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So, I ride a bike a reasonable amount (though lately have been slacking). I take no other exercise.
I have a child on the way and knowing that my free time is now under threat, I want to maximise exercise for minimum time. Riding bikes will take up too much time (to begin with).
I am short, stocky and heavy. Running and I have never previously got on. Now we're going to have to live together like Windsor Davies and Donald Sinden in Never the Twain.
Where do I begin?
If you're heavy, and you take up running seriously, you may find you get injured. Have you considered swimming? Or even road riding? Quite easy to just spend an hour doing those.
When you least expect it, by running down a muddy bank, through a stream and then up some steep concrete steps. GO!!!!
Do you road ride as well? Can do this straight from the house, no prep time etc, and as tough as you want it to be. Non weight bearing too, which will save your knees!!
If you're heavy, and you take up running seriously, you may find you get [s]injured[/s] fit.
Fixed that for you 😀
Oh no not another running thread! 😯
[url= http://www.amazon.co.uk/Born-Run-Hidden-Ultra-Runners-Greatest/dp/1861978774/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1279711588&sr=8-1 ]You begin here[/url] 🙂
Some stuff here may be of use to you, although it looks to be aimed at new to exercise types
http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/beginners/start-running-now-our-get-going-guide/4741.html
child+buggy = lots of walking to start with, get an off road one 😀
If you are "heavy" time to start dieting, get a pedometer and do your recommended 10k steps. Wife did this last summer and it worked for her, not me for some reason 😕
http://www.thewalkingsite.com/10000steps.html
Good for getting you both fit
BD - thank you. It was the pain experienced that prompted this..!
Realman - I'm heavier than I would like to be, but am not excessively so.
davedodd - I primarily ride a road bike (only MTB a handful of times each year). Agree it's great from the front door, but it needs at least 2 hours to get real value. Current commute is an hour each way, 5 days a week.
IanMunro - cheers. Will get a copy. But there's no way I'm ever going to run 50 miles. Ever.
uplink - cheers. My last running was when I was a hockey player (retired 6 years ago). I viewed it as a necessary evil and hated it.
trekster - have steadily accumulated around a stone since Mrs North became pregnant. She's gone right off veg and wants carb rich food. Guess what I've been eating..?
Ourman - are you overweight heavy or built like a brick outhouse heavy? Or a bit of both?
I'm on the high side for BMI (but only just shy of 12 stone - shortish) and took to running pretty quickly having ridden for years - the base fitness really helped.
Try and run off road if you can - more interesting and better for your knees.
Don't overdo it but do push yourself a bit.
Get some shoes fitted at a good running shop (if possible).
Enjoy a sport that you can do anywhere, any time with the tiniest amount of kit - great for working away, holidays, etc.
Racing is good but hard work - I always push it really hard, get good results (always top 10%) but suffer big time afterwards! Probably ought to take it a bit easier.
Anyway enjoy!
I'm heavier than I would like to be, but am not excessively so.
When I started running, I took it up with a lot of enthusiasm, and was doing it regularly. I got injured, and wasn't really walking properly for around 6 months, and not back in sport properly for another 6 months after that. On Monday whilst at training, I had to stop and put a support bandage I carry around with me on as it was painful. And the injury happened over 3 years ago, and I haven't really run since.
Oh, and I'm 55kg, and pretty much at the heaviest I've ever been.
Go to a running shop, get your gait analysed on a treadmill, get correct footwear.
Ourman - are you overweight heavy or built like a brick outhouse heavy? Or a bit of both?
Both.
*Need to lose a stone of lard.
*Need to maintain (and increase) fitness.
*Need to achieve the same/more with less time.
*Need to be more flexible with time.
*Need to ensure good bone strength - riding road bikes isn't good for that long term.
I live very near the River Mersey, so have access to non-tarmac. I like the idea of running along there.
If you don't already, join a local road club and do some time trials and road races. If you think you need 2 hours on a road bike to see any benefit a 1 hour circuit race will soon cure that! Around this time of year you should be able to get to at least one tt a week possibly more and probably one race a week as well.
