Any runners here?

[Sultan Guy]

For the past 4-5 years I had been an occasional runner. You know the type who goes out 1-2 times per week in nice weather for 3-5 miles.

Starting January 1st 2009 I set myself a goal of completing my first marathon. Last March I did my first 10k, followed by a half marathon in June, and then finally in November I completed the Seattle Marathon. It was a great experience even though I struggled with ITBS on my left leg during the marathon. Just being able to complete that distance is a personal achievement that no one can take from me.

Over this last snow season I made sure to get in 1-2 maintenance type runs in between carving sessions. Running after a hard carving session with weak legs was interesting. The muscles used are a bit different. I felt that the running helped my carving and that the carving helped my running! I seemed to recover faster from carving with the running.

For 2010 I am doing a half marathon at the end of June and then a full in November. Breaking 4 hours is my goal.

Either way I will be in great shape come the December snows!

[Alaskan Rover]

I used to run track and cross-country in high school. After continuing non-competitve running in college, I fell off the "wagon" for a number of years and did NO running. I started running again last year. At first I did the normal thing and ran on streets, sidewalks and sometimes tracks. Almost always it was on some hard surface or another, often next to CO-spewing cars. My runs slowly turned into long "slogs"...and eventually into hateful "jogging"...with it's different gait.

I was faced with a choice: Either stop running or find some way to make my running enjoyable again.

I chose option two.

I made running enjoyable for me again by now doing ALL my running on woods trails. What had devolved into long slog, now became a pleasurable, enjoyable and TOTALLY uplifting experience.

It's weird...instead of a concrete-pounding "jog", my gait has once again become light and airy...like running on clouds. The way it was back in high school. And has become, once again, something I LOVE.

Woods running begets a softer running surface, solitude, peace, and another even better attribute, and I can only speak for myself in this regard, but I feel a real oneness with my environment and the earth when I am silently and lightly padding through woods trails. I just love it.

The weird thing is, if I cannot get to the woods trails, and run in town on streets, my running quickly evolves into a foot-poundinbg choir again.

But for the most part, running has once again become a joy for me. And I am ever thankful to the woods for that change.

[Sultan Guy]

I am fortunate to have a cool trail system near me so do about half of my runs on trails, half on roads.

The trails are more fun and have the added dimension of uneven footing but otherwise I don't really feel any difference in how I run or how tired I get.

BTW- I grew up in Great Falls, VA.

[Alaskan Rover]

I am fortunate to have a cool trail system near me so do about half of my runs on trails, half on roads.

The trails are more fun and have the added dimension of uneven footing but otherwise I don't really feel any difference in how I run or how tired I get.

BTW- I grew up in Great Falls, VA.

Yeah, for me...I notice the difference right away. I couldn't get to the woods, today, so I did some street running...I just didn't feel as light and uplifted as I do in the woods. But I think that's probably a personal thing.

Great Falls sounds very familiar. I biked various parts of the Harpers Ferry to DC Potomac River "canal" towpath trail, last fall. I think Great Falls is a National Park...this wasn't too far from the DC side of things. Nice area along the river and towpath....enjoyed it immensely! I had my Martin Backpacker guitar strapped to my back, and every few miles would stop and play whatever tune was in my head.

[boarderboy]

Woods running begets a softer running surface, solitude, peace, and another even better attribute, and I can only speak for myself in this regard, but I feel a real oneness with my environment and the earth when I am silently and lightly padding through woods trails. I just love it.

As the father of a severely ADHD teen, I read a good bit about coping strategies. Several programs have shown that vigorous exercise impacts hyperactive kids much better if it's done in natural, or "woodsy", environments rather than in a gym or even an outdoor track setting. For some reason, if it's midday exercise, it also works better if it's done before, rather than after, lunch. (According to my son's M.D. 20 minutes is the likely exercise threshold for generating therapeutic endorphin levels.)

Nothing is as consistently calming to my son as unstructured, vigorous play in natural environments.

I ran non-competitively for many years, but at an oft-injured age of 60+, I find that biking kills at least two birds with one stone, saving on gas and giving wonderful, low-impact aerobic exercise.

Kudos to you who can, and do, run, however.

BB

[heroshmero]

I never really enjoyed running until my wife started taking me running with her 7 or 8 years ago. Then when we had kids I found that running was a great way to stay in shape in a short amount of time. Also, I find that running helps my carving a lot by keeping the leg strength up and the cardio ready for anything.

[pow4ever]

snip" running helped my carving and that the carving helped my running!"

I feel the same way.

Cross train is great!! Build/train different musles.

When you train for endurance; you also gain some strength.

