T-shirt opportunity right there. :groucho:
I like your stress relief plan… the more I think about it, I realize I’m the same way. I guess that means I need to put more importance on working running into my workout schedule regularly and will notify the bf of his increased responsibilities dealing with my stress levels. Definitely think Solai’s t-shirt idea is a great one.
Here are some things that I do when I want to work on increasing my pace. I do them on a rotation, one per run, depending on how I’m feeling and how much effort I want to put into it that day. Then it kind of builds over time to make you feel comfortable running at a faster pace. Also, these are for working on a treadmill where you can set the settings:
- Do my normal run at normal pace, but kick up the speed by .5 for the last quarter mile to finish off. It works like an end of race sprint mentally.
- Add .1 to the speed up from the last time for the entire run, then next run add .1 until I’m up .5 speed, etc, you get the point. Very slow process for this one but definitely works.
- A tougher one, but the best way to build your lungs: do a set of sprints at the end of a run with the speed set 1.0 speed faster than your regular run, usually a shorter run so I leave energy for sprints. The next time you run you’ll feel like you can push yourself harder and a little faster. (If you want details for how to use the treadmill for sprints which took me a long time to learn and a few training classes using the treadmill for sprints, let me know!)
- Also, you can try running a shorter distance on purpose, for example say 1 mile, and just run it faster knowing it’s a shorter distance, then walk until you catch your breath and then do another 1 mile at your faster pace, walk to catch your breath and see if you can do more or if that’s it for the day.
That’s what I do! Hopefully something will make sense and be practical for you! I think the most important thing is to realize that you have to build up to it, not just go in and one day run a better time. And know that if you have questions we can try to help!
I’m bad about drs too, I will wait and self-diagnose to see if I can figure it out on my own, not great I know, but with injuries it’s a different ball of wax and if you can manage to figure it out and set an appointment, it might be worth your troubles to get you back on your feet again pun kind of intended 
Yay, congratulations on getting started! Now keep it up : ) and let us know how you’re doing when you’re ready
hey gang! I know I’ve been absent from the forums for a while, but am starting to run again after a stretch of injuries and will hopefully be visiting here a lot more from now on!
how’s everyone been doing?
hmmm I’m no expert, but what kind of music do you listen to?
I’ll for example if I’m listening to something with a good drum beat, try to have my feet hit the ground every time I hear the beat (good example is Knights of Cydonia by Muse)
that might not always work, I use a treadmill so when I up my pace I just up the speed .1 each time, if you’re out running on the street it might be more psychological to move faster, I know about 4 years ago when I was running just for the sake of improving myself it was more of a mental fight with myself to kick up the pace
Yay! Keep it up, Jefe!
Rats. That does make it harder…
Heh. I’d buy it and I"d wear it proudly.
Thanks for the ideas. I listen to audiobooks when I run, usually science fiction or something light and adventure-driven. I run on the arc trainer, which is like an elliptical but allows you to move more naturally–it better mimics the human gait. For me, it’s better for avoiding the stress to the tendon of my foot that I injured than the elliptical. I’d like to move back to the treadmill but am sticking to no-impact options for now on doctor’s advice.
I’ll try out ramping up the speed by monitoring my strides/minute. Unlike on a treadmill, I set the pace independently. That’s both a good thing and a bad thing. It’s more comfortable to do it myself but a little harder to keep pushing at the point where my body could do just a <little> more but is right on the edge. I’ll give some of the sprints techniques a try and let y’all know how it goes.
Thanks!
Hey gang,
Wanted to follow up on a tweet from earlier this evening. Workouts have been going really well, but I’ve kinda been distracted recently. My wife went in for brain surgery on Friday. Great news though, by today (Sunday) she was up doing chair dips, walking lunges and yoga on the ward. She’s been going pretty hard for the last couple months leading up to the surgery date, and the level of fitness that she’s build looks like it’s served her well.
Anyhow, things at work look like they should be slowing down and this distraction is shortly to be a thing of the past! ‘Wolverines’!
So, I was pushing towards 100 kg (220 lbs) and wasn’t too happy with it.
I have been taken better care of myself this last year. Hypertension is handled with a minimum medication and a healthier approach to my day-to-day life. To much bad cholesterol is also managed with a small amount of medication (it is determined to be too difficult to handle with just my diet). And I try to live less of a burnout lifestyle.
