Learning to Jog!

:)

jmnewsome said:
brussel - you gave awesome tips! woah!
i'm doing to the couch-to-5k now and i'm on my 5th week. i love it and i love becoming a runner. the shoes are definitely a huge help (i use asics with gel) and the playlist...heck yeah! that's an instant super charger.
anyway - good luck to everyone who wants to be a runner, b/c i think it's awesome. i'm on the way there myself!
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I am glad I could help. Starting to run for me was agony, so I like to share what finally got me going with anyone that needs advice. It is definitely intense physically. Now, it is my favorite thing to do :). Good luck!!! You sound like you love it, so I am sure it will be great when you master the sport. :)
 
running

go to a place where you can feel comfortable with as slow a pace as you need. You will enjoy it more if you don't feel judged or rushed. Shin splints tend to come from running down hills - so stay on a flat surface. As well, uphill running can be hard on achilles tendons. Stay flat, stay slow and try to get 18-20 minutes of literally putting your feet in front of the other. Shin splints come with running on uneven surfaces. It is probably not a bad idea (with doctor's advice) to take a couple of advil a day if you have any pain. But, ask your doctor. Enjoy and go at your pace. Add 30 seconds a week and you'll be a stallion before long.
 
hey, this explains the pain in my shins when running! It's nowhere near a debilitating level though, just barely noticeable. I have worn my moms retired jogging shoes for about .. two or three years? They have great insoles, too.
still, maybe time to invest in a new pair...?
 
BrusselsSprout said:
I am glad I could help. Starting to run for me was agony, so I like to share what finally got me going with anyone that needs advice. It is definitely intense physically. Now, it is my favorite thing to do :). Good luck!!! You sound like you love it, so I am sure it will be great when you master the sport. :)
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thanks!!!!! i'm in week 6 and loving it. today it's going to be a straight 25 minutes and i'm excited!
 
tiay said:
hey, this explains the pain in my shins when running! It's nowhere near a debilitating level though, just barely noticeable. I have worn my moms retired jogging shoes for about .. two or three years? They have great insoles, too.
still, maybe time to invest in a new pair...?
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If you have just started running then the pain afterwards is normal. If you are are running regularly or you have pain during running, then it might be a good idea to look at your form and your shoes. But really old shoes are surely worn down. Look at the bottoms and see if they are rubbed smooth, which definitely signals that a new pair might be good. You can definitely improve your performance with a new pair, in my opinion. Try running aroung a store in a good pair. You'll see. You'll feel like you are running on air with a good pair. Good luck with whatever you decide :)
 
Thanks, BrusselsSprounts (i was going to acronym your name, but that wouldn't have been nice)

yeah, it was definitely during running. I switched to biking for a while, so that I can recover but not stop getting exercise.
 
Some quick tips on running:

usually a good idea to warm up first - get your blood pumping and your heart rate up - then some good stretches. for a warm up do something easy and something you enjoy: dancing to your ipod, easy running on the spot, whatever.

always remember to relax when you run: face, arms, shoulders, hands, all should be relaxed and loose. - no fists, no grimaces.

watch your running style: are your feet parallel or are you running in a single file? they should be parallel. are your shoulders hunched? relax them. are your arms pumping along with your legs as they should be? some runners clutch their arms to their chest. use them!

lastly know and recognize your limits. it may take a while to get into shape. but once you do make progress, it comes easier. i have found that the first 1 mile run is harder than the first 10 mile run
 
One thing my coach used to tell me for running form is 'hip to potato chip'...he would say 'imagine you're pulling a potato chip from your back pocket and eating it'. So for form you should have your arms fairly parallel to each other.

Also for shin splints...don't forget to ice them if you're going to keep running! Ice for 20-30 minutes before and after running will keep them from getting worse.
 
