Get Running with Couch to 5K
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You can run more than that but I think half an hour steady state easy run each morning gives you 80% of results. If you love running (I do), knock yourself out. But that half an hour is enough to do wonders to your health over long periods of time with minimum chance for negative consequences. By easy run I mean one when nothing aches and you can converse easily throughout the run.
I think a lot of people go hard on it and overdo it and then get injured or stop it for other reasons. It is better to make those runs easy and enjoyable so that you can keep running daily forever.
I have also started 4/20 intermittent fasting 3 months ago and keto a month ago and I can tell you, I have never felt better. And this even when I do 10k run in the morning on an empty stomach after 18h of not eating anything.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4131752/
"Running, even 5-10 minutes per day and slow speeds <6 mph, is associated with markedly reduced risks of death from all causes and cardiovascular disease."
One problem is that people who run regularly are just different from people who do not. People who will run will make a lot of other choices that are also better for their health, for various reasons like being probably more intelligent (to see the reason), having means (to be able to carve time each day to do it consistently) and also have the willpower to stick to something that will only have positive results sometime in the future. Running might be, at least to some extent, a result of people being in better health both mentally and physically and not the cause.
Don't get me wrong, I truly believe running is good for you and I see how I get worse when I can't run and then get better when I can. But I red a bunch of those studies and pretty much every one of those studies has some problems, and basically that is because it is neigh impossible to have long term randomised study on real people on a topic like running where it is basically impossible to point finger at people and get them to adhere to your prescribed lifestyle.
I guess my question is that is it likely a person would get the outsized health benefits because they commit to the minor health change which then causes them to commit to more later.
Being able to force myself to stick to something hard/painful causes me to also expand my ability to stick to other things.
And when I can't run (for example due to injury) it also affects my ability to stick to a lot of other things that should not be affected by my knee.
Another reason why I think running is so beneficial is because when you start it you see obvious, epic improvements in your performance.
I literally was doing runs I did not think possible just a month earlier.
It changes your perspective on what is and what is not possible.
And if this happens to you it may cause you to start investigating and making a lot of other health-related changes.
On a more micro level, a good run can make the rest of life's challenges much less daunting...as I say to my wife: busy days seem a lot less overwhelming if you start them by dragging yourself out of a warm bed to run 8 miles in freezing rain.
For example, in the study that we are discussing here, it says
> It is possible that healthy people may run more, which could lead to reverse causality. However, we found consistent mortality benefits in runners in both healthy and unhealthy individuals
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4131752/
You can read more if you want to understand more about how they handle these factors.
I discovered that almost everything I have been taught, told by doctors or red on the internet about proper nutrition is lies. And those likes usually have intelligently sounding papers behind them that are not worth the paper they are printed on. And then repeated ad nauseam by thousands of health "experts" that do not seem to be really concerned about validity of any of it other than their personal life goals.
Like the lies that you should eat breakfast to start your day or multiple meals or that fats are bad for your health or that you should limit intake of salt as much as possible. Or that you have to avoid foods that have cholesterol in them. Or that whole grain bread is healthier than the one made from white flour (it is not). Or that you need to eat fiber to have healthy gut flora or to avoid constipation (I have mercilessly removed all carbs of any kind from my diet for over a month and my gut flora is perfectly ok and there is no constipation).
You know, all that stuff that we have been bombarded with from childhood.
I know all about correlation and causation (actually, I studied theoretical math and have a lot of experience with statistics. I have even given a lecture on logic to first year students once when I was asked to do it by my prof).
Let's just say, there is a lot more ways to make improper than proper inferences from your study. And that saying you know about causation absolutely does not mean the person who did the study actually understands it and took it into account properly. And also that a lot of people start with an opinion or a vested interest to show a particular result and then are trying hard to prove what they already "know".
In the end the problem is that all those people who make those studies are forced to crank out results or perish in their field. Conducting a study very carefully and honestly costs many times more effort than just getting it to a point where somebody will take and publish it.
Does it take time? Yes, it does, but only if you look at it in this simplistic way. Even if I did not enjoy running itself, it makes the rest of the day feel better for me which I think makes up for the time "wasted".
I also use my runs to listen to news, audiobooks or podcasts. I am walking every day in the evening and I use that time to listen to audiobooks and also get some grocery, etc. -- trying to get as much from the time I spent on walks as possible.
If I don't listen to something I am trying to be productive by rethinking things that happened to me, preparing arguments for upcoming meetings, thinking through other problems that I have at the moment.
So do I, and there's no way I could go out for a run before it - so the post-run one would be additional, that's why I count it as a cost.
Apparently, if you match it to your fitness/ recovery levels (and goals if you have them), doing quality over quantity can be just as good as – and in some cases better than – doing more volume at less intensity.
