Run Forrest, Run!

It is a great exercise. I wish I could do it, but the knees have had enough. If you have grass or a trail to run on, it can make it a bit easier in the joints to start out.

1 hour ago, boogielicious said:

If you have grass or a trail to run on, it can make it a bit easier in the joints to start out.

It's asphalt. I could theoretically run in the grass next to the path, but with the rain we've been having lately I'm probably safer on the pavement.

57 minutes ago, Patch said:

Due to injuries, and repairs, my running is limited to more of really fast walk for less than 200 yards at a time. That said, I can walk an average of 2.5 mph for several hours at a time. This over various elevation changes.

Walking is certainly better than not exercising at all.

21 minutes ago, Vinsk said:

I ran cross country in high school but that’s the extent of my ‘running history.’

Ironically, I was asked to join both the golf team and the cross country team in high school, which I declined to do. I guess they just needed another warm body on the roster sheet 😜

24 minutes ago, Vinsk said:

Good for you and I’m sure you’ll make the 5k in no time!

Thanks!

25 minutes ago, dennyjones said:

Congrats on your running.   If you want real motivation, sign up for a 5k race.   Have a goal.   Races aren't for everyone but thought I'd drop the idea.  Good luck moving forward.

I will at some point. I want to make sure I can actually run 5k before I sign up for a race.

On 7/26/2019 at 9:05 PM, CarlSpackler said:

I miss running. My knees just won’t support it any longer. I can still do an elliptical, but it just isn’t the same as pounding the pavement. 

I refuse to use a machine. Ask me again in 15 years when my knees are shot 😜

9 minutes ago, GolfLug said:

Been 'running' on and off with the wife a bit. 2 miles does it these days.

I ran 1.5 the other day, then I got busy so haven't been out since. I'm going to go for 2 miles tomorrow. Goal is 8 total miles this week.

20 hours ago, weifert said:

Keep up the good work, Bill! I'm 30 and started working out again after several years of little physical activity. Tired of being 350 lbs. And I kind of started in conjunction with playing golf because it seems like you'd be a better player all around if you're fit.

Good for you! Fitness is important. My reasons for fitness are not golf-related and I think that's the best way to approach it.

20 hours ago, weifert said:

I share your dislike for running. Glad you've been able to stick with it.

Start slow, maybe with long walks at a brisk pace. Do it a few times a week and make it part of your routine.

18 hours ago, p1n9183 said:

Good work men. I hate running also, but i really enjoy going out with my bicycle. So i go out twice a week and lift some weigth when i return home. Best shape ever, good stamina, low body fat and groing muscules. 

Cool, keep up the good work!

So I didn't run at all this week and I haven't worked out since Tuesday because I've been really fatigued. I think I figured it out and I'm not eating enough.

So now I'm trying to add more calories into my day, but I've shut down my workouts for the rest of the week to let myself recover. Back at it Monday.

3 minutes ago, Carolina Doc said:

Since I've been a runner for over 50 years, and am a current high school track and cross country coach, I feel qualified to comment.  Most people deciding "to get back in shape" start running way too fast.  They become exhausted, winded, tired, and sore.  It's an unpleasant feeling, so the training period is short lived. I tell people to start running very gently, a comfortable pace, where you can carry on a conversation with a partner without being out of breath. It might not be faster than a brisk walk.  Do that for 15 minutes and try to increase by 10% a week.  This is effective for conditioning, cardiovascular health, weight control, and just plain feeling good.  Doing this, many adults become pretty fit and enjoy the running much more.  You simply don't have to train like you're going to the olympics and exhaust yourselves.

This is pretty much in line with everything I've read about getting into running. It's sound advice, even if it doesn't apply to my situation.

I did not keep up with running at all... did I mention I dislike running?

Time to start this back up, though. I've been following the Athlean X AX-1 program (my second time through) and I'm in the first week of month two. There are two conditioning workouts each week, Tuesdays and Thursdays. I'm going to start substituting at least one of these conditioning workouts with a run of some sort. I have the Apple Watch now which tracks a bunch of stuff, and the AirPods Pro that I use to listen to music and I'm finding that running isn't as boring with a soundtrack.

