The Running Thread - 2018

MarBee · Mar 21, 2018

Hello everyone!
I am new to runDisney and running in general. (Like so new, I haven’t started yet.)
I think I’m setting the goal for myself to be able to run in the Princess 5k next year. Does anyone have a program they recommend for me? I was looking into C25K as a start.
For the record, I am not a runner. I’ll be 37, overweight, out of shape, and I am going from pretty much no exercise. Even when I was young and fit and exercised, I never really liked running. I found it boring and I wasn’t good at it.
Is there a program for people like me to follow? I want to enjoy myself while getting healthier, more fit, and stronger. I figured setting a goal (Princess 5k) may help.
Any and all advice is welcome! Thank you!

Capang · Mar 21, 2018

Look into Galloway as well. I did a Galloway 5k plan that eased me back in to running, emphasis on the EASE. It was really an easy plan to work that had me ready for a 5k in a matter of a couple months.

kleph · Mar 21, 2018

the Holualoa Tuscon Marathon is in that ballpark. I can tell you from experience, your quads will pay the price.

kleph · Mar 21, 2018

the advice i tend to give for non runners is just try to run 20 minutes. ignore distance. ignore speed. if you can't run the whole 20 minutes, fine. run what you can and walk the rest. do this every other day. the key is building a routine. that matters more than any given run. keep working at it until you find you can run the whole 20 minutes. at that point you'll probably be ready to transition into one of the running plans for a 5K.

but, more importantly, go get some good shoes. this can be a bit of an investment these days but it's the best way to avoid injury issues. good shoes will help you as your body gets acclimated to regular running. find a running store that will put you on a treadmill and give you an analysis of your gait. the best stores are usually not chains. look for a privately run store. if they offer a running group, that's a great sign. these are more likely to be staffed by runners, not bored high school kids. and it helps having someone give you feedback.

lastly, don't feel intimidated by other runners. particularly in this forum. we're all working on our goals just like you are. and we all want to help each other get there.

LSUlakes · Mar 21, 2018

Hello and welcome to the thread! You are in the right place for advice and to learn new things as you go. To start out, I think a couch to 5k program is a good start. Even if you repeat a week, it's still a move in the correct direction. Like mentioned earlier, take it slow. Change little things at a time in your diet, instead of a total change. The goal should be to make it where it's a lifestyle change, and not so much a diet. Enjoy the progress you make. Feel free to ask the group any questions you may have along the way. We have been where you are and have learned lessons either from here or the hard way. First thing to do, is get some shoes suitable for what you want to do. It's a investment, but the most important one you can make. Injury would delay and possibly discourage you from continuing. Shin splints suck, and can be avoided with good shoes. Later on if you find you like it and want the other expensive toy, we can talk GPS watches, they can be as low as 100 to $$$. Best of luck and we look forward to hearing about your progress!

Bree · Mar 21, 2018

C25K or even the Galloway run/walk/run method would be a great place to start. Get yourself a good pair of running shoes. I only wear my running shoes when I'm actually out running. I have different shoes for when I'm out and about.

JulieODC · Mar 21, 2018

Welcome! And congrats on taking on something new

I ran when I was younger, and recently came back to it in my mid-30s. Doing run/walk intervals was a big game changer for me. Run 30 sec, walk 30 secs might be a good starting place.

Also, I absolutely need a goal to keep myself motivated - so totally appreciate your idea to use the princess 5k as a goal.

You got this!

flav · Mar 21, 2018

ATTQOTD: I usually run at lunchtime on workdays or early morning if I wake up before everyone else but the DST give me another option if I haven’t succeded running before then. Also, mornings are very cold these days compare to comfortably around freezing point by the afternoon.

Sleepless Knight · Mar 21, 2018

Welcome to the runners section around here.

I have some advice. I hope it's good, but at least it's free.

1. Don't be afraid to become part of the little community we have here. I've found it to be very encouraging to runners of all speeds, abilities, shapes, sizes, et all. In my experience, the better or more experienced runners here are more than happy to encourage and teach the rest of us. And they're often among the first to congratulate the rest of us when we achieve a running goal that once seemed out of reach.

2. Start a training journal. Accountability helps keep you motivated. Share your successes, and most importantly share your failures. You may find that someone else here went through that challenge too. As you share your progress, other runners will interact with you and teach you.

3. Start slow and build up. Like @kleph and @LSUlakes said so well, this journey takes time. And you have plenty of time to prepare and get better. As you put in the time, the ability to achieve your goal will follow. If you try to do too much too soon, you may well find yourself discouraged and in pain. Or worse. Injured. And that might keep you from getting back out there.

4. Determine your goal and work towards your goal. Don't get caught up just yet in the lofty goals other runners are currently striving towards. Instead focus on what you want to achieve and go from there. You might not be able to run 5 minutes today. And that's okay. Get out there and run 1 minute if that's all you can run. I learned this lesson in my first race. I got too caught up in the excitement and started out substantially faster than I had trained because I feared I would fail. And I nearly injured myself. I got too caught up in everyone else's race and forgot to focus on my own. So I slowed down and ran my race. At my training pace. And I finished. In those moments when I first thought of quitting because of the pain in my very first race, I never dreamed what has since happened. But none of it would have happened if I hadn't realized that I needed to run my race.