When you train for strenght; you also gain some endurance.

squat/dead lift/lunges for strengh

run/bike for endurance

one of the best I did to improve my alpine snowboarding.

[Kent]

Congrats on the achievement! Very cool. Those who haven't done it wonder "what you were thinking" and you can chuckle at reaching the goal.

My hardest race ever was the first 10k I entered many years ago...thought I was going to die......

A bit off topic:

This is typical - ex-athletes go crank out 5 miles with no fitness, ruin their knees/back and then sit on the couch for 3 months saying that running hurts them. Duh.

My advice to new (and vet) runners is all the same..consistency is king. Start off simply running (or walking) a few miles a day and gradualy increase mileage. Run everyday - not very far...just run. After 3 months, you can then graduate to a more structured plan....but keep up your mileage/consistency.

Run Forest Run

[bumpyride]

Muscles regenerate, connective tissues don't. My running days are over, because I'm bone on bone. Was a 2 day a week runner, trails only, usually about 45 minutes of 7:30 pace through hills. Enough to keep me tuned and in good shape, but cartilage gave out, probably from too much motion during my daily life.

Run smart, keep your mileage down, run on soft surfaces and try for a forefoot strike. I'm hoping for a half-knee that will allow me to return to very modest running, but I'm not banking on it.

It will catch up to you. I can't tell you how many guys came up to me while I was on crutches and said, "YOU TOO?", and these guys were 50 years old or so.

Check out some videos on Barefoot Running, and then check on some of the new shoes that are simulating barefoot running.

[pow4ever]

study show that human are design to run bare foot and long distanced.

case point tarahumara running tribe.

It's amazing what human body can do when push.

--

David

[Steve Prokopiw]

in a swimming pool was 3/4 of all my run volume over the winter.In a Galveston,Texas Half Ironman last week I managed a 1:47 half marathon after posting the fastest bike split in (in very windy conditions)my age group.That's an 8 minute faster run than in my first half last September. That's also after riding with a saddle height about an inch lower than normal as I had problems with my seat clamp holding on some very bumpy roads geting out to the seawall ;thereby costing my quads very valuble energy needed for the run.I'm convinced that I have a 1:38 half marathon in me later this season as I learn to meter out my bike effort to save some for the run(and still have the fastest bike split:)

I mention this performance merely to illustrate the value of alternatives to the pounding milage of pavement running.I only did one long run and one short run per week outdoors for a total of about 15 miles average (if that)and no treadmill running.As few as two,and usually three to four,sometimes five focused sessions in the pool that included all my speedwork were what I did to get less slow at running.That and learning proper form,of course.

[Sultan Guy]

I had a fantastic experience at this race!

I did a PR in 1:54:47 and the live music every mile along the course made for a fun energetic race. Finished 152nd out of 551 in my age group which does not sound too shabby for a guy who only recently took up running and I definitely do not have one of those Kenyan type bodies!

Already have my sights set on another half this fall and then a full marathon next June.

With lots of hiking planned for this summer and stand up paddling I should be in great shape come carving season.

[Neil Gendzwill]

Congratulations! I'm currently gearing up for my 1st half in mid-August hopefully I will have as good an experience as you did.

[Arje_Vandemeer]

There is big difference between running and jogging. True. I used to love running fast...like sprint. I still love to sprint, but I find I am actually jogging, instead. Maybe only in my mind I am running like the wind. Ha ha. In my mind, I am "Chariots of Fire" or "Galipolli". Of course, maybe in all our minds we are carving like Jazey Jay...sorry if I get spelling wrong. English is not my best language!

[skatha]

I used to run all the time before knee surgery #2...

A few comments....Galveston, TX...it's always windy there. I went to med school there. I have never run or ridden anywhere else where you can set out running down Seawall with a headwind and come back with a headwind. I once completed a 65 mi ride, basically from the East End to San Luis Pass and back, that was pure misery for the winds.

Second comment-all surfaces have a relative hardness. Concrete has no elasticity at all, hence the "plod" effect. Trails are relatively spongy so you get a nice rebound when you run on them. I tried to mix it up between grass/trails/concrete/asphalt and, yes, asphalt is spongier than concrete. Also, the heels break down on running shoes (and every shoe) pretty quickly. Change out your shoes frequently. I went thru a pair of New Balance every month when I was in college. I also focused on hitting midfoot and rolling back up onto the toes for the push-off when I ran.

Now, I tried to run a bit to demonstrate relay races for my cub scouts during day camp. My ankle/cadaveric bone graft hurt the rest of the day.

It's 100% biking for me now

[Aisling]

I *was* running...

:(

maybe time to bike more...

