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Old 05-31-2012, 09:29 AM
 
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
349 posts, read 614,102 times
Reputation: 281

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Hi!

A little background: I'm overweight and have been my entire life. I went vegetarian 3 years ago and lost a solid 60 lbs since.

Ive been toying with the idea of jogging, but I feel so "out of shape" that I can't do it. However, I put on an oversized shirt and sucked up my pride and did it for the first time last night. I started out by briskly walking a block, then jogged a block. I took my dog with me (therefore my "jog" equals her quick walk- not quite a run- she's a beagle) and continued this for about 15 blocks total... about 25 minutes.

I FELT GREAT AFTERWARDS.

Keeping that in mind... does anyone have any advice? Tips? How often should I go? At what point should I increase speed/time/mileage?

Is morning or night better?
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Old 05-31-2012, 09:54 AM
 
Location: Wine Country
6,103 posts, read 8,758,953 times
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Do not worry about speed or time or mileage yet. Seems like you have the gist of it. As Nike says, 'just do it'. You can run everyday if you want as long as you are not sore. So maybe start out with every other day. You can run/walk/run in the beginning and before you know it you will be running the whole time.
There are great online programs that will map your run. You can chart a course right from your front door and that way you can keep track of how far you are going and when you are ready to up your mileage you can set the course.
Run when you can run. I like to run in the morning for no other reason that it is convenient for me.

Map your running routes. Plan routes before, or create route maps in real-time using iPhone and GPS. | Running Map
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Old 05-31-2012, 10:14 AM
 
Location: Woodinville
3,184 posts, read 4,822,487 times
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Once you get comfortable with your gait it will get easier to run longer. I'd played sports my whole life, but never really jogged or ran for distance until a few years ago. At first I'd get tired super quick, but that was only until my form sort of "set in" and became habit.

The best thing I'd ever done for my running endurance (which is admittedly a lot worse now than it has been in the past) was interval training. If you're on the treadmill, try the following:

5 minute warmup
1 minute at about 50% effort; not enough to be out of breath but some exertion required
1 minute at 60% effort; breathing heavily
1 minute at 70% effort; quick but still some gas in the tank
1 minute at 80-90%; fast but just barely under "all out" effort

Repeat the 1 minute steps in order 4 times, but on the fourth time follow up with 1 minute all out 95-100% effort. Then cool down. It's a great workout in 27 minutes and you can scale it to your own level. If you do it 3 times a week you'll be running 5ks in no time.

Now that I've given you this advice, I'm going to go try to follow it myself . . . Gotta lose some poundage. It helped whip me into shape like nobody's business a couple years ago though.
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Old 05-31-2012, 11:00 AM
 
Location: Old Bellevue, WA
18,782 posts, read 17,268,822 times
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My number 1 advice is to try to avoid running on pavement as much as possible, to save your joints (esp knees) and feet. Try to find a soft surface on which to run such as grass, dirt or crushed gravel. General rule of thumb I've read is to not try to increase mileage by more than 10% per week. If you try for too much too soon, it's asking for injury.

For weight loss IMO the answer is to run long at a slow pace. Long, slow endurance running is where the max percentage of energy is derived from fat (as opposed to carbs). I've touted this link several times before but here it is again. It talks about various forms of energy usage during exercise:
Team Oregon Tip

Quote:
Originally Posted by team oregon
The energy for aerobic metabolism comes from two sources [carb-derived]glycogen (muscle and liver glycogen, blood glucose) and fat...After 30 minutes, fat has been mobilized from fat stores and becomes a major contributor. There is always a combination of glycogen and fat usage with the relative contributions at any time determined by the intensity of exercise. More intense exercise will tend to burn more of the most readily available fuels, first muscle glycogen, then liver and blood glycogen and finally fat. As the intensity of the exercise decreases, a higher ratio of fat is used. At paces more than 30% slower than your 10K race pace (1.3 x 10K pace/mile), you should be utilizing the highest ratio of fat for fuel.
(emphasis mine)

So you can see that low intensity exercise can actually be better than high intensity, albeit is more time consuming, of course. Don't worry about what your 10K pace is--just know that the max use of fat as energy is at long slow pace, esp. runs of over 30 minutes. Just try to gradually work up in terms of time and you don't even really need to worry about distance.

Best wishes and welcome to the runner tribe!
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Old 05-31-2012, 11:09 AM
 
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
349 posts, read 614,102 times
Reputation: 281
Thank you guys!

