Running - Getting Back Into Shape - Part I

[branica]

So I am trying to get back into shape since last year and I have tried some exercise DVDs like from Jillian Michaels of Biggest Loser fame as well as Jackie Warner. Actually I started with Wii Active from EA Sports but quickly moved on from it.

While I was making some progress and it was hard to do (especially some of the videos/DVDs), I didn't find that I enjoyed it that much. Just a hint: if you have cable, you may have a free fitness channel which is a great way to mix it up. My overall "health" while it was getting better was not improving as much as I would have liked. So after several months, I decided to start jogging / running.

Before I get to running and my current program, let me just say that that I didn't work out for about 9 years before starting out with the Wii, OnDemand Videos, and DVDs. So I wasn't in the best of shape and all of you should see a doctor before starting a exercise program. I should have and I just had a physical a few months ago - all good to go! So I decided to run perhaps starting in March of 2009. You wonder how did it go? Well, I could barely run 10 minutes and had terrible shin splints. I was out of breath and in pain. But I continued to work at it and now…

I am training for a half-marathon and perhaps a marathon this year! I made all of the common mistakes that you will read if you do some homework prior to actually doing a real running program. I was still in the mind of put on your sneakers and shorts and then go. And I think that can work for some. I think there is a wealth of information (too much at times) and fitness gear to help you achieve your goals with minimal pain.

I'll write about the program that I am on and other things that have worked for me at least.

[branica]

In this post, I will give an overview of my running program and some short tips.

First - some short tips:

• Buy real running shoes - this helped my knees a lot!
• Proper diet and hydration is important before and after a run. Depending on the run, I usually eat a half of a "power" bar before a run and then finish it off after the run.
• If you are running in cooler weather, buy the proper gear.
• As Nike's slogan states: "Just Do It". When I first started, I was in a lot of pain / discomfort. But I just kept on running and usually most of the time I feel much better that I did the run. Again - you need to know your body here as certain pains / discomfort should be look by a doctor.

There are a lot of resources out there - just Google it. I suggest reading a lot before deciding on going a program. I do suggest a program or a goal to get yourself motivated and to have something to track. My program is geared towards running a half-marathon in two hours. I would use some sort of tracking system (device + software) to make it easy to understand how you are doing, etc. Before my current device which is an iPhone, I used my Blackberry Bold. There are also HRM devices - ideally the device can use your phone's GPS and track your heart rate. Software will vary depending on the device that you are using. By the way, you can do some manually tracking but I find it to be a hassle as I did try it before using a GPS enabled phone.

I was originally using mapmyruns.com application for the Blackberry but since I have moved to my iPhone I have been using micoach.com from Adidas. While not a perfect site (not GPS + HRM integration), I do love it and works well for me. Before the snow fell around here, I loved using the GPS function with my iPhone. It is really great while using it outside. Being inside now, I am that excited since I need to type in the data from the treadmill and overall I like running outside more anyways. miCoach has a nice dashboard - look at the attached image: micoach.jpg.

The other nice aspect of micoach is the ability to select all kinds of programs like the one that I am using which is targeted to running the half marathon for a certain pace. There are a bunch other programs you can select which is nice as you can tailor your workout as you see fit.

[oliviasmith]

Thanks a lot Branica. These are awesome tips. I was planning to start running and this has helped me a lot. Tc

[branica]

Half-marathon this week! I am shooting for a 2 hour time but looking to be a bit faster than that time. We will see.

[branica]

So I ran the half-marathon back in April which turned out to be only a 10 mile race due to rain the night before.

My time was about 1:15 which was much better than I expected - about 7:53 mile pace.

I am now training for the marathon in Lowell, MA. I am hoping to run it in 3 hours and 15 minutes to qualify for the Boston but I guess I'll be happy if I can finish under 4 hours!