Running man

[tbourner]

I fancy taking up running, so I can maybe do some cani-cross with Loki eventually, but I've always been a sprinter and get narked after about 300 yards!!

 

Any advice? How to get started? Tips and hints? Do I just go out my door and run somewhere or do I need to do anything in particular first?

 

Also, shoes! I think I'm quite flat footed and I'm told I need control shoes? WTF are they and where do I get them? I guess just going to Sports Direct and picking up the cheapest pair of Pumas won't do any good?

[Thorin]

I think we need some more pics of Loki in order to give more advice

 

edit: http://www.alexandrasports.com/Article/115/Instore-Biomechanics.html

 

Near you?

[Mike]

I think we need some more pics of Loki in order to give more advice

 

edit: http://www.alexandrasports.com/Article/115/Instore-Biomechanics.html

 

Near you?

 

It's round the corner from where I work.. amazing shop. I buy all my running stuff in there

[Mike]

Also, shoes! I think I'm quite flat footed and I'm told I need control shoes? WTF are they and where do I get them? I guess just going to Sports Direct and picking up the cheapest pair of Pumas won't do any good?

 

Alexandra Sports will give you a full consultancy (for free) and help you get the right shoes. This does entail walking up and down the shop is various barefoot/odd trainer scenarios and also running up and down the road outside, but they will get you the right shoes.

 

Not expensive either - I paid £60 for my New Balance 767s

[tbourner]

OK cool I know where that is, might pop down there at the weekend and see what they've got.

 

What about the actual running though? My father in law does 10 miles every week and does the Great South Run and stuff, and he just went out and ran around roads near his house, then increased the distance when he found it easy enough - but is that all it is? I've heard that running is different from any other type of exercise, so for example a premiership footballer who's really fit and used to running around still wouldn't necessarily be able to run a marathon - so surely that means there are special training techniques and stuff?

[Stratty]

I have run many extreme marathons and the training for long distance running is far from the same to that of football.

 

A footballer mainly uses fast twitch fibres whereas a long distance runner uses slow twitch.

 

Therefore, you train differently.

 

How many times a week do you intend on training as this will determine how you structure your workouts.

 

PM me if you want any specific info or help with creating a training regime.

 

Ideally, your weekly workouts should include both longer distance and HIIT as this will keep the fast twitch fibres firing and will help incease your overall pace.

[tbourner]

I have run many extreme marathons and the training for long distance running is far from the same to that of football.

 

A footballer mainly uses fast twitch fibres whereas a long distance runner uses slow twitch.

 

Therefore, you train differently.

Yeah that's what I meant, footballer was what I came up with as they run around a lot but there doesn't seem to be any athlete that can naturally run a marathon without training specifically for it.

 

How many times a week do you intend on training as this will determine how you structure your workouts.

 

PM me if you want any specific info or help with creating a training regime.

 

Ideally, your weekly workouts should include both longer distance and HIIT as this will keep the fast twitch fibres firing and will help incease your overall pace.

TBH My goal will be to run 3-5 miles at a steady speed - I'm not looking for fast times in half marathons or anything. If I end up deciding to go further then I'll look at that when I get there, for now I just want some basics to get me started.

[stevie_b]

I've heard that running is different from any other type of exercise, so for example a premiership footballer who's really fit and used to running around still wouldn't necessarily be able to run a marathon - so surely that means there are special training techniques and stuff?

 

I'm no expert but I'm sure that's the case. The best way to be better at running is to get running. The same goes for any sport: to get good at swimming you'd need to swim a fair bit. A footballer (for example) would have the general fitness and *possibly* the stamina but not the specifics involved in propelling himself through the water at a rapid rate. Different exercises use different muscles, and a different mix of explosive power, strength, endurance power and technique.