I personally prefer cycling at a more laid back pace. But if I were back on some run-training regimen, I'd prefer less volume with more intensity workouts. Because I enjoy cycling, and kinda dread running.
But I heard mixing both, in terms of volume and quality, will have the most optimal results in terms of performance gains.
Maybe you know all this already, but just ya know, throwing it out there.
And showering after a workout feels sublime.
But on my slow days I think. And it's wonderful. I don't know how many problems I've solved during my runs, but it's a lot. Something about getting outside and moving somehow unties knots in my thinking. And if I don't have a problem to solve I might review some recent stuff I've been studying. I might for example pretend I'm doing a presentation on the topic. Since I'm out there and can't write anything down I have to repeat everything in my head, and that repetition makes it stick. (Works if I'm preparing an actual presentation too!)
Because of this I usually try to go running after 1-2 hours of work. This way when I go running I usually have some material fresh in my mind. Working from home is obviously a big advantage.
I stopped running when I got my current job because there was so much work I wanted to do and didn't think I had the time. Huge mistake. I started running again in August and have been keeping it up since then, and my work has improved a lot.
This probably doesn't work for everyone, but it's an experience worth searching out!
This is the biggest risk.
Always remember that your bodies ability to adapt is quickest for breathing, slower for muscles and slowest for tendons/joints.
Once many people overcome breathing they go too hard when muscules develop and end up with achilles or knee issues.
I think it works out similarly to low-intensity deadlifting and squatting, and becomes much easier if you also lift consistently.
As a bonus, it's also fun and relaxing.
Up until a year and a half ago, I had never enjoyed a jog in my life. I had done plenty of "jogging" during school years, as part of gym class, but nobody had ever explained to me difference between a pleasant jog and running until you drop.
I stopped exercising for many years. Then started powerlifting. A couple of years ago I decided that I should take a walk every day. Then that I should do at least 10.000 steps a day. A year and a half ago, I figured I could probably do a very light run. I enjoyed it. Then I started running at least every other day (during summer). Stoppped during winter. Picked it up again last spring. Now I'm again awaiting spring.
It took 41 years of my life before I realized what a light run was. I think most people don't run because they have never actually learned what a light run is. It's always flat out.
Light run is when I run with somebody else and I still can have a pleasant conversation.
I take phonecalls when I am running and I had situations where people were surprised when I told them I am running (they expected me to be panting probably).
IMO there is no need to run any harder than that if your goal is maximising your wellbeing (unless your wellbeing comes from winning races...)
It came as a surprise to me that many people are self-conscious about stopping to walk during running -- that's how I've always done it! I never thought anything of it because I have always been in shape as 100m / 200m sprinter... I'd encourage others to try this, because although I love running, I also could never really get into jogging.
Interestingly the best (or second best) bike racer in the world, Tadej Pogačar, is very big into "zone 2" training, in which the idea is you optimize your aerobic engine by spending the majority of your training time in zone 2 and no faster.
While the zone 2 can be measured formerly with a lot of fancy equipment that monitors the gases you breath out and levels of lactic acid in your blood, the casual guideline for finding your zone 2 is a workout at the level where you can just barely hold a conversation while doing it. The casual definition of zone 1 is you can easily hold a conversation, zone 3 is you can say a few words but can't hold a conversation, and zone 4 is you are breathing so hard you can barely talk.
So basically, even if your wellbeing does come from winning races, zone 2 training might also be the best thing to do (at least for the majority of your workout times).
Like you, I was never really a runner, although I did get into running when I met my current partner, who is a runner. I think what's complicated for most not-fit people is that they only have one running "speed'. I only had one running speed until I was almost 40. There was walking, and then there was running. Obviously there was also "sprinting" but we all recognize that's unsustainable. I think for most of us, "running" is what a runner would call a tempo run -- say 80% of your maximum heartrate, something you feel you can sustain more-or-less indefinitely, but that's hard.
When you're not-obese-but-out-of-shape, you might walk a mile in 15-17 minutes, and a run would be in the 10-12 minute range. It's hard to actually go any slower than that and still be running. And as you slowly get more fit, your runs get down to (say), a 9 minute mile, an 8 minute mile. But you never realize you can (and should!) scale back to that 10 or 12 minute mile. You'll be able to run every day instead of every few days. You'll get the health benefits without the injuries. And the side benefit is that, if you add speed work, you'll get faster more quickly than if you just ran at 'running speed' all the time.
The couch to 5k program listed mentions mixing walking and running -- this is a great alternative to a "slow run" for those who still only have 1 speed.
I was interested in running for years, but found the walk breaks that the Couch to 5k program uses to deal with this issue to be tedious. I tried it a few times, but it didn't stick until years later after I'd started a gym habit and built a good base. When New Years came around, I was used to going to the gym before work every morning, and it was really disruptive when my gym was suddenly insanely packed with resolutioners, so I just put my stuff in a locker and tried going outside for a run. With the base I'd built in the gym, I found I could run quickly for a few minutes, but when running slowly I could go for 30+ minutes without a break instead of ten, and it finally stuck (that was 4 years ago).
