Starting again from the beginning!

Hi Jaime,

welcome to the thread.

Running will bring great health benefits as well as making you feel good every time you go out.

Keep us updated with how you're getting on.

Hello Jaime, well done with the weight loss. 

 I'm sure getting back into running will make you feel much better, mentally and physically. 

Hubby and I did our early morning plod today.  Walk 2 mins / run 1 min x 6.  Followed by a 20 minute cycle ride to work.  Feeling a bit tired now! 

Had a couple of back twinges yesterday, but it seems to be okay again now.  Thank goodness!

Welcome to the thread Jaime - running is a great anti-depressant - won't go into my trials and tribulations over the past few years  but am running again after 12 years away from the sport and feel great - the weight is coming off and am getting faster so good luck to you on Sunday when you start again

Have increased my time now to 25 minutes a day with a longer one on Sunday and gone back 12years and am eating loads of carbs now and feeling pretty good. My goal now is to get up to 30 minutes per day and start talking in terms of miles not minutes - there was a time when 30 minutes was 4/5 miles so there is a big incentive -

Looking to introduce speed work - possiblely at the end of April or middle of may once I have adapted to the extra time on feet -  

The last two days have been great with the sun coming up out of the sea down near clacton where i am running it really can be a beautiful world and little Grendel wants to come out running too!! (he is 8 in two weeks time!!)

So good luck all and catch up soon!! 

Second run 3 mins / walk 1 min x6 today.

Felt really good again. Tried consciously to slow down on the runs and it felt much better, Surprisingly I seem to have covered almost the same distance.

May have to stick to the run 3 / walk 1 for a couple of weeks as I have a weekend coming up when I won't get the chance to run at all and the beginnng of next week looks difficult.

Keep at it everyone!

Thanks so much for your support everyone!  I have also started a blog to try and keep me going too.

 I am really looking forward to my run on Sunday now   I am going to start with 2 mins running and 4 mins walking, for half an hour in total.

I will keep you posted and look forward to hearing how you are all doing too.

Hi Jamie, welcome to the thread. Well done on your weight loss. I find running such a stress releiver, never feel worse for a run!

Thursday 7 April - 2.79 miles

Went a bit quicker today, didn't mean to but just found myself running at a better pace. Made sure i was still running easy by talking to myself. Lovely weather for running this evening! Hope you're all enjoying the sun!

Week - 5.48

Month - 8.13

2011 - 41.72

Good luck Sunday Jaime hope it all goes well - and have a great weekend everyone.

 Have just decided to move the running up a notch and add some speedwork in next week - so have found an improvers 5K schedule on this site so will see how it goes.

It starts Monday.

Sunday 10 April - 2.81 miles - 7 minutes run / 3 minutes walk

Another beautiful morning, ran along the Great Western Canal yet again, its such a nice place to run. I kept it as easy as I could today yet my pace increased again, which fills me with confidence as I know I’m getting fitter with each run. Looking forward to next week now upping it to 8 minutes run/2minutes walk. Hopefully I’ll break the 3 mile barrier too! Hope you’re all enjoying your running!

Good luck with your new schedule Grendel, let us know how the speedwork goes!!! Last speedwork session i can remember was not something to cherish!

Week - 8.29

Month - 10.94

2011 - 44.53

A tough session yesterday.

I was feeling a bit tired before I went, then I think I set off a bit too fast. Plus my phone (I use an app for timing my intervals as my watch won't do it) decided to adjust it's volume to minimum during my second 3 mins of running, consequently I didn't get the alarm. Thinking 'this feels a long 3 minutes', I glanced at my watch and reckoned I must have been running for more than four minutes, so I dug out my phone, worked out what the problem was and then tried to work out how best to get back on track with my timings.

I never really got it back together again but I reckon I still managed to run for the correct number of minutes.