The problem is, I love to cook. Drink wine with my friends. Grab a pint at the pub. And work every chance I get (sitting down, coding and drinking lots of coffee). ”But you wrote ’less of burnout lifestyle’ just one paragraph ago?” Yep, sorry. I’m trying to take it easy. It’s hard.
Why should you care? Why am I posting? I have laced up my running shoes once again, and I will try to get in shape. The weight isn’t really the issue (I’m 6" 4’). But it is a good indication of my general lack of fitness. So, since a few weeks back I have been running 2 or 4 miles a couple of times each week and I will continue to do so (increasing the distance once I am able to). Never been much of athlete, but I discovered running in my twenties and have done it off and on through the years. I thought this would be the place to find (and offer) inspiration and get good advice.
TL; DR Swedish guy has the misconception that he is fat and will run regularly to enable him to keep drinking alcohol and eating fat, flour, and sugar.
You can still cook and drink and be healthy! Just maybe a little more moderation.
Hola all! I’m returning to work this week after a summer of playing stay at home mom, and I NEED to keep up with my fitness. Otherwise I morph into angry bitch. Have to get that stress relief in. So I’m hoping joining this thread will help with the motivation and keep me accountable, even after long days at work. Right now I’m running and doing some weights, and I really want to get back to my yoga practice, but TIME! It is such an issue.
Anyways, hello again and glad to meet you.
I’m doing the same thing as you are. Running/Walking. Some small/moderate free weights with Bow-Flex dumbells and Yoga for the off days. Time is definitely an issue, but I’ve made time for this in my life. And the cardio/treadmil time is a great time to stay current with some great scifi on the DVR!
long time no talk Amberite!
good to hear the wife is doing well!
I’m now back up to 3.25 miles again, slowly but surely looking to work my way back up to those half marathons again! had a couple ankle injuries along with my finger getting pinched in a gate latch that have destroyed my fitness routine the last couple months
going to try to do some lifting again soon, wanted to start building up the cardio first, in terms of just lbs that I can lift I really haven’t lost much because I do so much lifting at work, the only thing I’ve really lost is reps
I know I’ve been absent from the forums for a while, but am starting to run again after a stretch of injuries and will hopefully be visiting here a lot more from now on!
Same here. I fell of track when I hurt my knee but I feel like I’m getting a handle on it again. I’m lifting weights three days a week now instead of four or five, but I figure that once you fall off the mountain you can’t get back to the top all at once. So right now my goal is to get back in the habit of going to the gym and then to slowly ramp it up.
If only progress was always in a straight line instead of this two steps forward one frustrating step back crap. Ah, well. Wolverines!
Well, 3 days a week with the trainer seems like a good start. In addition to the Monday leg work, we did back and um, something-ceps on Tuesday and then chest and the-other-ceps on Wednesday plus about 20 minutes of cardio on each of those days.
I weighed myself yesterday and haven’t lost any weight, so I decided to get more serious about my actual diet as well. I ate fast food on my off days and some deserts, so that’s what I’m cutting. I planned on doing this anyway, but after the disappointment of no results I immediately went out last night and did some grocery shopping.
Now I really need to motivate myself to get up early in the morning and use my elliptical. I’m just not a morning person.
In about an hour and a half, I turn 39.
I will be in good health and decent shape by the time I’m 40.
Hey buddy good to be back! Crappy to hear about the injuries, but with your amazing dedication to your fitness goals, I’ve got no doubts that you’ll be crushing half marathons again in no time!
Heya Nike - totally the right spirit! The last few months have had some serious ups and downs for me, but it just takes a couple of good workouts, combined with starting to feel the difference, and BAM, nothing will be able to stop you!
Heya Jefe, Happy Birthday! I’m running towards 40 later this year with fitness as a really strong motivator, and it sounds like with your trainer you’re going to destroy your fitness goals… totally - Wolverines 
Had an awesome chest day today following an intense HIIT session on the elliptical and some pretty good core reps. It was one of those days where I looked at the clock, saw that I was probably going to be late for work, and said “screw it, one more set of incline bench”.
Good luck with your fitness goals everyone!!! GWCFitness FTW!
Heya Starbucc’ thought I would chime in on the topic. I’m an elliptical guy, and I broke through one of my fitness plateaus last year when I found a way to ratchet up my cardio. I switched from audiobooks and casts to beats-per-minute specific music. There’s an entire fitness music industry out there that I was totally unaware of, but it makes sense (all those instructors need to get their music somewhere). Check out sites like workoutmusic.com or powermusic.com. I try to find tracks around 150 bpm, (i.e. 75 rpm on a bike or elliptical), and mainly tribal stuff as I’m not a fan of top 40 (still lift to metal/nu-metal tho).