Anyway, this bias you mention seems to be taught/ingrained at a young age!
Yes, I think C25K and the "just run" sentiment in general is missing half a dozen asterisks about this aspect. Like "except don't run on concrete for the first year", or "except do this progression of exercises for feet and tendons for 3 months before you start doing continuous 2-3k", or just "hire a trainer to get you started".
I've never been overweight, been active as a kid, was in increasingly good physical shape throughout my 3 attempts to start running over the years and got injured for months every time. By the last attempt I was taking multi-hour walks as a habit, lifting weights 5 days a week, watching my sleep and diet. And heart rate monitor has shown that I straight up didn't have this magical "easy run" heart rate zone available - brisk walk was well below 120 bpm and even jogging in place got me over 130.
C25K is great for what it is, but I feel what it is is not enough to start running safely.
What did you injure? What did you do after thinking you were injured?
And now I'm a refugee and my running trails back home were in the zone russians dropped cluster munitions on. So it's not looking good for running going forward, lol.
Don't recall having plantar fasciitis or shin splints; but spent a lot of time on steps doing many many single leg heel raises, to work around achilles tendon and calf muscle pain.
Exercise finds our weaknesses.
The cardiac exercise research group in Norway have developed and tested an online maximum heart rate calculator.
https://www.ntnu.edu/cerg/hrmax
Check what that number is for you.
The interval training they recommend would be about 90% of maximum heart rate.
(For example, I'm in my early 60s and I'm supposed to push my heart rate into the range 150—165 bpm.)
So "jogging in place got me over 130" may be just fine, or may not be.
A great way to start is to commit to 15 minutes of run/walk time 3-4x a week. When I decided to start, I did one long block where I’d run one way and walk back for 20 minutes. A few weeks later I’d run 7 minutes out (with occasional breaks at first) and 8 minutes back.
The goal is to feel good afterwards - not like crap. It’s better to do a workout at 80% of your capacity and want more than to go 105% and feel like butt. You want to develop a positive association in your brain so that you crave a run.
So number one piece of advice - go slow! If it helps, get a watch with a heart rate monitor and keep it below your 80% level. Worry about your times after the first 5k.
Long time ago, when I would start something I would try all the way. Loose all crappy food or not at all. The problem is that these would only last as long as my enthusiasm.
This is a disaster, because it means I just spent a bunch of effort on a project that brings no long term results.
So nowadays I always think how I can bring most results with as little resources (resources being my effort/focus) and then how I can get as much bang for the buck long term.
Running must be sustainable. That's why I run easy, every day. I could run every other day but there is something magical in building strong habits. In my case I no longer think about it -- I get up, I empty myself, I weigh myself, I head out the door for a run, I come back, take a shower, drink coffee. This is my morning routine and the only decision I make is what to put on based on the weather.
And it can't feel hard. And you need to have good shoes and clothes for any weather.
All nutrition advice in the world will not help if you will not stick to it. So I resolved to not start punishing myself by removing foods that I like, but rather I started by learning new foods that I can like but are also healthy. Over time, with more and more healthy foods I know I started pushing out the unhealthy ones.
This is my advice for lasting lifestyle changes.
Like body-weight and light 10lb dumb bell strength exercises while watching soccer on TV.
Now I hike every weekend, at least 10 miles, which lets me go out with family and friends. I also do various martial arts with my son, which as a shared activity is so much more enjoyable.
The only time I'll run again is if I'm being chased.
But then Canadian winters intervened and I got out of the habit and never got back to it again. Since then I’ve had a pretty bad ankle injury (at work, not from working out) and I miss running so much!
These days, I can barely walk for three days after playing basketball or running, but weight lifting still works.
Anyway, all I can say is that running always made me feel much worse than the short sprints and jumps in basketball, whatever the precise reason may be.
Like the beginning of your comment, it ultimately comes down to gear. An ankle injury is a good reason to not push yourself running, but the weather need not be :)
That's the last bit of winter gear I think I needed. There's something about it though that I love. I can't force myself to get to the gym a block away but I'll go outside in blizzard conditions and really enjoy myself!
Now imagine doing that but instead of being limited by how far you can hike in the time, you can go further because you're running.
> I take my son, my nephew, and friends. We go to the pub afterwards.
Now imagine that even though it's an after work thing and maybe in the dark, you meet up with some friends and talk while you're running.
But once I learned how to run, calibrated my expectation on how running looks like (I was trying way too hard before) and got my body couple months to adjust I started genuinely loving it even though initially I was forcing myself to do it for health reasons.