Over the winter I switched workouts to calisthenics and my conditioning suffered as a result. I also did not achieve the gains I was used to seeing with weights, which is to be expected. The workouts were also kind of boring; it's basically workout A twice a week, workout B in between, repeat for four weeks straight. Zzz

I did see strength gains over my first time through AX-1, which is cool. My conditioning is definitely not as good as it was last year, though. Ran 1.6 miles two weeks ago in 17:29, 2 miles last week in 21.26, and today was actually a sprint interval workout with AX-1 which I could not complete but did manage to do 1.5 miles in 15:21. They're not great numbers for a 34 year old man who is otherwise in decent shape, but I have absolutely no history of running, so it is what it is.

Running sucks.

But it's 10x better than a treadmill.

17 minutes ago, dennyjones said:

I don't like to run either, that being said, I'll play basketball, volleyball or street hockey all day long.   If I were to run, trail running would be the only running in which I would participate.   The scenery makes a huge difference and the woods rules over streets and sidewalks.   

Yeah, that's not "running." That's playing soccer or whatever.

Trail running is good.

1 hour ago, iacas said:

Running sucks.

Running does suck, but it's also an activity that fits my lifestyle: it doesn't take a long time, I can do it by myself and at my convenience, and doesn't require a large investment in gear. I thought about taking up swimming at my gym, but the gym is closed. Even if it wasn't, I'd have to schedule my swimming around a time when the pool isn't busy.

I'm not looking to take up running as a hobby, just adding it as a small part of my fitness routine. At most I'd want to be able to run a 5k in case I ever want to do a race or something. If I'm actually more interested in doing higher intensity sprint workouts.

1 hour ago, iacas said:

But it's 10x better than a treadmill.

I used to own a treadmill. It'll get your heart rate up, but it's not really a workout.

1 hour ago, dennyjones said:

If I were to run, trail running would be the only running in which I would participate.   The scenery makes a huge difference and the woods rules over streets and sidewalks.   

Trail running sounds cool, but it's also a lot more involved than putting on my shoes and running out the door. If the weather is good and I have the time to drive out to a nice spot to do trail running, I'd play a round of golf instead 

What about instead of distance you do interval runs? Back when I could run, I would do a variety of conditioning runs. My favorites were sprint intervals. I did them in a field near where I live.

24 minutes ago, boogielicious said:

What about instead of distance you do interval runs? Back when I could run, I would do a variety of conditioning runs. My favorites were sprint intervals. I did them in a field near where I live.

That’s pretty much what I’m working towards. I’m going to get to the point where I can run 5k and then just mostly do sprints for runs.

12 minutes ago, CarlSpackler said:

I am now on week 4 of the gym being closed. I am doing nightly walks with dog weather permitting, but all the strength gains made over the winter are diminishing. I would buy a weight set for the house if I had a place to put it. Hopefully things open up soon.

I have adjustable dumbbells at home and I can do most of my lifts with them. Unfortunately my basement has a low ceiling so I can’t do overhead presses or put a squat rack down there, or I would have bought one last year.

7 hours ago, CarlSpackler said:

Could you do seated OH presses? If you have an exercise ball, you could sit on that and do them. It will engage your core for balance at the same time.

I'll have to try it on an exercise ball. I've been doing them by taking my dumbbells up the basement stairs and pressing in the hallway.

I don't have a problem doing OHP per se, just pointing out that my home gym setup is also limited by the limitations of my house. I can't do pull ups in my basement where my weights are either, so I got one of those doorway bars which I ended up no liking because I still hang down too low and have to bend my legs to do full range of motion. In the end I built my own pull up bar in my bedroom above my closet door which I can hang from and not touch the floor if I hollow out a little which is perfect, but now I have go up and down two flights of stairs in the middle of my workouts sometimes which is a little weird. On the plus side, I had extra pipe left over from that project and ended up building a vertical bar on the wall I can use to strap resistance bands to for a variety of exercises.

I still really want a power rack, though. And more medicine balls in different weights. And kettlebells. And a cable machine. And this is why I go to the gym