I've hit a wall with my running, sort of getting really bored. With awesome timing my brother handed me a book on running technique, which I'm going to try out. It's really fascinating, there is an actual 'technique' to be an efficient, injury free runner! I always thought it's different for everybody, but actually a lot running styles put way more stress on the body than is necessary.
Anyway, I'm going to try out the exercises and drills in the book for now, meaning that my long runs are put on hold until I have it down for the time being.
I'll let you know how it goes!

Originally Posted by wndranne:
When you look at the running literature in detail there is a lot of debate on the "right" way to train, low aerobic HR all the time, higher HR to push your anaerobic threshold higher. Different techniques work better for different people.
Anne

I agree -- but I think it's most relevant as you become a more advanced runner. For beginners, I think just getting out and being consistent is the most important thing. And being careful not to ramp up mileage or intensity too quickly.

Also, I think that training strategy depends on your running goals - especially endurance vs. speed. If you want to tear up 5Ks, then speed training is critical. If you want to run marathons, then long slow runs take over. To run fast, you have to train fast -- to run long, you have to train long. Personally, I think it's really hard to train optimally for both, although the benefit of each does have some spill-over. Speed work makes your regular pace get a little faster, and long runs make you stronger.

I try to mix it up with a weekly mix of a long run, some speed work, and some relaxed/recovery runs. That way, I'm pretty good at most things, but not great at anything. :D

Ran 3-1/2 miles today!!! WooHOO.

MBN _ I have slowly gotten up to 3.0 mile run (like my normal run). It has taken me since January. Do you think this could be to fast. I am training for a 5K in May and I wuld ideally like to be up 4 mile by then. What are your thoughts...or anyones thoughts

analeh - Definitely keep us posted about the book. It sounds interesting.

anne - WTG on finising the program!

Hello ladies! A few of you may or may not know that I had to take a break from running due to a knee injury and I'm glad to report that I ran 2 miles on Sat!!! It felt great and no pain afterwards! I was smart and took some advil after my run and I iced my knee for 15 min. So crazy me did another 2 miles yesterday (I know I shouldn't push it, no lectures please) and again it was a good run. I AM taking a break today and I'm going to create a plan to to get back up to 6 miles slowly. I don't want to be on the sideline again.

Does anyone run with a dog? I took my dogs with me Sat and Sun for their first run. I have a doberman (she is fast!) and a slightly pudgy shepherd rottweiler mix. Any advice running with your dog? I've been doing a little research and I'll be training them slow like me to increase the miles. I'm thinking of taking them to our vet for a checkup and to get some advice from them.


This is Cocoa and Buddy (I had to share they are my babies :D)
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/54/13...329968c032.jpg

Enjoy your runs this week!

daniela - Yay you are running again. I know it must feel good.

Originally Posted by CakeBatter:
daniela - Yay you are running again. I know it must feel good.

It sure does, thanks :hug:

Off topic I wanted to tell you that your user name cracks me up because my husbands nickname is Fat Cake. He gave himself the nickname a couple of years ago while we were bowling and I asked what's up the the name and he says, "I'm fat and I like cake!" He's nuts, good news is he's not that fat anymore since he's also dropped 40lbs in the past 6 months.

Okay back on track more running talk :D

awww the pups are soo cute! i wish i had animals to run with. i'm pretty sure my kittehs would tolerate no such thing.

Hi girls! Can I join your thread? I really want to start running (I've said that about a million times in the past). It'd be great to run a 5k. My boyfriend just bought me a new iPod nano with an armband and now I have NO excuses! I'm a little nervouse to just go out and do it. I usually can't get past getting myself out of the apartment and out the door. But once I'm out, I'm great. :) Also, my boyfriend joined the Army and leaves for bootcamp next week, and I totally want to make some more buddies (even if they are online) to keep me accountable and not as lonely! Looking forward to talking to you guys :)

welcome michelle.

i got in another 2 miles...woohoo that is 5-1/2 for today

Originally Posted by CakeBatter:
Ran 3-1/2 miles today!!!
MBN _ I have slowly gotten up to 3.0 mile run (like my normal run). It has taken me since January. Do you think this could be to fast. I am training for a 5K in May and I wuld ideally like to be up 4 mile by then. What are your thoughts...or anyones thoughts

CakeBatter, that doesn't sound too fast to me. Rule of thumb is to increase your weekly mileage by no more than 10% per week. If you feel good, no nagging aches and pains, then you are probably fine. And if you are already up to 3.5 miles, then an extra half mile should be, well, a piece of cake (sorry, couldn't stop myself) :D

Originally Posted by MBN:
CakeBatter, that doesn't sound too fast to me. Rule of thumb is to increase your weekly mileage by no more than 10% per week. If you feel good, no nagging aches and pains, then you are probably fine. And if you are already up to 3.5 miles, then an extra half mile should be, well, a piece of cake (sorry, couldn't stop myself) :D

hahaha funny! :rofl:

Yeah no nagging pains or anything. THanks then my goal for the end of the month is 4!!!! yay!