I'm currently jogging the city sidewalks... there isn't anything soft in my neighborhood to run on so its concrete or nothing. :\

I think I need better shoes. I'm wearing Skechers GoWalk shoes at the moment and I know they're not good for this... lol I have a few other pairs (lace up) at my disposal, but what type is best for a beginner (again, overweight, on concrete) that you could recommend?

And thank you for that link! I'm reading over everything now
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Old 05-31-2012, 11:18 AM
 
Location: Old Bellevue, WA
18,782 posts, read 17,268,822 times
Reputation: 7990
Is there a nearby park you can jog, walk, or drive to? In the long run (pun intended) running on pavement will tear up your knees. In the mean time, get some shoes with good cushioning to compensate. I am not a big shoe expert but I suggest ASICS or Brooks as a couple of makers that are known for good cushioning:

Brooks DNA adaptive cushioning technology - YouTube
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Old 05-31-2012, 12:02 PM
 
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
349 posts, read 614,102 times
Reputation: 281
Awesome. Thank you!
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Old 05-31-2012, 01:53 PM
 
Location: Wine Country
6,103 posts, read 8,758,953 times
Reputation: 12324
Quote:
Originally Posted by Paint It Pink View Post
Thank you guys!

I'm currently jogging the city sidewalks... there isn't anything soft in my neighborhood to run on so its concrete or nothing. :\

I think I need better shoes. I'm wearing Skechers GoWalk shoes at the moment and I know they're not good for this... lol I have a few other pairs (lace up) at my disposal, but what type is best for a beginner (again, overweight, on concrete) that you could recommend?

And thank you for that link! I'm reading over everything now
Do you have a dedicated running store nearby? Or a sports store that has knowledgeable folks working there? If so go there and get fitted for running shoes. You will need to spend some money on some quality running shoes, especially if pavement is all you have to run on. They will fit you the best shoe for your needs. If you do not have any stores like that then look for Asics, Saucony, Brooks and Mizuno's. The general rule of thumb is to go a 1/2 size up because the running pushes your toes forward.
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Old 05-31-2012, 02:11 PM
 
Location: Grosse Ile Michigan
30,701 posts, read 79,330,237 times
Reputation: 39409
Get the best shoes you can afford. Make sure they work for you. Some quality running shoes are great for one person, horrible for another. Do not make the mistake of saying cheap or mid level shoes are good enough for you since you do not run all that far. uality shoes make a world of difference, especially for a novice jogger.

Be careful what surfaces you run on. I poo pooed this as a youth and now I cannot run at all. The cartilage in my knees is gone.

Just because you puke does not mean you are done with your run. Keep going. Just be sure you spit everything out so you do not inhale it.

When you get a painful stich in your gut, push your fingers into it and keep going, eventually the hurt will go away. Next time you will be able to go further before it hurts. This may be a bad idea, not sure, but that is what I awlays did and eventually I did not get the severe pains anymore.
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Old 06-01-2012, 01:47 AM
 
5,816 posts, read 15,842,871 times
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I second the advice by Luckyd609 to buy shoes at a store that specializes in running equipment if there is one near you. Their employees usually seem to be runners themselves, so they really know what works best.

At this point, I would not recommend following any advice to do high-intensity training. That form of training has its adherents, and frankly, even seems to be something of a fad currently. Fad or not, high-intensity may have its benefits, but in any case that is more advanced training than you're likely to be ready for when you're just starting out. First you need to build up a good base, by continuing the walking/running routine and very gradually building up the percentage of time you spend running and/or your distance. Even during the running portions, stay at a fairly easy pace for now.

The standard advice Wutitiz suggested, increasing by 10 percent per week, is the MAXIMUM you should aim for. If your body tells you it's too much, then stay where you are, or increase your mileage by less than 10 percent, so you find a level where you feel as if you're challenging yourself without over-straining. Think of fitness as a way of life, not something to do to whip yourself into shape for the short term.

Taking that long-term approach is a good way to be comfortable with the idea of making progress gradually. Too much too soon, and you risk injury. Eventually, when you're as trim as you'd like to be and have a good fitness base built up, then you'll be in shape to try high-intensity training if you'd like, with less risk of injury than you'd have if you did it now. At that point you'll also begin to have a feel for the ways that exercise affects your body, and you'll have a better idea what works well for you as you try various training routines.

I would also suggest not to run till you puke, or keep running through side stitches. Hardcore competitive runners might push themselves that hard at times, but these are signs that the body has had enough. As with high-intensity training, pushing that hard is more advanced stuff anyway than what you want when you're starting out trying to gain some solid basic fitness.
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