running watches mileage image
Q. I read something about everyone being able to run for 30minutes, as long as they go slowly enough.
I barely seem to manage a minute and a half because I get so ridiculously out of breath.
Am I going too quickly? How can I actually measure my pace (I have no way of telling what my pace is or what distance I've run) - could you give me any kind of indication as to how fast I should be running? Was this information true? If so, how can I begin running for longer?
Thanks (:
I barely seem to manage a minute and a half because I get so ridiculously out of breath.
Am I going too quickly? How can I actually measure my pace (I have no way of telling what my pace is or what distance I've run) - could you give me any kind of indication as to how fast I should be running? Was this information true? If so, how can I begin running for longer?
Thanks (:
Answer
There's a couple ways to measure your pace-- one, you can get in the car and drive out a mile. When you run it, see what time it is when you hit the mile marker--that's your pace. Or, if you want, you can buy a watch that will automatically tell you your pace, GPS coordinates, and mileage. However, I wouldn't opt for option two unless money is absolutely nothing to you (they can be pretty expensive), wait until you've been running for a year or two.
As for what pace you should be running, it's really up to you. Everyone is different, there is no standard beginners pace. What I would do if I were you, and this is what I did when I was in a freshman in high school starting cross country, is run half a mile without stopping, have a quick water break, and then run half a mile back. When that becomes comfortable for you, increase it to one mile out, one mile back. Gradually increase your mileage week by week.
I'm gonna give you a heads up, the first year of running is pretty rough. Expect lots of cramping, side stitches, weird aches and pains, and seemingly near-death situations. Just push through it, you'll have days when you think you're just not built to be a runner, but I promise that's not the case. After that first year, something just clicks, and running becomes much easier, and much more enjoyable. Stick with it, I promise it's worth it....
Also, sign up for some 5K races to keep you motivated. Follow a training regimen. Do speed works.
A few tips I have from my experience running cross country and track in high school:
-For the first year at least, don't eat anything less than 2 hours before you run. Once you become more experienced, this rule becomes a little lax (I've been running routinely for five years, and I can get away with eating right before now), but in the meantime, follow this rule like it's scripture.
-Drink lots of water. When you think you've had enough, drink one more cup.
-Take it easy on the fried foods
-Soda is the enemy
-Follow the weather: in the summer, run at sunrise/sunset; in the winter, run when the sun's out
-Run with a friend who is slightly faster than you, and is a hard worker. When it's 5am in the morning and your alarm goes off, it's easy to think, "Hey, you know what? I don't REALLY need to run... I'll do a lot of walking today...like from the parking lot to the building.... that counts, right?" But when there is another person out there, stretching while waiting for you, you'll get outta bed and show up.
-Do core workouts (crunches, planks, etc...); it improves your running so much it's not even funny
-Unless you're a marathoner, you don't need to go crazy with the whole pasta and carb-loading thing.
-Run on soft surfaces (ie grass, dirt). Stay away from concrete, it leads to injury.
-Stretch before and after running, even if you think it makes you feel like a noodle like I do. Just do it.
-Focus on your breathing at first. What I do is this, and it's worked pretty well for me: Breathe in through your nose for two seconds, out through your mouth for one second. Repeat. After a week or two, you won't notice you're doing it anymore.
Well, I think that's it! Hope I helped!
There's a couple ways to measure your pace-- one, you can get in the car and drive out a mile. When you run it, see what time it is when you hit the mile marker--that's your pace. Or, if you want, you can buy a watch that will automatically tell you your pace, GPS coordinates, and mileage. However, I wouldn't opt for option two unless money is absolutely nothing to you (they can be pretty expensive), wait until you've been running for a year or two.
As for what pace you should be running, it's really up to you. Everyone is different, there is no standard beginners pace. What I would do if I were you, and this is what I did when I was in a freshman in high school starting cross country, is run half a mile without stopping, have a quick water break, and then run half a mile back. When that becomes comfortable for you, increase it to one mile out, one mile back. Gradually increase your mileage week by week.
