Emi inspired running/workout

[Reksho]

Also, can't remember if I said this or not but I downsized my work uniform. Went from 4x to 3x for my chef coat (work in a kitchen), and size 46 waist to size 42 waist for work pants. More downsize on the horizon.

Hell yeah! Hooray for measurable progress!

[dunkelfalke]

Have tried W1D1 today. Was an epic fail, had to abort after 15 minutes. Damn, and I thought myself resonably good in shape, even though fat. Looks like I am only good in shape on a bicycle

[dunkelfalke]

able to fight higher gears, etc.

Don't! Going heavier gears will hurt your knees. Use light gears but with high cadence.

[Enemy |]

Only walked today to see if my toe could handle it, what with all the stitches
Went smoothly, will run a bit tomorrow, and hopefully by Thursday I'll be at the 30 mins again.

[Reksho]

Have tried W1D1 today. Was an epic fail, had to abort after 15 minutes. Damn, and I thought myself resonably good in shape, even though fat. Looks like I am only good in shape on a bicycle

Running is a lot more resistance-heavy on your body than cycling. It's not really a matter of you being in good shape or not, they both require a good dose of stamina. Only cycling is much smoother and continuous than slapping your feet on the ground one time after another.

[notme]

Hi,
running 3-4 months now (1 injury for 2-3week, 1time ill for a week). Hardest part for me was the breathing, I have asthma. Running helped me to breath better overall, I lost ~5kg. I stopped routine 14days ago, coz no time. Started again yesterday 5.2km ~25min, today 6km ~30min. I mostly run when I feel for it, one week I was running every day..

gonna go to 10km later, but its too expensive, more food and time lost :< I was ill few times for 1-2 days from not enough food, I was eating 3-4meals a day, no soda or whatever, so many stuff is just empty calories, if you eat some shitty food like chips, you should still eat some proper food or you will get sick, atleast it works for me like that.

about w4, yes It looks hard, I was scared, but you get used to it in a week, don't worry, just breath properly, eat enough and go for it.
I'm increasing pace instead of more km for now.
Gl everyone
Greeting from Czech republic. Ty KS team.

[Pseudogenesis]

I haven't been running for a while, but on the other hand I'm up to being able to do 45 consecutive pushups from my starting point of 20. Once I reach 50 I'll be halfway there. :D

[Brodoin]

I walked about 8 miles through the woods with some friends the other day.

I nearly died (in my head), and my legs are still sore, but I should get walking more.

[MadScientist]

As it turns out, running turns out to be much harder if you don't get a good warm up, as my abdomen discovered last weekend. What a surprise.

But other than that, is there any way to tune this workout to be more towards sprinting/hard running rather than jogging? I do track in the spring and really like running the 400 and 800 meter dashes, which are not the easiest runs in the world if I have only been doing jogs with the 1600 and 3200 meter group.
The type of workout I'm trying to figure out is one that could help me run long distances, but at fast speeds, because the last time I ran the 800 back in May, I could barely stand and my breath tasted like blood after the race.
I might also try the pushup challenge just for kicks, as I'm no superman when it comes to upper body strength.

Also, just a question for everyone: Why do you run? The runner's high, weight loss, or just because?
I run because even though it hurts like crazy after a race, it's worth it thinking "Holy crap I just did that". Kind of a self-reward system.

[Reksho]

But other than that, is there any way to tune this workout to be more towards sprinting/hard running rather than jogging? I do track in the spring and really like running the 400 and 800 meter dashes, which are not the easiest runs in the world if I have only been doing jogs with the 1600 and 3200 meter group. The type of workout I'm trying to figure out is one that could help me run long distances, but at fast speeds, because the last time I ran the 800 back in May, I could barely stand and my breath tasted like blood after the race.

Regardless what kind of running type you're trying to train (strength or endurance), it's always a good thing to increase your stamina. So keep jogging in your training schedule at all times.

