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Get Running with Couch to 5K

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Re: Get Running with Couch to 5K

#51

Post by mr_mitm »

chongli wrote: post #44
MarcScott wrote: post #39

I did this about four years ago. I hated it. Even running with my collie or listening to audio books didn't help. It just felt like a miserable chore, every time I put on my running shoes. In the end I just quit. Now I hike every weekend, at least 10 miles, which lets me go out with family and friends. I also do various martial arts with my son, which as a shared activity is so much more enjoyable. The only time I'll…

Did you get all the way through the program? Did you have good quality running shoes? I remember it being miserable at the start, but after I finished the program (and was going beyond 5k up to around 12k) it started feeling amazing. It was really strange. It went from painful to just plain addictive! But then Canadian winters intervened and I got out of the habit and never got back to it again. Since then I’ve had a…

Not every sport is for everyone. I feel the same. I even ran some 10Ks, but I hate every second of it. Maybe I'm too heavy or my joints are already screwed up too much, but I much prefer weight lifting and basketball.

Re: Get Running with Couch to 5K

#52

Post by iamacyborg »

bulldog13 wrote: post #45

What do people think about during their runs? Anything over 30 minutes I find very mind numbing and boring.

Not much more than just running to be honest, I find it to be quite a stimulating activity, even on 90+ minute long runs.

Definitely helps to not keep glancing at your watch though.

Re: Get Running with Couch to 5K

#53

Post by blairbeckwith »

chongli wrote: post #44
MarcScott wrote: post #39

I did this about four years ago. I hated it. Even running with my collie or listening to audio books didn't help. It just felt like a miserable chore, every time I put on my running shoes. In the end I just quit. Now I hike every weekend, at least 10 miles, which lets me go out with family and friends. I also do various martial arts with my son, which as a shared activity is so much more enjoyable. The only time I'll…

Did you get all the way through the program? Did you have good quality running shoes? I remember it being miserable at the start, but after I finished the program (and was going beyond 5k up to around 12k) it started feeling amazing. It was really strange. It went from painful to just plain addictive! But then Canadian winters intervened and I got out of the habit and never got back to it again. Since then I’ve had a…

I'll never tell people they have to, but winter running can be really enjoyable. I committed this year to doing as much of my training outside through the Canadian winter as possible, and so far it's been a dream. I ran through the storm that ripped through Ontario right before Christmas and caught myself thinking that I wasn't sure how much worse conditions would have to be for me to stop having a good time.

Like the beginning of your comment, it ultimately comes down to gear. An ankle injury is a good reason to not push yourself running, but the weather need not be :)

Re: Get Running with Couch to 5K

#54

Post by sammyteee »

rendall wrote: post #34
thih9 wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The app is currently not available in your country or region. I attempted to download the app from the App Store using the link in the article and I was unsuccessful. Is it available only in the UK?

Same. It looks like it is geo-restricted.

Is a small-pain, but you can swap your iCloud/App Store region via the App Store in-app settings (no VPN needed)

Re: Get Running with Couch to 5K

#55

Post by dweekly »

twawaaay wrote: post #48

Personally, I think aren't many better return on investment activities than spending half an hour every day on a morning jog. You can run more than that but I think half an hour steady state easy run each morning gives you 80% of results. If you love running (I do), knock yourself out. But that half an hour is enough to do wonders to your health over long periods of time with minimum chance for negative consequences.…

Run! Even an hour of running over the course of a week has proven benefits to morbidity and mortality.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4131752/

"Running, even 5-10 minutes per day and slow speeds <6 mph, is associated with markedly reduced risks of death from all causes and cardiovascular disease."

Re: Get Running with Couch to 5K

#56

Post by jeltz »

FartyMcFarter wrote: post #31

If I were starting cardio from being a couch potato I would choose walking, cycling or swimming. All of those are easier on the body, especially if you're overweight. If you do decide to run, remember to take it easy in the beginning. It has a high impact on your joints so you need to train them gradually.

