That is just my experience of course. If one is happy with feeling as though they plod then they should continue doing it.
More of less or less of more?
- Thread starter Bare Lee
- Start date
Sorry to hear of the asthma Lomad. Is it a good or bad thing if it happens later in life? I know diabetes is a lot worse when it comes on in childhood. Anyway, hope you're able to get on top of it soon and that it doesn't keep you from your workouts.
It's cool to hear we're all thinking along the same lines here. I feel kinda dumb for not realizing some of this earlier, but it makes perfect sense to me now. I'm glad I launched this thread (my virgin post). The feedback has really clarified/solidified my sense of it, and I hope others have profited from the discussion as well.
Anyway, keep us all posted on your knees and lungs and all the best.
Lomad,
I completely understand the feeling of tedious or monotinous that is how I feel about running longer distances.
I completely understand the feeling of tedious or monotinous that is how I feel about running longer distances.
Yeah, as a sub-four-minute miler, I would've thought you'd have been the first to sympathize with our frustration with plodding
.OK, until tomorrow. Time to fire up the grill again.
Oh, I think I've had the asthma for ages, it was just mild and I didn't really notice it until I got serious about running and biking again. Before, if i would get winded and feel like I was dying I attributed it to being out of shape and back at the starting gate. After really sticking with it over the last year and it never feeling easier (just wheezier) I decided to make a doctor appointment. He picked up the signs of asthma almost immediately.
I think it's a good thing to know, and be able to treat it. Less chance of keeling over mid-run now, I guess. My hope is that now that i'm aware and treating it i will see some improved lung function and be able to extend my runs. My legs have been great so hopefully now my lungs will catch up!
Agile, you nailed it. Sometimes going long is a necessary evil. I know it's good, i know i need to do it, I just don't want to. Those days it feels like plodding. Other days, long runs go by like a quick jog around the block. The trick is getting the mental state to the place where it's more zen and less plod...
I think it's a good thing to know, and be able to treat it. Less chance of keeling over mid-run now, I guess
. My hope is that now that i'm aware and treating it i will see some improved lung function and be able to extend my runs. My legs have been great so hopefully now my lungs will catch up!Agile, you nailed it. Sometimes going long is a necessary evil. I know it's good, i know i need to do it, I just don't want to. Those days it feels like plodding. Other days, long runs go by like a quick jog around the block. The trick is getting the mental state to the place where it's more zen and less plod...
I should add i run without music or podcasts or any such; This makes the less awesome longer runs feel even longer. On the good days, it becomes almost meditative and i love it.
If you feel like you plodding along I would try to find some trail runs or at least some hilly road runs to make it more interesting. Its fun to run up hills at a slow pace then hammer downhill on them but still keep an even effort the whole time...to me its actually easier on the uphill when running barefoot. You have to keep challenging yourself in some way or another...just change the way you do it to keep it interesting.
I've moved the bulk of my longer runs to trails already, and actively seek out hills. it does help, but some days are just 'off.' It doesn't happen often (I think this thread has given the impression it feels that way a lot); I was just commiserating with Lee that I've had that feeling as well...
I run in the early morning and prefer natural sounds as well, with the birds and insects, and neighborhood rooster. (I live in the 'burbs, so I don't know why there is a rooster, but there are some wooded areas.) Oh right, I also run on the blacktop, so I need to hear the occasional car coming, too.
As far as more of less or less of more, I still consider myself a beginner. I'm trying to gradually build distance, but I'd like to get quicker, too. (Losing those last 15 pounds should help!) As I'm learning to vary surfaces, I'm also learning to vary pace. I've been incorporating some of Higdon's suggestions, and they seem pretty helpful. I haven't added strength yet, as I haven't found it productive in the past while maintaining a calorie deficit.
Half Marathon Training Guide - Intermediate Program
NickW
Guest
If you are having a bad run day, long or short, there is nothing wrong with calling it quits for the day. I truly believe this but I have a hard time calling it quits myself. I'm stubborn and I almost have a fight with myself about calling it. I hate quitting and it's hard for me to bring myself to do it even though I know there's nothing wrong with it.
I truly believe this but I have a hard time calling it quits myself. I'm stubborn and I almost have a fight with myself about calling it. I hate quitting and it's hard for me to bring myself to do it even though I know there's nothing wrong with it.[/quote said:
I agree. If your body says 'don't do this,' or if you feel really lethargic, it's time to take some time off. Your body is telling you something. If you ignore it, you might get run down and pick up a mild head cold, or get lazy about form and injure something.
I've been trying and trying to get in the runs first thing in the morning, but it's really the last thing I want to do when I first wake up. But I know early morning workouts are the key to consistency over the long run for a lot of people. Have you always run early in the morning Sid? Or did you have to transition into it a bit before it became easy to hit the road soon after waking up?
NickW
Guest
I used to always run early morning and had a love hate relationship with it. For the first couple weeks it was really easy to hit the snooze button and go back to sleep instead of getting up. After a couple weeks it got easier and I would enjoy my runs more and getting up wasn't so bad anymore.
Morning Nick!
Yah the struggle is mental. I delivered newspapers early in the morning when I was a kid, and hit the road about a half hour after waking up when I was traveling by bicycle, so I know it's possible. But right now when I wake up I immediately think of a shot of espresso and some internet news browsing (and BRS forum quipping), before settling down to work. It will take some effort to reprogram.
Yah the struggle is mental. I delivered newspapers early in the morning when I was a kid, and hit the road about a half hour after waking up when I was traveling by bicycle, so I know it's possible. But right now when I wake up I immediately think of a shot of espresso and some internet news browsing (and BRS forum quipping), before settling down to work. It will take some effort to reprogram.
A year and a half ago, when I first decided to get back in shape, I didn't have a lot of endurance. So, I would do 20 minutes of cardio in the morning and 20 min in the afternoon. I felt pretty rotten the first week or two, almost like I had the flu, but it was just my body adjusting to getting up early. It's sort of like when the clock changes forward for daylight saving.
I've found that when I'm in shape and stick to a cardio routine, I naturally need about an hour less sleep and wake up ahead of my alarm. Maybe I'm lucky, since I essentially get back the time that I spend exercising.
Right now, it's so hot in Florida that it's coolest in the morning, so that's another reason. The afternoon heat and humidity just saps all my energy. Even at dusk, the blacktop is still pretty warm.
As for my morning drink, I mix some whey protein powder with some unsweetened cocoa powder, before I go for my jog. (I'm still watching the carbs until I get back to my goal weight.)
