serves as a motivation to continue going regularly. Timing it also gives motivation to push hard and pushing hard will bring your times down quite rapidly.

I don't run huge distances The part of my run I time is only about 1.5-2 miles (I think) and takes about 9 mins but I am pushing very hard for that time and then after that I continue at a much more relaxed pace for another 15-20 minutes and I do that on average about 4 times a week.. Upto 6 times depending how i'm feeling. Never really had a big interest in running huge distances.

Knowing that i'm going to go running also encourages me to eat better because I know i'm not going to have as much energy and be able to do a good time.

[Wiyld]

It's gonna hurt for a little while until you adjust your posture and gate, but get yourself OUT of traditional thick soled, pointed toe running shoes. They cause so many problems for people who are running its just crazy we ever felt like they were a good idea.

Minimalist running shoes are all over the place now, in lots of variable stages of minimalism. I tend to like Merrel shoes myself, badass shoes. You want a shoe with as little padding in the sole as you can stand, with a ZERO difference in height of the inner sole from front to back. Most people don't even realize they are walking around in high heels inside their shoes. Why would you ever want to run in shoes with an elevated heel? It just makes you slam your heel into the ground with every step, then the padding wears out immediately and you destroy your feet/legs with heavy heel striking. Of course the pointed toes are great for totally deforming our feet instead of letting em spread out like they're supposed to.

I alternate between 2 pairs, 1 has 4 mm of inner padding, the other has 0. I walked 10 miles today at work, on hardened concrete, and that is just average I've done way more. You will hurt in odd places at first. Lower back, Achilles, thighs maybe, as your body adjusts to standing like you were barefoot. It is worth it in the long run.

I should add, I ran distance years ago. I would run 6-8 miles a day usually. I had all kinds of problems with my feet, my coach told me I had flat feet. They are anything but, the constant running in big overstuffed shoes was fucking my feet up making it ridiculously hard to run.

[Wiyld]

Swimming is a great workout, and it isn't an impact workout. You might not get ripped by swimming, but you will be lean if you have a proper swimming regiment.

YEAH put those flippers to good use.

We used to train for track in the pool. Like once a week we would run run laps back and forth across the deep end. Hard as hell to 'run' through chest deep water for 20 mins or so.

[DarkArchon]

Running and jogging is hell on your joints and doesn't have that much of a benefit compared to other exercises. Interval training with fast bursts of speeds going into a walk is much more effective at both building muscle and burning calories. Also things like hiking uphill and rowing machines are miles better and effective for your body, and to boot those activities pose less risk of injury or developing issues later down the road.



PS - Shin splints is a bitch, if you get it bad enough it's a super slow healing injury. Toke about 9 months for mine to fully heal.

[NickCageFanatic]

Firstly,

Almost anyone has the potential to run sub 5 minutes in the mile. Any State in the U.S. requires boys competing in track and field to run at least a 4:50 mile to quality for their district or state meet. And at the national level (in high school) girls (yes girls) have to run 4:50 or better just to have a chance at being on the track. So yes you most certainly can run a 4:59 mile.

Secondly,

You aren't going to hit that sub 5 minute mile on the first go. If you are at 185 lbs at 5'10'' there is a lot of weight you need to lose. Approx 30 lbs in order to really feel the difference, you're legs are going to feel amazing when the weight comes off as you won't have to work as hard moving all that mass around the track.

When I started back running from a bad knee injury I ran 20 minutes per day 4-5 days a week. I gradually built up to 110 miles per week from literally 12 miles per week over the course of 2 years.

50 miles per week is about the max mileage i'd say for any person in the world to break 5 minutes in the mile. Some people will still struggle even at this mileage but speed is more the factor in the Mile than your endurance is (even though many experts say the miles is 50/50 speed and endurance).

Hill repeats are the best thing you can do to increase speed, they are more beneficial than flat 200s on the track. Work on your core, a strong core means you'll be able to keep yourself upright when tired late in the race.

Improve your flexibility, although a 5 minute mile is by no means all that fast in the grand scheme of things so you don't need to have the absolute best stride in the world to break 5 minutes, but everything helps. Stretching post runs will improve flexibility allowing you more efficient use of your muscles.

