? for Runners

[stitch]

.....I statred getting fat and lazy.....about two months ago I started running and the weight is just "falling off". I love running now, it's like "crack' and I have to have it. That being said, I ran my normal 3.5 mile course the other day and i didn't have that same feeling of a workout. I'm thinking that I'm going to have to lenghten my runs in order to get that same feeling of a workout.

Here is me question.....I'm trying to mentally prepare myself for the time my new addiction is going to require. I'm not planning on running any marathons, just regular exercise to kepe in shape.

How many miles a week do you guys run?
How far per run?
How many days a week do you rest / take off?

Just trying to put together a proper plan

[Duck$$$]

I do it according to my schedule and how I feel. Try to do a min. of 4 days per week. I usually do a 2.5-3 mi but here lately I have been stretching it to 5 or 5.5. Funny how you will hit a wall at certain distances. For me it is around 4 mi that I seem to start dying but then when I push through I can make the 5 or more. I am going to try a 7 mi. run to work this week to see if I can stretch it that far. I am definately not running now as much as I was in the Spring and early Summer but it gets hard now during my busiest time of yr. For me there is no schedule since I am not training for a particular event , just running to stay in shape. There are tons of training plans out there on the net and in book stores if you have something particular in mind. Buying good shoes was the best thing I ever did. I started with some of the cheapest NB and then bought a really good pair that fit me well and it was like night and day.

[Greenhead329]

Stitch when I used to run here's what our coach had us do.

Distances on Monday, Sprints on Wed, 2-3 mile on friday followed with some sport where we ran alot on Fridays such as basketball (which I suck at, Im to white), or soccer... or screwed up games of tag.. then we would compete in races on saturday.

To keep it intersting you need to change your distances or routes...or get you a buddy to have some friendly competition with. Your legs develop a "memory" so to speak to one route and one routine all the time. our distance days varied from 6-9 miles

If you do sprints not only will you get faster you will also see more weight drop off.

If money is an object with competing in the races, our local track club would let you run and collect your times without the fee as long as you werent going to take a place standing even if you qualified. This lets you meet a bunch of people with similar interests, provides different terrains and was a very fun experience

[JDgator]

3 miles doing hills every other day. I do weights on days I don't run. Remember not to overdo it. You can wear out your knees and ankles after a few months if you don't give your body time to repair.

[tunica]

3 miles doing hills every other day. I do weights on days I don't run. Remember not to overdo it. You can wear out your knees and ankles after a few months if you don't give your body time to repair.

Worst thing for a runner is the Doctor telling you, "If You dont stop running...I'm cutting".

[rjohnson]

Instead of running further try changing your coarse. Don't run the same place over and over. It will get mundane. During the week in training for a marathon I seldom run more than 4 miles. I have one long run a week on Saturday. So to stay in shape you only need to run 3-4 miles 3-4 times a week. Vary your course to keep it from getting boring. Try running off road on trails some too if you can.

[duckmon]

i run 28 - 30 miles per week. i alternate between 4 and 6 miles daily. i take off on Fridays and Sundays and one long run per week on Saturdays. I would recommend that you don't over do it. Increase your milage no more than 10 % per week. Go to www.halhigdon.com and it will give you a good schedule to go by. Someone mentioned running in weekend races. I would recommend that you do that as well. Competition will make you strive to become better. There is always a local 5k race that you could race in. By the way, read "Born to Run" It's an excellent read and talks about running barefoot, chi running form vs being a heal striker. I changed my running form and have been injury free since changing. If you're a heel striker, it's a matter of time before you become injured! Good luck running!

[QUACKERS]

i'm running 3 nights per week and playing soccer on wednesday nights , still a beginner on distance (2/ 2.5 miles) but it s a good start for me.

[stray1]

I alternate between 4 routes, 3 times during the week doing 4-5 miles. Then on Saturday, my wife and I do our long runs together. We are up to seven miles and are adding a mile every weekend. We plan to run a half marathon in October. It's become addictive, but I have to take days off to let my ankles and knees recover.

[patrickfarms]

First off, good for you to get out and increase your quality of life and health. To get the workout feeling that you got at first, try sprints during your normal run, i.e. if you run on a road that has light poles, run at a normal pace as you pass 3 light poles and then sprint between the next two. This will change the rhythm and you may have to increase or decrease this to fit your level. Also if you can find some stairs to run up (not down) this will help get the "what a great run" feeling as well when incorporated in your run.

I am on temporary duty at Fort Rucker doing the Chinook transition and there is a rock wall at the gym here, the first couple of trips up are not too bad. But much more than 3 or 4 and it will whip a fella, a good workout as well.

Good luck and enjoy your God given transportation!

[Up2Early]

I started running about two years ago to lose weight and escape the reaper.

What I've learned is...
1. Heel striking wastes energy and (some say) leads to injury. I'm much faster since I've made the switch to mid-foot.
2. Switching to a mid-foot running style takes some time unless you really enjoy tendonitis.
3. The 10% distance rule is very important.
4. Most people who run a lot overtrain by running too fast, too often.
5. You need to build in recovery days and recovery weeks.
6. To run better you need to train with purpose. Long, slow runs increase aerobic endurance, intervals increase muscular endurance, sprints increase lactic acid buffering capacity. You need to do them all.
7. STRETCH!

My normal pattern when I'm in a 5K training cycle is...
Sunday - active recovery (walk or slow run) 40 minutes, P90x Stretching
Monday - Medium distance (4-5 miles an easy to moderate pace)
Tuesday - Long slow distance (60-90 minutes, pace doesn't matter I'm watching heart rate)
Wednesday - active recovery/weights
Thursday - 60 minutes cross-training (usually on the bike)
Friday - Speed work (intervals, tempo runs, etc.)
Saturday - Repeat of Tuesday

Using this, I've gone from 25 minute 5Ks to 21 minute 5Ks in 12 months.

[cervelo]

HI... Running is great and I love doing it..
General rule of thumb is the 10% rule.. If you don't follow this it can lead to major injuries.
I run usually distance but have run many 5ks..
I usually do a long, slow run on weekends..
I generally run 35 to 50 miles a week..
A heart rate monitor is a great tool and will keep you from running too hard.. I have a Garmin GPs forerunner 305 which helps with keeping your pace.

I usually run 5 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
Tuesday I will run 8.
Saturday or Sunday I tend to run 10 or more depending on how I feel..

Biking is also a great alternative to running and it will also help improve your running times..

[stitch]

.......I've seen several people mention the heel striking. Talk to me a little more about that. Is the book "Born to Run" the best place ot learn about that?

[peewee]

Man you have recieved good advice thus far. One main thing is get a gait analysis or go to a running shoe store and get fitted for the shoe that is best suited for you. I learned the hard way. I usually run around 30 miles a week. I would run more cause I love it but I only got so much time to devot to running. The 10% rule is good advice also. There are several coaches and books that focus on running technique, do a google search and you should find some.


How many miles a week do you guys run? Usually around 30
How far per run? Depends on what my training plan calls for, my long run on Sunday moring can be over 13 miles, typical run during the week will be 38 to 60 min.
How many days a week do you rest / take off? I usually run 4 times a week. Bike and swim on the other days.

[Buckwabit]

If you see me running..YOu better start running too because there is a bomb about to go off or a Grizzly bear on the loose!!