Lisa, it is really inspirational watching you come so far over such a relatively short time!
Somebody needs to kick my butt in gear! I way overdid on my mtn bike Friday (advanced trail), and road bike Saturday (48 miles on 20 miles of training rides!) and now I'm hatin' life. Was going to run today, but am finding myself in whining mood. Oh, it hurts! Oh, I'm tired! Committing: going tomorrow for at least 3 miles. Really. Putting my stuff out now.
X-posting this from LWL to see if any of you all dealt with this when you started running:
I'm on w2 of c25k, which is the 90 second runs. Joints and muscles are fine, but breathing is crazy. My hr was 185 at the end of last week too, but I guess keeping it there for 1 minute was bearable but 90 seconds just too much. I recover down to 145 during the walking segments. My running tops are so tight to hold me down that it feels difficult to expand my chest enough to breathe. Maybe this would happen regardless of the type of top and it's just my lungs screaming for air. The hr concerns me, as it's above the max for even a 20 year old. I know those are just estimates and not the most your heart can beat, but I don't want to find my max is 195 while I'm crashing off the treadmill either, kwim?
So my question is (because I think I know the answer), is when I should try again? I can do fast walking @ 3.8 and 4.0 on the treadmill til the cows come home, and probably get my heartrate to my max healthy rate with no problem. And it doesn't hurt to breathe. yes, I could run at a slower rate, which is how I started the run program, but I feel like I'm plodding at a slower rate (I'm running on 5.5; 5.0 felt too slow) and it's awkward. I think my fast walk is a good way to go. But what will make me more cardio efficient - is is a matter of time of doing more walking cardio, or more driven by dropping another 20 lbs to lessen the workload on my heart? Or a combination of both?
I'm on the treadmill running the whole time thinking, prehistoric women weren't runners. The women stayed back in the village while the men were the runners/hunters. The women may have been nomadic WALKERS but they weren't running the paths with their bazookas slinging all over their chests!!! lol Sometimes just going back to nature and the way things were meant to be makes sense. Double D women aren't meant to run, me thinks! So short of a breast reduction and rapid weight loss, what's this 200+ lb woman to do for now?
Lisa - I think you could be a pretty decent runner - your first 10k time is pretty similar to mine, and I bet you that next time you'll be a fair bit faster too if you carry on putting in the hard work. Speed isn't the be all and end all of running, but it's nice.
hrbabe, just a couple of thoughts for you to consider: if your HR is getting to 185, your lungs are screaming for air, and the clothes won't make much difference. 5.5mph is really really fast for just starting out, for comparison my run this morning averaged 4.7mph and I've been running since 2003 (unfortunately we can't all be like our Helen). Try starting to run at that point on the treadmill where it isn't comfortable to walk anymore, or skip the treadmill altogether and try it outside somewhere so you aren't worried about speed. Also, there is nothing magical or sacred about the C25K plan. It has been a great help to a lot of people, but it has just as many dropouts in part because it is also too hard for a lot of people (me included). Maybe you need to repeat a week, or shorten a run interval or lengthen a walking interval.
I'm not sure what you mean by the cardio-efficient question. I personally don't believe in "cardio". All exercises seem to me to be exercise-specific. If you want to get better at walking, you walk. If you want to get better at running, you run. If you want to get better at swimming, you swim. If you want to get better at bench pressing, you press. There are some cross-training benefits including less boredom, less injury, etc, but there's no substitute for training your sport. If you want to burn calories and be healthy, then pick your favorite and do it--nothing wrong with that either. And losing weight does help to be a better running, but even that won't make it automatic.
ennay, thanks for the butt kick. Running after tots is hard! I ran my 3.1 mile loop this morning (if I say 5K everyone will think I raced!) in about 40 minutes. Nice run, pretty morning.
Back from a job interview on the coast. Funny how all of the sudden major life decisions are framed by how it will effect running.
On the one hand 50-60 degree temps year round are pretty nice to run in. Lots of trails really a great running environment.
On the other hand dampness + my knees = not happy me.
Nothing major really but even today my knees are recovering a bit. Decided to only do 2.5 miles to give them a rest. Also sore ankles. Oh well.
Lisa I am very impressed!!!!!
Poppins welcome to the world. It is amazing how in such a relatively short time you can be completely transformed.
HR I think you should go for 5 mph run segments until you can do the whole program. At that point do faster intervals. I think intervals are totally the way to go for fat loss/fitness. Course that is just me and as always ymmv (pun intended!). I didn't time myself but I was fairly sure that I ran even slower than that to start. I have hills which I actually kind of like. I prefer the challange of hoisting myself up a mountain to speed. Again thats just me.
yes, I could run at a slower rate, which is how I started the run program, but I feel like I'm plodding at a slower rate (I'm running on 5.5; 5.0 felt too slow) and it's awkward. I think my fast walk is a good way to go.