Won't be out again until Wednesday due to work commitments. That will be another Run 3 / Walk 1 x 6 session. I was then going to step up to the Run 5 / Walk 2 part of the schedule but I may repeat the level that I'm on for one more week to make sure that I'm ready.

Hi guys,

I was hoping I could come and mingle. 

I would like to get back into running after a lot of injuries.  To cut a long story short I trained for an IM in 2009, arrived at the start line injured and only made it halfway round.  Was on a real downer, felt such a failure and gained over 2 stone in weight.  Had months and months of physio and osteopath treatment for all sorts, from a misaligned pelvis, to trochanteric bursitis, general massive muscle imbalances etc etc.  I'm hypermobile and need to maintain an element of strength training to keep imbalances at bay.

Since then I lost 32lb doing non-impact cardio like spinning, rowing plus general strength training and remedial exercises I was given by physio.  But I'd really like to run regularly again.

Part of my problem will be to reign myself in and not just go out and knock out 6 miles and come home limping (done that a few times).  I really like your approach of easing yourself back in a really structured way, but patience isn't my strong point so I thought the thread might help me if you'll have me. 

Hi Nam, welcome.

Very well done with the weight loss.  That's a great achievement.

Personally, I'm finding it quite easy to reign myself in because I'm so absolutely petrified of damaging my back again.  I had such a horrible time while it was bad and I don't want to go through it again!

Are you going to follow a structured programme?  That's probably a good way of making sure you don't do too much too soon!

Sue

Hi Nam,

 you mention six miles in your thread - is that a distance that you used to run regulalry and would normally want to run?

What stage are you at at the moment? If you feel that running for thirty minutes is within your capability and that you would not be overtsretching yourself, then you could have a go at the One Hour Runeer (OHR) program. It builds up gradually fover a number of weeks rom running thirty minutes to running for an hour and assumes that you run three times a week. If you stick to that program and are not tempted to push ahead too fast, then it may be a good way of make sure that you don't overdo it. Just google 'One Hour Runner'.

There are also a number of other schedules about that build from 5k to 10k over a number of weeks.

Let us know how you get on.

Thanks for the welcome.

I used to run HMs as my longest distance (seems a loooong time ago now) and technically have a VLM place for next year (deferred from this year). 

I have had the odd evening when I really 'fancied' a run and can head out for an hour but then I really feel it up to 2 days later as I'm just not used to high impact anymore and I need to give myself a slap and tell myself if I want to do this properly I need to start again with little shuffles like three or four two milers a week or something... not not run for ages and then go out for an hour... 'tis just stupid and must reign in the bruised running ego...

I had a look at some of Hal Higdon's schedules which look very gentle and allow me to combine it with slots for other cross training.  If there is something I've learned it is that with my mechanics, I HAVE to keep up strength training or it all goes to pot.

Hi everyone, it is Jaime.  I changed my name on here in case you are wondering who the heck Mrs Dash is!!

Hi Nam, well done at deciding to start again.  An IronMan eh?  That is some serious training you must have been doing!  i have done several sprint distance triathlons and loved it.

Anyway - I did it!!!  I did my run on Saturday instead of Sunday because I was raring to go!  I had an app on my phone which really helped me - 5 mins walk to warm up, 1 min run, 1.5 min walk x 8 and then 5 mins cool down.  It was so hard but I really enjoyed it.  i cannot wait to get home from university now to get changed and do my second run! 

Hope everyone is doing well and enjoyed the lovely sun that we had over the weekend! 

Well done Mrs Dash! 

Yes I found the IM training really hard on my body, and to be honest I went into it with faaar too little base to be realistic but hey ho, live & learn.

And then trying to run again with an extra 2 stone didn't do my mechanics any favours either , so I really want to do this properly this time.  Start small, be consistent.  Be sensible.

I just found out that if I start this week and do the Hal Higdon 5k schedule, followed by the 10k schedule, followed by the Half Mara schedule it brings me spot on to 16th Oct (date for Cardiff Half)…  He then has a base-maintaining winter schedule, followed by a novice mara schedule that could take me right up until VLM next year.

