🏀 KuBuckets Archive

I started up last January in earnest. Have never been a regular runner, in fact did very little until last January. I built up to a long run of 7 miles. I ran three or four 10K's, unofficially.

I'm not running for time but since I'm a competitive type I like to keep track of how long my runs are. Most of the time I'm between 10 and 11 minute miles. I'm 53 by the way. Wondering how to get consistent because I'll head out every once in a while and can feel right away I don't have it and the app I run with keeps calling me a slowpoke.

Usually I run after dinner. Come home from work beat, relax, eat dinner and head out. I seem to do better running in the evening than in the morning for some reason.

Any advise would be appreciated. I'd love to get down under 10 minute miles which I've done several times, topping out at a 4 mile run averaging 9:27, but I have no idea how I did that because I've been nowhere near that otherwise.

I also wouldn't mind working up to a half marathon, but that might be unattainable!

@wissox after you eat? I'm impressed!! I bet someone here runs.

@Crimsonorblue22 I'm too dumb to know any better. I really seem to do my best runs after dinner.

I LOVE to run. I run from the couch to the fridge, the fridge back to the couch and the couch to the restroom. It gives me enough energy to get up and go back to the fridge when i'm done.

nuleafjhawk said:

I LOVE to run. I run from the couch to the fridge, the fridge back to the couch and the couch to the restroom. It gives me enough energy to get up and go back to the fridge when i'm done.

Lol , mercy I wish I could get up the energy to have the routine that you have lol, your quite the fitness freak props to you lol. what gives you your inspiration lol - -ROCK CHALK ALL DAY LONG BABY

I guess we have a bunch of armchair athletes here.

I’m forced into shape by work. I don’t run for fun. But it’s pretty simple the more I do the better shape I get into. Diet makes a big difference. Stay well hydrated water and a little gatorade not the other way around.

I walk briskly across mostly corn fields during the summer and wheat during the winter. The terrain is uneven so ankle support is very important (less applicable to you). I generally walk around 3-5 miles per day (4 days/14) in the offseason and 12-18 per day (10-12days/14)in season. This change in activity takes a while to adjust to. Depending on how well I ate that winter...I lose 5-20 pounds over the summer and gain a ton of energy in the process.

To get into shape I just push a little. I can comfortably walk across the field or I can walk fast enough to be winded, which is what I do. I don’t push to the point of exhaustion in mile one as I’m distance training to get through the day. The distance really isn’t that great compared to what you’ll be able to do within a years time though!

Just ramp your routine up to where you are slightly out of your comfort zone to build speed and stamina. Run a little faster than yesterday or go a little further. In a little time you will be blowing away your old self. Your body takes a little time to adjust/ build muscle. But you must be consistent in running and pushing yourself or you will backtrack quickly.

Oh and if you aren’t getting in good enough shape sometimes in midsummer (when I’m feeling tip top) I will do lunges while push mowing the yard. That’ll get the blood flowing.

This topic is within the realm of my coaching experience, although I worked with teen runners; so I might not have much to offer a 53 year old beginning runner. You are starting at an age when many midlife runners are hanging up their tennies. For a variety of reasons I stopped in my early fifties. And probably none too soon, orthopedically speaking. Though you did not mention height, weight, the nature of your job, I can offer a bit of cautious advice.
For a long while, stick to training runs much shorter than 7 miles.
Wear really good running shoes. If you are probably overweight (for a road runner) look into athletic diet; gradually knock off the pounds.
Give it a rest at least one day per week, perhaps twice. Consider doing some biking or swimming to substitute for some of the bone jarrring road miles. Run on grass or macadam rather than concrete. Develop dependable stretching habits, before and after workouts. If you perspire heavily, supplement with a morning banana or occasional potassium pills.
Ask your medic about advisability of a good stress test.
Good luck!

@wissox Oops! Sorry that my previous post was not issued directly to you. It was intended so.

@REHawk @dylans Thanks. I have been treated for coronary artery disease, take a stress test every two years although last summer I did a 'biathlon' of a 5K and 1/2 mile swim and my cardiologist said, ehh, don't think you need a stress test after doing that! One of my struggles is losing weight. I'm surprised that the running doesn't knock off the pounds. I'm not a heavy eater either. Miniscule lunch and breakfast, and decent dinner is my normal routine, but I still haven't lost much. Thankfully my joints appear to be able to take the pounding, but I hope I didn't just jinx myself!

@wissox I am in my mid 70s, hurling toward the incenerator, so my inclination regarding running advice for a young guy starting in his early 50s is, of course, sprinkled heavily with CAUTION, both for cardiac and orthopedic reasons. I like dylan's routine, as stated above. I do walk lots. I live in the Ozark sticks, so have been able to work outdoors lots in my two decades of retirement. A year ago, at the suggestion of my son, I bought a Garmin activity tracker...which I use as a wristwatch, also to track my daily steps and my heart rate at any given moment. I strive to walk more than 8000 steps daily, and am relieved to see that I can yet do uphill walking without my pulse rate bouncing into the danger zone. I had begun to experience lower back pain in the extremus prior to my stopping daily runs in my 50s. I do miss the competitive side of running, but am staying fit via walking and fairly strenuous outdoor work, mowing, chain sawing, stone work, etc. Well, I begin to ramble. Perhaps I have offered a few additional suggestions. I do praise my decades of running as a big factor contributing to my current health, maintenance of trim weight, etc. Early on in life, the running kept me away from smoking, obesity, sedentary factors that have wreaked havoc with many relatives and friends in my age group. I shudder at the thought of declining into a wheel chair; although I do think that too much pounding of the roads might have delivered me into that possibility sooner than otherwise. So, please to listen carefully to your body as you progress.