[ursle]

In the mid teens I used to run everywhere, barefoot

Did a 25 mile on pavement one day, started wearing shoes in my late teens and usually ran an hour per session. In my late forties I started receiving massage, it took the massage person about six months to loosen my lower back, wow I could squat, low and balanced.

Between the teens and forties I'd bike in the summer and run in the winter.

Now I bike somewhat (hey, hat's off to lance) but tend to roller skate (an hour+ every day=flexibility) in the summer and ride (alpine) in the winter, and ride a horse year round, (just got back from a week of horse camping @ lake luzerne,NY) riding the horse is great for loosening the lower back and hips.

I do miss running but I do like flexibility.

[Neil Gendzwill]

Just thought I'd resurrect this thread to say that I ran my first half yesterday in ideal conditions and got 1:42:09, which I'm very happy with. Already planning when I can run another and maybe a full, too.

[Transistor Rhythm]

That's a great time for your first half marathon! :)

I'm aiming for 1:40 and I would be extremely proud of myself with your result!

[Michelle]

Just thought I'd resurrect this thread to say that I ran my first half yesterday in ideal conditions and got 1:42:09, which I'm very happy with. Already planning when I can run another and maybe a full, too.

That's awesome! And impressive.

I've been running all summer, about 2 miles per day after my long energy sucking days at Bomber. ;) It rained for a few days and I couldn't run, then when I went out again, same trail, I felt like someone had put lead in my shoes and I could barely make the 1/2 way mark. Any suggestions? I really like it, but apparently I suck at it.

[Neil Gendzwill]

I'm no expert. You have good days and bad days, same as anything else. But if you're a beginner runner, here's a few tips:

Take the time and the extra few dollars to go to a specialty running store and get properly fitted for a good pair of shoes. My local shop will take whatever time they need to fit you right. They also have a way wider selection of shoes and staff who actually run and know what they are doing.

Don't go too fast. People (especially guys) assume faster is better. The majority of your training should be easy aerobic running, at a pace where you can maintain an uncomplicated conversation with somebody, which is 70-80% of your max HR. If you are huffing and puffing during a regular run, you're probably going too hard. There's more complex theory than that of course, if you're interested maybe start here. There's also a cool training pace calculator here. The recommended training paces can feel really slow until you get used to the feel. I still find myself overcooking it sometimes especially in the early stages of a run.

The amazing thing is that as you do these easy runs, you just keep getting faster as the mileage piles up.

If it hurts, stop. If you get out of breath, walk for a minute or two.

Don't try to do too much too soon. Sudden increases in distance or pace can lead to injury even if it isn't apparent right away. If you get comfortable with a certain mileage in a week, you can try bumping it up by 10% or so but then let that settle for a few weeks before cranking it up any further. Until you get some more experience, I wouldn't run more than every other day. If you can run 2 miles you are already doing pretty good but you might look at something like Couch To 5K as an idea of a training program for beginners.

If you are feeling unmotivated or need some help, try joining a running group. Odds are that the same place you bought your shoes runs regular running clinics or no-pressure running club groups.

For the techno-geeks among us, Garmin makes very cool GPS-enabled running watches. My wife gave me one for my birthday and I really like it. If you decide you like running and want to continue, you may find it worth the investment.

[trailertrash]

I ran a 1:45 half in NYC then paid for it dearly in the 2nd half. I am running now for my 2nd marathon, this one is a trail race. Just hoping to keep it under 4 hrs. I want to run the Bay State Marathon next fall to BQ.

[Neil Gendzwill]

The advice I have for a 1st full marathon is not to have any time goal in mind, just finish that sucker. That will be hard advice for me to take. I'm planning to tackle one next fall ie 2011.

[Michelle]

The amazing thing is that as you do these easy runs, you just keep getting faster as the mileage piles up.

I've been running all summer, and it's getting harder. Same trail. That's what I don't get.

If it hurts, stop. If you get out of breath, walk for a minute or two.

Got this part DOWN.

If you can run 2 miles you are already doing pretty good but you might look at something like Couch To 5K as an idea of a training program for beginners.

I'm going to take a look at this too, maybe something will spark for me.

[Neil Gendzwill]

I've been running all summer, and it's getting harder. Same trail. That's what I don't get.

Maybe it's the running every day bit that's giving you grief? You need to take at least 1, maybe 2 rest days during the week. Also you might consider mixing it up. Keep the same total mileage but make 1 run/week your long one, shorten up the other ones and maybe use one of your days to do some slightly faster running. Warm up slow, run the middle section a little faster than you normally would, cool down slow.

This is all just guess work by the way. You might want to join Cool Running or some other running-based forum and get more knowledgeable input.