Another way other than straight pace to push a bit harder is to monitor calories per hour, that way you can compensate for more resistance and lower pace, but still hit an arbitrary endpoint.
I also use HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training - basically sprint training like Darth suggested) interspersed with regular days. Tons of research out there showing that HIIT is more effective in raising your base metabolic rate than longer periods of steady state cardio.
Hope it helps
So I need some advice. Maybe a little encouragement. I have decided the best way for me to get in shape is going to be running. I do not really want to get a gym membership I would rather have it be me and the open road and my dog. I have always envied runners but have never really enjoyed running. Probably because I am out of shape I am guessing.
So is there a point with running if you do not like it that you make it over some hill where you start to enjoy it? Also I keep hearing that I need to run in the morning the problem is I work way to early to want to get up early to run I figured I would just go after work or later in the evening…Is that a bad plan? I am wondering if there is a reason it is better in the morning if anyone knows.
Rutabaga, I also love to cook and I really, really love beer and wine, I have a caffeine addiction, and I work every chance I get. Not a Swede, but my fiancee’s grandmother was
When I decided to use injury recovery as a platform for really getting fit again, I started cooking less, but only because I was at the gym so often after work. Samantha cooks a lot more–I pay her back with sex and gratitude but the distribution of chores is more uneven now. And she has changed how she cooks to be more healthy for me. You can almost always halve the oil in a recipe with no problem. She has perfected the art of making tofu crispy with minimal oil, for which I am forever grateful.
I work less, because I can’t work 50-60 hours a week and spend 3-4 hours a week in the gym. It hasn’t negatively impacted my performance, but has forced me to be more focused while I’m working.
My caffeine addiction is the vice that’s stuck. I drink 2 cups of coffee each morning and usually either a post-lunch cup of coffee or a diet coke. Whatever. We all have some faults.
The sad part is that I have basically given up beer and wine. It’s hard. I’m still in mourning. But I looked around at my diet and activities and life as a whole and decided what fit and what didn’t. Tragically, alcohol was extra baggage. It had to go. I could have allowed myself a once a week beer, but I would have a really hard time with just one. And there is always beer in the house that belongs to Samantha, so just quitting was the best way to make it stick. The upside is that now I’m a whole lot of fun if you get just one drink in me!
In summary, YOU CAN DO EET! Just take inventory and determine what choices you need to make. Some of them will be hard. They’re probably worth it, though.
So first of all, congrats on the new fitness routine! Working with a trainer 3 days a week is intense! Go, you. Second, don’t worry if you don’t lose weight right away. Cutting fast food is a really, really easy way to improve the healthiness of what you eat. Also, as you build up endurance you’ll be able to put in more time on cardio, which will help.
As far as mornings–I am also not a morning person. I literally cannot wake up before 7 on a regular basis. Tried and failed. And my job is not one where I can eat at my desk 2-3 times per week and take 75 minutes to go to the gym, work out, and come back the other 2-3 days. So I go after work. And I get home at 9. That’s why I don’t cook anymore.
Thanks, Amberite! I will definitely check out the websites for music. I really like listening to audio books because I get bored with the same music over and over. It’s also the best time I have for reading other than the 15m per night before I crash. This, however, could be a good way to shock my body into picking up the pace. I could go back to audio books after I’m trained into maintaining the speed.
I will also check out HIIT and see if I can work that in. I think sprints are a good option for me because I do like to vary my pace and resistance and incline throughout a workout. Great ideas!
Here’s what I got: I HATED running as a kid–you know, one of the kids who was always last running a mile in PE. Then I started taking long, long walks as a teenager because I needed, like all 14 year olds, to get the hell away from my family for a while. I explored a lot of the trails in the undeveloped land behind our neighborhood. It was fun. I started running at 15 and loved it.
Junior year, my best friend convinced me to join the cross country team with her. I trained the entire summer–running 3 miles each night. I was not good at running in a sense where I’d be competitive (no one with D cups is ever great, we’re just not aerodynamic!) but I could do it and it made my body feel so good. And I had the drive to push myself.
My coach was awful. He told me I should lose weight to shrink my boobs and was not supportive of me joining the team because I liked running rather than because I contributed to winning any meets. Sadly, the team’s culture was also kind of poisonous: there was a lot of competition rather than mutual support and the girls policed what everyone ate in really unhealthy ways.
