21 ms·

Running. I got the bug about 12 weeks ago. I had never ran longer than 1.5 miles continuously 12 weeks ago. Now I’m planning my next Sundays long run. 12.5ish

• Dowwie 3y ago
  I went through a similar transformation, being overweight and not being able to run a mile without losing my breath. I broke through the really steep climb by applying BJ Fogg's Tiny Habits method to my daily runs, celebrating small wins with visualization. Within 3 years, I successfully finished the Lake Placid marathon, then the year after I completed the Philadelphia marathon. I was still overweight when I ran these. My goal was to complete 26.2, and I did, yet my finish time was 5hr+. In hindsight, I would have been stronger had I gotten the weight down to an ideal level before race day. Finishing the race, even if you walk-run the last couple of miles, is still a major achievement. Don't downplay your achievement based on finish time. If anything, a 5hr+ is even harder because you've run for a longer time while carrying a heavier body. I don't have time in my life for taking long runs on weekends but enjoy thinking about when I did. The entire day revolves around the morning long run and then basically being unproductive for the rest of the day, and that's a luxury I can't afford. I began running regularly in 2009 and continue to this day, although I've had some setbacks due to running-related injury. I've run through Summer thunderstorms and winter snow. I love being outside in nature.
• theryan 3y ago
  Any tips for running pain free? I used to run pretty often (3-5 times per week) for 5+ miles. Longest was 11. However, my feet started hurting while running -- never while walking even long distances.
  • guybedo 3y ago
    strength training helps a lot in preventing injuries. I've been through years of achilles tendonitis and finally got rid of it mostly by doing leg/calf strength exercises. Fwiw, here's some example exercises for Achilles: https://routineshub.com/public/1faae50e-8d36-4eec-84ee-ae3efc88975e/exercises-to-fix-achilles-tendinitis https://routineshub.com/public/1faae50e-8d36-4eec-84ee-ae3ef...
    • hn_user82179 3y ago
      thank you for this. I've been dealing with plantar fasciitis for a year+, finally got it to go away ~5 months ago and got back into running, and just in the last 2 weeks have noticed gradually increasing pain in my achilles and I'm absolutely devastated at the thought of battling another chronic injury.
      • Dowwie 3y ago
        custom orthotics from a podiatrist may help address plantar fascitis
      • mns 3y ago
        I've been running for 12+ years and after going through plantar fasciitis and some other issues (went to a very good orthopedic sports clinic that helped me a lot), getting a Theragun and using it every day was amazing afterwards, especially for calves (that can help with achilles tendonitis) and for your foot for plantar fasciitis).
  • tommychillfiger 3y ago
    I can't give specific advice as there are just so many factors at play, but I'll offer that it has to do with what you're used to and what you're conditioned to. I started running after a long history of skateboarding in very thin shoes. I end up with pain in my knees and even my arches with thicker shoes - I say this as it is somewhat counterintuitive to make the point that it's not always true that more cushion = less pain. Aside from that, be very gradual in ramping up mileage and try to feel for wasted motion/effort/impact. There are tons of "form cues" people get caught up in, but just trying to be efficient in your use of energy to travel forward is what has been generally helpful for me in developing a stride that doesn't get me hurt. Your mileage may vary, of course.
• deleted 3y ago
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• tommychillfiger 3y ago
  Running has pretty much changed my life completely - very good stuff. For all of the snake oil out there promising ridiculous benefits, consistently running anything more than about an hour a week is as close to the real McCoy as I have ever experienced.
  • hahahacorn 3y ago
    The changes I’ve seen in 3 months are frankly staggering. I quit smoking, cut like 95% of my alcohol consumptions, started eating healthier, etc. and it was really easy for me to do all at the same time. I had tried tackling each of these problems independently before and typically failed. Withdrawals, cravings, etc. are too much. But man I really fucking love running now and smoking, binge drinking and junk food just look so gross to me now that I know they’re gonna ruin my runs. The brain is weird. I’m insanely grateful.