Above all else, eat healthy. Stop the candy, ice cream, soda, beer, etc...The main bottleneck you have right now is your weight, at 185 lbs you are really really big for a runner especially a sub 5 minute miler. Going down to 140-150 lbs is about the sweet spot where you'll be at your fastest.

Thirdly,

Being fast hurts. When you run this much at first it will hurt. Walking up the stairs will be a struggle for you, but after 2-3 weeks you will be used to it and going for a 5 mile run won't hurt anymore.
Pace is very important as you progress you need to up the speed on your normal runs. You'll know when you increase the speed when you feel the pace you've been running is too easy.

Sources:
Division One Collegiate runner and conference champion, 1x D1 all-region, 2x D1 all-conference runner.

[Spectral]

It's gonna hurt for a little while until you adjust your posture and gate, but get yourself OUT of traditional thick soled, pointed toe running shoes. They cause so many problems for people who are running its just crazy we ever felt like they were a good idea.

There's no evidence for this belief. Hell, Vibrams just settled out of court for making similarly unsupportable claims.

Why would you ever want to run in shoes with an elevated heel? It just makes you slam your heel into the ground with every step, then the padding wears out immediately and you destroy your feet/legs with heavy heel striking.

I've seen slow-mo gait analysis of my stride. I don't heel strike whether I'm running barefoot, in Merrell Bare Access (great shoe, I use them for speedwork and short races), or Mizuno Wave Inspires, which is an ~12 mm heel-toe drop. Heel striking is primarily a product of bad mechanics with regard to stride length and posture, not a result of the shoes being used. Cushier shoes are just much more comfortable if you're running 10+ miles. If you look at what top marathoners are wearing on a typical basis (and a lot of these guys grew up running barefoot), they're not generally wearing zero drop stuff, even for races. Meb's Boston shoes are a 4 mm drop with midsole cushioning.

I agree with the idea of wearing minimalist footwear for both walking and shorter runs though. They're great for strengthening feet, reinforcing good mechanics, and are just generally comfortable.

- - - Updated - - -

Running and jogging is hell on your joints and doesn't have that much of a benefit compared to other exercises. Interval training with fast bursts of speeds going into a walk is much more effective at both building muscle and burning calories. Also things like hiking uphill and rowing machines are miles better and effective for your body, and to boot those activities pose less risk of injury or developing issues later down the road.

This is complete nonsense. Everyone should ignore your evidence free claims.

[IzoGray]

Dude you need a change of environment. Run on some inclines- up and down hills. Run through some trails around town or in a park for a nice view. This will keep your body from becoming accustomed to running because you're legs and body are going through different motions instead of a simple jog on an indoor track.

hell, run on a sandy beach

[Iakhovas]

Dude you need a change of environment. Run on some inclines- up and down hills. Run through some trails around town or in a park for a nice view. This will keep your body from becoming accustomed to running because you're legs and body are going through different motions instead of a simple jog on an indoor track.

hell, run on a sandy beach

This over and over again! I despise running around tracks/treadmills/paved walkways etc. Love the dynamics of a good trail that has varying inclines. I just started running a few weeks ago after taking a few months off in the winter months (dislike running on treadmills) and I'm running 3.5 miles in 25min or less...which is nothing to brag about but what I'm getting at is, I run with a bunch of firefighters and I finish the circuit well over 5 minutes before most of them because I mix up my running areas with and without inclines.

Another plus is just that the scenery and air quality seem to be far superior in the forest and everything is just so relaxing and serene.

[Senathor]

Running and jogging is hell on your joints and doesn't have that much of a benefit compared to other exercises. Interval training with fast bursts of speeds going into a walk is much more effective at both building muscle and burning calories. Also things like hiking uphill and rowing machines are miles better and effective for your body, and to boot those activities pose less risk of injury or developing issues later down the road.



PS - Shin splints is a bitch, if you get it bad enough it's a super slow healing injury. Toke about 9 months for mine to fully heal.

Something tells me you're just lazy so you're using that as an excuse to justify your physical inactivity.

[Spectral]

Something tells me you're just lazy so you're trying to find an excuse to justify your physical inactivity.

You're accusing someone who says walking is "miles better and effective for your body" than running of being lazy? No way, totally unfair!