5. Make sure you take the time to reflect on what matters most and don't get too caught up if certain running dreams or goals don't happen. Set a goal. Work towards that goal. And if you don't achieve that goal, don't lose perspective. I'm not saying to be content with mediocrity. Rather I'm saying don't lose sight of what happens along the way. Let's say you set a time goal that you don't achieve on race day. It's okay to be disappointed. But if you became healthier and happier en route to that race, did you really fail?

JM735 · Mar 22, 2018

ATTQOTD: One of the benefits to treadmill running is that DST changes don't really affect me. But that's assuming I wake up in time for a run, which may have less to do with DST than other factors!

McNs · Mar 22, 2018

Well it won’t be eligible for world records, but otherwise seems like a nice way to PR (or at least approach Younger Faster Goofy Guy’s pace)

OldSlowGoofyGuy · Mar 22, 2018

The half is the one distance that OSGG doesn't have the PR over YFGG. I think it was 1:37:##. Possibly within reach someday, but even with the downhill, not this year.

I've been looking for a new goal and you may have given it to me: KYFGGAHM!

Kick Young Fast Goofy Guy's A$$ in the Half Marathon!

Waiting2goback · Mar 22, 2018

I'm still inside on treadmills at this point. It is still too cold around here to risk running on ice.

Welcome. There has been, and will be some good advice on here. What I will say is, I have known a bunch of these people for a couple years now, as this is the third year of this thread of I am not mistaken. I have read many of their stories, and have one of my own. A lot of us have been overweight and unhealthy prior to running. Lots of us hated running before we started. There are speeds on here from back of the pack to Boston qualifiers (meaning they actually qualified for the Boston marathon).

There will be hard days where you wonder what the heck you are doing. There will be days you run and feel like it is so easy you could win a race. I would say find a plan and lace up every day the plan calls for a run. Follow it through. When you cross that first finish line you will understand why we all keep doing it.

Don't be afraid to come on here and ask questions. I came to these forums 5 years ago. I knew nothing about running. I was overweight and out of shape. There were a couple of people that are on this thread that answered all my "stupid questions" and helped me get through my first race. I still know nothing about running but at least I weigh less now. :rolleyes1

This last point makes me laugh. I'll never forget, my first race ever, my POT for TOT, I was at the start. I saw this guy with the prototypical runners body. I said to myself, I don't belong here with people like him. It was a small race, only about 250 people. The race started. I ran as fast as I could. I remember being at the finish with my medal on, already done with my first water before he even crossed. There was a girl at the start too. She was about 22 years old. Solid muscle. Cute as could be. I was 40 at the time, running for three whole months. I figured I would try to keep up with her as long as I could figuring the view from behind might be motivation for me. :rolleyes1

At about mile 2 I realized she was going to slow for me and passed her too. So @MarBee, I guess my point is, this is very good advice. Running is 90% mental and 10% physical. Just keep putting one foot in front of another and before you know it 5 years will have passed and you will be in here passing out advice to new runners.

LSUlakes · Mar 22, 2018

QOTD: A few days ago I asked about training seasons vs off season. I would like to know what people do differently for training vs. maintenance vs. whatever else there is. I wonder if the difference is frequency, time, distance, tracking, or just not following some sort of specified run?
Todays question is a suggestion from a fellow poster on this thread. Thanks for the suggestion!

ATTQOTD: During a training period all of my runs are based on preparing for a certain goal, usually a marathon. So my weekend runs are longer, I will have a midweek run that is also longer than some of my summer long runs. Pace is usually specific to goal pace for race day when it comes to speed work outs. Also, the speed workouts are different. By different I mean the duration's are longer and the pace a little slower than training for a 5k. Rarely will I run quarter mile repeats during this time as it serves little to no purpose in preparing me for a marathon.
Off season runs are meant to maintain fitness at a minimum. It's also a time to work on improving speed and form. So thats when runs like quarter mile repeats are useful. The distance is less for the week. During a marathon training period average mileage will be north of 40 and during the off season its probably closer to 30.
The differences are not all that extreme, because the days running is usually the same and the sessions can be equally challenging, but its a break for the long hours and build up to a marathon.

KingLlama · Mar 22, 2018

I didn't observe Daylight Savings Time last week. I chose to save my "spring forward" hour for the last half of next month's Dark Side Half. Can't wait to get that PR!!!

KingLlama · Mar 22, 2018

Okay, wait a second. Maybe springing forward would do the OPPOSITE of helping me get a PR?

My head hurts.

ZellyB · Mar 22, 2018

Welcome to our little community. This is a great place to be so I'm glad you decided to join in on the discussion. I'm just repeating what others have said, but if you wanted any more confirmation, here you go...

