running question.

Question about running:

Ever since high school I have never been able to run a full mile. I don't know what it is, I just can't do it. My body won't let me. Recently, I have started to try to run again at the gym, and at home. And not to my surprise, I can't run very far. I think I can go 1/8 of a mile before I have to stop. Does anyone know why this is?

Thanks.

Sounds like a mental blockage because the same thing happened to me & its still something I'm working on.  You need to distract you brain by using an ipod or watch tv (if you have a treadmill at home).

What worked for me is try to think of time rather than distance, so for example -  this week I will run for 5 mins, next week I will run for 8 mins and just keep building it up. 

Yesterday I ran for 26 mins (Warm up for 1, ran for 10 mins, walked for 2mins, ran for 10 mins, walked for 3mins, ran for 6 mins).  Was well chuffed with myself though especially when I seen that the distance was nearly 4.5 miles!!

Hope this is of help!

My first question is why do you HAVE to stop-- are you out of breath, do you have a painful stitch in your side? 

I'm a new runner and have been following the oh-so-popular Couch to 5K program.  It is structured to start you off slow, ie.- running for 60 seconds, then walking for 90 seconds.  I've really enjoyed the program so far and I typically loathe cardio!

Another good tip I got from a running friend is don't run so much as jog, IOW don't run at full speed or you'll exhaust yourself immediately.  It's not a race, it's a run. Keep your steps close together, get a rhythm going and breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.

As I continue to run I have noticed my endurance is slowly increasing.  Hope the same happens for you, keep running!

What happens is I run out of breath, and my legs start to fall from under me. And I get this sensation in my feet like pins and needles, like they are falling asleep or something. I've noticed that I can run then walk, then run then walk, and that works, but after a mile of doing that I'm about to pass out. At the same time, I could bike to 10 miles without stopping. It probably is mental, but I always feel like..well...I'm going to fall down. As silly as that sounds.

Well, if you really want to run, try reading this article.  It's very popular "couch to 5K".  It is designed for someone who, basically, can't run due to endurance problems (i.e., the beginning runner).  It has worked for many...

http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.s html

Seriously. No one can just up and run a mile without training for it. The fact that you expect to be able to just stand up and run a mile without feeling it could be your biggest problem (i.e. a mental thing). Even the first few times you walk 2 minutes, run 1 minute, etc., you will still feel winded. It takes a little while to build up your aerobic (the system that connects the heart and lungs together) capacity. My advice is not to be so hard on yourself. If you feel like dying, hell, walk for a longer period.

When I first started running, it took me weeks before I could run a full mile without wanting to lay down on the ground and die. But it does get easier.

i totally understand how you feel- when i first started running i could barely do 1 minute without wanting to die! i was so out of breath and my shins were on fire. i am doing the couch to 5K program and now, 6 weeks later i can do 20 minutes nonstop! my advice:

1. try a program like couch to 5K which will give you structure and small goals to work towards

2. run SLOWLY! dont worry about speed, who cares how fast you're going? the way to build endurance is by increasing TIME not SPEED.   i am up to running 20 minutes but that is at 5mph.  maybe later on i will be able to go faster but for now i am working on increasing my times

3. it sounds like you need new running shoes. some people recommend going up 1/2 to a whole size in running sneakers.  i used to get pain in my toes and severe shin splints after 1 minute of running- now that i have bigger sneakers i havent had this problem at all!  go to a professional running store and have them fit you for proper sneakers.  its not more expensive than going to a regular sneaker store and you'll get better service!

 

4. be sure to stretch and warm up with a brisk walk.  your body will hurt less

5.  dont be discouraged!  its unrealistic to expect to be able to run 1 mile right away.  i used to be just like you and then i readjusted my goals.  take baby steps!  thats why couch to 5K is so great.  you will feel accomplished after realizing you can finish week 1 and build on that

 

good luck :)

Thank you so much for these great ideas!

I took a look at the couch to 5K website. I think I can do this. What do they mean by "brisk walking"? Is that like speedwalking?

I just wanted to post to let you know you can actually do this eventually. I was just like you. I have always played sports (volleyball at college level, basketball, softball, etc. in high school) and while these activities require moving and sometimes running (like up and down a basketball court, to a base) they were always "stop and go" and I had NO endurance to actually run straight through even a miles length. Even though I was in shape, even that I could run the basketball court for hours up and down. I could never run on a mill or a track or outside, I had no idea why.

But what i did one day was just start getting on the treadmill and trying to push myself. I had a great ipod mix and go to a gym with personal tvs on each machine. I tried not to think about what I was doing or look at the time and distance. After a few times I could do two miles. Then I got up to three, four, five and just this morning I ran nonstop 6 miles, which I can do frequently now. Just hang in there and push yourself, seriously. YOU CAN. I never, ever thought I could run more than maybe a mile ever.

everybody feels comfortable at different paces- by "brisk walking" they just mean walking fast, like power walking- but really its just to get your body warmed up- the actual pace doesnt matter in my opinion.  i walk at 3.5-4mph and run at 5mph, and i know as it gets easier ill be able to go a little faster- it takes some experience to figure out what a comfortable pace is for you

I just wanted to say that today I went to the gym to do the first day of the couch to 5K program and I can officially say that this is really going to work for me. I can tell. I know I can do this. Thanks so much for those who suggested it!!!

 

i went through  this about 8 years ago, and then helped my boyfriend through it about 3 years ago. pace is crucial, which is very hard to set when you first start-- everyone goes too fast at first! until you know what a "good" pace feels like, how do you make sure you aren't going to fast?

one trick i found helpful was to pace mysef based on my breathing... i usually take  6 steps for one cycle of breathe-in-breathe-out. if i'm breathing at this rate, i know i'm running slowly enough that i can continue for 30+ minutes. if i want to push myself (e.g., short run or at the very end of along run) i'll pick up the pace until i have to take a breath every 4 steps, which i can maintain for maybe 5 minutes. also, you want your breathing to be in synch with your steps to avoid stitches.

my boyfriend commented the other day at the end of a 3-mile run that when we started he couldn't do half a mile without stopping. now i'm chasing him!

Hi shuber,
I have recently started the "Couch to 5K" running program as well and happened upon these podcasts of music that tell you when to walk and run...they're AWESOME!! 

You can download them for free:

http://www.ullreys.com/robert/Podcasts/podcas ts/podcasts.html

Definitely check them out if you can!

Have fun running!

Original Post by jenka:

Seriously. No one can just up and run a mile without training for it.

That isn't true, or shouldn't be, especially if the OP is a teen or young adult. In high school I was able to run the requisite mile without any conditioning at all. Many kids could, because they did it, too. It was something you were required to do once a year, and 90% or more of us did. P.E. certainly didn't prepare us. It wasn't until I started working out for myself at 17 that I had any real conditioning to speak of.

Maybe these days it is becoming true, though, since kids just don't get outside the way they used to. But as a teen I didn't do that much outside, either. I was always studying. And all the same I once won a track-meet mile for my high school's coach without ever having run before that save once a year, for gym. I could do it because I was a kid with a kid's natural endurance.

So perhaps it is just mental at that.

In college a friend of mine told me, “go as slow as you need to, in order to finish 12 minutes.” You can walk, jog, wog, whatever . . . just go slow so you can keep moving for 12 minutes. The first time I did this I was so impressed with myself - I wogged (walk/jog) for 20+ minutes and eventually finished two miles! This fall, 5 years later, I finished a marathon.