Zero to Hero in 5 months

Hello,

I am starting to run with the intention of losing weight and to get fit. I am just over  40 years old and around 185-190 pounds in weight (13 1/2 stone).

To prove my friends and family wrong I am going to attempt the Manchester 10k run at the end of May 2013 as the timing for this one seems right.

I will need support along the way and hope to get info from this website/forum.

I have bought some running shoes (for road running) from Sport Soccer for £70 - Karrimor ones which seem to have just come on to the market. They were reduced from £140, but that doesnt mean too much from this shop as everything is reduced anyway.

Losing 30 pounds in weight is my ideal.

Looked at the C210K app on my iphone and will attempt that, not sure I have the right one, so any recommendations here would be appreciated.

Also looking to change my diet from 3 take aways a week to something a little healthier. Does anyone have any meal plans to help my running and to lose weight.

I am not bothered about how long it takes me to run 10k, but I am bothered about finishing it and losing weight.

And thanks in advance for your help here.

good luck john........you are not old or very overweight compared to many on these forums that run regularly .........

just make your own meals and fill up with veg and fruit and you should see a difference...............

regarding the shoes.£70 is a lot to pay for a pair of running shoes if you are not sure if they are the ones to suit you..........

running shoes come in so many different types now that should help the way we run..but equally the wrong style can cause injury problems........

my best advice is to try and not do too much too soon.........keep things easy and build up slowly and listen to your body and try and sort out any niggles 

 good luck

Thanks,

Just did my first session, week 1 day 1.

OMG, not good. Managed to get about 14 minutes into the programme when I had to stop. My right shin cramped up and I couldnt put my heal down. So had to walk back with a bit of a limp. I am flat footed and my shoes are built for flat footed people.

Concerns are am I going to get this done, or will my shins prevent me. Hopefully it is lack of fitness and it will improve.

Anyone offer any comments or advice please.

Thanks.

agree with above.start off run/walking on soft ground............

will take your advice on the soft ground. Shin splints is something i do suffer from. At least it appears it isnt just me then and i can strengthen them. Will keep posting as things develop.

Thanks for the advice.

Developing strong core muscles will help protect your lower legs from doing too much of the work & therefore being more prone to injury.  Also, posture when running is key; you should be a straight line from head to ankle, no bending at the waist!  Keep your back straight and your hips tucked under.  Ask a friend to watch you running so they can tell you what your posture is like.  Don't overstride; this will add unnecessary stress to your lower legs, keep your centre of gravity under your body rather than too far forward.  One of the worst health hazards ever invented is the chair!!  Swap your chair for a swiss ball & you'll get a great core work out!!!  To reduce muscle soreness, do leg drains after a run - spend 20 minutes lying on the bed or floor with your legs straight up the wall, give your feet & calves a massage.  This should help to reduce inflammation & completely fixed my sore shins which I had about a year ago.  Hope this helps!

Took my running shoes back, went to Snow and Rock and had better success. They used the Gait machine video thingymejiggy and I have some new shoes now. Next run is tomorrow. Hope my shins will be better otherwise i will be walking home again lol.

I will try to keep my body upright a little more and focus on my posture this time, see if it helps.

Looked up the foam roller Jason, Trying to sort out the Jessica Ennis one from Argos as a good price (and I like the idea of wrapping my legs around her). Seems all local Argos dont have it in stock so will order one in I think. Looks like this might do me some real good as my muscles are very tight and bobbly.

Second run out and managed a minute more running before cramp set in again on my right shin. When running i feel like I am tensing my right foot and not letting it run naturally like my left. I never knew there was so much to running, i just thought pair of trainers and off you go - nothing could be further from the truth.

Good Luck John!  The only way to get there is perseverence, and trying to stick to a plan.  I remember when I started running, about 4 years ago (age 34) after doing no exercise for a good 15 years with the aim to do the Great North Run - I managed barely a mile up the road, then walked back in pain and exhausted, with shin splints, every couple of days I tried a bit more, though I was ready to quit at week 2.  16 weeks later I managed 2h 6 minutes in the Half.  Not suffered from shin splints since either.

I'm not convinced about shop recommendations and gait analysis, I've had it done 3 times and only the last time (in a privatly owned little running shop in Leicester) did I get shoes that didn't cause problems - I've stuck with that brand since with no issues, but It cost me in the early months.  I do wonder If I'd have had the same hit rate on my own choosing on the internet!

Weight loss wise - I think its individual, the best way for you is the best way.  I managed a 1600 Net kcal/day (so if I did 700 kcal extra exercise I'd eat 700 kcal more) for 3 months while doing P90X a year ago and lost 12 kg/26 1/2 lbs (and more importantly dropping 7% body fat) - very simple diet using percentages of kcal from Protein/Carb/fat.  50:30:20 month 1, 40:40:20 month 2 and 30:50:20 month 3 before ending on a carb rich diet for marathon training.  I don't get bored easily of the same thing so just froze loads of meals I made on a Sunday and doled them out over the week.  YMMV

Thanks Daeve, some position comments on the shins. I am going to stick at it and just try and go a little further each time. God comment about week 2 I think that could be important for me as that will give me the impetutus to try to push through it.

Last day of beer and food today. tomorrow the hard work starts.

Thanks all for the comments so far, I will need the encouragement and votes of confidence to do this. So I will probably keep updating this thread as time goes by so I have something to refer back to once I break the 10k world record hehehe.

Hi Chris,

I have started to drink water but only around 4 pints a day. I heard about 2 ltrs is good so I think i am on track and have to agree without doing too much exercise so far drinking water is making me feel more awake and have more energy. I didnt drink anything apart from about 5 cups of coffee a day.

I DID IT

only managed 10 minutes on week 1 day 1 and then only 14 minutes on week 1 day2.

But

Last night on week 1 day 3 I managed the full 30 minutes with only slight shin aching and not real pain.

I did a decent warm up, used the roller and off I went trying to watch my running stance all the time and keep upright.

Dont get me wrong I was not sprinting away like Mo Farah, but I jogged it and feel delighted with myself. I just hope now I can keep it going.

Thanks so far for the advice and encouragement. I wil be repeating Week 1 to ensure I can complete it fully before moving to week 2 though.

Nice one!  Keep it going gently so you don't injure yourself - it definately gets easier at week 3.  I agree with the water thing - too easy to be dehydrated and not notice.

I'm on day 4 today and the last 3 have been really tough to the point where I wasn't enjoying even the first mile (Day 1 - 35 min 140 HR treadmill; Day 2 - 8.75 miles 147 HR; Day 3 - 40 min 140 HR treadmill - all 10.30min/miles).  I know it'll get better soon so I keep going - gently! (I managed an 8:08min/mil HM last year, I can't imagine that at the moment) - I lost the fitness but it'll come back with a bit of perseverance.

The hardest thing I'm finding is the weather - last 3 years I've started training in May after 8 months of nothing, but at least the weather and light was decent when the going was tough.  Now, it's miserable.  On the positive side - get used to going out now, and it'll be a doddle come Spring!  Character building

I love having my Garmin GPS watch and all the uploaded stats so I can see how far I have come - worth looking into if you haven't got one.