Jogging/Cardio questions/concerns...any HELP appreciate!

So I have been doing the same walking/jogging combo for about a year now….it is basically 4 miles at a time, up/down hill, straight aways, curves, etc. around my town. Over the summer (now that I had time) I changed a few things to the usual routine. For example I lightly jog/sprint the whole 4 miles now (no walking) and have been doing it twice a day (for a total of 8 miles daily)….this has left me with some questions:

1.)    Is jogging 8 miles like this a day too much? Like not even just calorie wise (say I eat enough to sustain at it), but like on my joints, etc.? If it is how many miles a day are more appropriate and how many “break days” should I take (if any)

2.)    In a few weeks I return to my regular schedule as a student, meaning I will not have time to jog 8 miles a day except maybe on Sat. and Sun. I may be able to squeeze in a few jogs/walks during the week, but I know it will not be daily and will at most be probably 4 miles a day on weekdays. Is this going to do anything to my weight when I cut down? Like is my body used to 8 miles now (I have been losing slightly, but not that much since increasing about a month ago)

3.)    Since yesterday I have developed a pain in my knee cap. What could this be. It kept me from going out a second time today and I am concerned. It isn’t horrible, but is still there. Any advice what I should do?

Hi lalce1!!

Doubling your mileage is not a good idea.  Always follow the 10% rule and never add more than 10% to your WEEKLY mileage.  Most of us just add 10% per week to our long run of the week, but you are doing 8 miles per day :-)

8 miles a day is not too much if your body is used to it.  Avid runners I know regularly do 50 miles per week, but you have to build up to this number to avoid injury.  Is your knee pain directly under your knee cap or to one side or the other?  If you are experiencing a sharp pain, that is an indicator to take a break until you are healed.  Minimum one rest day a week, and preferably two.  Every fourth week should be a rest week by cutting your volume back to 60%.

Even if you aren't racing, I think you should follow a plan, ya know?  It helps you build your strength and mileage without injuring yourself, and you can use it to plan your workouts later.

I can't comment on how many days per week and how many miles per day is too much... That's a pretty individual thing, and it depends on how you've worked up to it, I think.  Part of it depends on what your goal is.

But with regards to cutting back on your exercise and still trying to lose weight... It's about calories burned vs. calories taken in.  If you're "losing slightly" now, and you cut your burned calories back by 300 or so per day, you very well might stop losing weight.  300 calories per day = 2100 calories per week = about 2/3 of a pound of weight loss per week.  And I'm making up the 300 calories based on the amount I burn for running 5k (3 miles).  Your burn might be different.

Your choice is either keep doing more exercise, or cut back on the amount you're eating.  Are you tracking how much you're eating?  Do you have a target number of calories per day, based on your size/gender/activity level?  Without that information, it's hard to judge.  You could go based on how much you're losing per week... If you're losing 1 pound per week now (on average), you'll only be losing 1/3 of a pound per week if you cut out 300 calories of exercise per day.  So you may want to cut back on your food if you still want to lose weight at a "reasonable" level.

Oh, and often runners (and other exercise fans) will take at least one day off completely per week.  It's good to give your body a break.  You could also try some cross-training, so you're not always subjecting your body to the impacts of running.  Swimming, biking, etc.  But try taking one day a week off totally.

Clint

thanks guys...great advice that I'll take into account....

update on my knee: I have been icing it before/after my jogs and the pain is pretty much gone (and this is only the second day of doing that!)....but yea I will take into account the 1 day a week off thing and cut back if that pain returns...it was just a little pain under my right knee cap (left was fine)....I have been going up and down these two really big hills...so I think they were the culprits perhaps...

also, when I go back to school and can not exercise as much I will adjust my diet accordingly (since I do have an idea of how much I eat ina  day)....I'm not even trying to lose weight now, so if that stops it's all good

under the kneecap pain could very well be patellar tendinitis.  In runners, it tends to appear when you increase intensity too quickly (either distance or speed), so it might be a good idea to lessen your distance a little bit and then build back up to 8 miles a day if that's your goal.  Keep icing, it helps a lot.

Here's are two links about it.  Pain when going down stairs is a classic sign.  I know it says it's a jumper's injury, but trust me it's not.  It's a reason why you see some runners wearing straps under their kneecap.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/patellar-ten dinitis/ds00625
http://orthopedics.about.com/cs/patelladisord ers/a/patellartendon.htm