• tyler_sf 3y ago
  I'm in the same boat as you. I have been running since the summer and I recently finished a couch to 5km plan. My pace is similar at 35-38 minutes. Do you have any tips on going from 38 to 25 minutes? Thanks
  • csharpminor 3y ago
    Do more short high effort intervals. Find a track to run at if you can and alternate easy/hard laps. The visual cues of a track will really help you feel confident pushing hard because it’s easy to see how much distance remains. Also, check out your local running clubs on Strava. I know social running isn’t for everyone, but it’s a really good way to push your speed up. Every club I’ve run with has been psyched to get a new person.
    • hahahacorn 3y ago
      As a second opinion, everyone is different. This is quite literally the last advice I would give anyone starting out. Short high effort intervals and spiking HR for someone with poor cardiovascular strength (myself 12 weeks ago) feels like absolute horrid shit and I would never want to go to the track again. Prioritize enjoying the run. Which you can’t do when your body thinks you might be having a heart attack.
  • hahahacorn 3y ago
    My biggest thing was slowing the fuck down and consistency. I was an athlete in HS and had a huge ego around how fast I should be going. For reference I didn’t run faster than 12min/mi for the first 2 weeks. Also I run 5-6x a week now (1 long run the rest super easy recovery runs <5.5 mi) Other things: 1. Foot/ankle strengthening. Lookup YouTube videos on how to strengthen feet and knees. 5-10 mins a day as you’re starting. If you’re going slow it’s low impact too. 2. Focus on form/don’t zone out. I used to run and try to “zone out” as quickly as possible to “ignore” the pain. Instead focus in and run a mental checklist of your form. Again, YouTube videos on good form (which often aren’t targeted/explained how to run that well when running so slowly, so be specific with your searches). 3. I moved to NRC which I liked a lot better than C25K. I like the mental coaching and found it very valuable especially in the beginning. Now I run without music because I like listening to my breathing, as if I lose focus on my breath that also hurts. There’s a lot of other things that I now keep track of for funsies. But those will come naturally if you start to enjoy running for the sake of running. I’m not running for health, to lose weight, or to look better. I’m running because I really enjoy running. YMMV
• Gabriel_Martin 3y ago
  Do please divulge, I'm at my heaviest, but have started jogging backwards to try to limit the damage as I get used to it again. What're your tips?
  • arach 3y ago
    It might be better for your joints to walk on the incline (treadmill) until you are lighter. Might be worth building a program with a personal trainer and mixing in some weight training. Apologies in advance if you've already done all of the above
  • pharmakom 3y ago
    Barefoot running (or extremely minimalist shoes) helped me. Build it up slowly! Your muscles will likely be degraded from a lifetime of low mobility footwear. Consider: how could humanity have survived millennia walking and running around before Nike and orthotics?
    • tstrimple 3y ago
      I read Born to Run which I think may go a bit over the top in advising running barefoot, but there a big overlap between what this does for you and some of the other best advice in this thread. Taking your shoes off forces you to slow down and pay attention to what your feet and legs are doing.
  • thoughtpalette 3y ago
    Personal anecdote but I started with the couch to 5k app, wasn't working for me. I ended up switching to the Nike Run Club app and initially used their Guided Runs to help get started (They have a massive amount). The host of the run talking really took me out of the run and made it easier. Also, going super slow at the start to warm up, picking up speed gradually. I look as the distance as the goal and not the time. After about 10 months I recently hit a 27:30 PR at 35 (quit smoking 2 years ago). There's hope out there.
• beingfit 3y ago
  I’m feeling some envy right now. I’ve tried running…or rather, walks and runs interspersed, at least once a week or more often. But my heart rate shoots up even at a moderate pace of 5mi/h (7.5km/h) to around 140bpm or higher (I’m 50 years old). I just can’t run (actually jog) continuously for more than one minute before breaking into a walk. Otherwise, I workout everyday, mostly cardio and some strength for at least 45 minutes a day, every single day. My weight is in the normal BMI range. I don’t know if this is how it is to be.
