Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

How to Start Running

nytimes.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

111–120 of 165 posts

Re: How to Start Running

#111

Post by studentrob »

I joined a running club in NYC. It had classes ranging from walkers to elite marathoners. Probably fairly unique to have such a range but I believe this was quite key to their long term (30+ years) success. Having a complete cycle helps everything run smoothly. It was run by Shelly and Bob Glover, two well known names in the world of running.

Running is a great way to get to know a diverse crowd. I met girls, cardiologists, musicians, students, postal workers, young and old. On the pavement we were all just friends talking about our PRs and next races.

We were very supportive of anyone of any level and really encouraged newcomers. If you have access to a running club or class, I recommend it. The class was paid, which might sound ridiculous at first, but once you get into it you quickly see the value of experienced coaches and supportive classmates.

Re: How to Start Running

#112

Post by GFK_of_xmaspast »

GFK_of_xmaspast wrote: post #55
rlonstein wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree. I found that Vibram Five Fingers and other "minimalist" and thin "zero drop" shoes are the best thing between my feet and the ground. They promote a natural foot strike (e.g. it hurts if you heel strike).

They also promote stress fractures.

For the doubters, here's an article: http://regressing.deadspin.com/the-scientific-case-against-v... and here's a study: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24357642

Re: How to Start Running

#113

Post by xiaoma »

notacoward wrote: post #106
mynewtb wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's the difference?

"Dynamic" means you keep moving. All of your squats, lunges, jogging in place, and so on are dynamic. "Static" means you hold a position. Your classic runner's stretch is static, as are the various "hold your toes" stretches in any position. The danger is only with static stretches prior to exercise , which can lead to over-extension and injury. The benefit of dynamic stretching before exercise is still kind of debat…

>That minimal approach has kept me out of trouble despite running more even than most other runners - consistently five or six days a week in every kind of weather.

Meh. I ran thirteen times a week for years, quit for years, started again overweight more than once to slim down again and have done many 5 hour + mountain runs on the wrong side of 30. I've generally done static stretching both before and after running when I have time. After tens of thousands of miles, I'm still at zero injuries of note.

IMO the biggest thing is to not do the same thing every day. Take easy days and easy weeks between the more intense ones. Also, try not to go too fast except on speed days or tempo runs. You'll actually be healthier and faster if you let your body recover (whatever it takes at your fitness level to do that).

Re: How to Start Running

#114

Post by xiaoma »

enkephalin wrote: post #104
thrownaway2424 wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"but if you're running in crowded times or places it's irresponsible to deafen yourself" Odd that every car sold today is marketed on the basis of being quiet inside and having a deafening sound system. Why is it so important for runners to have their senses of hearing? So that they don't inadvertently get murdered by the functionally deaf in cars?

although it of course also may happen in normal traffic, dogs, children, bikes, and other joggers suddenly appearing in your path can happen a few dozen times on a long run, if you're in a crowded place.

Dogs are the worst. As a former dog owner I know what it's like to love one, but they're still territorial animals and a considerable safety concern when not properly leashed or fenced. Older runners have even been mauled to death by dogs whose owners didn't see fit to restrain them.

Re: How to Start Running

#115

Post by xiaoma »

js2 wrote: post #14

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…

Mostly good advice. I disagree with number 3 though. Increasing volume is much safer than increasing the intensity of the "normal" workout.

For me at least, I probably did the highest mileage and was the strongest runner when I had no goal at all but was just running up the mountain because I loved it. Though I didn't race any marathons, I did so many runs of greater than that distance on my own on weekends that I've lost count. It was 1-2 per month for at least a year or two.

Re: How to Start Running

#116

Post by neilsharma »

I've been running about 8-10 miles/week for 15 years now, but have never been able to expand beyond that very much without excessive knee pain, foot pain, and muscle loss (I weightlift a lot too).

There was a period of about a decade in which I had to wear custom-molded graphite orthotics (~$300) during most of my waking hours because my feet were supposedly "flat". Two podiatrists said that I'd need to wear them the rest of my life or get surgery, which would leave me in crutches for 6 months per foot (they won't do both at the same time).