Iain
Go to a running shop, get your gait analysed on a treadmill, get correct footwear.
Over-rated by 100000% The running shoes I bought blind on the interweb are much better than the ones I had fitted at Up & Running in Harrogate.
That is my experience anyway.
Back to the OP - start VERY slowly. Your lungs will take you much further than your legs can cope with.
Don't even try to attempt more than 10 minutes for the first few runs - build up slowly and don't get injured.
Definitely get a decent pair of shoes, I ran in the wrong shoes for 1 month and was out of action for a further 3 🙁
Me and running don't get on at all, I hate it but... it gets you proper fit and lean. Put your trainers on and just go running matey you will soon get into the swing of it.
Don't worry that it feels completely unnatural at first you will soon find your running stride.
Iain - am secretary of a road club. This season has, mainly for reasons of complications in Mrs North's pregnancy, meant that I have only ridden half a dozen races.
Next season, I want to be different, and hope it can be (even with a baby).
You know what I mean about needing to be out for a minimum period on a road bike....
ourmaninthenorth,
running - i've never got on with it either. You've seen my 2 little uns at mayhem and running around after them is excercise of sorts. I don't ride particularly regularly now either as we're doing up a house, but i do sneak an hour when i can. I find the main thing is to keep entering events and then you either train for them, or as i do, just rock up on the day in awful condition and do the best you can. The latter strategy sort of works if you enter a lot of events close together. Me and Mrs Yak turned up at Mayhem in bad condition late on the Fri due to the house move- cheers for the tent pitching help! - and then rode as best we could. I remember the first few laps feeling pretty bad, but on the sunday, i felt like i could attack the hills, not just endure them, then the race ended, just as i thought i was riding fit again... Not ridden since mind... So the answer is... not running, not riding much either - just race!
Definitely get a decent pair of shoes, I ran in the wrong shoes for 1 month and was out of action for a further 3
Seems to be some consistent advice on this. Only trainers I own are some Asics bought a couple of years ago for gym use. No idea if they'd be any good for running.
RealMan - MemberIf you're heavy, and you take up running seriously, you may find you get injured. Have you considered swimming? Or even road riding? Quite easy to just spend an hour doing those.
Realman you gave this advice last week to someone else. You are talking bollocks and that is a fact.
OP- start slowly and build up pace and distance after a few weeks of getting your body used to slowly jogging. There have been a couple of threads on here recently that had some excellent advice, apart from Realman's tripe.
yak - you (and Mrs yak) are definitely more "naturally" fit than me..!
Mayhem was fun though, even putting up a tent at midnight....! 😀
When I started running, me & the mrs went out with the local Hash house harriers.
* Plenty of company to motivate you
* Go as fast / slow as you need to
* Normally a couple of runs a week
* Plenty of contacts there that do "proper" running as well
* You get to drink beer afterwards!
They are a funny bunch mind!
Realman you gave this advice last week to someone else. You are talking bollocks and that is a fact.
I'm just going from my own experience, and from the fact that I don't think I've ever met a runner who hasn't been injured.
Running is great, I love it. Its just dangerous, and not in a cool way.
ourmaninthenorth,
have just had a nice vomiting bug from the kids- not feeling 'naturally' fit at all at the mo...! this sort of thing will be a common occurance and will also reduce the running/ biking.. watch out!
Yes mayhem was fun too.
If you are keen to run- get in touch with dot as he tends to do a bit of local fell-running, + some races which to my mind appeals a tiny bit more than pounding roads.
Shoes, schmooze - I thought it was better running barefoot?
[url= http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/any-runners ]Snap![/url]
(apart from the forthcoming baby bit, done all that)
Without question, the most important thing I've done so far is get decent shoes. Went from being painful and awkward to suddenly being comfortable and quite enjoyable.
I've found my 'happy stride' now, where I'm running at a decent enough pace and feel like I could just keep going. I'm working on doing 10 miles comfortably just now, in preparation for a half marathon at the beginning of September and I think I'll be fine. Time's the biggest barrier for me - I can do 7.5k at lunchtime but making time to go out running from home is hard, especially with bikes there waiting to be ridden.
