My first ever run

geordie_runner · June 24th, 2007, 09:18 AM

Hello New member here
I was shown this site by a friend of mine after i asked him for some pointers on training what i would require to do a half marathon.
To be honest i have always been a lazy type of person although i could play soccer till the cows come home. Exercise has never realy been high on the agender until i lost my grandma just last month to stomach cancer. My mum has always warned me about the harm im doing to my self by not eating healthy and performing very little exercise, so i have now decided to do something about it.
I have decided to take part in next years BUPA Great North Run in England which is a half marathon. This will be the first running event which i have ever taking part in so i dont know what to expect. I have around 17-18 months to train for the half marathon next year so im hoping that i will have enough time to get my self into shape so i can run a good race.
I have an induction at my local sports center gym tomorrow (The first gym i have ever applied for

) and was wondering if anyone could help me with some pointers to get me into the correct stride. I am 110% motivated to complete this run for my dead grandparents so mentaly i would like to say i am prepaired i just need some advice to get me in the correct condition.
Any help would be must appreciated
thanks

rindindindindindindin · June 24th, 2007, 10:28 AM

17-18 months is a long long time, you'll be ready no problem if you just train right....

I was in a similar situation to yours about 2 years ago, overwegith, no exercise, but very into sports... then i just started running... and I just ran the Ottawa Half Marathon in 1:38:58, and came 657/7671, and that was my first run... I only trained for 4 months.....

Everybody here will disagree with me but what I've found is that it is best to listen to your own body when training for this, and not some "smart coach" program... obviously try upping the mileage every week, but if you feel like going for a long run, go for it... don't run a short 5km just because your schedule tells you to... listen to your body... In my opinion thats where alot of the raw energy comes from, because you really enjoy the running, and not just because it is exercise...

Like right now my goal is to run the Montreal Marathon in september, and I tried following the "program" and felt like crap because I was being forced to run short distances when I really wanted to run long, and I felt like i wasnt getting anything out of the run. So last week i said to hell with the program, and 3 days ago I ran 20 km in 1:25, and last night I ran 10 km in 42 mins.... I don't feel sick, I feel amazing! Much more than running small 5km runs....

But then again that's just my personality, after a while It wasn't about burning calories, or looking good, it was about the love for running! That's why I don't like following programs! Because If I want to run, then I'm going to run because I enjoy it and love it! The looking good, and burning calories for me is an after thought now, and I'm actually under-weight for my age and height... but I'm not going to eat like a pig to put it back on, because I feel great with myself because I know that I stayed true to the sport.

So go for a run, see how you do, and then remember that you have more than a year to train! I'd be willing to bet money that no matter what your fitness level is right now you'll be able to do that run (and more!) after 17 months.

My only other advice: DO NOT RUN ON THE TREADMILLS!!!!!!!!!!

Treadmills to me totally take away from the enjoyment of the sport... I lvoe running through the street, the grass, the people, whatever! The treadmill doesn't motivate you! For example, If I start a 10 km run and pass 5 km... I have to finish or else I'll be completely stranded... whereas on a treadmill you can just press the STOP button...

Anyways good luck man! You'll do great I'm sure!

geordie_runner · June 24th, 2007, 10:59 AM

thanks for the quick reply pal i can see where you are coming from about not using a program although i think i may need to quickly set one up just to get me into the routine of exercise and then after a month i will asses my situation and see how i feel towards the exercise.
Your idea about not using the tredmill is one hell of a way to keep you running i like it.
cheers for the advice pal

Jake15 · June 24th, 2007, 01:46 PM

Thats not true. You're supposed to stick to a plan. The problems come when people make their own plans, and just write down random milleage and paces because they think it sounds right. Im not sure what the correct plans are, but I know they are a lot of longer runs, because less speed and more endurance is needed for half marathons. I'm sure if you checked around at your local sports stores, or even on google, then you could find a good plan.

geordie_runner · June 24th, 2007, 01:52 PM

cheers for the advice jake is it possible to look for plan in which i can do a little bittle of upper body muscle training just to take the strain away after doing to much cardio?
Thanks

rindindindindindindin · June 24th, 2007, 09:45 PM

here is one of those personalizing plans:

http://www.runnersworld.com/cda/smar...-0-0-0,00.html

it's pretty cool, and should be good for you!

geordie_runner · June 26th, 2007, 08:32 AM

cheers pal il look into it now, i had my induction at the gym yesterday and had a quick go on the tredmill, when i came of my calfs were really tight is this normal for just starting out?

Jake15 · June 26th, 2007, 09:29 PM

yes, it is, but i probably wouldnt do too much bulking, but tone yourself. That tightness in your calves means stretch a litle more, but its not that bad, I get it a lot in my quads. I really gotta recomend not using a treadmill however. THey're not good for pace, and just aren't good training machines in general.

http://www.usatf.org/routes/map/

Its a custom run map maker for your runs. It's pretty easy to use, type in your zip code, state you live in, and town name.

**cujo-1** · August 23rd, 2007, 10:25 PM

also can use a walkman or ipod to keep your mind off running while your running.

**homeydogg** · September 11th, 2007, 03:41 PM

I'm going to agree with Rindin, to a degree.

You got a lot of time before the race. Use the next few months to learn to enjoy running and to listen to your body. Commit to running before committing to a program. Don't worry about times, but vary your distances and courses, run with people and run alone. Try to establish a nice quick "maintenance pace" that allows you to recover from hills while chewing up distance.

In January, start a program specifically for the half-marathon.

I have been running about 50 miles/wk for a few years. Three Saturdays ago I saw a notice for a half marathon posted on one of the trails I run. The race was this past Saturday. I hadn't run in a race since 1986. So I did a few runs of 10-11 miles that week and dropped back to 7 miles/day the week before the race.

I'm 45, 5'11" and my weight goes between 190-200lbs. There was no doubt in my mind that there I was carrying more than 10 times as much fat as 99% of the people in the race, but I managed to finish in the top 100 (98) of the 600 runners. That was because I had confidence in my base and ran for the enjoyment.