5.5 is much faster than I was going at first. In fact, it's faster than I'm going now, usually. You can't expect to go fast from the beginning -- I've struggled with that because I WANT to go faster but my body isn't ready yet (it doesn't help having Speedy Gonzales for a husband). When I started my version of C25K, I was doing 13-minute miles. Now I run something like 11:30 minute miles, usually, and I can keep that pace for a decent distance. If I'd started out too fast, there's no way I could've built up to 6.2 miles so I could run that 10k.
Tonight I only ran 2 miles, on a track -- first time I've done that. It wasn't a nice rubbery track, though -- it was one of those crushed cinder ones, the small gravel. It felt a bit odd, but the worst part was the hot sun!! I'm really not good at running when it's over 80 degrees outside... I walked a mile after running, and for some reason that really hurt my back. I think it's because my arms feel more natural and loose when I'm running and when I walk I swing them more and my back isn't used to that anymore.
By the way, thanks for the encouragement, you guys. It means a LOT.
Running too fast is the number one mistake new runners make. Most of the time it SHOULD feel plodding. Your cardiovascular system needs to catch up to your mechanics.
Breathing is what happens when the heart can't oxygenate the blood fast enough.
If you are having troubles with the 90 second intervals and getting up to 185 SLOW DOWN and/or do shorter intervals. It may feel awkward at first, but eventually you can speed up. There is lots of room between 5.5 and 5.0 too why not 5.1 or 5.2? No need to aim for the even numbers. It may seem small but I notice the difference in my workout if I run 10 seconds per mile faster or slower. Try what gets your HR up, but not THAT up and that you can sustain for the interval. Repeat weeks if necessary. If at the end of the week all the runs felt really hard, then repeat the week.
There is nothing inherently prohibitive about DD's but you may need to spend some time looking for a better bra or wearing two. The right bra is out there.
Hrbabe, a quick recommendation for you on a sports bra is to try an Enell bra - finding that bra was, for me, probably one of the most significant things that allowed me to believe I could actually become a runner. My girls need a lot of support, and the Enell bra is better than anything else I've tried - makes running sooooo much less painful.
I am definitely a plodder, although I am getting faster.. my first 5k I only ran/walked a 14:09 per mile pace... most of the walkers beat me. I can now run right at a 12:00 per mile pace, with my easy nights being just a mile (although I'm about to up the amount I make my easy nights) but at a bit faster 11:00 or 11:30. I definitely second the advice about the Enell bra.. I'm quite busty, and I wasn't even able to run a 1/4 mile before I got it, the girls just moved to much and it really really affected my breathing.
Rachel and Dee, does the Enell bra work on its own? Every other bra I've tried, I have to wear it OVER a regular bra or the girls still bounce about. I've gone from a double D to a single D, but there's still plenty of bounce left. Wearing two bras works, but if I could use just one, that would be lovely!
Yup, it works on it's own. I actually wear a size smaller than it says I need, which makes it quite tight... but they don't move, and as someone who ALWAYS had to wear two bras to run, it's my favorite running accessory(even better than my Ipod). Try Ebay for factory rejects.. I got two for less than the price of a new one, and all they had was a little bitty snag or two.. since I wear them under a shirt, didn't matter to me at all. BTW, don't think I've said it yet, but Way To Go on the 10K! You're awesome.. I have an 8k in June, and I hope I'll be ready.. I just decided I'm not ready for my 5K's this month, so just building up my running habit and starting races again in May.
Rachel and Dee, does the Enell bra work on its own? Every other bra I've tried, I have to wear it OVER a regular bra or the girls still bounce about. I've gone from a double D to a single D, but there's still plenty of bounce left. Wearing two bras works, but if I could use just one, that would be lovely!
Enells dont work for me at ALL I get more support from my nursing bra ..try before you buy. I have heard they will custom make for you if the standard sizes dont work, but really who wants to go through all that?
I get great support from my champion 1018 (I am using the model # because they keep changing the damn name)
with only one bra but I wear a smaller size than I am "'supposed to"
Oh, about 4.25 today, was aiming for 5 but nature called... loudly. It turns out when necessary to prevent disaster, I am capable of running an 8 minute mile for at least 0.5 miles
I just wanted to drop by to say "wow" to everyone's accomplishments. I too wait for the day when running feels natural. I am definitely not there yet.
I'm still sticking with my 5k for distance. It seems manageable and the time commitment isn't huge. I got outside on Monday and ran along our boardwalk by the lake, which was nice. It is, of course, a popular spot for running so there's always inspiration there. This was the first time that I ran outside when it was quite windy on my way back so I was thrilled that I still made it in about 35 minutes.
I still stop once or twice to walk but it seems to work for me. I try to keep an even pace but sometimes like the feel of picking it up a bit and then I need to walk for a minute to catch my breath.
I just put a new battery in my old HR monitor so maybe I'll wear it next time and see what my heartrate is. Although I generally feel pretty good when I'm running.
I know there's many opinions on this but anyone know of somewhere I can find some good target heart rate information?
So short of a breast reduction and rapid weight loss, what's this 200+ lb woman to do for now?