I think running is something that you can stick to for long enough to be able to figure out if it is actually for you.
What I do now is go cycling/spinning for 30 mins at the gym with an audiobook, it feels like the same proper cardio, but everything else is different, I'm not outside, I don't have to watch out for anything, it's warm, by bones don't feel like they're all getting shaken about.
Running is great, I'm not knocking it at all. But I would also try other activities to see what sticks (hiking, weightlifting, rock climbing, social sports leagues, etc.)
There's also lots of free beginner-friendly workouts on YouTube (where you follow-along with an instructor).
Swimming, Rowing, elliptical, cycling, or StairMaster are safer and offer similar health benefits.
In the past I've lost weight from a bunch of different sports and running worked the best. It's just the most intense pure sport, without mechanical assistance.
I kinda dread running (but will do it, and like having done it after the fact but during the runs is another story).
But in terms of being able to run anytime (with the right layering), anywhere (more or less, so long as you can avoid traffic), and with basically minimum barrier to entry in terms of gear, it's hard to beat when comparing it to other sports & fitness activities.
I still much rather would ride my bicycles hard, but I can't deny the barrier to entry is significantly higher, even if you're aiming for budget bikes (the learning curve is kinda steep in being able to spot a decent deal), let alone higher-end stuff. But oh, is it a sublime and beautiful experience on the bike.
I'm pretty sure it is one of the least effective sports at burning energy. Humans have evolved to be highly efficient runners, therefore we exert less energy when we run (plus compared alternative we're under-using our upper bodies). Swimming is almost certainly the most effective sport for burning energy.
That being said: Losing body fat from exercise is a bad strategy anyway. Exercise is important for improved health, improved aging, combat certain diseases (like metabolic syndrome), etc. But the maths alone shows that you cannot out-run a bad diet, one McDonald's meal is more than an hour of moderate exercise regardless of type.
Body fat is lost in the kitchen, fitness is gained at the gym, people mix those two things up regularly.
I've spent a lot of time running and cycling, and personally, I can burn 800 calories an hour running, and 600 cycling. I can easily sustain heartrates of 150-160bpm but struggle to break 130 swimming.
Found a few source that also put running at the top.
https://revelsports.com/which-sport-burns-the-most-calories/
https://www.health.harvard.edu/diet-and-weight-loss/calories...
Running at normal sustained speeds is only 240-336, Elliptical is 270-378, Aerobics 300-420, Stationary Bicycling 315-441, etc.
Keep in mind 6 MpH is considered Vigorous, and you're talking about 10 MpH sustained to get good calorie burn which just isn't realistic outside competitive levels or for short sprints (which isn't what we're discussing).
The link you posted is an absolute joke that you're cherry picking, because the only reason to put "Bicycling, Stationary: vigorous" above "normal sustained speeds" is because you made the utterly inaccurate editorial decision to do so. You're flat out wrong if you believe a 12 minute mile (which is barely walking speed) is equivalent to "vigorous stationary cycling".
If you consulted your own chart you'd see it lists, under "training and sports activities", "Bicycling >20mph" as 693cal for a 185lb person and "Running: 10mph (6min/mile)" as 671cal which at least is close to accurate.
Unfortunately, you don't seem to be remotely familiar with the physiological demands here, so I don't know what to say. Your argument was that running couldn't possibly burn more calories because it only involved the lower body.
Depends on how fast you run :)
According to [1] in terms of calories burned by a 155-pound person in 30 minutes:
Running at 5mph is equivalent to beach volleyball, ice hockey and basketball, at 288 calories.
Running at 6mph is equivalent to kickboxing, cycling at 15 mph, vigorously swimming laps or vigorous step aerobics at 360 calories.
If you're lucky enough to be able to run a 10mph for 30 minutes (which is fast) doing so is one of the fastest ways to burn calories, burning 562 calories. The only thing listed that uses more calories is cycling >20mph.
Of course, people with their weight under control have a much easier time achieving higher speeds - someone who weighs 230 lbs isn't likely to be running at 10 mph, and they'll probably hit their weight goal before they'll hit that speed.
I agree with you that, with 270 calories in a chocolate bar, it's easy for bad diet to undo the benefits of exercise.
[1] https://www.health.harvard.edu/diet-and-weight-loss/calories...
Also, a small nitpick: if someone is starting from zero, I'd argue "effectiveness" probably shouldn't be the goal...it should be finding an activity the person loves and wants to keep doing. From my own experience: For years I hated fitness and avoided it at all costs...until I found a gym with group fitness classes that I fell in love with. From there, losing weight was easy because I was just doing something I loved.
If you do decide to run, remember to take it easy in the beginning. It has a high impact on your joints so you need to train them gradually.
Biking on the other hand makes it easy to pick your desired level of effort while keeping impact on joints relatively low. As a downside, unlike running or walking, it does not do much for your back health. Your spine and back muscles benefit a lot from walking/running. So biking and walking can be a good combination, or biking and running.
