Running Tips

[thebwit]

So I have been running for about 2 years now on and off and in the last 2 months, I have started to enjoy it. These are just some tips that I have figured out (some the hard way) and thought I would pass them on.

Find a good pace. I don't have the best knees and I found that sprinting and running super slow sucks for my knees. A pace somewhere between 8:45 and 10:00 per mile seems to be working for me.

Start out small. My first run I did was a 6 mile run. Not smart. Start out with a 10 min run and increase from there. Once you aren't dead tired at the end of the 10 minutes, increase the time.

Get socks and boxers for running. Cotton is horrible. You want the stuff that wisks sweat away. Also don't use fabric softner on these in the laundry. I had a blister that covered over half the distance from the base of my big toe to my heel due to cotton socks.

Get the Nike+iPod thing. It really makes a difference and can help. Now I am to the point where I know how far I have run, but while running it can tell you how far you have run, average pace, and current time. After the run it tells you calories burned too.

These are just some things I have come up with. Any other tips would be great.

[Metalhead]

I dont' wear underwear when I run. Commando style.

[thebwit]

Originally Posted by Metalhead

I dont' wear underwear when I run. Commando style.

I tried that to prevent chaffing, but it didn't help.

[warrior06]

To combat chaffing, I either use lotion, aloe, or this stuff called "udder creme". The udder creme is basically a glorified lotion, but it works best for me. Aloe is very good as well.

http://www.uddercream.com/

[thebwit]

ok a couple more tips from today's run.

Charge your iPod at night. I run in the morning and this morning my iPod was dead and it delayed me by 2 hours to start running.

Just because you ran 4 miles yesterday, doesn't mean you can run 4 miles today. I try to stay consistant with how far I run, but every now and then my body refuses to work with me and says why are we running again? Today I barely got through a 2 mile run. I wasn't cramping, but my legs felt about 50lbs heavier today while running which made it extra difficult.

Run early in the morning when it is cooler outside. As noted above I was delayed by 2 hours. The temp at 8am was a nice 65, the temp at 10am was 74. That's a big difference.

[Clint]

So what are you running for? Weight loss, Increased cardio, etc?

Because it would probably help you out alot (depending on your goal) to throw in a HIIT day every so often since they are extremely good for both weight loss and increased VO2 Max

[thebwit]

Running to run I guess. More for weight loss but not really trying to hard to drop weight as I still eat what I want to. Ideally I want to be able to run 4-5 days a week and get to 30-40 miles per week. Just a goal I have for myself.

[Clint]

Sounds good. It still might be benefitial to throw in a random day of sprints (do them on grass and they will be easier on your feet/knees) since Interval Sprints help with your oxygen capacity, which will obviously help carry over into your distance running.

But overall if your goal is 6-8 miles a day, most of your time should eb running 6-8 miles lol.

[Metalhead]

ONe great thing about running...chicks turn their heads

[Ramma]

Another tip for runners with breathing problems (losing your breathe for example).

Hold water in your mouth.. it forces you to breathe in and out of your nose. At my old TKD school, we used to do our full cardio session while trying to hold water in our mouths. I would also jog and do cardio machines while keeping water in my mouth. I have pretty above average breathing control and rarely get winded