@wissox Heck, you have set me off and running on this topic, and I can't seem to get my regular day's activities jump started. If you don't wear an activity tracker, I am here to tell you that my acquisition of such has been a life changer. I had begun to wax into a very sedentary lifestyle prior to the purchase. My son is a professor who deals with weight problems, both from eating habits and lack of regular exercise. He was issued an activity tracker by his university. The moment he promoted that device to his old man, I saw the wisdom of such an investment. I found mine new on eBay for something like $55 or $60. Garmin HR (heart rate) Activity Tracker. Much more economical that FitBit device, similar. At first I had to push myself somewhat to log over 6000 steps daily. Within a month I was competing with the damn thing, increasing my steps to 8000+. Now I fairly easily maintain that level, some days much more, some days a bit less. The tracker will keep a record for me, so I don't have to log it in a notebook. The inclusion of the heart rate monitor added to the cost, but I cherish the investment. I am pretty much electronically impaired, very ignorant of everchanging new stuff. But this device is simple to use and, in my opinion, a must have...for anyone concerned about exercise and good health. So....

@wissox I knew there would be some good help here!🍏🍎🍌🥑🍇🥚🥒🏊🚲❤️💙

@REHawk You nailed something that I enjoy about this. You said once you got the HR monitor device you started to push yourself because you felt like you'd not done enough. I experience that too. The amazing part is when I run, feel poor starting out, think I'll never make it more than maybe two miles but I just push on to 3 or 4. Not sure where I get that strength to persevere but it happens.

I do have a good role model. My brother finished third in the world in the crossfit games two years in a row and qualified 4 years straight now. He's an amazing machine who just has a motor for it. He's a bricklayer and then stops at the gym on the way home. Here's his leaderboard from 2016. https://games.crossfit.com/legacy-leaderboard?competition=6&year=2016 ↗
I'm nowhere close to that level. One competitor he beat out in 2015 played NFL football, so Dave is quite the workout animal. Anyways, thanks for the advise!

Hey @wissox To get to a faster per mile average, you might try alternating running/walking a day or two a week -- run one mile at your target pace then walk a half/quarter mile then run another fast mile etc. to get used to what a 8 or 9 minute pace feels like.

I run about 25 miles a week... 3.5 per day, plus one longer run of 5 or 6 miles. Total amateur. Been doing that pretty steadily for the past 25 years trying to lose 15 pounds. Thanks to my deep passionate love of craft beer, I haven't lost the 15 pounds yet, but I haven't gained any either. LOL. My pace is about 8:30/mile these days. I'm 52. Not training for anything other than an occasional charity 5K. I sit at a computer all day and just feel better after a run and some fresh air.

I started using Runkeeper on my phone a few months ago, and I can see how those things can kind of make you compete against yourself a bit.

Get good shoes but don't keep wearing them once they're shot or your old joints will regret it!

When I was in my 20's and 30's I used to work out with Arnold. He was so intimidated that he quit and went to another gym. Oh - Arnold Johnson, not ......you know who. Anyway, moving past the BS - I started working out when i was 28 and worked into a routine where i lifted (Very Heavily) Monday, Wednesday and Friday - walked briskly for 3 miles on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, rested on Sunday. I went full bore - read all the muscle mags, took amino acids, protein shakes - the whole nine yards. (No steroids - I ain't completely crazy) The results were very dramatic. I wish I had stayed with the program. By the time I got to be about 50, I could think of a plethora of excuses to not exercize. "It's too hot. It's too cold. It's too windy. I don't give a crap any more". But - i'm 59 now, still in decent shape for my age i think ( My doctor says keep doing what you're doing - your "numbers" look great" ) but I'm really trying to get motivated to do some sort of regular exercise because I know it's good for me and I want to stay around long enough to see Self win 40 conference championships in a row.

@wissox You know, if you really hope to glean the full pros and cons of this running thing, you oughtta prod ol' jaybate to post his thoughts on the issue. I betcha he's tried running. If so moved, he will rip off a 750 word thesis on the subject. Then his favorite naysayers will leap from the woodwork to try to ambush his slant.
You could probably sort more info than you could ever have hoped, both wheat and chaff.

@REHawk So today I took off on a 3 miler which matched the temperature! Any pros/cons of running in the cold? I was slower, wasn't really concerned with speed. Some snow and ice here so I was being careful not to fall, and I wore warm hiking boots with jeans. Water bottle turned to ice believe it or not. But just wondering about the pros and cons of it. I'm not really wanting to spend money on a gym with a treadmill, so freeze or sit is my options!

@wissox you are making me nervous! Google it

@Crimsonorblue22 Not sure why I'm making you nervous but asking the internet questions is almost worthless. Mr. ReHawk has been helpful on this thread so I asked him.

3 degrees, plus wind chill, running on ice in hiking boots? Forgot- in Chicago!😳

Below 5 is getting down there a bit, IMO. If you lived to ask about it (and know where your testicles are), you can probably handle it.

I ran today in Lawrence at 10 degrees, and it felt pretty good, but there was barely any wind and I wore gloves, ear protection, nylon sweat pants and an old school gray cotton hoodie. I wouldn't wear anything but running shoes though no matter how thin they are.

Look for a treadmill on craigslist. There will be a bunch for sale really cheap in about a month!