And 100% agreed that your joints need to be trained gradually, your cardio and muscles improve faster than your joints. And while this is universal it is more important in running than e.g. biking.
If you don't make time for you health now then you will be forced to make time for your illness later.
While many people find themselves in hospital through no fault of their own, it is clear from what I can hear and see that many other people could have avoided being there by taking some time each day to be active and eat/drink a bit less throughout their life.
It doesn't need to be running but it does need to be a concerted effort that gets your heart rate up and creates a little discomfort in the body (not pain, just work).
And no "running round after the kids" each day, doesn't count.
Given the impact running has on the joints, it would be great to do a program like this with a bike instead.
(Other than Peloton which obviously has a high entry cost and even their app-only experience is pretty expensive for what it is)
This is, of course, unless you have a pre-existing issue. If you have a pre-existing issue running will find it and make it worse, especially as you push out the distance.
On distance, according to some studies 5K happens to be a good point for optimising the long term health benefits – after that you see diminishing returns so don't feel pressured to go further unless you find you enjoy it.
And if you can, try get out and run in the countryside where it is pretty and you are breathing in less car fumes and similar.
Care to make any more assumptions? I practically hadn't run until ~35 when I was significantly overweight, [checks chart] actually officially obese, currently 44 & a bit overweight¹² and running regularly (including doing the occasional ultra event). I know many people with a not dissimilar history and away from anecdata there is plenty of evidence that running is beneficial more than it is detrimental in the general population⁰.
As I said prior: “There is as much evidence for running helping the joins in later life (assume you start earlier) as there is for the opposite.”. I know I know, [citation needed], but as the claim for running being bad for the joins generally was made first: I'll show you my citations if you show me yours. Or just keep downvoting and/or stating I know nothing if that makes you feel more correct.
--
[0] of course with the caveats of “if you don't push to hard/fast too quickly” (that can cause damage, though the same can be said for any other exercise) and “if you don't have pre-existing medical issues” (the most dangerous ones here being cardio-vascular related, not joints)
[1] the excess is definitely fat, not muscle mass, unfortunately!
[2] spent a few years well within a range where I should be, but I have to concentrate to manage excess food intake³ and the last few years have had my mind on other things a lot
[3] old habits die hard
Now try to find some evidence that the impact is damaging rather than a stimulus.
Being sedentary causes damage, so the question is do runners suffer more damage.
This isn't exclusive to running either. It can happen with any physical activity.
Seems like you are scaremongering.
Couch to 5K works because it starts with a mix of running and walking to gradually build up your fitness and stamina."
"Get running with Couch to 5K" website
Congrats!
I've managed to stick to 5-10km every other day (though it's a challenge in the winter, admittedly), and did my first half marathon in 2:09 a couple of months ago.
I started in my mid-20s with couch-to-5k. I'd never run more than a mile in my life. It took me a couple attempts to get through the program, but now I've been running pretty consistently for years. I've had a streak of running every day for over 18 months.
If you're worried about injuring yourself, my best advice would be to take it slow. Your cardiovascular fitness can improve a lot faster than your musculoskeletal system, and this leads to people feeling like they can do more than their bones and tendons can handle. And listen to your body. My worst injuries have been from ignoring a nagging pain and trying to power through it. I would have been better off taking it easy for a month or two, than being stubborn and ending up completely unable to run for months.
It’s advisable to do some strength training with any running program to help minimise injuries.
I've got 5 bits of advice for anyone starting out.
Firstly, just go. As the old trope says, the hardest bit is the distance between couch and front door. Don't even think about it, don't look at the weather, don't worry about that little voice in your head telling you how cold it is. Just get your kit on and go. Once you're outside you're on your way.
Secondly - give some focus to foot strike cadence: you'll see lots of "serious" runners talking about how 180 SPM (steps per minute) is the optimum, and it is - but even if you're just starting out, push your cadence up so it's above something that feels natural. Take smaller steps, take more of them. As I read somewhere: "make it feel like you're mincing along". Up hills, make the steps even smaller. Get a Garmin or similar - all good watches will give you a cadence display - if you can't, then just listen to a song before you go at a known BPM and keep it in your head as you run. Your running will feel easier, you'll be less likely to pull muscles, and you'll ultimately become a better and stronger runner because of it.
Thirdly - have a rhythm to your breathing too. There's lots written about this - my personal favourite is to breathe in for 2 steps, then breathe out for 3. When there's a hill, change this as needed, possibly 1 breath per step or even more if it's a steep one :-)
Fourth - stretching and warming up/down. You'll get a massive amount of conflicting advice on this. Some swear by a pre-run stretch, some post-run. Some don't stretch at all. Just listen to your body - this is good advice all round for running - so if you find that it suits you to start slow with no stretching / warm-up and to build your speed up, do that. If you're someone who finds this ends up with hurting / pulled muscles, try a mini warm-up first. Just listen to yourself, and not to anyone else.
