Commitment to running plan.

Live2Pin · August 30, 2008, 06:06:47 PM

I'm hoping I can get her to join me !!

Koy Kosek · August 30, 2008, 08:59:06 PM

Just buzzing around areas of the forum I don't usually check. I feel Tom's pain. It's hard to describe how ungifted I am at distance running. Imagine woody, then twice as wide. I have physical blessings but they have nothing to do with distance running.

Here's what I've been doing since about mid-April, when I decided that I wanted to get in better shape: walking. The first week, I walked 15 miles, and I was sore. Over a three-month period, I built up to 30 miles per week. Then, for the next three months, I am holding at 30 miles per week walking, and then also running one day per week, adding distance to that run in cycles. I am currently at a 2-3 mile run and will build up to a 5 3/4-mile run. I am about one month into the running phase. I don't want to say what my times are, but let's just say that Tom is slightly faster than me at the moment.

The results after the first three months of walking only were surprising on three counts:

One, I don't monitor my weight because I think it's a really oversimplified measure of physical fitness, but I was able to check it after about three months and I hadn't lost any weight. None. This came as a surprise because I could tell that I had lost at least an inch my waist by how my jeans fit.

Second, I took my pulse when I got up one morning after about three months of my walking-only phase and it was 49 beats per minute. I thought, ok, I lost my concentration sometime during the minute and lost count; when I wrestled for the Badgers, my resting pulse rate was never under 58-60, and I did a mile on a treadmill in 7:07 when I was in peak shape back then. So I took my pulse again. It was 48. Thus, my resting heart rate is a lot lower now, just from walking, than it was when I wrestled in college. The walking doesn't seem to tighten up my back as much as running does, either. This all seems to jibe with stuff I've read that says that walking is about the most natural exercise you can do for you body. (I also do about 20 push-ups, several pull-ups, and about 150 reps of ab work as well, which I'm sure have limited cardio benefit.)

Finally, when I finally started running after three months of walking only, my legs felt better than they ever had. Ever. Including in college. My lungs are on fire and my gut isn't close to being acclimated to it, but I ran just over 3 miles last week and my legs felt like they could go at least twice as far and weren't sore at all the next day. My calves are definitely stronger than they've ever been.

So I'm now a believer in walking; maybe it just works well for me for some genetic reason, I don't know. It does take forever, but the warm-up and cool down of other exercises eat up a lot of time, as well, and walking really doesn't have that. The only other drawback is that, because it is so much more efficient for your body than hopping from foot to foot, you only burn about half as many "net" calories walking as you do running over the same distance.

Live2Pin · August 31, 2008, 12:27:15 PM

There's plenty of literature out there to back up everything you said Koy. From a pure fat burning stand point you are better off walking 30 miles per week than running. 30 miles of walking is a lot of exercise !

TomM · September 01, 2008, 10:43:27 PM

UPDATE:
SUN/AUG 31: Ran 10.0 miles in 2:06 ...slow.. It got really hot by 9am and I slowed down pretty much... I go slow running alone anyhow. Oh well...

bigoil · September 02, 2008, 05:58:22 AM

Quote from: "TomM"UPDATE:
SUN/AUG 31: Ran 10.0 miles in 2:06 ...slow.. It got really hot by 9am and I slowed down pretty much... I go slow running alone anyhow. Oh well...

that's awesome. Think back 6 weeks if that seemed possible.

Do they recommend tapering the last couple of weeks?

TomM · September 02, 2008, 12:11:33 PM

UPDATE:
TUES/SEPT 2: Ran 3.0 in 34:00 Took no walking breaks. first mile was 10:38. This is approx. what my times were like in 2004 before my first half marathon and I jogged the whole half marathon to make sure I finished, but the next year I was a bit faster (over 2 minutes faster per mile, the second year).
At least the sparks from my shoes are not setting my socks on fire.
As far as tapering... I think I will try to do a 11.5 or a 12 soon (this coming week) and then do the half marathon.

TomM · September 04, 2008, 06:48:13 PM

UPDATE:
THUR/SEPT 4: Ran 3.0 in 30:38
My best running time in a year.
Ran at lunch time in the rain. I think the cold temp helped me.

TomM · September 07, 2008, 07:22:33 AM

UPDATE:

FRI/SEPT 5: Ran 1.5 miles (got interupted by neigbor walking dogs and joined them for another mile of walking!)

SAT/SEPT 6: Ran 12.0 miles
Ran first 6 miles with only a single one minute walk while drinking water.
Had a few walks during the second six miles.
Have now learned I need to ice my feet/ankles in ice buckets after running these longer distances. Ugh...

woody53 · September 07, 2008, 09:14:12 AM

Your doing great Tom. Is the ice more for pain or are you having some swelling?

TomM · September 07, 2008, 09:19:25 AM

sore feet

TomM · September 10, 2008, 01:12:06 PM

UPDATE:
MON/SEPT 8: 6:00am... Ran 3.0 miles in 30:00.
Have an issue: My left knee is experiencing pain. Was evident in my 10 mile run and Saturday it was more evident in my last 7 miles of the 12 mile run. It did slow me down. I stretch really well before/after running and iced my knees afterwards this week. I also wore a neoprene sleeve on the knee the second six miles to "keep it warm". That helps a bit. (I have two of those sleeves and could wear them both.)
In 2005 while finishing a half marathon my right knee became irritated at the 10 mile mark and slowed me down.
Saw PT and learned it was the IT band in my right leg/knee. I now "stretch" both knees well before all runs. The irritation in the left knee is very similar, if not the same as the right knee in '05.
Took today off my normal run to give knee more rest. Will run tomorrow (3-4 miles). I planned to back off a bit after the 12 mile run, and before the half marathon.
Anyone have suggestions about "the knee"? It is causing me some concern as "they" say "if it hurts, stop running on it"...
Thoughts?

TomM · September 11, 2008, 09:10:38 PM

UPDATE:
THUR/SEPT 11: 6:00am... Ran 3.0 miles in 32:50.
Just a twinge in knee first quarter mile. Will have to wear sleeve and ice knee before and after and use a antiflamitory. sheesh...

woody53 · September 12, 2008, 06:05:04 AM

Maybe it is the weather changes for us old guys Tom. My knees are really sore this week when I am running. Don't have a answer for you.

Live2Pin · September 17, 2008, 06:30:20 PM

Have you been keeping up Tom ? How's the knee ? How about you Woody ? We can't blame it on the weather this week !!

TomM · September 17, 2008, 07:05:34 PM

UPDATE:
MON/SEPT 15: Ran 3.0 miles in 30:48.
Weather was nice and cool...
MON/SEPT 17: Ran 3.0 miles in 30:50.
Was not real warm... but I hate to say I pushed a but..and kept it under 31:00.. Doesn't seem too fast I guess, but it is slow progress for me.
Will run 2.0 Friday and have my half marathon Sunday AM, Sept. 21.

My left knee was pretty bad last week (illiotibial band issues) so I went to a PT friend of mine yesterday after work... he gave me a couple more stretches and suggested heating the knee up before running and that I visit another buddy of mine who is a podiatrist who put some arch in my insoles for the foot soreness. The long toe on the left foot was getting all bloody under the nail and swollen, so he popped a hole in the nail and showed me how to tape it so it won't push on the bottom of the shoe etc...
So, I feel ready for Sunday... won't set any records though... :wink: