[Closed] Running advice for a beginner please?

Enjoy it.

...erm, that's all I got.

get a runners world training plan, free to download e.g. 5/10k/half training plan. start slow but often. don't start by running b*lls out for 50 mins and then assume it is your trainers that makes your knees hurt 😉

When you start to enjoy it...stop. It's very easy to get into it and over do it. If you have a plan, stick to it but also listen to your body. It's much easier to injure yourself compared to cycling*

*crashes excepted

Couch to 5k is great. Chances are, it's not going to tax your cv for a while. Avoid the temptation to go until your lungs hurt. Stick to the program and allow it to condition your legs.

Lots of people can just run. I couldn't. What helped for me was getting some coaching on my technique. I was bending forward a lot. I was given some core exercises and told not to run. Now the core has had an effect, the running has started again and it feels loads better.

Sorting my core out has helped a lot generally, not just running specific.

I'd say it's important to tihnk about technique and how your foot strikes the ground - important not to stick your foot out in front and hit the ground with your heel. Thinking and reading about it changed my running from sheer hell to a much quicker enjoyable experience overnight.

But I'll get shot down in flames for suggesting it, so I'll leave it there. Things to google for: heel striking, forefoot striking, minimial or barefoot style running, and a book called 'born to run'.

it is a bit hard to talk about technique, but getting advice in person is very useful i found.
I built up my running over the last 18 months by regularly attending my local parkrun http://www.parkrun.org.uk/
i've also been out running with a local running club from time to time. I primarily run to provide the fitness to play hockey and MTB, but like Onzadog said, doing core exercise is really important as well for all round fitness.

Setting yourself realistic targets and goals is something i found useful as well. I've done 10km's and a half marathon and achieved good times that I'm aiming to improve, but I personally don't want to do a marathon even though i keep getting asked if that's my goal.
An example of my realistic targets is my 10km time. I do the Leeds abbey dash each November; first time i wanted to beat 1hr, then 55 mins, then 50 mins and my target this November is sub 45mins.

As above, take it easy, I've done a 3:30 marathon and I find my cv is still rarely taxed, even on interval sessions, it's going to about 80% max whereas bike training sessions would be 95%.

Any tips, help, encouragement will be greatly received.

Dont worry about technology, running is easy and you can get very competitive by training quite simply. Go for decent shoes and ignore the hype about barefoot etc, it should pass.
Build up slowly but its OK to train to exhaustion and ignore people who spend their time telling you to "take it easy" its a balance so listen to your body and try to work out what is a problem and what is "good" tireness/soreness.

surfer I'd say taking it easy is important for a cyclist getting into running - it's easy to injure yourself and you only know about it after the fact.

As above, take it easy, I've done a 3:30 marathon and I find my cv is still rarely taxed, even on interval sessions, it's going to about 80% max whereas bike training sessions would be 95%

You're doing them wrong, then - I was over 95% doing running intervals yesterday!

OP: take it easy, and don't try running through twinges and the like, as has already been pointed out it's a lot easier to get injured running. Most of the time your body would have been warning you, it's when you ignore the warnings you run (ha ha) into problems.

CHL - just enjoy. Really at this stage don't fuss about gadgets etc. If you are going to spend money, spend it on shoes then possibly coaching. But running is a very natural thing made complicated by runners and the footwear industry.

Good idea to start slowly and use run/walk technique. No need to worry about HR monitors and other gadgets yet. For a steady run, just check to see if you can still talk. If not ease off - its very simple.

Build up distance SLOWLY. Better to go for lots of shorter runs than fewer longer ones IMO.

Enjoy

running is evil, you'll regret it when your legs explode and then you'll be sorry.

HTH.

mogrim - Member

You're doing them wrong, then - I was over 95% doing running intervals yesterday!

My running muscles are way behind my riding muscles, maybe yours aren't? ...and my intervals were for a marathon...yours?

it's going to about 80% max whereas bike training sessions would be 95%.

Other way round for me. After doing more running interval training I can hardly get out of breath on the bike, it's leg pain that stops me going faster. When running, it's just being out of breath.

Or, as a coach told me, most runners including me are centrally limited (ie heart lungs) and most cyclists are peripherally limited (ie legs).

You're just not a fit enough cyclist.

Running is great I would say just get out and enjoy it, it's all pretty simple.

Just stick to the 10% rule- don't increase your distance by more than 10% at a time to avoid injury.

Other than that just enjoy it- sooooooo much less faffing around than mtb and it's great fun in the rain too.

Fartlek

http://www.sportsscientists.com/2008/01/running-technique.html

You're doing them wrong, then - I was over 95% doing running intervals yesterday!

OP: take it easy, and don't try running through twinges and the like, as has already been pointed out it's a lot easier to get injured running. Most of the time your body would have been warning you, it's when you ignore the warnings you run (ha ha) into problems.

Yes and I bet your road bike is a 72:11 geared fixie and we all need to MTFU?

Fartlek

Gesundheit!