The Running Thread - 2020

[dis_or_dat]

@garneska you and your family have been through so much. I'm happy your mother is at peace now and Mallory is still with you. Thinking of you.

 

[FFigawi]

@garneska sorry for your loss

 

[Disney at Heart]

@garneska Proud of you for completing your virtual marathon and also sorry for Bert’s and your loss. I know that her suffering through these past months has been difficult too. I’m glad Mallory recovered. I regret that I missed my chance to meet her last year. Maybe next year? Hang in there. “Joy comes in the morning.”

 

[LSUlakes]

QOTD: What, if any plan did you use to start running? Would you recommend it to someone looking to start running? What would you have changed?

ATTQOTD: I started with a c25k plan. Used a app on my phone and went to work. I would recommend it, because it think it gets the job done, but I would also advise that while it starts off easy, somewhere along the way it seems to get hard fast. If you can get past that part, it is worth it. I did recently here from a PT that c25k was not a good plan, and has caused many injuries, so I am interested in hearing about yalls thoughts.

 

[Krandor]

QOTD: What, if any plan did you use to start running? Would you recommend it to someone looking to start running? What would you have changed?

ATTQOTD: I started with a c25k plan. Used a app on my phone and went to work. I would recommend it, because it think it gets the job done, but I would also advise that while it starts off easy, somewhere along the way it seems to get hard fast. If you can get past that part, it is worth it. I did recently here from a PT that c25k was not a good plan, and has caused many injuries, so I am interested in hearing about yalls thoughts.

I also did C25K to start with (then a bridge to 10k). However in the middle which I think is the part you are talking about I stuggeled a bit and so I just re-did a week before moving on. So it worked for me, but don't feel you have to keep strictly to each week as a week. If you need to do week 5 three times before you feel comfortable moving to week 6 then do so. Also remember that you will only be at an actual 5k distance if you do a 10 min/mile which most starting running won't be able to do so don't worry if you are at 2.5 miles at the end of it. Think of C25K more as "run for 30 minutes" and the 10k program as "run for 60 minutes".

So with the right mental expectations I think it can work (or did for me) but I'm certainly not a trainer. I think the big one is don't be afraid to repeat a week if you had some issues.

 

[FFigawi]

QOTD: What, if any plan did you use to start running? Would you recommend it to someone looking to start running? What would you have changed?

Look who’s back!

I started with the Richmond Sports Backers and their marathon training program. The head coach had a plan which seems very similar to what Higdon has in his novice plans. I’d definitely recommend it because very few people on the training team got hurt or weren’t able to finish the race.

 

[camaker]

QOTD: What, if any plan did you use to start running? Would you recommend it to someone looking to start running? What would you have changed?

ATTQOTD: I started with a Hal Higdon novice half marathon plan. I would wholeheartedly recommend it to someone just starting out. It strikes a good balance between running enough to get you where you need to be on race day without being overwhelming. In addition, the consecutive weekday runs on the schedule do a good job of getting you acclimated to running on back to back days, which can be very useful if you ever want to step up to the rD challenges.

 

[C.beara]

QOTD: What, if any plan did you use to start running? Would you recommend it to someone looking to start running? What would you have changed?

I made my own plan, although I'm sure someone somewhere had already made it, based on the "run 1 minute/walk 1 minute; repeat" method. I just built a plan, for approximately 30-ish minutes 3x per week, where I tried to increase the number of minutes spent running. (so week 2 was run 2 minutes, walk 1 minute, repeat). It took me like 9 months I think to get to the point of running for 30 minutes straight (I had to do some modifications, I got stuck around the switch from 5 minutes to 6 minutes) - and that only translated to about 3.5-4km.

I'm not really sure what I would have changed. I acknowledge now that I am slow as molasses, and probably always will be, so I don't think I would've changed anything about my initial running speed. I incorporate speed or hill work now, but I don't think I would've been successful incorporating it earlier on. Maybe I would've tried to start lengthening my runs earlier - even using the same methodology, one run per week could've been 45-ish minutes, which I think would've helped me develop a bit more endurance. But I just recommend consistency - coming back to it every week, sticking to a plan, makes it a lot easier to get over those hurdles.

 

[shellott-hill]

QOTD: I used a C25k plan on my phone as well. I recommend that type of running program to anyone that wants to start running again.

I also agree that it does get overwhelming pretty quick around week 5-7. I recall I repeated a few of the weeks a couple of times before moving onto the next.

 

[Kerry1957]

I ran for several years without any plan or structure; 5Ks and 10Ks. When I wanted to try a half marathon, I did a google search combo of several half marathon plans. I was not happy with the result and turned to @DopeyBadger who put together a basic, easy to follow plan that got me to where I wanted to be. That was 3 years ago. I am now on my 4th plan with him; it is more complicated than the first plan, but I am (hopefully) now a bit more educated/sophisticated in the science of running and what works for me.

 

[flav]

ATTQOTD starter’s plan: Whenever someone tells me that they want to start running, I always reply that they first need to be able to walk briskly for half an hour multiple days a week. That is often the paragraph on C25k program that people tend to ignore. I was already in good physical shape when a colleague asked if I wanted to do a C25k or intro to running plan. Doing it with someone else certainly helps following the plan, not go too fast and get some feedback on the form. I agree that mastering a « level » before proceeding to the next is a good idea. The other thing that can be considered is getting a coach who will analyse and help correct your running form and potentially prevent injuries.

 

[GuinnessRunner]

ATTQOTD: I was young(er) and dumb(er) and overestimated my fitness level when I started. Since I was planning to join my brother in running a 10-K race, I used Higdon's Novice 10-K Plan and jumped right in starting running 8 weeks before the race. Needless to say, injuries ensued (runner's knee and shin splints). Probably as much from trying to go too fast as it was the mileage. I was able to get through it and finished the race, but not the best model to follow.

