Running in a New Neighborhood
Some of my most recent acquaintances might not believe this to be true of me, but I have to admit that when I was in college I was quite the running addict.
Ok, I'm already lying. In college I went running almost every single morning for perhaps a year (not including the summer) with a friend of mine. I liked running because I liked being outside and being by myself, but mostly I just liked to listen to my favorite songs every day for a half hour before I went to class.
Apart from the nature and the music, I didn't like running at all. I got winded in 2.8 seconds, I was always super slow and found the activity to be incredibly exhausting (small wonder). I'd always get cramps in my stomach and my sides, and no matter what I did (eating bananas, drinking more/less water, etc.) the cramps were perpetual. What I hated most about running was that I never got better at it. After a year of running, I'd not seen any improvement in my longevity and that was truly unfortunate.
Anyhow, lately I've been thinking that I need to start doing some form of exercise. I walk all over the place, but that doesn't really do anything good for my heart or my muscles. Once we move, we'll be living in a neighborhood that is absolutely perfect for running. I'm thinking I'd like to start again, but I'd to have a more positive experience this time around than I did during my previous stint as jock-extraordinaire.
If anyone has any suggestions about books or web sites, of even advice or personal experiences I'd love all the help I can get. :-)
posted by Meghan @ 2:29 PM
1 comments
1 Comments:
I have a LOT of advice. Take it with a grain of salt, though. I've only been running regularly for about 6 months.
1. The book Chi Running is supposed to be good. Kind of new-agey, but good advice about improving your form. If you get the form right, supposedly you can go longer distances with a lot less effort. I bought it, but I've been too lazy to read it.
2. Runner's world or some other running magazine published a "couch to 5k running plan" online that a lot of people seem to like. You start out doing combinations of running and walking and over a few months, switch over to all running. It's nice to have an assigned workout for any given day because then it's harder to skip. just google "couch to 5k" and you'll find it. (I actually tried this a few years ago and stuck with it for like 2 months. This time around, I just ran as far as I could before I felt exhausted, which worked out to about 15 minutes. Once I felt comfortable with that, I started adding about 1 minute a week.)
2. I read about runninginjuryfree.org on the freakonomics blog, of all places. one of the economists is using their marathon training plan. they have beginner and intermediate training plans too, though, and those seem pretty good. They talk a little more about the rationale behind the training plan than c2k5 does, and they also have good general information about stretching and clothing.
3. on the cramps: experiment with running at different times of the day, and pay attention to what you've been eating before you get them. I actually don't get cramps very often, but some days running feels kind of easy and free, and other days doing the exact same speed and distance feels like an impossible slog. I've found I need to wait at least 2 hours since I've last eaten, and certain foods (like any kind of blue cheese, for some reason) are out. Each person's different, and it might take months, but you can figure out what works for you.
4. Good clothing and shoes are key. Go to a running store and have someone analyze your gait. Try on the shoes they recommend and see what feels best. You can either pay full price at the store, or remember what brands & styles worked for you and try to find them cheaper online. If you buy at the store, expect to spend around $100. It's worth it. Also, I'm a recent convert to "technical" fabrics that wick away sweat. Temperature's sort of a big issue for me, and the little bit cooler I feel wearing wicking fabrics instead of my old cotton t-shirts makes a huge difference.
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