Now in your case, you're saying that you'd like to increase the speed at which your running. For this to happen, you need stronger muscles. In terms of running exercises, try keeping up jogging form with short bursts of sprinting in-between. Sounds easy, is hard as shit. Remember, keep up the jogging form, which means no walking at all.

You could also try to do isolated exercises for your legs. Things like going through your knees and stand back up (squats). Or putting one leg forward and dropping the knee of your other leg just above the ground (lunges).

This all will increase your endurance and strength at the same time. I have been doing it myself as instructed by my boxing coach and that man has killer calves with maximum speed.

[Althamus]

Have tried W1D1 today. Was an epic fail, had to abort after 15 minutes. Damn, and I thought myself resonably good in shape, even though fat. Looks like I am only good in shape on a bicycle

Running is a lot more resistance-heavy on your body than cycling. It's not really a matter of you being in good shape or not, they both require a good dose of stamina. Only cycling is much smoother and continuous than slapping your feet on the ground one time after another.

+1, I've always done a lot of walking in life, so jogging isn't too unatural for me, but although I learnt to cycle when I was small, I never ever really biked anywhere. Consequently, even though I can walk for MILES and jog for a stretch, my legs are dead after biking for a few minutes. I wonder if it uses slightly different muscles, or uses them differently?

Also, when you run you put 8x your body weight onto each leg with each step, and of course when you bike, you don't have that strain at all.

[dunkelfalke]

Cycling uses both a bit different muscles and the same muscles in a different way. I can walk for 6 hours straight or cycle for 3 hours, but jogging kills me after a few minutes

[Reksho]

Just came back from my morning exercise.

Since I only run in the mornings nowadays, I'm too tired and time-deprived to pick up my musicplayer and use it during running. I thought this would be a problem because music can really push you through those difficult moments of breathlessness which I experienced alot in the past.

Not so much now. I've found that running in silence actually keeps me focused on my steps. It keeps me concentrated on rationing my stamina properly so that I don't even get to the point of being breathless. My knees also don't hurt nearly as much because I focus more on proper running form, though stretching beforehand could also be the reason for this because I never did that in the past.

Stupid earplugs cord also out of the way.

[Walrusfella]

Also, just a question for everyone: Why do you run? The runner's high, weight loss, or just because?
I run because even though it hurts like crazy after a race, it's worth it thinking "Holy crap I just did that". Kind of a self-reward system.

That's a good question MadScientist, and a good answer. Weight loss and endurance improvements have been good for me, but the top reason is probably the mental clarity it brings. When I'm running I can't really think about anything else; everything falls away and there's just the goal. Work problems or stress or other nonsense can't follow me on the track. Sometimes I even come to a difficult decision or figure out something that's been bothering me after a run.

-

Small update on my stuff: Running is still going well, aside from the occasional temporary setback. I was worried I had gained 15+ pounds on vacation, but it turns out I only gained two. I can now comfortably reach 11 km at my default speed. Well, not comfortably, but you know what I mean. I'm going to keep trying to increase that. If things keep improving at their present rate, I may eventually get to half marathon distance. I don't want to commit to that yet because it still feels unreachable and a bit scary.

I have also worn out the running shoes which I bought when I started Couch to 5k. I've never done that before and it really surprised me. Decent shoes with wear left in them are critical for preventing injuries, especially for larger guys like me.

One last thing: I had another patch made up as a treat for reaching the end of Bridge to 10k, and I just finished sewing it to my riding jacket. I thought you guys might like it.

[Gandara]

Sweet patch, bro! Bet your wife will love it.

Little update: I finally got around to weighing myself. Good news is, I didn't gain back much weight. Bad news is, I gained back weight. Up two pounds, which is amazing considering I haven't been watching what I eat worth a damn these past several weeks...

Gettin' back on it. Gotta stick with my three tenants - no soda, no candies, no fast food. I've kept the first up flawlessly, and the second decently. The third one... buh.