Thanks for the welcome! I'm thinking of starting out with 1 mile per day (for 5 or 6 days a week) then adding 10% each week. Cakebatter, did you run for two different intervals that day? Sometimes I feel like running in the morning and in the evening, but hold myself back. I'll stop doing that.

Yeah michelle, I ran 3-1/2 miles in the morning and then two more in the evening. I don't usually do that but I ate mexican last night for dinner so I wanted to get in an extra workout so my not so excellent weekend wouldn't come spilling over into monday...lol

Okay i was originally training for the 5K on May 16. But I feel like I am ready to run one now. So I signed up for one on next saturday. The week or the rest how do I train? How much do I rest? Any help would be appreciated.

CakeBatter -- If you are feeling good right now, I would suggest training like you usually do, just don't increase your mileage the week of the race. And I would rest or crosstrain the day before the 5K to save your legs for the race.

And have FUN!

Okay cool. Thanks MBN you are so helpful. I am so excited...yay. My BF is gonna run/walk it while I run it.

I ran another 2 miles last night and I'm gonna try for 2 miles again tonight. I think I'll up the miles next week.

Cake - You are ready and you are going to do great in that 5K. Be sure to post some pics for us :)

I did this new treadmill run workout (trying to mix it up a bit) and ended up running 4.25 in 51 minutes. I am pretty proud of that because I am pretty slow. I may try do that workout once a week because I know over 4 miles is waaaay outta my threshold of fitness. Daniela I wil be sure to post pics.

Good luck on your race Cake! You'll rock it for sure with all the miles you're racking up!

So I've started on the running technique book and the amount of information in it is so overwhelming! I'd much rather just take a seminar and have someone teach me it lol. Anyway, I've started incorporating some things and I really do see a difference. I can sustain a 6mph pace without feeling like I'm sprinting! For like 5min, but that's a huge difference for me!
I still have the 10km race I'm signed up for THIS SUNDAY! I sooo want to get to a 60min time for it, but that will be knocking 11min of my PR and I honestly have been slacking..

Ya'll I think I confused everyone. Not this saturday but next (4/25) sorry. Analeh good luck with your race. What is PR?

PR = Personal Record

When it's your first race of any distance, it's automatically a PR!

I am so excited because I got to run outside twice in a row. It was so beautiful out this weekend. I ran two miles today in 24:00. That's huge for me since my 2 mile time is usually 26:00. Does anyone else notice a faster time outside oppose to the TM? For me I was faster outside each time.

Analeh - how did ur race go?

MBN - thanks for the meaning.

It was a fun race! I got some bad stomach cramps the first 2km but breathed through it and they went away. I managed to beat my fastest time! So I got in at 1:09:10, and my previous best was 1:11:35. It went by SO fast, but I had a 3 hour nap after was so tired.
Oh and I definitely notice a faster time running outside than on the TM, I thought it was just my treadmill being inaccurate though.

EDIT: I was 20610th over all (out of 55000 people) lol

so my race is this saturday and yesterday I ran two miles and I killed my self to push those miles out, even thoough I did it in 23:27 (normally 26:00). I just wasn't doing well yesterday but I ran three the day before IDK. ANyway my point was that I am sooooo nervous about saturday. What if I don't make it. I rally I am scared and I have no idea why. PLS HELP>

my running seems to be improving working towards less walking....like 90 run/2 mile walk

Cakebatter, is this your first race? A 5K, right?
Well, relax!! What's the worst thing that can happen ... you go out too fast (practically everyone does in the excitement of the start) and then you have to take a walk break. Or, heck, let's just say you walk the whole thing. And you know you can walk three miles, right? So what if you don't "run" the whole thing? Just moving through those 3.2 miles will burn calories and races are FUN!

Try not to put so much pressure on yourself, no one cares how fast you go. What's important is that you are out there, participating, and doing the best you can do that day. Maybe it's fast, maybe it's slow. You are a winner just because you are there really doing it. You will see people of ALL shapes, sizes, ages and abilities doing the event. And, trust me, you will not be last.

