Should I start running??

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Jul-06-01 AT 04:22PM (Est)[/font][p]Lots of great points made.

I've been doing my homework since I sprained my knee running. Most running injuries are overuse injuries & compounded by not listening to warning signals. Many runners fail to cross-train & many increase mileage too quickly. So if you follow a training program you can reduce your risk. Educate yourself about shoes & running style before you buy a new pair of running shoes.

Trevor is right about trying to choose a friendly running surface. Cinza, Eugene has a great trail system so you can choose a joint friendly running surface if running appeals to you. College & high school tracks are generally a safe place to run for those without a convenient trail system. Debbie H - aren't you running on dirt or grass? If your joints aren't complaining, don't stop if you enjoy it.

All body types can run - but most of us aren't built to run 3 hour marathons. That doesn't mean we can't get a good workout.
Running isn't going to appeal to everyone. The well-endowed may find other forms of exercise a lot more enjoyable. But make sure you're approaching it the right way if you're going to give it a go.

While I love cycling & hiking, I do like adding running to the mix. You can run in almost any weather, it's portable (for travel), & boy is it time efficient. Exercising with my dogs turns their time into my time. I also need some impact along w/ weight training to maintain bone density.
 
Debra.. Eugene

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Jul-06-01 AT 04:53PM (Est)[/font][p]cool, you know about eugene? :-jumpy
have have you been here?

i live next to a running trail...and near a rubber track ....

unfortunatly, if i go running i want interesting, changing scenery and a coffee house on the horizon!!

"will run for lattes!" is my motto.


what should we know about shoes other than pronation and supanation (??)
 
Ladies, you are sooo awesome!!!!!! :)

It's really great to be able to exchange ideas and opinions like this. We all have our favorite forms of exercise and our own ideas about which is better, etc. I think the key is to just listen to your bodies and be careful out there.:)
You know, I ran indoor track in high school and used to run 10k races in the Baltimore/Annapolis area. So I definitely understand and respect the cardio benefits and the associated runner's high you get with it. I just can't get beyond the high impact aspect.
Getting back to Susan......how about interval training? I love these types of workouts and I also try to switch up my cardio activities quite regularly(crosstraining). I think I read somewhere that this somehow promotes fat burning. Debra.....have you ever read this? :)
Trevor :)
 
RE: Trevor!

Hey Debbie!
I would never laugh at you girl....you are in great shape!! :)
Unless you are competitive I wouldnt worry about mins. per mile. Just keep the ol' heart rate in your work range and you are doing great I think.
Ever try trail running? I infrequently run on the trails that I mountain bike on. It is killer!!
I think most people mean "jogging" when they say "running". But I must admit I dont know how to define these terms. Perhaps "jogging" allows you to carry on a conversation while "running" makes it difficult to carry on a conversation. I usually run anywhere from 7min. 30 sec. miles to 8 min. 30 sec. miles for 4 miles when I do my infrequent runs on grass and I feel like I am hardly moving....!!
I remember a piece of advice from a former track coach Deb.....if run on an oval track, run half of your mileage clockwise, and the other half counter-clockwise to avoid shin splints.
Take care! :)
Trevor
 
RE: If you do start running....

Ellen,

I was smiling as I read your message because I too use a HR monitor. I just didn't think to mention it when I posted originally.

I find it really helpful for pacing myself on hills and during races when I might get carried away and run faster than I should only to bonk at the end of the race.

I usually run about 20 miles a week too. I know what you mean about the high you get. Nothing can beat it. Your smile and your love of running came shining through your post.

Lannette
 
RE: safety?? cyndie are you here?

Hi Cinza!

I didn't know there was a Nike town. I didn't say that there was no increase in injuries. Just that there studies failed to prove and increase in arthritis or bad joint changes in long time runners.

Running carries an increase risk of injury however 60-80% of these injuries can be traced back to training errors like exceeding your limits of duration or intensity, progressing too fast or running too many hills.(I'm getting this info from the American College of Sports medicine so it's valid.)

Yes the hip to knee angle in women can be a problem but I'm not your typical slim hipped runner and I've met many other female runners with curves who have run successfully and without injury.

IMHO the biggest cause of injury is that people start a program and run too fast, too far and too often without listening to their body. I see it time and time again because the signs of overuse are subtle and today's injury may have begun several weeks ago.

