Runners: What are good techniques

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nick1985

Lifer
Dec 29, 2002
27,153
6
81
Originally posted by: Henrythewound
good tips here, I have been trying to start running myself. I bike/mountain bike on weekends and occasionally to work. I still have a hard time running. Right now I am running various 2 mile routes around my house. The thing is I am doing it with my dogs on leashes so I think a lot of my concentration goes to keeping my dogs in line. I feel great afterwards and I know I am getting a good workout. I have noticed I am not in as much pain/out of breath after my 2 miles, although I am not getting any faster (currently running about 10 minute miles). I have a little extra weight (~180 @ 5'10") which I am trying to lose. A lady I work with likes to run but she is particular about running on pavement vs. bare ground. Might be a factor for you too.


Yeah the surface can make a difference too. The biggest reason, in my opinion, that a lot of people dont like running on pavement is because their running form stinks. I see a lot of people just plodding down the paths not running heal/toe, but rather their foot just slamming down into the pavement in one nasty motion...it makes me shudder in pain thinking of what their shins and knees are going through. If you run with good form it wont make TOO much of a difference, but I guess that depends on body type and what not. Personally I like running on pavement, I cant clip off my miles at the same pace on grass.
 

konakona

Diamond Member
May 6, 2004
6,285
1
0
Sleep well, eat well (no heavy meat and such, pasta works best)
Eat bananas to avoid cramps (supplies Potassium)
Eat and shit 2+ hours before running (usually go for just before having another meal)
Drink enough and piss 30min+ before running
Stretch well (10min+) before running
Develop a regular breathing pattern synchronized to your strides. Mine goes like 2 inhales + 2 exhales or 1 long inhale followed by 2 exhales
Try to limit vertical body movement or arm movement to minimize energy loss
Bring your mp3player to soothe your pain

I personally much prefer running on a treadmill or around a rubber paved track as opposed to jogging around the neighborhood. That way you are 1)keeping your pace at a constant rate 2)freeing your mind from worries of keeping count 3)eliminating excuses like "need to stop at a traffic light" etc

This is something I do on my own to boost my performance.
Try holding your breath as much as you can (1min+), take a rest for 15sec.
Keep repeating till you improve up to 150% of your first run.
Rest a good 5 minutes or so afterwards.

Though I have no scientific explannation behind it, I tend to run more and better after doing this excercise before running every time.
 

nick1985

Lifer
Dec 29, 2002
27,153
6
81
I never ran with a watch or an MP3 player. :beer: I just read my body and run. I always tried keep running simple, which it is.

But people are different and different things may work for others!
 

Henrythewound

Senior member
Oct 25, 2002
477
0
0
Originally posted by: nick1985
Originally posted by: Henrythewound
good tips here, I have been trying to start running myself. I bike/mountain bike on weekends and occasionally to work. I still have a hard time running. Right now I am running various 2 mile routes around my house. The thing is I am doing it with my dogs on leashes so I think a lot of my concentration goes to keeping my dogs in line. I feel great afterwards and I know I am getting a good workout. I have noticed I am not in as much pain/out of breath after my 2 miles, although I am not getting any faster (currently running about 10 minute miles). I have a little extra weight (~180 @ 5'10") which I am trying to lose. A lady I work with likes to run but she is particular about running on pavement vs. bare ground. Might be a factor for you too.


Yeah the surface can make a difference too. The biggest reason, in my opinion, that a lot of people dont like running on pavement is because their running form stinks. I see a lot of people just plodding down the paths not running heal/toe, but rather their foot just slamming down into the pavement in one nasty motion...it makes me shudder in pain thinking of what their shins and knees are going through. If you run with good form it wont make TOO much of a difference, but I guess that depends on body type and what not. Personally I like running on pavement, I cant clip off my miles at the same pace on grass.

I'm sure my form sucks. Towards the end of the 2 miles I am almost slapping the pavement w/ my feet. It probably doesn't help that I am trying to control 2 65 pound dogs that run better & faster than I do at the same time. I guess I figured I would just "run through" the painful beginning. BTW my shins and feet don't hurt afterwards. Either I'm not as bad as I think or I have killed all nerves in my shins & feet.
 

XxPrOdiGyxX

Senior member
Dec 29, 2002
631
6
81
- Stretch
- Jog a little before moving up to a running pace
- Don't worry about the distance you run but how long you run. You'll want to get at least 20 minutes straight.
- Do back and leg strengthening exercises when not running.
 

JulesMaximus

No Lifer
Jul 3, 2003
74,548
940
126
One foot goes in front of the other, repeat this and increase speed...before you know it, you'll be running.
 

imported_Imp

Diamond Member
Dec 20, 2005
9,148
0
0
Definately get good shoes. I tried running a few times in the summer, I died after about 300m. I was compeltely out of breath and could have just fell asleep on the sidewalk. Aside from not working out for the previous 21 years, one of the aggravating factors was that I only had one pair of "checks" and some walking shoes. Everytime my foot came down there was a "clap"; I don't think the POS shoe could even rebound a bit from the impact. Now, I'm just sticking to biking until I build some endurance.

Also, this might be incredibly dangerous, but have you tried running up and down your stairs? I've been doing that a bit with no one around. Considering that I get tired walking up two flights, running up and down 1 flight for 15 times works pretty good for me.
 

krunchykrome

Lifer
Dec 28, 2003
13,413
1
0
I am in no way or shape a "runner", but I was told not to wave your arms all over the place. I was told to concentrate on breathing as well.
 

glenn beck

Platinum Member
Oct 6, 2004
2,380
0
0
find a specialty sports shoe shop, they will custom fit you, better in the "long run" har har
 

Pepsi1337

Junior Member
Sep 24, 2006
23
0
0
Here are a few tips I haven't seen so far and I see a whole bunch of people at the gym make these mistakes:

-Don't move your shoulders. By this I mean, don't rotate your body with every step. If you swing your shoulders with every step, you waste all this energy when you could be using it to go forward. Swing your arms forward and back instead. I find, if I hold my elbows at 90 degree angles, I am more inclined to move my arms more and twist less. The people who hold their arms towards their body more seem to twist more.

-Don't make a lot of noise. If you are stomping away and making a lot of noise, unless yer a really big fella, you're doing something wrong and wasting energy vertically. A loud footstep means your feet are hitting the ground the wrong way with your feet.

-Don't run sloppy. If you get tired, maintain your form. When you run sloppy, you put more strain on your bones rather than your muscles. Your shins and knees aren't designed for stress without your muscles backing the weight.

-Breath at an irregular pattern. For example, breath in 2 steps, breath out in 3 steps. If you do this, you will breath on alternating steps and won't strain one leg. This really applies if you run really long distances but hey, I do it just because it helps against injury.


You said you had some knee problems. If I were you, I would find another thing to do. Running is really tolling to the knees and shins especially when you don't do it right. Also, one more tip I have is try to run based on time and pace rather than distance. What good is reaching your goal of X miles when you're crawling to the end damaging your body? After all if you're doing this for cardiac reasons, its better. My first runs started with 5 minutes out and 5 minutes back and a year later I'm up to 60 minute runs three times a week. I still run slow though.

Oh, I find it funny that most people are mentioning shoes as the first thing. Advertising executives at Nike and New Balance and patting each other on the backs right now.
 

nick1985

Lifer
Dec 29, 2002
27,153
6
81
Originally posted by: Pepsi1337

Oh, I find it funny that most people are mentioning shoes as the first thing. Advertising executives at Nike and New Balance and patting each other on the backs right now.

Its because shoes are really important.
 
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