Pre-race jitters!! You can definitely do it though, you regularly run the distance, so there's no worry about whether you can finish. Try not to start out too fast, but if you do you can still slow down later. There's so much excitement with running with so many other people that they sort of just push you along and it will go by really fast. Good luck!

wow! all these races are so exciting! i have my first 5K on May 2nd, so i'm excited about that as well. except, well, if it isn't a month off for shin splints, it's....BRONCHITIS! agh. i'm starting to get really antsy again. my race is in a week and a half and i've been running a fever and coughing up gunk for over a week. well, that's not totally true. my fever finally broke on sunday. but the gunk? still being coughed up. ew. i wonder how long i have to wait before i can get back on the treadmill.

Well I have took off yesterday and today from running due to a wierd feeling leg. I totally didn't want to seeing as how I just got my Forerunner 301 in the mail and I really wanted to use it. However I didn't want to risk having to sit my race out. I will do a light workout on Friday and then Saturday morning here I come. MBN, Analeh and anybody else thanks for the encouragement. Yeah I guess it is just jitters but I don't like the feeling...LOL

Race Report: Boston 5K
 

The Boston 5K is a new event, replacing the Freedom Run, put on by the Boston Athletic Association, the fine folks who bring us the Boston Marathon. The 5K is run the day before the marathon and shares the marathon finish line, giving all runners a chance to cross the famous line. The course is beautiful, running though the Boston Back Bay area, up around the golden-domed Massachusetts state house, and the Boston Common and Public Garden. The event was a classy and well organized one, as expected with the experience of the BAA.

I've recently come off a string of postpartum injury and new daycare-induced illnesses, and finally completed the 9 week Couch to 5K program in a little more than 6 months. Since I no longer remember how to pace myself, I decided to go nice and slow so I could finish running. There was only one short hill on the course and it was otherwise flat, so my 12 min miles were very conservative and I finished with a lot left in the tank. I met my goal for the race, and learned I can push it more next time.

My husband ran the marathon the next day, the reason for our trip, and it is a such a cool event to watch. If you get a chance to travel with a BQ'er, make sure you do the 5K to get a small taste for yourself.

Anne

Way cool ANNE! Congratulations to both of you.

Congrats Anne!

Hey girls,

I survived the 5K and much like Anne I finished with "alot in my tank". I was totally surprised to run a 10 and 1/2 Min pace. Adrenaline? IDK but I had on my Forerunner and discovered the course was actually 3.5M long. I finished in 36:50. I was uber stoked!!! I had a great time and I am looking forward to the one on May 16th! I attached a few pics.

Anne - WTG on your race!

Anne & Cakebatter, congratulations on your successful races!! Events are so habit forming. At the line up, you're wondering what the heck you are doing there, but by the time you cross the finish line you are pumped!! And planning the next one ....

Congrats on all the exciting races and finishes, they are very inspirational to read about! Great job!

Wow, congrats to the to all the race finishers! I know I was super proud after my first 5k. :D

I made a PB on an 8k race last Saturday, I finished in 48:02, 28 seconds faster. It was raining like crazy, I was probably moving faster in an effort to stay warm! I had a 10 mile training run scheduled for the day, so I chugged it home another 5 miles, I was pretty tired after that. I can't believe the HM is less than 4 weeks away!

Lousy run this morning. I had a bike race Sunday, and pretty much emptied out all the tanks. Today I made it the first mile and then alternated about 3 minutes of running and walking after that. I figure this means I did my race on Sunday right--nothing left.

Thanks everyone for the good wishes on the 5K. This was the first Boston 5K, but I've done about fifty I think. It is good to be back after a long layoff.

Anne

Thanks everyone. I am really working on running a 10K now but I want to move oon gradually. I don't want to push it. My goal is to do one b the summer's end.

Anne - I can'twait to have all those races under my belt.

Shinanagins - What is a MB race?

Cakebatter, I think the 10K is my least favorite distance, and the half marathon is my favorite. I have a goal to do one later this year.

Anne

PS Love your pics. Wish mine had turned out so well.

If you don't mind me asking...what is it about it that makes it your least favorite? My goal is 10K for end of summer and ultimate goal is 1/2 marathon by end of year or in March for the Shamrock event. My BF is great picture -taker (he is not photographer LOL)

I got in 5 miles this week so far....but my goal is like 11-14 so I have a ways to go!