I'm gonna give you a heads up, the first year of running is pretty rough. Expect lots of cramping, side stitches, weird aches and pains, and seemingly near-death situations. Just push through it, you'll have days when you think you're just not built to be a runner, but I promise that's not the case. After that first year, something just clicks, and running becomes much easier, and much more enjoyable. Stick with it, I promise it's worth it....
Also, sign up for some 5K races to keep you motivated. Follow a training regimen. Do speed works.
A few tips I have from my experience running cross country and track in high school:
-For the first year at least, don't eat anything less than 2 hours before you run. Once you become more experienced, this rule becomes a little lax (I've been running routinely for five years, and I can get away with eating right before now), but in the meantime, follow this rule like it's scripture.
-Drink lots of water. When you think you've had enough, drink one more cup.
-Take it easy on the fried foods
-Soda is the enemy
-Follow the weather: in the summer, run at sunrise/sunset; in the winter, run when the sun's out
-Run with a friend who is slightly faster than you, and is a hard worker. When it's 5am in the morning and your alarm goes off, it's easy to think, "Hey, you know what? I don't REALLY need to run... I'll do a lot of walking today...like from the parking lot to the building.... that counts, right?" But when there is another person out there, stretching while waiting for you, you'll get outta bed and show up.
-Do core workouts (crunches, planks, etc...); it improves your running so much it's not even funny
-Unless you're a marathoner, you don't need to go crazy with the whole pasta and carb-loading thing.
-Run on soft surfaces (ie grass, dirt). Stay away from concrete, it leads to injury.
-Stretch before and after running, even if you think it makes you feel like a noodle like I do. Just do it.
-Focus on your breathing at first. What I do is this, and it's worked pretty well for me: Breathe in through your nose for two seconds, out through your mouth for one second. Repeat. After a week or two, you won't notice you're doing it anymore.
Well, I think that's it! Hope I helped!
How to increase stamina and running speed?
Azazel
Could someone tell me how to increase my stamina and my running speed. Any tips?
Answer
Run, run and run. It's the only way you're going to be able to improve your stamina so that you can run faster without getting tired. The reason that you're feel so tired after your runs is because your body is out of shape, and when you're out of shape it really hurts to exercise. But here's the good news, anyone can be a good runner, you just have to be willing to put the work in so that you can build up your endurance. Endurance is the key to all running, it's the foundation for everything that you'll do whether it's long distance or short sprints, if you don't have endurance you're not going to be able to do either very well. I suggest that you start where you can, if you can only run 1 mile, than run 1 mile 4-5 times a week until it gets easy for you to do, then increase your distance to a full mile. Keep running that mile until it gets easier for you to do, start with what you can and allow your body to adjust and grow stronger. Remember you don't have to run fast, in fact you can run as slow as you want, just don't walk. Do this for a couple of weeks and you'll find that it's much easier for you to do, you won't have cramps or stitches, your legs will start feeling better and your times will be dropping. This is a sign that your endurance is starting to grow, at that point you can start upping your mileage and trying to drop your times.
Usually it takes about 6 weeks for your endurance to really build up and and for it to start having effects on your stamina and cardiovascular health. But I guarantee you'll start seeing results WAY before then, after only a couple weeks, of running 4-5 times a week, you'll start to notice that running a mile is much easier, cramps are much less frequent and that you're not nearly as winded. So by the time that you run the race at your school you should be able to drop your times substantially. But I cannot stress enough, the only way you're going to build up your endruance is through continued running. You can't run once a week and believe that you're going to be in good shape, you have to be out at least 3-4 times weekly.
Set a mileage goal for yourself, DON'T go by time. That way you have an actual goal instead of simply running until your time is up, it's much more motivating to be running a preset distance and it doesn't feel quite as long. Try using this website: http://www.mapmyrun.com/ Here you can map your runs and figure out where and how far you need to go, I find it's really helpful if you don't have a gps sport watch.
