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Can't seem to run
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 2009-07-15 8:14 AM |
Regular  57  Austin, TX |  Subject: Can't seem to runLooking for some help and suggestions here. I'm 6', 220lbs and in halfway decent shape I think. I can bike on rolling hills around 18-20mph and maintain for 50-60 miles and can swim a slow steady pace for a couple miles, all without too much difficulty, but I can't seem to run more than a quarter mile before I have to walk. I keep trying but never seem to make progress in extending my distance before i need to walk. Slowing my pace doesn't seem to help either...I just get completely winded even on a 15min/mile run pace. I am asthmatic but it's under control and just in case I always take a puff of albuterol before all my workouts. This isn't new either...when I was in the military years ago and had to run 1/5 miles in under 13 minutes I only made it by a few seconds and that was after 8 weeks of running every single day. Sports growing up were always short sprints which was fine (baseball, football) I have a half IM coming up in October and would really like to at least be able to run or jog between aid stations. Any ideas how I can overcome this? |
| 2009-07-15 9:51 AM in reply to: #2286274 |
Master 2277  Lake Norman, NC | Subject: RE: Can't seem to run I hear ya! I'm about the same size (about 5lbs heavier). Some recommendations: You're probably starting out too fast. Start out at an easy 10min/mi pace. Check your stride. Don't hell-strike with too far of a forward foot reach. It creates a braking action. It could be in your head. Run through it. You've conditioned your body to go 1/4 mile and then get tired/stop. HTFU and run easy on through it. You say you're tired, but what's your heart rate? If it's below 160, it's in your head. You're not allowing your body to get into a running rythm. It takes about 1/4-1/2 mile for your body to adjust and switch into anerobic "running mode". You're not letting it happen. Run through it. I give this same advice for swimming. people think they're tired, but in fact, they're not pushing through the mental barrier. |
| 2009-07-15 10:02 AM in reply to: #2286616 |
Not a Coach 11473  Media, PA | Subject: RE: Can't seem to run Bigfuzzydoug - 2009-07-15 10:51 AM You're probably starting out too fast. Start out at an easy 10min/mi pace. Good advice, excpet 10min/mi might very well still be too fast. I'd start out even slower than that. |
| 2009-07-15 10:10 AM in reply to: #2286669 |
Elite 4108 Calgary,AB,Canada | Subject: RE: Can't seem to run JohnnyKay - 2009-07-15 9:02 AM Bigfuzzydoug - 2009-07-15 10:51 AM You're probably starting out too fast. Start out at an easy 10min/mi pace. Good advice, excpet 10min/mi might very well still be too fast. I'd start out even slower than that. X2... 10min/mi is pretty quick if you're a newb to running. |
| 2009-07-15 10:14 AM in reply to: #2286274 |
Master 1517 Western MA near the VT & NH border on the CT river | Subject: RE: Can't seem to run Similar stats here, similar background in sports, comfort on the bike and swim and my running started the same as you. A couple things helped me out. One was using the galloway method at first, which is a run/walk ratio. I found it was good for me to get a pace, slow my heart rate down, and then continue. If anything, it helps you to be able to work out for 'time' and not distance. If you look at the programs here, they go by time. My first race this season, I was using my own run/walk pace. About 4:30 run/ :30 sec walk. This one guy came running up beside me fast, a couple yards later he stopped and had to catch his breath. I passed him. I started my walk, and he comes running past me again, only to stop completely, hands on knees breathing hard. We 'cat and moused' for about a 1/4 mile, but I kept on going and never saw him again. My slow and steady pace, beat his hurry up and stop pace. (FWIW, my pace was 10:30 mile, which was the best I had done up to that point in a race. Still sux in the big scheme, but good for me - my last race I broke 10m/m YEAH!) Look into shortening your stride, (check out chi running too) and all the other suggestions about shoes etc that Doug mentioned. Just keep at it. It will come. |
| 2009-07-15 3:22 PM in reply to: #2286274 |
Veteran 351 Bucks County | Subject: RE: Can't seem to run If I'm to go from your logs - you just have to run a lot more. I mean a LOT more. And doing 3 or 4 miles with some 30 second or 60 seconds walks between periods of 1 to 2 minutes of jogging can be even more benefical than running non-stop. Do some research. |
| 2009-07-16 9:26 PM in reply to: #2286274 |