Finally - as you get older (I'm 50), focus a bit more on strength and endurance rather than speed. Because I'm aerobically fit I could do a 7:30 minute mile if I pushed it, but I'd be full of muscle pain regret the next day. Just because I'm fit enough doesn't mean I should do it - instead I find it better to go a bit further, and force myself to keep the pace down a bit. Really it's the same advice as #4 - but it takes a bit of self control and learning to know what "too fast" is in any particular context.
Good luck out there :-)
But some people's noses just don't have the throughout to support running (mine are this way), so you can basically disregard the advice.
My dog wakes me up at 6am to go out potty. I get up, run him a 5k, and it takes about 30 minutes total. A walk would be 20 minutes so it’s not that much longer.
Being semi-active means my dog will conk out after his run and be well regulated the whole day. If he doesn’t get his run, he will become mischievous in order to entertain himself.
The morning run solves for several needs - including my health - and not doing the run has a built in consequence of dealing with a bored and mischievous dog for the day.
It's very inclusive of all abilities from walking up to club runners. Plus the weekly routine and encouragement of participating in a unfussy group activity.
https://runningoverload.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Train...
I attempted to download the app from the App Store using the link in the article and I was unsuccessful. Is it available only in the UK?
Literally the people this is for are too overweight/overworked/overwhelmed to do enough physical activity to jog a couple of miles. We need all the help we can get!
Running for a whole minute on the first week was extremely challenging and physically painful in the heart. I genuinely worried thinking I was going to have a heart stroke. The second week was even harder, as I realised my first week run wasn't truth whole minute as my podcast app was set to listen to 1.3x speed, so I ran less!
Anyway, in 7 weeks I was able to do eight whole minutes and I could push myself to do more. I managed to finish the 5K charity run in 38 minutes, but due to covid wasn't able to run since.
I highly recommend this podcast and once the weather gets better I will be resuming these jogs!
Congratulations! That's a really impressive achievement.
If you've got a parkrun near you, it's worth going along. I just find it helps to have a regular Saturday morning run for when I start losing motivation. https://www.parkrun.org.uk/
Definitely helps to not keep glancing at your watch though.
My favorite have been the Headspace mindful runs[1].
[1]: https://www.headspace.com/meditation/running-meditation
I do sometimes find I come up with good ideas for work/whatever when running, so it can be a good way to ponder things like that and I’ll sometimes record a short voice memo on my Apple Watch otherwise I forget what I thought of. But after 20 minutes or so I find my mind kind of defaults to blank and I like that!
Everything I see that's changed since the previous run.
Everything I see that's changed since the previous season.
Everything I can feel about my body moving
Everything that's happened that day.
I've done quite a few 2hr+ runs (half marathon to marathon) and 100 mile bike rides, and after a while for me it turns into a psychological game.
Trail running, if you haven't tried it, is much more "stimulating" I might say, depending on where you are there's a lot more focus and attention required to stay on the trail, to stay upright (slipping on mud, ending up in a river), to dodge trees and rocks as required, etc. I personally find there's much more of an aspect of being "in the zone" for trail running, and especially in races, when I miss a turn and have to stop and backtrack, it becomes really obvious that I was in some kind of "flow" state and then got pulled out of it.
For me, running is consuming enough that my brain can't really operate at 100%, and it's more like 75%. Sometimes this is wonderful because normally my mind tends to go overboard with stuff, but while running my mind doesn't have the appetite to make things heavy and involved.
Another thing is to just stop focusing so much on your inward thoughts and look all around you. Running is a great way to explore and observe an area because you can pick up way more detail than while driving but you can also cover more area than walking.
It also helps to avoid focusing on whether you're done. A watched pot never boils. Asking yourself "how much distance do I have left?" every 2 minutes is sure to make the run seem like it lasts forever.
Began running two years ago and it's the best decision I ever made. Just wrapped up this year with 1337km total :)
It's all in the psychology and Josh Clark is on to some good ideas wrt motivation. I listened to a bit of the audio, of the "personal trainer Laura" - an excellent voice artist for the role fit (I worked in radio and know what I'm talking about). Plus there's been a few celeb motivators doing the narration including Jo Whiley who is pleasant to listen to and not overly jarring. Personally I'd probably prefer Lee Ermey.
I don't run, but know plenty of people who do. Everyone is running what I would call marathon-style, by which I mean their goals are measured in how far they can reliably run/ how fast they can do a relatively long distance, 5K being the lower bound.
To me, running shorter distances very fast seems just cooler and more exciting, say 500 meters. 100 meters seems a bit much as it's over very fast.
