"Alright...I need your running wisdom Caleb! I've NEVER been a runner but am TRYING to be one! I've successfully gotten to the mile mark without stopping...something I didn't even do in high school once. But now what? My body is SCREAMING at me saying NO WAY, NO HOW AM I GOING TO RUN FURTHER THAN THAT!!! I'm training for a RAGNAR in October and am freaking out about the whole running 6 miles in a row thing. Suggestions? Advice? HELP?!"
To learn more about what RAGNAR means go to the RAGNAR about page. Couch to 5K is also a great resource. Okay, here goes, first let me restate that different things work or don't work for certain people and these are a few ideas that have come to mind as I've been letting the question process.
- Run with someone. For me at least, it's easier to run faster and longer when I run with someone, especially someone I like being around. It in no way takes away the pain, but makes the pain bearable many times.
- Run for time and not for distance. That's something I read in the book More Fire: How to Run the Kenyan Way. They are not so obsessed about mileage as they are getting as much as they can out of a 30 minute run for example. Start of with the time it takes you to run a mile, for example 10 minutes. Set a goal to run 10 minutes every day. When you hit 10 minutes see if you can go another minute or thirty seconds and when you hit that see if you can do it again. Pick out landmarks like fire hydrants, telephone polls, plants/trees and/or buildings and just get there. The following week set a new time goal, for example to run non-stop for 12, 13, 14 or even 15 minutes. Each week, and each day (if you feel ready) try to increase the time. Obviously if you feel really tired or you feel like something's wrong, back off and rest. (My post on Why is my heart racing when I'm not even running that hard? could help with that)
- Mix in a day or two of cross-training. Get on your bike, in the pool, in your roller-blades (if you have some) and just enjoy doing something you love that also gets your muscles moving and heart pumping.
- Have hard days, easy days and a complete-rest day. I try to do 3-4 hard workouts a week with two easy days and a complete rest day on Sunday. You may want to do 2 hard days, 4 easy and 1 complete rest. It's good to follow a hard day with an easy day.
- Make a chart you can see your progress. Something that motivates me are charts. Make a graph to show the time (and/or mileage) that you have done/achieved and put a mark for how much you want to be running my a certain date then figure out what you need to be at each week. For example if you're at 10 minutes/day and you estimate that to run 6 miles non-stop by the first week of October you would need to be able to run non-stop for 60 minutes then this week you run ten minutes each day and then each week for 16 weeks you would need to increase your time by 3-4 minutes each week. Chances are if you're doing all that running you'll easily be able to do that.
- Don't look at your watch. Try to run as long as you can without looking at your watch. You and I both know that as we spend more time looking at our watches the run seems longer, harder and many times down-right unbearable. So go for as long as you can without looking at your watch and if/when you have to look, look and then don't look for as long as you can afterward.
- Set up a rewards program for yourself. It could be daily, weekly, monthly etc and you set the goal and you pick the reward. For example, I try not to eat a lot of sugar stuff (I'm addicted) so I have a goal that if I run every day for two weeks for at least 30 minutes then I get a candy bar of my choice.
- Be accountable to someone. It could be a close friend, teammate, spouse, son/daughter etc. Let them know what your goal is and return and report to them. They could even be in charge of the reward
- Get some music. I know for me I don't always like to run with an MP3/iPod, but music, at least for me, is motivating. If you want to get more intense you could figure out how long certain songs are, put them in a certain order and say, "After these songs I will be done with my workout for today." And then put an intense song at the end. Something that gets my mom pumped is the Mortal Kombat theme song.
- My last idea is to run barefoot on a couple days out of the week. When I hit a running slump/frustration I started running barefoot at parks and it was very enjoyable. Along with all of the physiological benefits it is just refreshing, fun and cool.
If you have any questions for me, running related or not, please do not hesitate to email me at runfearless@gmail.com or shoot me a message through Facebook. If you haven't been to the Run Fearless website on Facebook then I invite you, just type Run Fearless into the search on Facebook. Have a great day and run fearless.
(I am returning and reporting for my workout yesterday: 1st run= 24 minutes easy, 2nd run= 35 minutes easy. I'm feeling tired from yesterday's workout.)
This might help.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.c25k.com/
Thanks Dawn!
ReplyDeleteI have a friend from Sweden that posted a long comment, so I'm posting it for her piece by piece: "Caleb,
ReplyDeleteI tried writing something in reply to the abovementioned post on your blog, but my message was too long. So I've copied it into this email. Here goes:
First of all, I want to apologise for any spelling or grammar mistakes I might make, since English is not my mother tongue. As far as running goes I have no other well of wisdom to gather advice from than my own mere experience. I think all of Caleb's pieces of advice are excellent, and my own thougts on running interlock with his to a great extent.