There've been some excellent ideas for running safely listed in the various posts here. I'd suggest that anyone who wants to start running only run half as much as they think they can tolerate and consider your other activities. Stepping uses many of the same muscles as running does and if you step one day and run the next and repeat that cycle several times you may end up with "dead" legs and nothing kills the joy of running like a set of "dead" legs.

I wish you luck if you decide to give running another try but remember the choice is yours and there's nothing wrong with not running.

Lannette
 
Trevor

No can of worms opened just some interesting conversation. As for soft tissue injury see my post under "RE: safety?? cyndie are you here?"

Lannette
 
RE: Should I start running??/Susan

Susan,

The websites I listed have a lot of info about the best surfaces to run on and honestly the only surface worse than concrete is sand. Is there a park or a school with a track where you could do some of your runs?

If concrete is the only surface available your shoes become twice as important. If you go to http://www.roadrunnersports.com
and then to "expert shoe help" on the left and then to "shoe dog" there is a really neat interactive and diagnostic program that tells you what type of shoes will be best for you. It's really quite accurate too. I chose my first pair of distance running shoes and despite having a foot strike pattern that can be injury prone I was just fine. Shoes really can make the runner and can make or break the run.

I do know runners who live in the city and they are meticulous about changing their shoes when they get old. As soon as the tread shows wear or the little creases on the sides of the soles are permanent your cushioning is decreased by about 60%. I also replace my innersoles with replacements called SOF sole which you can get at WalMart for about $7.00. It really makes a big difference.

Whatever you decide about running I wish you well.

Lannette
 
Lannette...thanks

.
thanks for reminding me of what you did say!!

yup, eugene is called 'Nike town'..

do you recall a few years ago Nike had a blowout the university of oregon because the students were challenging the work condition in overseas NIKE factories?
Nike withdrew a huge amount of money that they were going to give to fund the university ....because the students made a public stand against Nike's labor practices.

Eugene is the original home of bill bowerman and the famous waffle iron and Prefontain .. and Mary (whatshername)and several other names... we have Alberto Salizar's glass encased shoes here at a restaurant he was involved with....(yum)
Lots of history.
Nike is now further up the freeway .. but
there is a lot of track stuff here...and its called NIKE town still.
 
RE: Cinza...thanks to you too!

Thanks for the background Cinza I do remember the protests against Nike but I didn't know that Nike withdrew money as a result of them.

I did know about "pre". I don't know if you have ever heard of John "The Penguin" Bingham. (He writes for runner's world and wrote the running book "The Courage to Start")He just had his third Penguin World Conference in Eugene. I attended the second PWC in Burlington Vermont (my first marathon) and he is the neatest person as is his wife Karen. The people who attended absolutely loved Eugene.

Lannette
 
RE: Cinza...thanks to you too!

i 'think' the money was something like 30 million... it was a big price for the univeristy to pay for its opinion.
 
RE: Ladies, you are sooo awesome!!!!!! :)

I'm gonna have to jump in here because I am one of those converts who used to hate running but, now love it and will try to convince anyone I can to at least try running. (It is so true that because you hated something at point in your life, it doesn't mean you will always. I'll have to remember that.)

I've "been there, done that" with the overuse injury and "dead legs" thing. It really sneaks up on you.

However, I think you should try to stick to it until you reach the 30 minute mark for two reasons: (1) Running for 30 minutes is the toughest goal to reach for a beginner. If you can do that, the sense of accomplishment alone will keep you going. Anything after that is a cinch compared to those first 30 minutes (excluding marathons); (2) most people don't feel that "runners' high" until after about 30 minutes of running.

I re-started running May 2000 after weaning my second child, in hopes of losing weight (I've done this several times before, stopping once I lost weight.)

Well, THIS time, the weight wouldn't budge. In hindsight, I see this as a blessing because I would have quite AGAIN. THIS time, however, I stuck with it long enough to discover the joy of running in and of itself. That endorphin rush IS addicting. I get antsy if I haven't run for a couple of days.

I'm proud to say that I've gone from 11-12 minute miles to 9:05 - 9:15 minute miles, running for an hour at a time. Let me tell you, this is such a huge accomplishment for me that I really don't even entertain the thought of a marathon.

Jogging vs. running - to me it's all individual. If you moving at a challening pace for you, you're running. If you're moving somewhat slower than you KNOW you can, you're jogging. But, I prefer to call jogging, "slow runs."

