Quote (FLegend @ Jul 26 2017 01:47pm)
So you've gotten bit by the runners bug! Excellent! It sounds like you are excited to start a new chapter of happiness and enjoyment in life which is running. I myself have been a fun loving distance runner for some time now and will be happy to help you along your journey.
As far as dieting goes I would recommend eating a lot of healthy foods such as fruits and vegetables. A blender works well for me and typically after a long run I will throw a mixture of kale, spinach, strawberries, blueberries, banana, pineapple, sliced beets, avocado, oats, and a scoop of whey protein. One supplement I feel that has benefited me is Glutamine which helps in muscle recovery but I'm sure there are plenty of others out there that will help and others that should be avoided.
As far as equipment dos and dont's I would recommend investing in a good pair of running shoes. I really like Mizuno (Wave rider 19's), Saucony (Ride 9'0 sand Hoka One One ( Clifton 2 /Bondi 5) If you are running on roads/hard surfaces do yourself a favor and invest in highly cushioned road shoes to save your joints some wear and tear. Segueing off this last point it is important not to get injured. Many new runners get addicted to running after a few months and increase their mileage too quickly and as a result injure themselves by running too much. You should do lots of stretches and even yoga to help prevent injuries as your mileage increases. Here are some good videos of pre and post yoga stretches;
1. pre run yoga =
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9ks2LFQ-XI2. post run yoha =
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Hf_u0AGdEA (Keep in mind this is a really flexible little girl so don't hurt yourself by trying to bend as far as she does lol)
As far as high intensity interval training is concerned, this method can be an excellent way to increase strength and make you a faster running with more endurance. The number one factor that makes new runners both faster and gives them more endurance though, is increased mileage. By running more you will get better at it. These can be easy miles starting out where you are. Run a lot at a pace that you can hold a conversation with someone and over time running will get much easier.
Goals will help you become a better runner as well. You should first focus on shorter races before you get into the big guns of the marathon. 26.2 miles is a LONG and GRUELING run. This distance at first can be intimidating and will hurt your mental strength and physical capacity if you are not prepared for it. Don't jump right into these long races mate.
A great goal to strive for in the near future would be to complete a 5k (3.1 miles) in under 25 minutes. (That is about 8 minute per mile pace-Which is a great goal pace for a new runner.)
To train for this you can run half mile repeats at a pace faster than your goal 5k race pace (so 7:30 minute mile pace for only a half mile and repeat this 5 times or so.) This type of training is known as "tempo" running.
It will take time and discipline to reach your goals but you will become stronger, faster and happier because of it.
A good youtube channel of an accomplished runner who is a "youtube running trainer" and posts informative running videos is pro runner Sage Canaday
His youtube channel ;
https://www.youtube.com/user/Vo2maxProductionsI will leave you with a motivational video of my favorite and arguably the greatest distance runner in the world; Kenenisa Bekele. I recommend watching it entirely.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kTFbdkm2gM
Your running journey will take you to places you never thought possible. Your mind will become stronger and and you will learn things about yourself that will inspire you to unleash your greatness.Quote (Rebuy @ Jul 26 2017 04:12pm)
Just some simple advice:
Keep pushing/challenging yourself to go further and further, but be aware of your body. If you're experiencing pains *different from soreness*, give it a rest. For ex. other day my shin was starting to hurt when i was about to run 4-5miles and i stopped at 1 mile so not to injure myself cause nn shin splints. Resting the weekend and this monday i got right back to it without a problem.
Once you get used to running the distance, either kick it up to further distance, or slowly improve your speed.
At 5 miles in 60mins, that's a good distance for now. So as not to draw out the workout you should probably just start pushing yourself a little bit speed wise to slowly improve.
A fun little thing i like to do is at the last mile i run once i hit about .5 miles to go i start kicking the treadmill speed up by ~3 or more speeds every .1 miles for the last half mile. (I often kick it up more often then that)
But this way i get in a distance run and then a very fast mile for me at the end.
That last part is just b/c i enjoy it but running outside is probably more fun than running on a treadmill so it's definitely harder to do out there.
Thank you very very much for these 2 replies!!!!
My diet is typically pretty on point, one thing i wonder is how to schedule my eating times around my running, like if i know i'm going to run in 3 hours, should i be snacking on something maybe an hour before my run? or would i be better off being having less food in my stomach. i typically have a very wide variety of foods on hand, and glutamine is actually something i take daily already. i kinda feel with this it may just vary too greatly from person to person and trial and error might be my best bet.
Yoga has been something i've already been doing for months and i love it, and a pair of running shoes are next on my list of things i want to buy, at this point i'm just trying to figure out what a good price point is on a pair (not to cheap, not too expensive)
a 5k in under 25 minutes i think will be my next goal, i've ran 2 5k's tracked by my fitbit (outside around neighborhoods) and the first was around 30 minutes, and the second around 28, the first was harder than the second. The progression and the difficulty of this has been making this really seem worth-wile for me.
I think some tempo running would really do me good at this point so i can really get a feel for my pacing, glad you pointed that out. Time and discipline i feel is something i can cope with, i've been into various physical activities since i was about 7 (27 now) and i've been consistently hitting the gym for nearly 14 years now. I feel like i'm late to the party when it comes to running, and now that i finally committed to it, i don't think i'll be able to go back.
i'll be sure to check out those videos you linked.
Quote (Rebuy @ Jul 26 2017 04:12pm)
Just some simple advice:
Keep pushing/challenging yourself to go further and further, but be aware of your body. If you're experiencing pains *different from soreness*, give it a rest. For ex. other day my shin was starting to hurt when i was about to run 4-5miles and i stopped at 1 mile so not to injure myself cause nn shin splints. Resting the weekend and this monday i got right back to it without a problem.
Once you get used to running the distance, either kick it up to further distance, or slowly improve your speed.
At 5 miles in 60mins, that's a good distance for now. So as not to draw out the workout you should probably just start pushing yourself a little bit speed wise to slowly improve.
A fun little thing i like to do is at the last mile i run once i hit about .5 miles to go i start kicking the treadmill speed up by ~3 or more speeds every .1 miles for the last half mile. (I often kick it up more often then that)
But this way i get in a distance run and then a very fast mile for me at the end.
That last part is just b/c i enjoy it but running outside is probably more fun than running on a treadmill so it's definitely harder to do out there.
Would you suggest any walking or maybe a stair master or bike in between running? I feel like i'm starting to notice this the more i get into it, i tend to make better times earlier in the week and as the week goes on i tend to do more distance at a slower pace.