Champion 5376 PA | Subject: RE: Can't seem to run TriMike, Living in Austin and trying to run in that heat must be brutal. I lived in Austin for 6 years and while I love the area, I can't take that heat. Like you, I was mostly involved with short distance running. I struggled with running very similar to as you described. I am still slow but I can now do 5 miles at a slow 13m/m. It's not very good but I am just trying to get in shape for an OLY (6 mile run) in Sept. so I am very please with what I can do now. When I started, I found that I could only do very short distances. It wasn't until I got a heart rate monitor that I saw that I could not run without my heart rate going way high. I realized that I didn't know how to job at a slow pace. I had to work on learning to job using a treadmill. To put it into perspective, I ran at the equivalent of a 6 on the treadmill. That is basically the 10 m/m. It's just not sustainable for me and it removes all the fun from the training. I read that I should be doing longer distances at a lower heart rate so using the treadmill, I watched my heart rate and did walk/runs with the settings on 3 - 5. Now, I'm pretty solid between 4.5 - 5 and my heart rate hangs out in the 140 - 155 range. It's a huge improvement over where I started so I know my body is working much better. Anyway, that is what I have done. I'm sure someone who understands heart rate and running a lot better than me can correct anything I posted or expand on any theories as to how it fully works. |
| 2009-07-17 3:39 AM in reply to: #2286274 |
| Member 9 | Subject: RE: Can't seem to run Make sure you have good shoes. I love sauconys they are like self propelling shoes this makes a huge difference in terms of muscle fatigue etc. In addition this may sound dumb but run with your dog or a friends dog. A few years ago I signed up for my fist 10k. Back then this was huge for me. I could only run for 1 mile or 1.5 before needing to walk. I started to run with my dog (a husky mix). When I couldn't go anymore he could and just like that we gradually covered the distance. In addition I had something else to focus on which was a helpful distraction mentally as opposed to thinking I just want to stop. Needless to say I was well prepared for my first 10k and I honestly can say I owe a lot of it to my dog. Something else that helped was I only trained out side and I always made sure I covered the set distance. Gradually over time I was able to run more and eventually extend my distance. This worked well for me. |
| 2009-07-18 9:15 AM in reply to: #2286274 |
Champion 5376 PA | Subject: RE: Can't seem to run Mic.. that is awesome! I have a Shepherd/Rotty/Lab mix and she would LOVE to go running with me. My only problem is that she has a thing about rabbits. LOL I guess I could go with that as spontaneous interval training.  I may take her out and see if she can run with me. |
| 2009-07-18 11:38 AM in reply to: #2290677 |
Expert 838 West Palm Beach, FL | Subject: RE: Can't seem to run Pector55 - 2009-07-16 10:26 PM TriMike, Living in Austin and trying to run in that heat must be brutal. I looked at your log and saw that you're doing runs after 8AM. We're hot here in SoFla too and running when it gets hot is brutal. There's even an article in the new Running mag that describes how much performance degrades as the temperature rises. Try to start your runs between sundown and sunset and see if the cooler temperatures don't make things a little easier. |
| 2009-07-18 5:32 PM in reply to: #2286274 |
Regular 96 Novi, MI | Subject: RE: Can't seem to run When I first started running, I had to start with walking, or fast walking, a 1/4 mile before I started a slow jog, similar in pace as the fast walk, with all the running motions. That used to be the only way I could get the body ready for a decent workout. Eventually, it got better. |
| 2009-07-19 5:17 PM in reply to: #2293679 |
Extreme Veteran 357 Huntington Beach, CA | Subject: RE: Can't seem to run pmsmith - 2009-07-18 3:32 PM When I first started running, I had to start with walking, or fast walking, a 1/4 mile before I started a slow jog, similar in pace as the fast walk, with all the running motions. That used to be the only way I could get the body ready for a decent workout. Eventually, it got better. That's exactly it. As with many things, running has a "tipping point" that you just have to work on breaking through one day at a time. |
| 2009-07-20 11:19 PM in reply to: #2286274 |
Regular 57 Austin, TX | Subject: RE: Can't seem to run Thanks everyone for the input. All great points and a lot of help. Just got back from visitng my family in NY and wow what a difference the right shoes and better tempertures made. The first day I was there I went to Roadrunner and had them run me through the shoedog thing and boy did I have the wrong shoes. I had been wearing shoes for a pronator and needed a stability shoe, plus I needed a 4e instead of the 2e's I had been wearing. As soon as I put the new shoes on I could feel a difference (went with ASICS GEL-Kayano) The next morning I went running and while my heart rate still jumped to 173 it only averaged 144, I wasn't getting as winded and my feet didn't hurt. Was able to run a mile then walk 30 seconds then run another mile, and so on. Still a painfully slow pace (14min/mile) but for the first time I felt like I could have kept going at that pace. My mom went out with me and she mentioned that I seem to be very upright while to me it felt like I was leaning forward so I'm going to do a Chi Running clininc here in 2 weeks to see if that helps further. As with everything I guess baby steps are important but at least I'm starting to feel a little more confident that I can finish the HI in october. |
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