I found it unpleasant to start, but the bike fitness soon kicked in and it didn't take long to find a groove. Enjoy!
Build up distances gradually.
Don't run on consecutive days.
Get some trainers that suit your style/pronation or whatever
Learn some good stretches for your calves, hammys, quads, glutes and do them after every run, and in front of the tele or whatever on your off days.
Mix up your routes.
Enjoy.
Learn some good stretches for your calves, hammys, quads, glutes and do them after every run, and in front of the tele or whatever on your off days.
Very good point - warm [b]up[/b] and [b]down[/b], even if it is just some [b]properly executed[/b] stretches.
I'm just going from my own experience, and from the fact that I don't think I've ever met a runner who hasn't been injured.Running is great, I love it. Its just dangerous, and not in a cool way.
You injured yourself but weigh less than a pygmy shrew then advised Ourman not to run because he's heavy... ermmmm....
From the barrage of "advice" I see here, Steve G has probably put it most concisely and correctly.
There's a lot of waffle on here as usual.
If it helps, I know (only by sight) a guy who has lost around 5 stone by running regularly and eating sensibly. He looks about a million times better.
I was worried running would lose me weight (took a lot of gym work to gain three stone!) but it hasn't made any difference at all.
DON'T stretch from cold BTW - you need to stretch after at least a bit of a warm up - stretching from cold is worse than not stretching at all.
I don't think I've ever met a runner who hasn't been injured.
Hi, pleased to meet you.
Ourmaninthenorth
You say you need at least 2 hours on the bike for a good session.
Try riding more like runners do their training sessions. Mix in sprints, intervals and shorter harder rides. I've always been pretty fit but when I started doing sessions such as 10x half mile flat out sprints in too low a gear (singlespeed Mayhem preparation) I soon found I could reduce my legs to jelly in well under an hour.
You pretty much summed up my build too - I took up running for the same reason, and also because my company was sponsoring a local run and there looked to be no takers from IT.. still running on and off and running the same annual event 3 years later. Doing the occasional 10K just to keep a focus - I'm in no way quick, but I can really tell the difference when I ramp up a bit.
Get some shoes, anything to start with, and start small. You can probably run for an hour on your roadie fitness but your legs will be murder, if not today then in a day or twos time - and this kills consistency which is the key to it I've found - 20 minutes every other day is far better than and hour a week then nothing.
Run a few minutes, walk a few minutes, rinbse and repeat. Build it up till you're running 30 minutes non stop, then you're there - as long as you keep at it, and only increas time/distance slowly.
I keep meaning to get measured etc. but my cheapy SportsDirect reeboks still fit OK and I haven't picked up any injuries. I know for a fact I seriously over pronate as I wear out my shoes in exactly the same way every time.
DON'T stretch from cold BTW - you need to stretch after at least a bit of a warm up - stretching from cold is worse than not stretching at all.
Well it works for me - never injured myself other than an unconnected knee problem that I have had for years.
And that is training up to half marathon distance (best time 1hr 45min for the stupidly busy GNR).
start slow.
run somewhere nice.
you're allowed to stop/walk/rest if you need to.
stretch afterwards.
increase distances slowly.
start your running career slowly.
If you're short and stocky, have you considered power lifting? You could go up against those Turkish chaps at 2012. Plus you get to a wear a big belt and one-piece outfit.
M-F - there are a zillion references on-line. I've injured a hip and a knee cold stretching for kickboxing tournaments. I know warm up, lightly stretch, do the run/exercise then stretch afterwards. This is from someone that taught pupils to stretch during many years KBing teaching. And someone that hasn't been below the top 10% in a dozen 10k trail races...
One quote is:
[i]NEVER stretch a cold muscle before exercise. I like to use the analogy of a rubber band that's been in the freezer. Your muscle, like that rubber band, will tend to tear if stretched when it's cold. However, when they are warm and supple, they stretch much more easily and are much less likely to tear.