[Ian C]

Distance running is all about pacing. You need to go at a rate which feels like you could do it all day at the start. My "plod" speed is somewhere between 5.5 and 6mph, which isn't very fast in the world of running but then a) I'm not built for it, being tall and heavy, and b) I don't care, it's for fitness and health and feeling good

 

Longer distance then comes down to energy storage and usage - that's where I fall apart as I'm shifting just over 100kgs around, so after about 90 minutes I run out of glycogen in my muscles and crash bigtime. I don't think I'd ever be able to run 26 miles, I've done 13 a few times and it's killed me! Always energy problems now, if I don't outrun my lung capacity. Muscles are unfazed after 2yrs of semi-regular running.

 

The best advice I can give you for starting off distance running, apart from "get decent shoes" is "go slower than you think you should be"

 

-Ian

[michael]

I'm eating a pie.

[Thorin]

I'm eating a pie.

 

I'm eating mini doughnuts and gingerbread men.

[Ian C]

I'm eating a pie.

 

Pies are guilt-free if you run \o/

[michael]

Pies are guilt-free if you run \o/

 

I accessed it via a travelator

[Thorin]

What are pies guilty of?

[RedM]

Distance running is all about pacing. You need to go at a rate which feels like you could do it all day at the start. My "plod" speed is somewhere between 5.5 and 6mph, which isn't very fast in the world of running but then a) I'm not built for it, being tall and heavy, and b) I don't care, it's for fitness and health and feeling good

 

Everything Jeff Goldblum Ian said.

 

The best advice I can give you for starting off distance running, apart from "get decent shoes" is "go slower than you think you should be"

 

-Ian

 

It was Ian who helped me get through a rough patch in my running. I was stuck at 3 miles for each run and unable to progress. His 'go slower' advice worked a treat and I now run a steady 5-6 miles daily.

 

As for shoes, get yourself checked out and follow their advice. A proper running shop won't sell you the most expensive shoes, only the right ones for you.

 

When you say flat-footed might it be that you simply strike the ground with your fore-foot first? I'd love to be able to run like that. It's much more natural.

 

Keep us posted.

[movistar]

I Started running again last week and found it ok, but then again i have been going to the gym for years now, iam doing circuits, spinning and punch classes as well as the normal gym stuff.

 

Maybe you should try and get some sort of level of fitness first and then build it up slowly....

 

I have found that if you do a wide variation of activities in the gym it helps to give an even overall strength and stamina, also running can be a lot of mental strength.

 

Good luck and well done you!

[tbourner]

When you say flat-footed might it be that you simply strike the ground with your fore-foot first? I'd love to be able to run like that. It's much more natural.

I just mean my footprint is pretty wide in the arch area, ie: I don't have a very high arch. Bit of a crude method of testing for pronation, so I actually have no idea what my feet are doing and what type of shoes I need.

 

I Started running again last week and found it ok, but then again i have been going to the gym for years now, iam doing circuits, spinning and punch classes as well as the normal gym stuff.

 

Maybe you should try and get some sort of level of fitness first and then build it up slowly....

I think I'm reasonably fit already, certainly more than a lot of people I know, but I've lapsed recently and now all I really do is walking the dog for 40 mins every morning (as well as some pretty physical stuff at work). I think I'll get it back quite quick without needing too much work though, and I really can't afford the gym!! I'd be going to Kung Fu again if I had the money.

 

Anyway, my goal is also to lose about 1.5 stone - do you lose much weight with running (or jogging)? I'm 5'10" and just over 14 stone at the moment, but the only real fat on me is my belly so I want to get rid of that.

[Mike]

If you put in the effort you will shed weight very quickly... the only thing to bare in mind is that road running does take it's toll on your joints - especially with 14 stone banging down on them(!) Hence the very important need for suitable footwear to cushion your feet.

 

Just take it easy in the early days - get an mp3 player and just try and relax. You'll soon build up distance and pace and you'll then start to set your own goals.

 

btw Great South is a good target.. only 10 miles and very flat.. the only thing to worry about is the wind and rain coming off the sea for the final two miles

[Stratty]

Running (apart fro HIIT) is the worst activity for weight loss.

