Krist
Im looking to purchase a running watch. i've gone online and im spoilt for choice. the basic functions i need is for the watch to track the distance i've covered, stopwatch, etc.
are there watches out there that monitor the heart rate without me having to wear the heart rate monitor across my chest?
any recommendations?
Answer
You probably won't like my recommendation, but I'll give it anyway.
Measure your distance by other means - Google earth, mapmyrun.com, or drive it in a car.
Check your heart rate by hand at the end of your run (before the cool down).
Buy an $8 Wal-mart watch, with a cloth band. It will only have time, stopwatch, and alarm functions. But it will last a long time. They are durable, able to withstand you sweating in it daily and even showering in it afterward to wash the sweat out of the band. If something happens to damage it or the battery dies, then it will cost you $8 to replace. What will a repair or battery replacement cost for the fancier ones? I've used many of these over the years. The battery generally lasts more than 2 years, the watch itself is very rugged, and the canvas bands are very comfortable.
You probably won't like my recommendation, but I'll give it anyway.
Measure your distance by other means - Google earth, mapmyrun.com, or drive it in a car.
Check your heart rate by hand at the end of your run (before the cool down).
Buy an $8 Wal-mart watch, with a cloth band. It will only have time, stopwatch, and alarm functions. But it will last a long time. They are durable, able to withstand you sweating in it daily and even showering in it afterward to wash the sweat out of the band. If something happens to damage it or the battery dies, then it will cost you $8 to replace. What will a repair or battery replacement cost for the fancier ones? I've used many of these over the years. The battery generally lasts more than 2 years, the watch itself is very rugged, and the canvas bands are very comfortable.
At what pace should a beginning runner start out by running?
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!
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