Shoes - if you're running on pavement, cushiony shoes are imperative which must be frequently replaced.

Interval training - the latest studies are touting HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) as THE most efficient way to burn fat. Check out this link: http://www.exrx.net/FatLoss/HIITvsET.html

It's analogous to how a car uses fuel: If you want to conserve gas, keep your car at a steady pace. If you want to really burn gas, stop and go, stop and go.

You also get an afterburn AFTER your workout is over.

Having said all that - I wouldn't do any exercise if I hated it no matter how effective. People raved about Tae bo and I absolutely hated it.

Okay, was this post long enough for ya?
 
RE: what about race walking????

I've been race walking for 10 years now, and have NEVER been injured doing it. I buy special walking shoes and walk to Sports Music tapes. I walk up to 180 bpm, which is over 5.5 mph. I have done a little running, mostly in intervals with walking on an indoor track.

I think you get equal benefits and it works your abs better. Don't worry about how it looks! You kind of have a hip waddle, but who cares? I usually walk two days a week, and you DO work up a good sweat. What else can I tell you?
 
MadnNatsmom

Great post! I really enjoyed reading it. Very motivating and I'm already self motivated. LOL

Congratulations on increasing your speed so dramatically. I honestly think that's as big of an accomplishment as running a marathon. (IMHO running fast and running long are at two separate ends of a continuum and each is as difficult as the other but in different ways.)

Did you use any special training program? I've shifted my focus to middle distance races and I've been running four times a week making one run a tempo run and one run a lactate threshold run.

Do you have any suggestions other than that? (I'm checking out your HIIT site right now - thanks)

Lannette
 
RE: Cinza...YOUSA!

That's a lot of money and a lot of running shoes no matter how big the markup!

Lannette
 
Waddle On!

I love John Bingham's page in Runners World. The magazine does a great job educating beginners w/ lots of motivational & technical tips. I find applications to all fitness activities, not just running.
 
RE: Debra.. Eugene

For shoes, how your foot rolls through your stride is a factor (many women overpronate) & your arch is a factor. Running surface matters too. The books & websites are a great resource for choosing a shoe. The staff at a running specialty store are also a great resource but it's better if you've done some homework so they don't overwhelm you with buzzwords.

My husband used to go to Eugene on business frequently & later built some ties to the B School at U of O while he did his PhD at UW. We liked to stay in Euguene or Ashland on our trips back & forth between Seattle & California. If we move back to the Northwest, it'll probably be to Eugene.
 
RE: Ladies, you are sooo awesome!!!!!! :)

Yes! My cycling gurus are big into interval training (only 1 or 2x's per week) & heart rate monitors.

Cross-training also shocks the system along with decreasing the risks of injury. The only criticism I've read is that if you're really trying to be focus on top performance, you have to focus on your chosen activity during "the season". But if you're just trying to stay fit & motivated, x-train. I've read that tri-athletes have a much lower injury rate than cyclists & runners despite the training time because of x-training.

Another anti-injury tip: focus your training. Work on speed, work on endurance, work on climbing, but don't try to do it all at the same time.
 
Lannette

THREE marathons in two years?? Wow, I'm in awe.

The funny thing about increasing my speed is that I wasn't even trying. It just happened as my "running" muscles adapted and I lost a bit of weight.

I've established a consistent base of about 20-25 miles per week, so I'm trying to actually concentrate on running sub 9:00 minute miles this fall. There's a huge grassy area along the route where I run and I plan on doing sprints/intervals to work on my speed. Some runners swear by interval training for increasing speed.

Like I wrote previously, I re-started running in May 2000 and ran a 10K in September. That running bug bit me BADLY and I overtrained, resulting in a month layoff after the 10K.

Have you checked out kicksports.com? I really like the format of their forum better than runnersworld.com. I frequent the newbie cafe although you're not a "newbie" with 3 marathons under your belt, you wonder woman, you.
 
RE: Ladies, you are sooo awesome!!!!!! :)

Hi, MadnNatsMom,
How you doing...haven't talked lately to my fellow MD's. That was a great post...I really got a lot out of it, & I am now convinced to give it a try again.
Will have to get new shoes first, the ones I have now are definitely getting to "that point".
Thanks again for the info & encouragement...
Ruth
 
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