1. C25K or Galloway are both great beginner programs. Don't get discouraged if you struggle with their beginning runs, just keep repeating them and slowly increase as you can. Consistency is key!!! Lots of ways to do this, but committing to a training plan and being faithful to it is essential for success.
2. Before you know it, you'll suddenly start feeling great while running and you'll be tempted to increase your distance or pace or both too rapidly. DON'T DO IT. Slow and gradual improvement is the key to improving without injury. Follow the plan even when you are tempted to push harder. You'll get there!
3. Don't be afraid to ask questions here. People here are excited to help you on your journey.
4. If you want some added personal encouragement and accountability, I second the idea to start a journal here. There are a lot on here, so you could start by reading some to see how they work, but for me, it's so nice to have people who I know are interested in my journey and it has furthered relationships on this board for me. I love it!
5. Lastly, as already mentioned, go get a good pair of shoes. It's an investment to be sure, but especially as you are starting, having the right shoes will help prevent injury and encourage your progress. The right shoes are essential to success as a runner.

Glad you are here!

Miranda · Mar 22, 2018

I expected to be running in some snow last night, as our fourth nor'easter this month was supposed to start around 5 or so, but when I went to bed at 11:30 it still hadn't started! We've only got like an inch. I'm ok with this since there's still a couple feet on the ground from the last few.

ATTQOTD: My "maintenance" right now during the winter is just me meeting my running group for our winter group 2x a week. We run about 40-45 minutes on Wednesday nights and between 45-60 min on Saturday mornings. It's better than nothing but not the greatest to maintain a whole lot... especially like this year where it seemed like every single snowstorm we got fell on a Wednesday or a Saturday and we had to cancel more than a couple.

Next year I need to at least keep a 3rd day, or at least bump up my OTF attendance. I'm planning to try and go 2x a week right now (yay finally got our opening date, Apr 6) while I'm running 4x a week but maybe shoot for 3-4x a week when I'm only running 2x a week.

When I'm training, I'm usually following a plan. Right now I'm technically following two plans and it's rather hard! Well, really I'm only following my DB plan while I meet with my group on those Wed and Sat runs, and trying to match up my plan to what they are doing as best I can. Like last night we/they were doing an interval run of 10 min warmup, 20 minutes of 2 min 5K pace, 3 min easy (repeat 4x), and 10 min cooldown (40 min total). It was hard to match that up with my mileage based workout, but it was fine... I was supposed to be doing 4.5 miles (1 mile warmup, 2.5 miles at HM tempo, 1 mile cooldown) which took me about 60 min, so since we were doing an out and back route, I just told the first people who passed me going back (I am always last!

) to not wait, I would text when I was back, I had to do a little longer. This weekend should be easier, I am supposed to do ~2 hours and they will be doing 60 minutes, so I'll just go early and do an hour before so that I end at the same time this time and can socialize over coffee after.

I must be the only person who pays to sign up for a group training and doesn't actually follow their training plan. At least I get a shirt!

I just like meeting up with my run buddies.

Our winter group is free but our spring and fall groups are paid/coached, but the spring group usually starts later in like mid-April to train for a late July 10K. So I thought that I would only have about a month of overlap between that and my HM on 5/20, and then I'd train with the group until late July, but this year we decided to start in mid-March to train for a 15K that is 6/2, so basically my entire plan overlaps the spring group except 2 weeks after my HM!

TheHamm · Mar 22, 2018

Deciding to change is hard; making that change happen is also hard. My advice (1) You already did part of the hard work, remind yourself of this as you keep doing the other hard part. Some days it may seem to hard, and you can remind yourself again that you do hard things but also give yourself a little grace. (2)Having a goal is helpful, and you have so much time to get there, you do not need to see dramatic results in March, or April, or even May. Small changes in habit are easier to maintain for most people, so realize there is no shame in starting small. Much can change in 11 months, and cumulatively it can be a big change! (3) C25K or galloway are fine, but I think it is more essential to committing to setting aside time and using it toward your goal. Maybe that means Tuesdays at 6pm are for 'running' and the first Tuesday you go to a local running store and spend your allotted 30-45 minutes getting shoes. Maybe it is heading out to a local path and deciding the cough and runny nose mean you are going to walk a mile, run for 30 seconds and call it. Do something, though. You will do more as time goes by (3) The previous running threads were full of advice, and I search them often. Some of it was not useful until much later than when I first read it. My favorite was a question of the day was "Please give advice to a new runner using no more than five words" and I still refer to that list, consolidated answers area here https://www.disboards.com/threads/the-running-thread-2017.3568755/page-392#post-58005141

KB0609 · Mar 22, 2018

I started with C25K after I walked the Princess 5K in 2017 and was inspired by everyone I saw running. This year, I ran the entire Princess 10K! It's a great place to start and easy to follow and having a goal will absolutely help keep you on track

You can repeat days or weeks that you find too hard or if you're not ready and you can take extra rest days if needed! Don't skip your rest days, either. Sometimes I felt discouraged by the program because some days seemed like they should be much easier than it was for me but if you stick with the program, everything will come together.

I am almost done with the 5Kto10K app and already have the 13.1K app downloaded. Personally, I really like having an app to help me know what to do and keep me on track.

Good luck! See you at Princess weekend next year

The Running Thread - 2018

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