61–70 of 165 posts
I use to walk 8 to 10 kms per day. Would there be a benefit if I move from walking to running? My major concern is that running will hurt my knees in the long term.
As someone who's already run 900 miles and four marathons year-to-date, I'll add some hard won advice: 1) Do not be in a hurry. Most runners do way too much way too soon. You will likely get injured. You gain aerobic capacity in a matter of weeks to months. But soft tissues, tendons, ligaments, bone density... those takes years to adapt. 2) If you're getting injured, something is wrong. You're doing too much too soon…
But soft tissues, tendons, ligaments, bone density... that takes years to acclimate. Is this the reason for so-called "old guy strength"?
I ended up making a pact with a friend to meet up at the gym every morning, and I took my kindle and reread a long epic fantasy series page by page. I started off stupid-slow, with a slight incline. First 25 lbs shed without a problem, and steadily increased my pace.
I've now graduated to actually running outside (yay!) and distracting myself with podcasts, have completed 2 half-marathons, and at one point was down to ~210lbs.
People's motivations and activation hurdles are different - for me it was boredom and accountability - which I fixed with a book and some peer pressure.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
For #2 - where to look to troubleshoot those issues?
For me, it was a physical therapist (I've added my story as a sibling comment to yours.) That was the first professional I saw that watched me run and evaluated all parts of my body. The shoe stores and podiatrist only looked to see if I was pronating and at my feet. The chiropractor only looked at my back. The orthopedist only wanted to look at an MRI or bone scan. A massage therapist who works with athletes and/or…
The absolute best way to keep yourself running is to find a race, sign up for it, pay for it and put it on your calendar. I've wasted a lot of money thinking this way. Unless you're cash-strapped and it meant a lot buying that ticket/software/tool/book/etc, you just shrug it off and move to the next target. Money doesn't buy discipline. YMMV.
I like to track my miles, and there's lots of good sites for it. I personally use Garmin Connect, then use https://tapiriik.com to sync to Strava. I also use Smashrun, which imports directly from Garmin Connect (or you can let Tapiriik sync to it). Strava lets you set a weekly mileage goal, and Smashrun lets you set a monthly and a yearly goal. I like having those staring me in the face.
Tapiriik is open source btw, but believe me, just pay the guy $2/year and let him run it for you. https://github.com/cpfair/tapiriik
I used to be overweight and could not run to the door even if my life depended on it. Five years later and I run no less than 5k a day from Monday to Friday. Resting during the weekend. Do run events every other month or so on Sundays. How did I do it? I started with the couch-to-5K program[1]. That led me to diet and eat better. Did my first 5k four months later. Then a 10k three after that. Running is not for every…
The absolute best way to keep yourself running is to find a race, sign up for it, pay for it and put it on your calendar. I've wasted a lot of money thinking this way. Unless you're cash-strapped and it meant a lot buying that ticket/software/tool/book/etc, you just shrug it off and move to the next target. Money doesn't buy discipline. YMMV.
It didn't keep you training until at least the event date? Sure its not going to change your lifestyle forever, but it will at least force you to train so that you are not totally unprepared come race day.
The word half-marathon is irritating. Either you run a marathon, or you don't. Half a marathon has nothing to do with a marathon
The word half-marathon is irritating. Either you run a marathon, or you don't. Half a marathon has nothing to do with a marathon