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Get Running with Couch to 5K

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71–80 of 232 posts

Re: Get Running with Couch to 5K

#71
post #7

Running is better than sitting on the coach. But strength training is better than running. Why you should not be running , by Mark Rippetoe: https://startingstrength.com/article/why-you-should-not-be-r...

I’m sorry I don’t want to look like this, I think I’ll stick with running. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Rippetoe#/media/File%3A...

If your concern is looking healthy and athletic, you need a decent amount of muscle mass and a low percentage of body fat. Running helps with none of that.

Re: Get Running with Couch to 5K

#72
post #46

Is there a cycling equivalent Couch to 5k app? Given the impact running has on the joints, it would be great to do a program like this with a bike instead. (Other than Peloton which obviously has a high entry cost and even their app-only experience is pretty expensive for what it is)

Get a bike trainer - wheel-on trainers are cheaper and use Zwift. If you keep with it you can upgrade later to something nicer or ride your bike outside.

Absolutely. Zwift keeps it quite interactive but I’ve heard good things about the Wahoo platform as well. Lots of structured training plans for beginners and more experienced riders alike.

Re: Get Running with Couch to 5K

#73
post #7

Running is better than sitting on the coach. But strength training is better than running. Why you should not be running , by Mark Rippetoe: https://startingstrength.com/article/why-you-should-not-be-r...

I generally agree with the advice, but anyone in good health should be able to run a 5k. It's literally 20ish minutes of exercise. Beyond that is when the negative effects of running start to come into play.

20ish minutes? Nope, it is 25-35 minutes for most people. When I could run a 20:30 5k I was in pretty good shape and that was an all out effort which left my legs tired for days. Running a 21-22 minute 5k is a great time for an amateur and nothing anyone not fit could just run, much less so during normal training.

Re: Get Running with Couch to 5K

#74
post #46

Is there a cycling equivalent Couch to 5k app? Given the impact running has on the joints, it would be great to do a program like this with a bike instead. (Other than Peloton which obviously has a high entry cost and even their app-only experience is pretty expensive for what it is)

The “impact on the joints” is massively overstated. Run with good gait & such (there are many good instructional videos on this, but some key points are don't over-stride thinking it'll make you go faster, try not to heal strike, don't push too hard or too fast, make sure you get rest between fast or long sessions, and wear decent shoes) and your knees/ankles/other will be just fine. There is as much evidence for running helping the joins in later life (assume you start earlier) as there is for the opposite.

This is, of course, unless you have a pre-existing issue. If you have a pre-existing issue running will find it and make it worse, especially as you push out the distance.

On distance, according to some studies 5K happens to be a good point for optimising the long term health benefits – after that you see diminishing returns so don't feel pressured to go further unless you find you enjoy it.

And if you can, try get out and run in the countryside where it is pretty and you are breathing in less car fumes and similar.

Re: Get Running with Couch to 5K

#75
post #46

Is there a cycling equivalent Couch to 5k app? Given the impact running has on the joints, it would be great to do a program like this with a bike instead. (Other than Peloton which obviously has a high entry cost and even their app-only experience is pretty expensive for what it is)

> Given the impact running has on the joints

Now try to find some evidence that the impact is damaging rather than a stimulus.

Re: Get Running with Couch to 5K

#77

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

I stopped wearing headphones while running when the pandemic started. I really don't think about much. It's become sort of meditative for me.

Re: Get Running with Couch to 5K

#78
post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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 ca…

One of the things I've always wondered about, and I don't know if there is a good scientific answer for it (haven't looked deeply), is if you end up committing to running 5 to 10 minutes a day will you end up turning into the type of person you're describing eventually.

I guess my question is that is it likely a person would get the outsized health benefits because they commit to the minor health change which then causes them to commit to more later.

Re: Get Running with Couch to 5K

#79

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…

Nope, that is just a matter of personal preference. Once you have ran enough you reach a level where you can just slow down a bit and running will be easy. I like the hard runs but I also like the easy relaxed runs. I recently did a casual very long run, 70 km, and the group of us ran at a relaxed pace, talked shit, stopped to eat several times and just chilled. I only started to get tired at around 62 km. It is like a hike but a bit faster (9 km/h while running) and running motion instead of walking.

Obviously if you do not want to plateau in your training you have to run hard some of the time, but not every run has to be hard.

Re: Get Running with Couch to 5K

#80

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

Everything that's happening around me in the place that I'm running.

Everything I see that's changed since the previous run.

Everything I see that's changed since the previous season.

Everything I can feel about my body moving

Everything that's happened that day.

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