Easy to look back and say what I would change- but I'm not sure I would have had the patience as a new runner to really build up properly (see younger and dumber above). I was excited to start and believed that to be a runner, I had to only run and do it "fast." I think that's the problem with most beginner plans - the plan itself is ok, it's how it is interpreted and executed by the person doing it. So ultimately, I would find an experienced runner to start with and run with who could help throttle me back and teach me some of the harder lessons I eventually learned on my own.

 

[LdyStormy76]

ATTQOTD: Designed my own plan so that I would be ready for a walking intensive trip, and decided that adding another 3 miles for a half marathon would be reasonable and give me a reason to keep walking after the trip. Started at 20-22 minute miles for the first 6 weeks and added 0.25 miles each week while working to also build speed. Did my first 10k less than 6 months after I started and a 5k the following day. Came back from my 4 week trip 10 weeks before the 2017 WDW January half, eased back into training and made my goal of finishing my first half in under 3 hours.

Doing it again I would start pushing speed earlier and longer. What I liked is that I slowly built my distance a little at a time. For someone starting from scratch it would be a concept to follow.

 

[MissLiss279]

ATTQOTD:
I think I first started with a C2-5k program, and I remember it getting hard pretty fast. Somewhere in the middle of that program, I found an app call “Gipis”. It is the app that helped me learn about pacing, and that every time I ran a segment in the C2-5k program, I was running too fast. It helped me learn to slow down (and be able to breathe)! I credit this app with helping me realize that I can run and enjoy it, instead of hating it because I can’t breathe when I run too hard.

 

[run.minnie.miles]

ATTQOTD: I started with C25K during college- I had no interest in running, but a friend begged me to do it with her and run a 5K together. I remember there being a few tough jumps in weeks, but I was too proud/stubborn to show I was suffering- probably good to start with a friend!

Not to sound overly dramatic, but C25K basically changed my life. It helped me love my body (and take off a few of those college lbs I put on) and gave me so much confidence. I met my (now) husband in class shortly after I started c25k, so it was a very great semester

 

[GreatLakes]

To share with my running community. You provide so much strength, comedy and relief. As I said going through some trying times and while i was running i had to fit it around life. I definitely did not feel trained up for the Boston in top form but i got it done. Not sure how successful goal 2 was as i did feel pretty bad yesterday, but this morning after 10 hours of sleep i am just a little sore in my legs and back.

The other news is my mother in law finally passed away this morning. Making it a much better decision to run that virtual boston yesterday rather than this coming weekend in Ohio. She has been sick for a long time. For those i told back at marathon weekend, we had changed up our entire Jan trip from our usual 2 weeks stay at the fort to a quick weekend trip in the cabins. We had done that because MIL was sick at xmas and i thought she would not make it through Jan. I will say that means it was 9 months of suffering. It is a relief that she is at peace.

I know i am not the only one having a tough year that really started with that Xmas trip and MIL being in the hospital then. Turned into Mallory battling an infection that i thought she might not win but she did, my brother passed away unexpectedly right after marathon weekend. Please remember you don't always know what others are going through so try to be kind to each other.

Sorry for your loss. A good friend of mine just lost his mother in a similar situation to what you described meaning it is a blessing she has stopped suffering. I know even though intellectually it is for the best emotionally it doesn't always seem that way.

QOTD: What, if any plan did you use to start running? Would you recommend it to someone looking to start running? What would you have changed?

I didn't really have much of a plan but I also don't know that most people really need a plan for a 5K. I was in my 20's, playing sports, and in decent shape when I decided to run but a mile was my limit. I decided I just needed to go down to the gym, jump on the treadmill, start at a mile, and add a little bit of distance over a few weeks to get to 3.1. I used to know exactly but I think it took me about 3 weeks to get there. It worked and the only thing I would do differently is do it outside instead of on a treadmill. I hated it and didn't think I would stick with it until my first outdoor run.

If I were older or more sedentary I likely would have needed something more in depth.

 

[KevM]

ATTQOTD: Mark me down as also using a C25K app when I started running.

 

[Novatrix]

ATTQOTD:
I also started with C25K, though pretty quickly set myself the goal of a half marathon. (Started C25k January 9th not knowing about rundisney, signed up for that year's Wine and Dine half January 14th when it turned up during a Google search.) I also set the goal of doing a marathon before having a full year of running, or even a half marathon distance under my belt. Special Providence protects little children and fools.

I don't tend to recommend running to other people, but if they asked about C25K I'd probably recommend it. What I would advise against would be a) running on a manually set incline which you don't know what degree you're setting (turned out that what I thought was 1 degree was really 5 degrees) and b) half way through the plan decide you're going to run a 10k in a couple of months so restart at week 1 but double the number of intervals.

 

[OldSlowGoofyGuy]

ATTQOTD: To answer the exact question: to start running? No plan, no thought, no research, no nothing. Just go out and run and try to go a little faster and longer next week.

25-30 years later when I decided to run a marathon, I tried the Furman Institute of Running and Scientific Training (FIRST) plan. I wanted to like it because I'm a Furman graduate, but for me it was a recipe for disaster.

Next I found Hanson's plans, both marathon and half marathon. They made sense and worked well for me.

Next up was a custom @DopeyBadger, which was similar to the Hanson plan with lots of customization for my exact situation. I've used DB plans for a marathon and a HM PR, both at Rocket City.

 

[flav]

Regarding my old QOTD on « She believed she could so she did », the tribe (mostly DH, the DDs giggled) has spoken... We started a 100 days Flower streak (Bring Sally Up/Down). Squat one day out of two, the others either pushups, plank or sit-ups. It should help my downhill running without killing my shoulders.