I lost my orthotics in a flood, and unwilling to fork over another $300, I focused on fixing my feet. I started stretching my soul, walking around the house barefoot, and going for short (~100m) barefoot jogs on a grassy field. After a few months, I started wearing shoes without arch supports to force my feet to adapt. Managed to get rid of my foot pain within 2 months :).

Still struggling with the knee issue though. I've been treating running as an isolation workout on the knee joint -- my body can handle it just fine, but like in weightlifting, I can't isolate the same muscles/joints day after day. Sprinting any amount hurts, and I have to avoid all hills (going up is fine, the descent is killer).

While I figure out a way around the knee pain, I've recently been doing more metabolic conditioning (think Insanity or P90-X, but with fewer knee-destroying jumps). I experience a lot more fat loss this way, plus the workouts seem more holistic than running in the sense that my upper body is not neglected.

Re: How to Start Running

#117

Post by megablast »

thrownaway2424 wrote: post #91
notacoward wrote: post #11

So much bad advice. (1) Actually it does matter how and where (relative to your body) you land your foot. Contrary to the article, many people do need to fix their "natural" form and/or get shoes that help them avoid pronation, both to avoid injury and to increase the enjoyment that will help them stick with it. (2) Similarly, the article's advice about stretching is way out of date. It's now consensus that static st…

"but if you're running in crowded times or places it's irresponsible to deafen yourself" Odd that every car sold today is marketed on the basis of being quiet inside and having a deafening sound system. Why is it so important for runners to have their senses of hearing? So that they don't inadvertently get murdered by the functionally deaf in cars?

You just explained why. Drivers aren't going to hear or see you, so you have to pay more attention to avoid them.

Re: How to Start Running

#118

Post by FireBeyond »

shepwalker wrote: post #63

I always tell people that my life-saving workout device was the Kindle 3. In 2010, I was 315 lbs, sedentary as hell and not making any progress to fix that. The idea of running just seemed like complete drudgery. 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…

That's entirely awesome and inspiring. Out of curiosity, what was the series?

Re: How to Start Running

#119

Post by js2 »

massysett wrote: post #101
js2 wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As my coach would say, stop over-thinking it. Just pick up the damn bar and put it down. Either or both are fine. The overhead squat is also excellent, but vastly more difficult.

"Just pick up the damn bar and put it down" is a great way to get injured.

All I meant was, you can get stuck in analysis paralysis with weight lifting just like anything else. Of course you need proper form. Front squat vs back squat, which is what I was specifically addressing, probably doesn't matter. Either is better than neither, though I think most people would find the back squat easier and a better place to start. The front rack position can be uncomfortable, and the mechanics of the front squat I found generally more challenging. There's also a debate about high-bar vs low-bar back squat which may be as heated and silly as emacs vs vi. Ultimately, getting under the bar, getting below parallel, and standing back up (all with proper form) is the important part, not which style of squat it is.

Aside: the Olympic snatch is an amazing feat of strength, agility, form, athleticism, mechanics, balance, all of it. It's really a thing of beauty to see done well.

Just watch this - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cL1T-jKdTqo

Starting at 4 minutes. Pyrros Dimas is competing in the 85kg (187 lbs) category. He lifts 178 kg (392 lbs) over his head there. 392 lbs. Most people couldn't pick that bar up off the ground, much less get it over their head.

Re: How to Start Running

#120

Post by Spooky23 »

thrownaway2424 wrote: post #91
notacoward wrote: post #11

So much bad advice. (1) Actually it does matter how and where (relative to your body) you land your foot. Contrary to the article, many people do need to fix their "natural" form and/or get shoes that help them avoid pronation, both to avoid injury and to increase the enjoyment that will help them stick with it. (2) Similarly, the article's advice about stretching is way out of date. It's now consensus that static st…

"but if you're running in crowded times or places it's irresponsible to deafen yourself" Odd that every car sold today is marketed on the basis of being quiet inside and having a deafening sound system. Why is it so important for runners to have their senses of hearing? So that they don't inadvertently get murdered by the functionally deaf in cars?

The consequences of failing to pay attention in the car is offset by the seatbelt, crumple zones and airbag.

As a pedestrian getting hit by or running into a car will likely kill you.

Post reply on HN