The team drove me to hate running. I didn’t want to quit so I forced myself to keep at it, but I didn’t get any joy out of it anymore. After the season I tried running solo again and never got the happy back.
In college I played rugby and realized that I liked short, intense bursts of speed, though, again, I was never going to be a sprinter. It was good to like running again. But outside of the sport, it wasn’t practical. So I didn’t run again until this year. I love it again. Even when I’m tired, as long as my body isn’t demanding that I not do it, I look forward to stepping onto the Arc Trainer the 2-3 days per week that I run. I love the challenge and the endorphins.
I have no idea whether you can get to loving it or not, but why not try if you want to? If you’re going to run outside, all you need is to invest in a new pair of shoes.
Thank you both. Moderation is the key, I guess. As I mentioned I have made some changes in my lifestyle, but mainly towards a healthier mindset. Now it is time to apply that same logic towards physical fitness. I have started with regular exercise and will also think about what I eat and drink.
I have never been a gym guy. The open road, or a nice track through the woods, have always been my choice when I run. I also work early mornings and prefer to run when I get home from work. As long as I have an afternoon snack it works fine.
The enjoyment will eventually come. I’m trying to find my way back to it myself. It is hard in the beginning, but it is worth it.
I try to keep a few things in mind when I run:
- Run a few hundred meters in a slow pace to warm up the muscles. Stop, stretch and let the breathing settle, but don’t cool down to much. The first couple of times this will feel like ”I can only run for 10 minutes, why waste it on a warm up?”. Don’t give up. You don’t want to hurt yourself.
- Settle in to a pace where you ’could’ have a conversation with a fellow runner. Don’t forget to breathe.
- If you have to stop running, do so. Keep moving and walk fast until you feel up to running again.
- Try to push yourself at the end. A short sprint to really empty your reserves.
- Keep track of your progress. It is a great motivator to see that you run one minute faster than the previous week.
- Don’t injure yourself and invest in good shoes that’s right for you.
I’m not trained, so this is based on my experiences. I will try to get more into intervals and hill running when (if) I get in better shape, and share my findings.
Yay for you making the right decision for yourself!! Just like Starbuccaneer said, it’s ok if you don’t see weight loss right away. It’s a process, especially if you’re going about it in a healthy way and not losing water weight etc. Making decisions about healthy eating and making the time for the workouts will show in time so don’t be discouraged! The most important thing is that you continue to feel good while you’re working out and keep up your proper nutrition. Try going back and reading some of Chuck’s posts in the thread, they’re great and have a lot of information about healthy food choices and his story of weight loss. And as always keep us updated!!
I agree with these things!! I’ve always been involved in sports, I played soccer for many years growing up and through college but I was never a runner (yes, even though I played soccer) until the summer before my senior year of college, when I found a way to like running on my own.
I had to find music that I liked listening to while also motivated me to run, I like music that has a beat and doesn’t stick in my head. For some people, it’s 'casts or audiobooks. Basically something that makes you kind of forget that you’re doing something else (running) that you may or may not want to do until you get into the rhythm of it.
The shoes issue: absolutely important. When I first started running, I had the wrong kind of shoes and it made running so not fun. I ended up finding a store that focused on running footwear and had them test my stance and stride and suggest a shoe. See if there’s one in your area like that OR go to an athletic footwear store and try some options on. Don’t be afraid to take a few strides in them to see if they’re comfortable. It’ll make a big difference when you get out on the open road. Since then, I get the same exact brand and model of show whenever I need new ones because they just fit my feet.
Last thing, make sure you start where you can! Just like all other fitness things, you have to start off and build up to longer distances and better times. If you keep at it, your body will look forward to it and with the endorphins you get, soon you’ll start to look forward to it until you realise you like it.
And Re: when you should run, it really depends on you. The main thing is to make sure you have enough energy to go for a run depending on when you go. I go in the morning if I run outside because I know I won’t go after work if it’s too hot. I eat some of a protein bar and then go. If I plan to run at the gym after work, I have to make sure to have a snack around 3:30-4 otherwise I’m too hungry by the time I get done with work at 5 to 6:30 ish. You might find once you start running that you’ll figure out what might fit your schedule and your level of energy. I know when I run in the morning I have a lot more energy throughout the day, but if I’m working out consistently, I usually do anyways : )
After all that, if you made it this far, good luck with!! Come back to us with questions if you have them and let us know how you’re doing!