So worried to get injured again.  I can’t cope with another year of broken dream, hundreds of pounds of physio and gaining 2 stone when broken.  In many ways it would be so much easier not to try.

Right... HalHigdon's newbie 5k plan has me down for a gentle 1.5 miles today and I shall shuffle those after my spin class tonight.

How's everyone?

Rivvy Runner, that's Rivington Pike isn't it.    I have many nice memories of walking around the pike, Winter Hill, Two Lads etc. I take it you live up there?

Oh come on, Nam!  Don't talk yourself into giving up. 

When it feels as though you're only making small, slow progress and you feel really impatient, that's when you need to remember the frustration of the injury.

From my own (very limited) experience, I'm quite enjoying holding back and doing a lot less than I feel I can.  I picture myself building strength every time I go for a gentle run, and know that I'm doing it slowly and surely, and that can only be a good thing.  

Patience!!!

Morning everyone, wondering if I can join in?

I've just had a 5 month lay off due to having caught viral myocarditis last November.  I was preparing for my first mara in December when I noticed that things were going wrong (not just in running). I do HR training, so was immediately aware that my HRs were all out.  I went to my GP who misdiagnosed it as asthma, told me that I was probably stressed out in my runs which is why my HRs were so high () and sent me away.  Long story short, he was wrong, things got a bit grim over Christmas and I've been benched ever since awaiting recovery.

I've tried the odd run in the last few weeks, but my HRs were still far too high.  I tried it again yesterday and things, hopefully, are now settling down.

My plan is to spend the next four weeks doing a recovery programme and then start a mara programme as I'd like to get back on track, possibly doing the New Forest in September, but I'm not entering just yet!

I've also put on a lot of weight over the months - I've now got about 1 1/2st to get rid of. . .

.Well done everyone good running over the weekend – and well done Mrs Dash for getting started – and welcome to the newbies on here.  Now to Nam, I can quite understand your predicament and impatience.  I started jogging again just after Xmas as part of a lets lose weight (doctors orders) and get fit again.   Now up to 12 years ago, I used to train and race regularly, 70 miles a week plus and two and three sessions a day – all my training was done at 6:30  minute miles or quicker – I have started and stopped a couple of times over the last year but tried to run to fast and or to far and each time gave up again rather despondent (because in my head I am still that same person as I was 12 years ago – but I’m not) I DECIDED THEN THAT I WOULD BECOME A BEGINNER and started the 1 minute run walk – now to be honest I found  taking anything more than a minute recovery was to long so gradually built up the jogging and reduced the walking over two months – until I can now jog up 30 minutes a day (about 3 miles) I think in terms of minutes now rather than miles.  I did to a 5 mile race at the end of March which I did in 50 minutes 41 seconds – which was 23 minutes slower than my best time (which I did find hard particularly when I got to 3 miles a time when previously I would have been finished)  But I am running, I am losing weight and what the 5 miles has given me is a target and an incentive – I don’t have the time now to do what I used to do so although I have deferred my VLM place until next year like you,  as I was rather arrogantly thinking that with a year of training I would get under 3 hours,    I now know that that is unlikely based on current times and fitness – so have decided to concentrate on short races with a goal of a 5 mile in September and 10K in October – so stick with it – take it easy and you can then expect to get back so that you can do those 6 miles or run for an hour.

Thanks Sue and Grendel for the wise words.  Yes patience is where it's at.  It'll be a learning curve. 

*waves at Jeepers*

I shifted a couple of stones since Oct/Nov last year and it was nowhere as hard as I would anticipate.  At the beginning it feels massive when you're thinking "I've got THAT MUCH to lose..." but with a bit or portion control, not going mad on the carbs, just making better choices and moving again, it'll soon come off in dribs and drabs.