Beginning to Run Thread

[emily_in_nc]

Hope you had fun, Catrin! I may give running a go again this fall, especially when it gets too chilly for me to feel like riding. I am not a big fan of riding in cold weather, nor am I a fan of running in hot weather. But running in cold weather (as long as not too cold), I can handle. We shall see -- it's been almost a year since I've run at all. My last run was October of 2012. I just lost my running mojo in Belize and couldn't get it back.

[Catrin]

With all of the traveling I've been doing for my mom I've not run outside of group training since the first week of September. I wanted to ride today, but my hip flexors are still TIGHT from the 1,700 miles of driving in an 8 day period, though they are loosening I didn't think it wise to choose an exercise today that won't help that...so when it was time to take an exercise break from my apartment packing activities I chose to lace up my trail running shoes.

I cut back on the time and in the end only ran 20 minutes - but the vast majority of that time was actually running rather than walking A slow pace, and when my body started complaining I stopped. I had hoped to keep my heart rate in the middle zone for the run but I wasn't apparently running fast enough, or the terrain wasn't challenging enough to get it there. I consider this a GOOD sign that my body is starting to tolerate this better. Tomorrow I will hit the gym and do some strength-cardio-metabolic work - and I will ride sometime in the next couple of days. Lovely afternoon for a run, even if it wasn't a very long one. I DO think that is the longest I've ever run however, at any speed!

[emily_in_nc]

That's great, Catrin! My heart rate is always very high when running even on the easiest terrain, so running always feels a lot harder than cycling. I think you have good potential if you were able to run 20 minutes without your HR getting too high. Shows you can probably run a lot more as your body becomes more tolerant of it. When you first start to run, it takes time to get the tendons/ligaments etc. used to the motion, so it's best to increase time/mileage slowly anyway.

[Catrin]

That's great, Catrin! My heart rate is always very high when running even on the easiest terrain, so running always feels a lot harder than cycling. I think you have good potential if you were able to run 20 minutes without your HR getting too high. Shows you can probably run a lot more as your body becomes more tolerant of it. When you first start to run, it takes time to get the tendons/ligaments etc. used to the motion, so it's best to increase time/mileage slowly anyway.

Agreed! I know I've a "wonky" knee, so that is even more of a reason to take this slowly. I've noticed, however, when my coach has had us suddenly do major sprinting that it was never my knee that troubled me but other things. Riding has always been good for that knee but perhaps smart trail running will be good for it as well!

My HR barely got over 120 which really isn't in what I consider my training zone (125-145), so that was good. Time will tell! I am now more thankful that my Sugoui MidZero and AmFib tights don't have chamois Well, the latter is more for just hiking and riding, with my asthma I don't see lots of outside running in cold temps.

[Crankin]

We did ascending run laps with little weights in the parking lot at the gym this morning. Did 3-8 laps for each set.
I felt good, but I do better when I can see the end!