Thank you for all the great advice in this thread everybody, I know it's been ages, but today I went for a run again, the first time since last year when I stopped because of shin splints....., I've got some new shoes & I'm running on grass now, I'll let you know how I get on!........ feeling really good so far!
 
i haven't been here in a while, but i finished the couch-to-5k about 1 or 2 weeks ago and i was so excited. however, i haven't ran sense. i'm back at it tomorrow though. i did the whole program based on the times provided and ended up only running close to 2.5 miles. so i found another 5k training program that's for advance beginners. i'll be starting off running around 1.5 miles a week and before the 8 weeks is up i'll be running 4 miles on a couple of days.
i was at a point midway in the program when i really loved running, then as it became harder i liked it, but wasn't in love, so i think when i finished the program i just needed a break. anyway - i've not seen any weight loss with the running, but the fitness benefits totally outweigh everything else. plus, if my diet were a little better i'm sure i would've seen more weight loss.
so...tomorrow i'll begin another 5k program and be in that for 8 weeks. hopefully, after that...i'll be able to run 3 miles about 4 days a week with some weight training on non-running days. that should help me start losing the pounds again.
i wish everyone luck and stick with it! you can totally do it. if i can..seriously..you can too!
 
ive been doing well up until yesterday. I got up to 6km taking about 35-45 mins (depending on how tired i was). Then i pulled a muscle in my left foot :/
Ill have to stick with cycling for a while i think
 
Resurrecting this thread since I'm also trying to learn to jog. If I do it only 2 - 3x per week is that an okay enough progress? Plus I'm forced to do intervals since a long stretch is downhill, then uphill .. so there's walking downhill and jogging uphill .. so it's not quite running.

Also any tips about breathing techniques? I'm not sure whether I should do this but I used to swim and one of the key components of the backstroke was to breathe in at every 4 - 6 (or more) arm rotations .. so I've sort of automatically been doing that with my footsteps. I'm not holding my breath to the point of danger but it's sort of like a slow inhale and exhale.

Edit to add this - has anyone used Nike+ system with their iPod? Is it as motivating as it seems?
 
I know it has been said many times before but....

The stretch after the run is the key to avoiding a lot of the aches and pains associated with running. I am currently running 30-40km a week and hopefully upping that to 50Km a week by the end of this month. In the past some days I would be so tired after the run (getting used to it I suppose) I would skip the stretch and just cool down. What a mistake!!! On the days I didnt do a proper stretch afterwards I was guaranteed to be sore as hell that night and the next day. So now I go out of my way to make sure I do a 10-15 minute power walk, squats and lunges before I start, which works out fine since the park where I start my run is a 10 minute walk away. Then I cool down for walking 5 minutes after the run, then literally spend 20 minutes stretching out my entire body afterwards. Legs, back, arms, chest and shoulders. Some might consider it excessive, but by doing the big strech afterwards I am almost guaranteed to have a night and next day free of pain and suffering. Best 20 minutes of my day. Seems odd to some to do a 30 minutes worth of warm up and stretching for a 30 minute run, but it sure does make a difference! Plus I do the streching outside (to the wild amusement of any Chinese folk walking past) so I cool down and sweat all over the grass instead of my apartment.

So far been a life saver!!!

sirant
 
godororo said:
Resurrecting this thread since I'm also trying to learn to jog. If I do it only 2 - 3x per week is that an okay enough progress? Plus I'm forced to do intervals since a long stretch is downhill, then uphill .. so there's walking downhill and jogging uphill .. so it's not quite running.

Also any tips about breathing techniques? I'm not sure whether I should do this but I used to swim and one of the key components of the backstroke was to breathe in at every 4 - 6 (or more) arm rotations .. so I've sort of automatically been doing that with my footsteps. I'm not holding my breath to the point of danger but it's sort of like a slow inhale and exhale.

Edit to add this - has anyone used Nike+ system with their iPod? Is it as motivating as it seems?
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Never used a Nike+, so i can't help you there.

2 or 3 times is ok, but if you can I'd aim for 3 times.

Breathing in every 4-6 steps probably isn't enough breathing, unless you're walking slowly. 3/3 is alright for a slow, easy run (breathe in for 3 steps, out for 3). Probably the most common pattern is 2/2, nearly all my running is done like that.

It sometimes helps to concentrate on your exhale, do it deeply. Breathing in should go fairly natural then. It can also help not to think about it at all, and let it develop naturally. But like I said, breathing only every 4-6 steps probably doesn't give you enough air for running/jogging.
 
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