 

You ideally want to be hitting the weights at the gym for that.

 

Diet is the main thing to look at rather than the activity.

[Thorin]

Running (apart fro HIIT) is the worst activity for weight loss.

 

You ideally want to be hitting the weights at the gym for that.

 

Diet is the main thing to look at rather than the activity.

 

Weight training to lose weight? New one on me.

[Stratty]

Weight training continues to burn calories up to 48 hours after exercise whereas with running, you only burn calories whilst running.

 

Running also enduces muscle loss rather than fat loss.

 

Sure, you can loss fat from running over time but you will also lose a lot of muscle mass.

 

It will just leave you a skinny wretch.

 

Not a good look.

[Ian C]

Weight training continues to burn calories up to 48 hours after exercise whereas with running, you only burn calories whilst running.

 

Running also enduces muscle loss rather than fat loss.

 

Sure, you can loss fat from running over time but you will also lose a lot of muscle mass.

 

It will just leave you a skinny wretch.

 

Not a good look.

 

I must be from a different planet to you then because everyone I know who runs, including myself, had the fat fall off. Running is aerobic and when you're doing it for an hour you use up about 1000 calories. And my legs are like treetrunks now, never had so much muscle.

 

I know plenty of gym type people with big muscles and a bigger layer of lard over them though. Also, I've been told from multiple reliable sources that you can't lose weight *and* build muscle mass down at the ol' gym.

 

-Ian

[Stratty]

I must be from a different planet to you then because everyone I know who runs, including myself, had the fat fall off. Running is aerobic and when you're doing it for an hour you use up about 1000 calories. And my legs are like treetrunks now, never had so much muscle.

 

I know plenty of gym type people with big muscles and a bigger layer of lard over them though. Also, I've been told from multiple reliable sources that you can't lose weight *and* build muscle mass down at the ol' gym.

 

-Ian

 

and what sort of running are you doing??

 

I guarantee it isn't just steady pace long distance running.

 

Yes I know running is an aerobic exercise but steady pace long distance running actually makes the body hold onto fat as it automatically goes into starvation mode in preperation for the next session.

 

The reason why the people with big muscles at your gym are fat is due to the fact that they are bulking.

 

In order to increase muscle mass you must consume more than your daily macro-nutrient needs. This will lead to an increase in bodyfat level also.

 

A weight-lifter will then decrease their calorie intake in order to 'cut' and get a more defined look.

 

In essence it is true that you cannot build muscle and lose weight however; weight lifting whilst dieting dramatically reduces the loss of muscle mass whilst on a calorie deficit.

[Dash Rendar]

I know plenty of gym type people with big muscles and a bigger layer of lard over them though. Also, I've been told from multiple reliable sources that you can't lose weight *and* build muscle mass down at the ol' gym.

-Ian

 

No, but you can build muscle mass while burning off lipids.

 

And, while muscle does indeed weigh more for a given volume, they also require significantly more catabolic metabolism than other tissues (even when not in use). So, the result is that someone with a lot of muscle will always burn more calories than someone of equivalent weight who is basically fat. Consequently, weight training is always an important component of any calory control diet.

 

And, as to whether weight training leads to muscle growth or muscle loss through toning (and ultimately muscle catabolism), this really depends on the type of weight training you do. High-repetition aerobic muscle training can be very good for losing weight, and for conditioning your body to be a calory burning machine, as hinted at above.

 

As has been mentioned several times in this thread, I think the most important thing for any new runner is to pay out for some really good running shoes designed for the terrain you plan to run. If you don't, you'll get knee pains and ITB within a year, and then you'll be very sorry!

[Mike]

I must be from a different planet to you then because everyone I know who runs, including myself, had the fat fall off. Running is aerobic and when you're doing it for an hour you use up about 1000 calories. And my legs are like treetrunks now, never had so much muscle.

 

I concur.

 

I run at a steady pace (10.6kph) for around 40 minutes, 2% gradient.. and the weight drops off me