When you stretch cold muscles, you are much more likely to cause muscle strains and other injuries. Always do your stretching after your aerobic exercise session or after you have been exercising for at least ten minutes to give your muscles time to warm up and become more supple. NEVER stretch before you exercise. You are much more likely to injure yourself when you do.
Stretching is not a "warm-up" for your aerobic exercise. Your warm-up should be a very low intensity version of the exercise that you're doing. Then, you stretch your muscles after they are warm.[/i]
Stretching -
In my hockey days (I played at a decent level - North Premier, so just below National League), I was quite obsessive about stretching (what, when, how long to hold). This was as a result of a serious hamstring tear in my mid-20s.
But, I'm now in my mid-30s, and so stretching really needs to become part of what I do anyway. Mrs North and I did try yoga and, while we both enjoyed it, she was way too ill in her early pregnancy, so it went by the wayside.
HTN's run nearly reduced me to tears, and almost finished my race before I even got on the bike. But, I found that, because of the base fitness, that little run held a certain atraction.
[url= http://www.bupa.co.uk/running/training/training-programmes/beginner-5km/ ]null[/url]
try this, At least it's written for a starter by someone who knows what they are doing.
Maninthe - definitely DO stretch, just don't do it cold!
boobs - cheers. Just what I need.
Without reading all the post, yes running is the perfect exercise whilst having a new baby.
No faffing getting kit ready, no faffing cleaning kit after, and much more efficient than cycling, I can't remember the correct ratio but its some thing like 30mins of runnning is equivalent to 1hr of cycling.
If you have been a cyclist leg muscles especially round the knees should be quite strong so risk of injury should be less. Just get out and run... slowly to start with, and don't expect it to feel comfortable or natural as biking and running use muscless quite differently.
Stick with it though, vary your routes, and try and get off road if you can, all helps to make it more interesting
Special thanks to:
2tyred
brassneck
funkydunk
And all the rest f you - even RealMan
M-F - there are a zillion references on-line. I've injured a hip and a knee cold stretching for kickboxing tournaments. I know warm up, lightly stretch, do the run/exercise then stretch afterwards. This is from someone that taught pupils to stretch during many years KBing teaching. And someone that hasn't been below the top 10% in a dozen 10k trail races...
No doubt there is - I was purely giving my anecdotal experience that I never injured MYSELF after training hard for nearly a year starting as a non-runner to running a half decent half marathon time.
M-F - you can't be "deep" stretching then - which is a good thing if cold.
I consider proper stretching to be quite intense - hands flat on the floor (from standing) and similar.
you need to distinguish between static and dynamic stretches.
static stretches of muscle should never be carried out cold and actually avoided prior to exercise (and not even straight after exercise) since it defeats the purpose. stick to a warm-up with a dynamic stretching routine reflecting the range of movements in the exercise you're about to do.
keep exercise and static stretching sessions well apart. but do undertake static stretching.
shoes? run in whatever is comfortable for you.
off-road? if you have knee problems and the route is an uneven surface - take it easy - in fact i'd avoid it.
mileage? build it up slowly.
barefoot? forefoot strike? heel strike? - can't answer those 🙂
Cheers http404 - useful summary.
M-F - you can't be "deep" stretching then - which is a good thing if cold.I consider proper stretching to be quite intense - hands flat on the floor (from standing) and similar.
I have no idea what stretching I did, I just stretched then went running in my cheap internet shoes and did (IMO) a pretty decent time. I tended not to be particularly scientific about it.
I feel almost compelled...
start slow, find a 5km route, and run it slowly, don't wear a watch, just run it. If you need to walk, then walk, but try to run it all. Do this 3 times a week for about 5-6 weeks. You'll be screamingly bored by the end of it, but your body will be used to running, and hopefully the gradually build up mean fewer injuries. If you do feel a sudden pain at any time whilst running. STOP and go home, don't be tempted to run on. Ice any inflammation, and try again in a couple of days, still sore? leave it longer, still sore after that, go see a doctor.
Shoes. Unless you've got a really weird gait, then shoe fitting is pretty pointless for most people, but it's your money so go for it if you want to, it certainly won't hinder your running. Unless you intend to trouble the top 10 of your local running club's annual 10k then £50 is more than enough for most casual runners to spend on shoes.