  • alexfoo 3y ago
    Have you tried Couch to 5k? (C25K) FWIW I did it a few years back after coming back from an ankle fracture that had stopped me doing any exercise for 6 months. Looking at my Week 1 Day 1 activity on Strava my HR was ~105bpm when initially walking, but then up to 160bpm when running for a minute, and only dropped to ~130bpm when walking for the next minute. This see-saw repeated; up to ~160bpm when running, down to ~130bpm when walking. At the end it dropped from 160bpm to 115bpm over the course of the final 5 minute "cool down" walk. There's quite a "lag" between exercise intensity and HR. My point is that if you're not regularly running then your CV system is inefficient, and so even walking may put your HR up quite high. If you stick at it it should improve. I'm 47 and my HR when I go for a run is ~170bpm. If I go for a gentle run I try and keep it below 150bpm, but when I was just getting back into it I'd struggle to keep my HR under 165bpm even on a "gentle" run. As you get fitter (or lighter) you can do the same kind of runs with a lower HR than before. When I really want to push it I can average 180bpm-190bpm for a 5k (although it feels grim at the time). If you get through a few weeks of C25K and you're still having trouble running for more than a minute or so at a time then I'd go see a doctor. If you're concerned/nervous about the idea of trying C25K with a possibility that there may be something amiss then go and see a doctor about it now. (This is not medical advice. I am not a doctor.)
  • swah 3y ago
    I'm 39 and my HRV will shoot to 160-170 at those speeds... I think its ok?
    • xu3u32 3y ago
• coffeesque 3y ago
  I also started running again relatively recently - about one month ago - definitely not to the same extent parent is doing it, but it managed to reduce the upper back pain I was getting from dev work Also the mental health benefits cannot be understated, very glad I built it into my routine
• arach 3y ago
  I think it's worth consulting with PT/pros who could give feedback on the ramp up period and the load you're putting yourself under. What I've read in my research is that you can feel fine for a while but if you're not building up methodically you can cause yourself some long term issues but with a delay. Congrats on the weight loss and figuring out that you can be a runner. It's quite liberating. I was never a good runner even in peak competitive basketball conditioning in my late teens and thought I would never be a runner until a few years ago. Keep pushing!
• jslakro 3y ago
  A resource recently shared in HN for running tech lovers https://github.com/yihong0618/running_page https://github.com/yihong0618/running_page
• liampulles 3y ago
  I wouldn't consider myself an avid runner, but I run semi-regularly. It does wonders for clearing my mind. (To the curious) Don't get bogged down trying to train for a marathon. Just run what you can, then walk, then run again.
• swah 3y ago
  Did you do anything to improve on 5ks other than running 5ks? My 5k time is around 35min forever, I run every now and then and recently signed for a public 5k run but I don't see myself improving my pace. (It took years until I could run 30 minutes non-stop and at least I didn't lose this over the years, but I'm slow...)
  • hahahacorn 3y ago
    Yes. I didn’t run 5ks and I didn’t try to run fast. I heard the buzz phrasey “to go faster you have to go slower” for like 2 years and totally disregarded it. I used to run before this latest bug, like a year ago, but I hated it. My only goal was to do a sub 30 minute 5k and I trained for like 8 months with 0 progress and was so dejected I quit. I would show up, run at a 10 min pace for as long as I can, repeat. It felt like shit and I didn’t get better. My growth happened when I just ran 4.5 mph until it was the _bad kind_ of uncomfortable (this is too much stress on my shins vs my legs muscles are building lactic acid). After two weeks, I upped the pace a tiny tiny bit. I spend most of my runs fighting with myself to slow down. The science behind it is something something aerobic base and running economy. I’m absolutely not an expert, but anecdotally I’ve never had my life improve so much in such a short amount of time by just _running slower_
    • lotsofpulp 3y ago
      I found high intensity interval training helpful in building up strength and speed. Run a quarter mile at 80% of full speed, then 50%, then 80%, then 50%, etc and play with the percentages and interval lengths to push yourself.
  • November_Echo 3y ago
    > I run every now and then Consistency is the biggest factor for improving running. Run at a pace and distance you can handle every day, then do that consistently. Every day, ideally. It doesn't matter if that's 10 minutes for 1km, just as long as you're being consistent.
  • pcchristie 3y ago
    Get your weekly mileage up. If you are running 4+ times a week, and making your standard run 8 or 10ks if possible (or at least doing it more often), you will fly past 35 mins for a 5k without even trying in only a few weeks. Where is your weight at? This is another factor
• throw1234651234 3y ago
  As someone who fluctuates between 180 and 230 lbs, you will see your times completely sky rocket as you drop to 180. It's easily a minute off every mile when doing 5 miles. Hopefully that's a little motivation.