Why isn't this kind of running nearly as popular? And how would one get into that, rather than long distance running?
In the UK, there's a volunteer led organisation called parkrun which hosts 5km runs/races in over 1000 parks around the country every Saturday. It's quite popular. My local race consistently get 300+ entrants each week. Worth checking out: https://www.parkrun.org.uk/
5km, 10km, half marathon and marathon are the main running distances. Less than 5km is generally stuff run on athletics tracks, which falls under athletics.
I wish it was that easy.
I trained hard for a year and barely made it under 24.
I guess it depends on age and if you are carrying around a bit of extra weight.
5K is a wonderful distance though. You can walk it in an hour, walk / jog it in 40, jog it in 30 .. then a whole world of gradual improvements and mind games open up to get you from there to 20 mins.
?
"A typical Zátopek workout was 5×200, 20×400, 5×200 with 200m jogs in between. Over the years Zátopek increased his training load to include more and more repetitions getting up to 20×200, 40×400, 20×200 with 200 jogs for a workout."
Anaerobic is evolved (as far as I know) as the "panic stations" exercise when it is 110% percent do-or-die situation and your body starts using inefficient no-oxygen metabolism because you need the extra energy to escape the chasing bear or whatever. It causes lots of lactic acid build up that hurts afterwards, and doing it a lot supposedly causes muscle issues unless you spend a lot of time warming down afterwards to help break it down.
And that's why I don't try 1500 or 3000m distances. They are just really, really fast and unbelievably painful. A few times a year I might do a 3K as fast as I can, and I dread it. Maintaining a near sprint pace for 10-12 minutes is just crazy hard.
Also, almost every time I get some kind of injury it's because I'm doing a high intensity (fast) run.
This video gives a quick summary —
Here's the evidence based exercise advice —
The payoff has been totally worth it. Nowadays every yearly physical the doctor tells me "you're healthy as a horse." Contrast that with my physical a year earlier that suggested I was tipping into prediabetic territory.
Did plenty of strength training throughout my twenties and some vigorous high school sports, but embarrassingly had not run a mile since elementary school PE class.
My advice to younger folks: don't skip cardio. Heavy lifting alone won't really get you where you want to be unless you do 5+ days a week and are otherwise active. Get rid of the bro split and commit to at least 2 days of cardio each week instead.
In between there was kind of a huge increase in the running part I couldn't manage, and the app was kinda buggy, so I didn't keep at it.
But I noticed some endurance improvements in my daily life, so I would recommend.
I walk daily still, so the change of lifestyle — that is, adding time each day for exercise — was the most lasting thing to come of it.
I came to enjoy they exercise break from my daily routine. As others will profess, you get distraction-less time with your own thoughts and it feels like some kind of a lubricant for your mind.
See how you do and see how you feel about trying to-do a specific time. Figure out what kind-of training you need to-do that specific time in some future race, and work towards that.
— Try doing different kinds of running:
This video gives a quick 4x4 minute interval training summary
https://www.ntnu.edu/cerg/advice
— Try running with other people.
But cardio is important. I had high blood pressure, got winded after walking up stairs, etc. more or less fixed that after 3 months with cardio.
You don't need a treadmill!
Mine has training sessions twice a week with groups at different ability levels and you can join the more competitive track and cross country seasons if you feel up for it.
I ran in the National CX relays this year which was loads of fun and meant I got to run alongside olympic calibre athletes.
There might be licensing/taxation/legal reasons for the region lock, or maybe no one thought anyone outside the UK would care.
now after about a mile my feet go numb and i stop
if anyone can recommend books on how to fix it that would be great.
i’ve had doctors universally tell me not to run because of my herniated disk but i had doctors be wrong in the past. hoping this is the case again.
best prospects so far have been running barefoot but struggle to do that too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81nchIAtN0I
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/the-strength-mobility-...
Why you should not be running, by Mark Rippetoe:
https://startingstrength.com/article/why-you-should-not-be-r...
Trying to min/max everything in your life isn’t how this stuff works
Jokes aside, running is great, but people with tens of kilos overweight should probably start with something much less destructive to joints than run. You can gain muscles much faster than connective tissues like tendons and ligaments manage to build/strengthen. Ie start with swimming or elliptic trainer
That being said, I think sometimes people have this idea that maybe if they run enough one day running won't be hard (or whatever physical activity). But actually, it will always be hard. You will always breathe hard. You will always sweat. You will always be out of breath at some point if you push yourself. You will always have some maximum weight you can lift. But that's the point. Doing the hard thing is the point. That's what you have to realize it the fun interesting part. Otherwise exercise always feels like work.
You’ll also find your easy pace gets faster and faster.
The hard thing is not really the point with most running and entirely misses the point. You run easy most of the time so that you can run hard when it’s necessary.
