"I run for an hour every day." Wait, what?
Hi! :-)
So, what exactly do people mean when they say they run for an hour every day? Does running include walking and jogging or do they actually mean running at a fast pace for a whole hour?! : o
I'm used to H.I.I.T, so I find it easier to sprint for 30 seconds, jog for 30 seconds, and so on, than "running" for an hour. However, I found out that H.I.I.T. might give you bulky legs instead of lean ones (I'm only 5'0 tall, so I need skinny legs, not muscly ones lol!), so I've decided to start running for a longer period of time but slower than the sprinting intervals I used to do. However, I don't know at what pace I should run. I don't even get the whole '4/5mph' thing. How the heck do you calculate that without a device thingie?
I hope I don't sound as stupid as I think I do xD Thanks to whoever's willing to help (:
Original Post by ellaay:
Hi! :-)
So, what exactly do people mean when they say they run for an hour every day? Does running include walking and jogging or do they actually mean running at a fast pace for a whole hour?! : o
I'm used to H.I.I.T, so I find it easier to sprint for 30 seconds, jog for 30 seconds, and so on, than "running" for an hour. However, I found out that H.I.I.T. might give you bulky legs instead of lean ones (I'm only 5'0 tall, so I need skinny legs, not muscly ones lol!), so I've decided to start running for a longer period of time but slower than the sprinting intervals I used to do. However, I don't know at what pace I should run. I don't even get the whole '4/5mph' thing. How the heck do you calculate that without a device thingie?
I hope I don't sound as stupid as I think I do xD Thanks to whoever's willing to help (:
HIIT wont bulk your legs regardless of height.
Original Post by ellaay:
Hi! :-)
So, what exactly do people mean when they say they run for an hour every day? Does running include walking and jogging or do they actually mean running at a fast pace for a whole hour?! : o
I'm used to H.I.I.T, so I find it easier to sprint for 30 seconds, jog for 30 seconds, and so on, than "running" for an hour. However, I found out that H.I.I.T. might give you bulky legs instead of lean ones (I'm only 5'0 tall, so I need skinny legs, not muscly ones lol!), so I've decided to start running for a longer period of time but slower than the sprinting intervals I used to do. However, I don't know at what pace I should run. I don't even get the whole '4/5mph' thing. How the heck do you calculate that without a device thingie?
I hope I don't sound as stupid as I think I do xD Thanks to whoever's willing to help (:
HIIT does not create bulky legs - whomever told you that is incorrect. If you like running HIIT (and I do) continue to do it!
If you don't have a "thingie" to track your pace, you can work it out by putting the distance you ran and the amount of time it took you into THIS calculator.
And yes, some people do run for an entire hour. They may not run at the same pace the whole time (possibly including some sprints in there) but yes, an hour.
Really, how you choose to run depends on your goals.. are you just running for aerobic exercise to acheive weight loss or maintenance? Then HIIT is very effective for that. Aside from weight training, (that would be #1) HIIT is the most efficient way to challenge your muscles and improve your metabolism.
Or are you training for a race? If that race is a 5/10 K or longer (half or full marathon) then you DO need to include distance running into your program (typically 10 k a couple of times a week and one longer run per week).
Running is subjective. It is the effort. Some people "run" at a much slower pace than others. I have seen this many, many times in marathons. It is easy to tell when you change from walking to jogging. But harder to tell when you go from jogging to running. Not sure it really matters to most people. Find what works for you and ignore all the rest.
I walk at 14 to 15 mins/mile pace. I often run at 8 min/mile pace. Jogging, well, it is somewhere in between.
And yes, I run for an hour at that pace. Heck, on a Sat long run, I will run 15 or 20 miles at that pace ... 2 to 3 hours. As I write this, I am recovering from an almost 3 hour bike ride of 50 miles. That is not that uncommon.
I'm not as in shape as other people, but I usually run minimum 6 mph and recently have been having to go up to 6.4-6.5. I do this for an entire hour, 6 days a week. I'm just getting back into running again after having to take time off from an injury as well.
....
I think the term running is used to mean very different things... But on a message board like this, it might really mean an hour straight. I just know if I hear people talking in "the real world" I don't interpret their running to mean a specific speed or distance.
If I say I did "x" for "y" amt. of time I would never count my warm-up/cool-down in that. If I say I ran for 60 minutes I mean it. The entire workout is probably more like 80 minutes. But different people say different things.
Original Post by armandounc:
If I say I did "x" for "y" amt. of time I would never count my warm-up/cool-down in that. If I say I ran for 60 minutes I mean it. The entire workout is probably more like 80 minutes. But different people say different things.
Same here.
Before my knees went out earlier this year, I was up to about 6-8 miles and that would be a straight hour of running. The only stops I took were for quick water breaks, but I didn't do the walk/run bit (when my distances get longer, I'm sure I will).
There's going to be the different angles of "running, the physical motion" vs. "running, the catch-all term for the entire activity including prep time."
just and anecdote here: There is a guy who comes to the gym after work every weekday, and runs 10 miles in one hour. No warmup. He just sets it at 6 minute miles and makes it look effortless. I couldn't resist asking him a few questions about that when we were in the locker room.
He doesn't run races. He only runs on the treadmill. His only motivation is "just to get some exercise, and running is handy." "Never tries to run fast" and has always run pretty much the same speed. He doesn't do intervals or other speed work. He admits to being genetically gifted (sister holds a US record, and has been in the Olympics), but he doesn't let that lure him into spoiling his favorite form of exercise.
He is definitely some sort of exception, but there are plenty of "mere mortals" that do a warmup, run for an hour or more, then do a cooldown.