ReplyDeleteI was a novice runner a couple of years ago. I started from scratch, and less than a year later I ran my first marathon. Even though I finished like two hours after the actual winner, it was still a victory to me. Because I completed the whole distance and finished the race – and that was my goal. (Which in fact the Kenyan front runner didn’t, since he had to abandon the race due to dehydration.) So, set goals and part goals that are within reasonable reach for you. If you are chasing times, set times that are within reasonable reach. That way you can regularly treat yourself with the feeling of fulfilment. Later on maybe you are ready to up the ante, but right now the Ragnar Relay Race in October and all your part goals in the meantime seem excellent and fully achievable goals for you.
ReplyDeleteWhen I started running, I would set out a specific distance to cover, for example 3 km (1.9 miles). Then I ran as far as I could. (And that was NOT far at all, trust me!) Then I walked. Then I ran again, until I had the whole distance covered. Before long, I could run longer and longer and eventually I didn't have to walk at all to cover the distance I had set out. Little by little I would increase the set distances. That way I gave my body time to adjust to this new pace called running. So, give your body time to get used to running. It takes some time for it to get the hang of it, so be patient.
ReplyDeleteThe fact that your body screams at you to stop is probably a sign of you running a little to fast. Try slowing down slightly and you might find that you can keep running without hitting that wall. Later you will learn where to find the balance between an enjoyable pace and one that is faster than your body can endure for a longer period of time. Later still, you’ll be able to surpass that threshold and still keep running for shorter or longer distances. Learn where your limits are and slow down a little if you have to. You will reach your goal eventually. And better to cross the finishing line a little slower, than not crossing it at all. (In my opinion.)
ReplyDeleteFind a training program that you stick to, and take notes of your workouts. It is fun and it really helped keeping me motivated in the beginning. Later on, as your stamina increases, you might want to look at more structured workouts, mixing longer distances with interval training, speedplay and running technique improvement. I’m sure there is an abundance of literature about it in your country.
ReplyDeleteGet some sort of gadget (gps, nikeplus gear, pulse meter or the like) that helps you keep track of times, distances and achievements. You might find that it makes your training sessions more fun, and it is also a great motivation to be able to see proof of all that distance you’ve covered.
ReplyDeleteDon’t make the most common beginners’ mistake: overdoing it. Once your body gets the hang of running, you might find that you can increase your distances quite quickly. Be very careful. Stamina and muscles are easy to train quickly. Tendons and ligaments are not. If at any point in your training, you are experiencing pain - not the ”pain” you may feel from being exhausted, but real injury pain – DO NOT RUN. If you think you’re injured, see a physician and/or crosstrain for some time. Be kind to your knees, you’ll miss them when they’re gone. (Quote: Baz Luhrmann.)
ReplyDeleteIf you’re the kind of person who enjoys company while you run, then try as often as you can to arrange your workouts with a friend. Or join a more organised group of runners in your city. You can help and encourage one another. A dog may also make a great running companion. However, dogs do infringe somewhat on more structured workouts. :P
ReplyDeleteTake baby steps. Set mini goals for yourself along the line. That way, often enough you will feel a sense of fulfilment wich will encourage you to continue and improve your running. If at any time you feel overwhelmed by the thought of your final goal in October, just focus on the task at hand at the moment. But at times when you feel strong and energized, go ahead and shamelessly indulge in dreaming about any and every possible future accomplishment! Yeah, read that last sentence again! :-)
ReplyDeleteDon't let setbacks bring you down. One day your running workout may feel great, the next day it may feel like the last thing you want to do. But try to do it anyway. You’ll feel great afterwards. Bad weather is no excuse for not training. Bad weather is just an extra challenge. :-) The best workout is always the one that actually gets done, not the one that is cancelled.
ReplyDeleteBe kind to your body. It is the greatest instrument you’ll ever own. (Quote: Baz Luhrmann.) Work with it, not against it, and give it time. Understand that you have to find a balance between what you’re expecting to achieve and what your body is actually able to do at any given time. Ask of it a little more every once in a while, but don’t ask of it what is unrealistic right now. Your body will almost certainly do whatever you require of it if only you give it time and a fair chance to become as fit as you’d like it to be. And don’t forget to eat well. Nice wholesome food.
ReplyDeleteThe Ragnar Relay sounds like great fun! If I lived in your part of the world I might participate. I'm absolutely sure you will make it and be very proud and happy afterwards. Go for it, girl! You are awsome! (Quote: Caleb Scoville.)
ReplyDeleteWell you know my continued advice. If it's limiting beliefs, and I had a ton of them, EFT to the rescue. Just ask me about it. I don't have any anymore.
ReplyDelete