my friend is doing much better. he's awake, breathin, & started rehab this week near his home. VERY exciting news. thanks for all your prayers.
blah, what a night. the last couple weeks haven't been such awesome running weeks... i've only been able to manage about 3 miles a day, but i just gotta keep on trudging! but i've been really hard on myself that i haven't been able to push myself harder. for awhile i was running 6-7 miles a day! & now i'm struggling to run 3? what the freak! WELL. TONIGHT. somehow, i just kept running & running & i didn't check how long i had been going, & before i knew it i hit 6 miles! so exciting! my ultimate goal is to run a marathon in october of this year, and i was pretty worried that if i couldn't push myself at this point, how was i supposed to run 26 miles in less than a year? so it was amazing that i ran a 10k tonight. i mean, my heels are a little bloody, but what's a little blood when you're as proud of yourself as i am?
runnerskier says:
Well I probaly have not run a mile in the last couple weeks.
well this week has been a stressful one, to say the least. over the weekend i had been planning with two of my friends to run a 3 person marathon relay, which i was SO excited for because i was going to be able to really push myself over these next few weeks. but then sunday night, one of my closest friends was in a major car accident. he's currently in a coma, and it's all i can think about these days. it's been really hard to keep myself motivated to run these last few days, but i've been forcing myself to get out in that 14 degree weather & run for as long as i can. eh. i figure as long as i get in a few miles a day over these next couple weeks i'll be satisfied.
but if anyone who reads this can keep my friend in their prayers, or send some good vibes his way, i'd be very grateful.
tsmith98 says:
I'll keep him in my prayers...
Coy says:
Hang in there Thea! I will definately keep your friend in my prayers. Also thank you for the well wishes...and I send them back to you also...I don't know about you, but with me...running doesn't solve whats wrong with the world..but it gives me a better attitude to deal with it..Good Luck with your race..and stay warm!!
after that first race, i'm like race hungry now! i've been scouring the internet, trying to find another race soon, with no success. the closest one is in early february, and it's a 2 hour drive, which i am almost tempted to do. mom won't be too happy that i'm putting so many miles on my car, though. what to do, what to do..
i'm really proud of myself and the endurance i've built, but it's starting to get a little boring after the first couple miles. my ipod has now become the only friend that has stuck with me while running. all my friends have run with me for a couple weeks and then decide they don't want to anymore. music is great and all, but it holds my attention for only so long.
any ideas on how all you long distance runners out there keep from being bored??
Coy says:
Check your area for local running groups. They usually have runners of all abilities and you will surely make new friends. The ipods cool, but doesn't offer the support and comraderie of a runnning group. I belong to one, and not only have I become a better runner, but they have become like family to me. Good Luck! i wish you safe and healthy training!!
i just finished my first running race & i feel AMAZING! it was such a blast to get out there & feel competitive again. it was a 4.4 mi race, and i'm so pleased with my time! i've never ran so fast before! must have been all that adrenaline :0) well i stink...better hop in the shower!
Kwiddows says:
Congratulations!
I'm a way off any races yet but still excited at the prospect of a potemtial 10K in June.
it's so great to be able to see & feel all the progress i've made over the last 2 months. since i'm still running not very long distances, i've been trying to increase my mileage by .5 mi per week, with some success. i was on vacation in texas for the last two weeks visiting family in houston & friends from school in austin, so with all the traveling, i have been running, but not keeping track of how far. now that i'm back home, and my first running race EVER is this saturday, it's time to get a little more serious to make sure i'm prepared for it. it's a 4.4 mi race, & i am SO psyched. the last two days i've been running 4.4 mi just to make sure that i'm ready, and man oh man, i am! my pace is pretty slow, but my goal on this journey to running a marathon is just to finish. if i can do that (which i know i can), then i will be as proud as can be. i can get pretty competitive, however. i'm worried when getting to the starting line that i'm going to get that adrenaline pumping &... Read full entry
so the last few weeks i've been really good about running atleast 5 times a week. I'm up to 4.5 miles and i'm running a race january 12th that's a 4.4 run. I'm noticing that it's getting a lot harder on my legs. my heart rate is relatively low, and i'm not breathing as hard, but my legs just feel so exhausted only a mile in. my uncle, who has run more marathons than i can count, says it's because i need to warm up, but i'm not exactly sure how other than my little walk i do before i start running. any suggestions on a good warm up?
rachaelsdaddy says:
Warm ups and cool downs are just as important as the run. There are several warms up styles I kind of walk about 10-20 meters with some active stretching which is swining the legs and shaking them. Swining the arms back and forth and around the torso. I am sure linkcan help out with active stretching. Then when you start running take the first mile slow and work your way up to the pace you desire. This can include some walking and with some more active stretching. At the half way point a stop for a little stretch can help with muscle fatigue.