So, as for a training plan, your schedule could look a little something like this:
For the first month or so I would focus mainly on building endurance, the only way you're going to be able to do that is through running often. Don't feel like you have to go out and run three miles on your first day, you're the only person who knows your body and knows what it can and can't do. So for right now, do what you can, and start building up your strength. Then, when you feel like you're in better shape you can start upping your distances.
Monday: Distance run (1-3 miles as slow as you would like, without walking)
Tuesday: Distance run (1-3 miles as slow as you would like, without walking)
Wednesday: Distance run (1-3 miles as slow as you would like, without walking)
Thursday: Distance run (1-3 miles as slow as you would like, without walking)
Friday: Distance run (1-3 miles as slow as you would like, without walking)
Saturday: Rest or distance run
Sunday: Rest
If you follow this schedule for a couple of months you'll find that running 2 or 3 miles is not big deal at all, you won't have cramps, you won't run out of breath and you'll feel great. That said, the only way you're going to improve is to work hard and stay dedicated, running once a week is not going to build up your endurance. Stick with it and I think you'll be amazed at the results. I hope that helps, feel free to message me if you have anymore questions!
Run, run and run. It's the only way you're going to be able to improve your stamina so that you can run faster without getting tired. The reason that you're feel so tired after your runs is because your body is out of shape, and when you're out of shape it really hurts to exercise. But here's the good news, anyone can be a good runner, you just have to be willing to put the work in so that you can build up your endurance. Endurance is the key to all running, it's the foundation for everything that you'll do whether it's long distance or short sprints, if you don't have endurance you're not going to be able to do either very well. I suggest that you start where you can, if you can only run 1 mile, than run 1 mile 4-5 times a week until it gets easy for you to do, then increase your distance to a full mile. Keep running that mile until it gets easier for you to do, start with what you can and allow your body to adjust and grow stronger. Remember you don't have to run fast, in fact you can run as slow as you want, just don't walk. Do this for a couple of weeks and you'll find that it's much easier for you to do, you won't have cramps or stitches, your legs will start feeling better and your times will be dropping. This is a sign that your endurance is starting to grow, at that point you can start upping your mileage and trying to drop your times.
Usually it takes about 6 weeks for your endurance to really build up and and for it to start having effects on your stamina and cardiovascular health. But I guarantee you'll start seeing results WAY before then, after only a couple weeks, of running 4-5 times a week, you'll start to notice that running a mile is much easier, cramps are much less frequent and that you're not nearly as winded. So by the time that you run the race at your school you should be able to drop your times substantially. But I cannot stress enough, the only way you're going to build up your endruance is through continued running. You can't run once a week and believe that you're going to be in good shape, you have to be out at least 3-4 times weekly.
Set a mileage goal for yourself, DON'T go by time. That way you have an actual goal instead of simply running until your time is up, it's much more motivating to be running a preset distance and it doesn't feel quite as long. Try using this website: http://www.mapmyrun.com/ Here you can map your runs and figure out where and how far you need to go, I find it's really helpful if you don't have a gps sport watch.
So, as for a training plan, your schedule could look a little something like this:
For the first month or so I would focus mainly on building endurance, the only way you're going to be able to do that is through running often. Don't feel like you have to go out and run three miles on your first day, you're the only person who knows your body and knows what it can and can't do. So for right now, do what you can, and start building up your strength. Then, when you feel like you're in better shape you can start upping your distances.
Monday: Distance run (1-3 miles as slow as you would like, without walking)
Tuesday: Distance run (1-3 miles as slow as you would like, without walking)
Wednesday: Distance run (1-3 miles as slow as you would like, without walking)
Thursday: Distance run (1-3 miles as slow as you would like, without walking)
Friday: Distance run (1-3 miles as slow as you would like, without walking)
Saturday: Rest or distance run
Sunday: Rest
If you follow this schedule for a couple of months you'll find that running 2 or 3 miles is not big deal at all, you won't have cramps, you won't run out of breath and you'll feel great. That said, the only way you're going to improve is to work hard and stay dedicated, running once a week is not going to build up your endurance. Stick with it and I think you'll be amazed at the results. I hope that helps, feel free to message me if you have anymore questions!
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