Try to look/ behave like a runner. This sounds really stupid, but honestly, try to concentrate on the small things, run with an even pace, try to keep your breathing even, head up, don't slouch, move your body fluidly across the ground. It will eventually become natural, but at first think about it, don't just switch off.
Running off road is one of the delights of running, but I think sometimes runners who've been running for a while tend to forget how jarring and un balancing it can be, because we just do it, we forget that it's taken our ankles, knees, and hips an age to build up to he point where we just don't think about it any more, and it feels easy. So for a beginner I'd suggest stick to the pavement and road for the time being, just get used to it, before heading for the hills. But do go off road, it's ace.
find comfy clothes, make sure the shirt you've got feels comfy when it's covered in sweat. Don't tie your shorts across the middle of your tummy, wear them lower, on your hips. helps to keep stitch away.
That's enough for now.
Thanks, nick. Some good, real world advice.
I'm feeling rather motivated to give all of this a try. 😀
Now get out and run till your eye balls pop!!!
* Advice given to me by my coach some years ago.
But don't get out and run till your balls pop!!!
Quickest way of getting tired. If you're lucky you might get a good sleeper and have loads of spare time. Or not. Back from 9m on the hill and feel GREAT. Keep it fun is all I'd add
Ok, surfmats at least partially right. Stretching warm is far more effective than stretching cold. However, stretching cold is better than not stretching at all. ourmaninthenorth, don't scrimp on trainers the tech is not all sales bobbins and do try a load on before purchasing. There's good deals to be had on interweb and ebay. Look at existing shoes to see if you need a supportive shoe (wearing on one side).
For CV fitness, weight loss and endurance you should be aiming for distance rather than speed. Start small and you'll be amazed at how quickly you progress. My mrs ran a sub 2hr half marathon after 6 months training (from nowt). Oh, and [s]don't worry about[/s] ignore realman; he's only 17.
nickc says it really well,
On a personal note, I got off pavement plodding as quickly as possible (although you have no choice on a winter evening), basically I couldn't stand it and could only manage a few miles before I was fed up. By contrast, I can run 6 miles off road and not really realise I've run that far, quite enjoy it and repeat the same route regularly without it getting stale. I tend to drive to locations that have a really nice route, to try and keep myself motivated and keep it enjoyable.
what I've also found is, that if I make it part of my routine, a must do thing, and do it regularly, then I can keep it going. If I start making excusses (ie the recent wet weather patch), then it all falls apart and two months later I'm still making excusses. one method I used, was to go somewhere on my way home from work, that way I didn't get home and comfortable infront of the telly. If you're doing it to lose weight or get fit, rather than because you want to be a runner, then motivation might be your biggest problem, well it has been for me.
[i]If you're doing it to lose weight [/i]
1 mile is about 100 calories. Bit more if you run faster, or you're a big chap. but it's a handy calculator.
Running doesn't need feeding (if you see what I mean). So to keep the weight off, diet is still important.
[i]However, stretching cold is better than not stretching at all.[/i]
Not really, no. [url] http://tca.d4sportsclub.com/object.aspx?id=516&o=486 [/url] as a starting point to google research if it's of interest.
May well be true of some sports where you're going to do some really dynamic movements, or stretch your body outside it's normal range of movements. Might also be true if you're planning running less than a 1000m, but for the type of running we're talking about here, it's of no more benefit that performing stretching before taking the dog for a walk or having a poo 🙂
Ianmunro, That report says that there may be little benefit from stretching cold, which is more than you would benefit if not stretching at all.
A tip I forgot - don't run like a girl. People will laugh at you.
Don't tie your shorts across the middle of your tummy, wear them lower, on your hips. helps to keep stitch away.
If this works, you sir, have earned a virtual pint.
Running doesn't need feeding (if you see what I mean).
This too is very true, and one of the main reasons I think it works. After cycling or swimming I'll pretty much gnaw the doors I'm so hungry, after a run all I want is a pint of cold water.