The Running Thread

@Fast Orange - what kind of terrain are you running on? I'm of the belief that managing how many miles/kilometers you do on pavement is a good idea. I recently started doing speed work on a track - which feels way better than on the road.

Having said that, one of the greatest things about running is that you can just step out your door and start… I live in the City and my runs always have at least some pavement (If I'm going to drive somewhere to do something it's going to be a bike ride, not a run). But whenever possible I choose gravel over asphalt, asphalt over concrete. It seems to help.

But don't sweat the blisters - that's just a fact of life. You'll get blisters, then callouses, and then once you really crank up the distances [HTML_REMOVED] frequency you may find that your toenails turn purple.

As a skateboarder, my shins were always trashed. As a runner, it's my feet.

I'm running on a mix of grass and asphalt. Grass whenever it's available, Works out to about 60% grass 40 asphalt

I don't know about that. Dennis Kimetto doesn't have a short choppy stride .

yeah, pretty sure fast orange isn't a kenyan who's been running marathons since he was born like Kimetto…
If he's starting somewhat fresh off the couch he might want to 'work up' to that form…
FO: Take smaller steps, don't land on your heels.

What do you guys think of those 0-10k running coach apps? Seems like it could be a good way to manage my progression.

I need something because if it isn't one thing it's the other. My knees were feeling fine yesterday so I went out for a 3k, knees still feel fine but now my right ankle feels all buggered. I'm no good at this on my own lol. I've downloaded an app and I'm just going to start from the beginning as this is getting frustrating. Made more frustrating by the fact that I'm genuinely loving this running thing. Since I started I feel like all I'm doing is waiting for my body to recover so I can run again.

Day one:
5 minute brisk walk then alternate between 60 seconds of running and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes..

often i look down at my toenails and honestly do not understand what's going on.

Some dealt with that issue by simply having them removed permanently via surgery. Marshall Ulrich did that.

What do you guys think of those 0-10k running coach apps? Seems like it could be a good way to manage my progression.

I need something because if it isn't one thing it's the other. My knees were feeling fine yesterday so I went out for a 3k, knees still feel fine but now my right ankle feels all buggered. I'm no good at this on my own lol. I've downloaded an app and I'm just going to start from the beginning as this is getting frustrating. Made more frustrating by the fact that I'm genuinely loving this running thing. Since I started I feel like all I'm doing is waiting for my body to recover so I can run again.

Day one:
5 minute brisk walk then alternate between 60 seconds of running and 90 seconds of walking for a total of 20 minutes..

Give it a shot. I'm not familiar with any of the apps so I can't comment - but if that's the advice from the app it seems pretty conservative; which is good. Better to progress slow, and be left wanting to do more, than to do too much and come up lame.

Speaking from personal experience weight is another factor. It doesn't sound like much but I notice a massive difference in my running with just a 5 to 10 lb difference in my weight.

I've also found that running is the worst possible way to try and "manage" my weight. Sure, running burns calories, but it also coerces me into making the worst possible food choices.

If you are overweight, or even just carrying a few extra pounds after the holidays, I would suggest trying to shed pounds via diet and some other form of lower impact exercise before diving into the running.

A few years ago I was 35 lbs heavier than I am now. I decided I was going to do "P90x" to get in shape. I did one work out, found it too difficult and never did another (except the yoga, I did do the yoga). But, what I did do was follow their meal plan for 90 days and I lost 25 lbs without really trying. I still drank beer too.

But, if weight is not an issue, and building slowly still doesn't work, you may want to see an expert of some sort… I was experiencing some knee pain in 2013 and found out I needed to get orthotics. I haven't had any knee issues since then, but I did have to "start over" just wearing my orthotics around the house for 15 minutes more each day until I could wear them all day, then I started running at just 10 minute intervals.

For myself, I've found that running (even just twice a week) has done wonders for my weight management. I've lost the few extra pounds that I carried when I only biked and it has stayed off.

Personally, I suspect it has to do with the ease of taking in calories on the bike and before rides. Whereas running requires more discipline because of cramping on a full or semi-full stomach. Furthermore, I rarely eat on runs up to 2 hours and I'm not inclined to eat right after.

Give it a shot. I'm not familiar with any of the apps so I can't comment - but if that's the advice from the app it seems pretty conservative; which is good. Better to progress slow, and be left wanting to do more, than to do too much and come up lame.

Yeah that's what I figured. App's goal is to have me run 10k in 14 weeks.

As for weight I'm not really fat, I'm just flabby and weak. Have a bit of a beer gut, but even that seems a little smaller than it was at the beginning of the month.

6km tempo run this morning, first time in a long time I feel like I could be turning a corner albeit on with a huge radius.

A little bit different runner site….

http://dirtbagrunners.com/

anyone doing the MEC race in Feb? I'm doing the 10k, wifey is doing the 5k

FO, thought you might enjoy this quote. Describes the first few months perfectly.

How did those first runs feel?

My body hated me. It was as if my body was saying, "I thought we had a deal here. You don't do this kind of stuff." I had to wage a war of attrition with my own body. One day, my knee would hurt. The next day, my ankles would hurt, then my shins would hurt. That went on for months. Every day, some kind of ailment came up, some new ache or pain in my body. The only reason I kept going was because I was so stubborn. I had made a decision that I was going to be a runner, and I was going to be a runner. I wasn't running through injury, just pain. It took six months for the first mile not to be the worst feeling in the world. Getting past that first mile every day was a trying experience. Now, I've been running for long enough that my body's, like, excited to go out for a run. It's like taking a dog for a walk–I put my running shoes on and my body says, "Oh, good, we're going to do this!"

FO, thought you might enjoy this quote. Describes the first few months perfectly.

Love it.

Some dealt with that issue by simply having them removed permanently via surgery. Marshall Ulrich did that.

holy crap ya i saw this on an ultra doc. mmmmmmm, no. slowly some are returning back to normal. and by normal i mean normal enough to be able to at least cover up the discolouration with nail polish.

Love it.

By the lead singer of Death Cab btw.