Obviously if you do not want to plateau in your training you have to run hard some of the time, but not every run has to be hard.
"Some exercise beats none; more is better" https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/exercise-beats-none-bett...
You should do both aerobic and strength training.
I was once a runner and I loved it!! The problem is I always had pain in my legs, joints, knees etc
cycling, hiking, strength training.
There are better forms of exercise, still, running is better than sitting on the couch and getting started with some sort of exercise is a great idea for your health.
However, if you have bad joints to start with, running can be hard or impossible. In which case, pick another exercise. There are lots.
My favorite thing about running is that it requires little equipment and can be done any time at all. (My second favorite thing is that it's easy to listen to podcasts or music.)
Check with a doctor if you have any pain. There may be something they can do to enable that very convenient form of exercise. And listen to your body. If it hurts, especially in a new way, stop.
You do make a good point about prior athleticism as it can promote good joint health.
Finishes: 44,009,780
It's definitely better for you than sitting on the couch, but only if you stick with it. And trying to get couch potatoes into running seems like a good way to ensure they don't stick with exercise. Anecdotally, I know a couple of people who did couch to 5k and ended up actually doing a 5k. They looked like they were going to die at the end of the race and basically stopped exercising after. Running has the advantage of needing minimal equipment and being something you can do everywhere, and I know it works for a lot of people. But as an exercise for people who would otherwise just sit on the couch, I'm not sure it's a good choice.
The only exercise I can think of with a lower barrier to entry is walking. Every able-bodied person knows how to run, even if they can't go very fast or far.
Strength training has a higher barrier to entry - weight training requires a gym membership or your own weight room, and you have to learn to perform specific movements correctly and safely, which requires research or paying a personal trainer. Bodyweight strength training also requires learning many not necessarily intuitive movements. Other forms of cardio also usually require an investment in expensive equipment (eg. cycling) or a membership (eg. swimming).
Running isn't recommended to sedentary people because it's an optimal exercise - it's suggested because anyone can pick it up with minimal cost and learning. And it's more time-efficient than walking.
Strength training is good. Cardio is good. Do both and focus on doing it properly.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Rippetoe#/media/File%3A...
Hill strides don't build strong legs. I did a lot of cycling in my youth, and I thought I had strong legs—since they seemed slightly larger than average—but I didn't. When I had to do something that required actual strength, such as kicking a ball, it turned out I was rubbish.
Since when is kicking a ball a measure of leg strength? How are you even measuring something that’s so relative to the desired goal?
I will acknowledge my bias here-- my partner recently represented our country in the Olympics as a track athlete, and I believe I have achieved intermediate results in both running (sub-35 minute 10k) and lifting (the 1000 lbs club) which hopefully affords me some perspective from both sides of the track. We scrolled through this article this morning together and had a good laugh.
This entire article reads as an ode to muscle mass, which is not everyone's goal. Regardless, here were some zingers that stood out:
"Quite literally, the more you run, the better you are at running and the worse you are at being strong." -- I mean... And? With a more developed aerobic system, you recover faster between bursts of intense effort. You can play with your kids longer, run with your dog more, hike further... I could go on.
"Excessive amounts of endurance activity can, and almost always does produce adverse physical effects. Look at competitive marathon runners: the people who win the big races are skinny, just like the typical 80-year-old."
Outrageous. Again, Mark Rippetoe has demonstrated some misplaced association between muscle size and health. I guess you can wave your hand at an elite runner and make an asinine comment like, "Thank goodness I don't look like that!", but keep in mind that running below 3:00 min/km (4:48 min/mi) for 42.2 kilometres requires extraordinary fitness, and the contrast to "the typical 80 year old" is as silly as it is rude.
I digress. Running is magical-- put a pause on it if you're prioritizing muscle mass, but to write it off entirely is a mistake.
I tended to treat jogging as synonymous with getting fit and thought of everything else as specialization you could do once you were fit if you had some other goal. When I didn't see the progress I wanted from jogging, my take was "well, next year I guess I just need to actually get serious about my running and my eating."
When this "common sense" approach wasn't working after N years I decided to try something different. A year doing 3x weekly mix of circuit training and HIIT classes with zero other exercise and no particular diet plan was drastically more effective than jogging. When I reincorporated running about nine months in, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I had improved my all-time best mile from college by 30 seconds, basically for free. I am positive that if I'd spent those nine months jogging, it would not have made me better at burpees or pull-ups, but the reverse seems to have been true. In the four years since then, I've also found it much easier to maintain my weight, feel improved well-being, etc.
Running is better than not running, but it's not the end all, be all, and it might not even be what you need so if you aren't seeing progress from running, don't get discouraged or decide you just need MORE running.
Seems to start with a strawman argument where "running" means nothing but "long slow distance exercise".
Running can mean 4x4 minutes at 90% maximum heart rate.