Depends on how much couch potato we are talking. I find it very hard to work up an elevated heart rate while swimming since I only know breast stroke and am not that good at it. Increasing your HR with swimming requires good technique which is a large barrier of entry. Even when I was at my least fit I would not have gotten that much from swimming or walking, presumably because I did small walking in my every day life like taking the stairs instead of the elevator. So obviously walking works wonder but only up to a point. I recommend walking and swimming for total couch potatoes but I personally I find them less useful as soon as you get a bit fit (unless you learn good swimming technique).

Biking on the other hand makes it easy to pick your desired level of effort while keeping impact on joints relatively low. As a downside, unlike running or walking, it does not do much for your back health. Your spine and back muscles benefit a lot from walking/running. So biking and walking can be a good combination, or biking and running.

And 100% agreed that your joints need to be trained gradually, your cardio and muscles improve faster than your joints. And while this is universal it is more important in running than e.g. biking.

Re: Get Running with Couch to 5K

#58

Post by iamacyborg »

mnky9800n wrote: post #25
iamacyborg wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To improve what? Trying to min/max everything in your life isn’t how this stuff works

Depends on your goals. My goals is to be active most days doing outdoor activities I like. Running and lifting and mobility exercises make it more comfortable to do the things I like. That being said, I think sometimes people have this idea that maybe if they run enough one day running won't be hard (or whatever physical activity). But actually, it will always be hard. You will always breathe hard. You will always sw…

I mean, at some point running does get easy. That’s assuming you do your easy runs at an actual easy pace though.

You’ll also find your easy pace gets faster and faster.

The hard thing is not really the point with most running and entirely misses the point. You run easy most of the time so that you can run hard when it’s necessary.

Re: Get Running with Couch to 5K

#59

Post by MarcScott »

chongli wrote: post #44
MarcScott wrote: post #39

I did this about four years ago. I hated it. Even running with my collie or listening to audio books didn't help. It just felt like a miserable chore, every time I put on my running shoes. In the end I just quit. Now I hike every weekend, at least 10 miles, which lets me go out with family and friends. I also do various martial arts with my son, which as a shared activity is so much more enjoyable. The only time I'll…

Did you get all the way through the program? Did you have good quality running shoes? I remember it being miserable at the start, but after I finished the program (and was going beyond 5k up to around 12k) it started feeling amazing. It was really strange. It went from painful to just plain addictive! But then Canadian winters intervened and I got out of the habit and never got back to it again. Since then I’ve had a…

Yeah, I got up to 5k. I think that most of the problem was running the same route every time. There's no new experience, it's just a slog on the same roads and paths. When I know I'm going out on a hike, I pick really nice places to go, where there's beautiful scenery. I take my son, my nephew, and friends. We go to the pub afterwards. Also it's not an after work activity, but a dedicated day. Half the year in the UK, before you start work, or after you clock off, its dark.

Re: Get Running with Couch to 5K

#60

Post by twawaaay »

dweekly wrote: post #55
twawaaay wrote: post #48

Personally, I think aren't many better return on investment activities than spending half an hour every day on a morning jog. You can run more than that but I think half an hour steady state easy run each morning gives you 80% of results. If you love running (I do), knock yourself out. But that half an hour is enough to do wonders to your health over long periods of time with minimum chance for negative consequences.…

Run! Even an hour of running over the course of a week has proven benefits to morbidity and mortality. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4131752/ "Running, even 5-10 minutes per day and slow speeds <6 mph, is associated with markedly reduced risks of death from all causes and cardiovascular disease."

I think all those studies that say running even 5-10 minutes makes you almost invulnerable from death should be taken with caution.

One problem is that people who run regularly are just different from people who do not. People who will run will make a lot of other choices that are also better for their health, for various reasons like being probably more intelligent (to see the reason), having means (to be able to carve time each day to do it consistently) and also have the willpower to stick to something that will only have positive results sometime in the future. Running might be, at least to some extent, a result of people being in better health both mentally and physically and not the cause.

Don't get me wrong, I truly believe running is good for you and I see how I get worse when I can't run and then get better when I can. But I red a bunch of those studies and pretty much every one of those studies has some problems, and basically that is because it is neigh impossible to have long term randomised study on real people on a topic like running where it is basically impossible to point finger at people and get them to adhere to your prescribed lifestyle.

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