The cool down is very important also. Once you have stopped running walk around and allow your heart rate to come down. Rehydrate and start stretching. Many out there perfer active stretching but I usually go for the classic stretches of hamstring,s quads, calfs, etc. Make sure that you refuel with some carb like crackers with peanut butter and some potasium like a bananna or rasins. This will help to replenish your stores so your body can repair the damage done by the run. Trust me there is damage it is part of the work out process and is usually small but can accumulate.
Another help with muscle fatique is icing. I would recomend a bag of frozen peas or other vegetable and place it on the affected muscle group for about 20-25 minutes at a time. It will help alot. I hope this helps. I look forward to hearing more about your progress.
thea133 says:
thanks for the tip! the active stretching worked like a charm. i felt great throughout my whole run!
woo hoo! finally i've found a site that i like where i can keep track of my new hobby, & learn from some experienced runners. exciting stuff..
i've just started running in the last 3 weeks. i'm a college senior, used to be a serious swimmer in high school, and i figured it's also time to kick my butt back into shape. also, the fact that my boyfriend of 4 years & i just broke up, and he's already managed to find a new girlfriend, was a big motivator in me wanting to do something good for myself. because of this life development, i've made my goal to run a marathon next october in albany, ny (my hometown).
today was a great day, running wise. i started week 1 running 1.5 miles, and today i beat my personal record of running 4 miles this morning, and 3.5 at night (the extra 3.5 because there was an update with the boyfriend drama, so i needed a bit of release. man, if i could bottle how great i feel after running i'd probably be a junkie).
Like you, I'm a relative beginner. I started running in August. In the past, I've started running many times (I'm definitely NOT a student) and it always ended with some kind of injury.
This time, I made two big changes to my training: I bought a good book (actually 4 books, but one would have been ok) from Jack Daniels and I invested in a Garmin 305 with GPS tracking and heart rate monitor. This is how I discovered that I was running way too fast, too often. I can't pretend I don't know. I can't pretend I'm in better shape than I really am. I always know my pace and it allows me to correct it.
I don't look at my hr when I race, but I sure love knowing my pace without waiting for the next split.
So, my beginner's advice: buy a good book and if you can afford it, a GPS or pedometer with HR monitor.
I plan on beating my 10k personal record from when I was 25 (49:55) even though I'm now 43 and a training program will be what makes all the difference.
If only I can get through winter! We had a foot of snow yesterday.
Run hard!
JD
PS. My current running library:
Daniel's Running formula, Jack Daniels
Lore of Running, Tim Noakes
The competitive Runner's Handbook, Bob Glover and Pete Shuder
Running, Start to Finish, John Stanton
thea133 says:
thanks for the advice! that helps a lot, actually. i know what i'm asking for christmas this year.
jadodge says:
Hi Thea133,
I just started running when I graduated from SU in August. I had done gymnastics all through college, but when I left school I didn't really have time for the daily practices anymore. So, I picked up running!
I started the same way you did, just running a short distance and increasing it gradually. But at work I'm surrounded by marathon runners who have been helping me change up my workouts. Now I'm training for a half and plan to run a full marathon later this year!
I think the last suggestion you got was a great idea. A heart rate monitor is one of my favorite gadgets. Another really good package to invest in is the Nike+ stuff. You can track your pace and your runs through your ipod. And, running to music makes the longer distances more enjoyable.
Anyway, have a great christmas! Good luck with your training!
thea133 says:
Syracuse huh? I'm graduating from Ithaca College! not too far away...anyway- thanks for the tip! i looked up the nike+ thing & it looks like something i'd like to invest in...i can't run without my ipod! but do you have one? the site keeps saying to use an ipod nano, but i have the big 30 gig one. that should work, right?
