I used to do a lot of running when I was younger, before injuries hampered me. There was a race nearby with a 10-mile race and a 5K race. In the 5K race I stumbled into a nest of little kids running it (wearing the same shirt, must have been a club or something), from about age 7-11, most of whom were fast. I beat most of them but I had to run it in a little under 22 minutes to do it.

I'm currently trying to run a bit, 3-5 miles or so, 2-3 times a week. If I can do that and gradually increase my pace I'll be happy. Right now I'm going much slower than I'm used to.

I'm rather disappointed in my pace. It's taking me like 12 minutes to run a mile. Guess that's what happens when I let myself get out of shape. I'm doing my best to increase the pace as well as my endurance. The punch in the gut was about 3 weeks ago when it took me 10 minutes to run .6 of a mile and I was gassed lol.

I'm definitely a novice runner. I'm trying to get to the point where I can ran a full mile without stopping to walk. I get up at 0500 on Tuesdays and Thursdays to go jog and 0700 on Saturdays. Yesterday I was able to get .71 of a mile in at 9 minutes and 31 seconds before I stopped to walk. I walked probably about .3 and then ran another .2 of a mile in about 16 minutes and 30 seconds.

I use Runkeeper while I'm training and I was on about a 13 minute pace until I stopped to walk. I know I'll get faster eventually but I figure as long as I'm out there doing it 3 times a week and I'm watching what I eat I should improve my speed, stamina and overall physical condition considerably by the end of the year.

I've got at least one 5k scheduled for each month until the end of the year including the Merrell Down and Dirty in October.

http://www.downanddirtyobstaclerace.com/

(06-20-2014 09:30 AM)BucFyre Wrote:  I'm definitely a novice runner. I'm trying to get to the point where I can ran a full mile without stopping to walk. I get up at 0500 on Tuesdays and Thursdays to go jog and 0700 on Saturdays. Yesterday I was able to get .71 of a mile in at 9 minutes and 31 seconds before I stopped to walk. I walked probably about .3 and then ran another .2 of a mile in about 16 minutes and 30 seconds.

I use Runkeeper while I'm training and I was on about a 13 minute pace until I stopped to walk. I know I'll get faster eventually but I figure as long as I'm out there doing it 3 times a week and I'm watching what I eat I should improve my speed, stamina and overall physical condition considerably by the end of the year.

I've got at least one 5k scheduled for each month until the end of the year including the Merrell Down and Dirty in October.

http://www.downanddirtyobstaclerace.com/

Yea I think the important thing is just to keep it up, and gradually improve at your own pace. Good luck!

(06-16-2014 10:12 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  My personal best mile time was 4:00.8 as a high school sophomore. I started running cross country as a junior, and didn't run the mile after my sophomore year. Had I stuck with it, I probably could have been a very good distance runner. But after I got drafted, I quit competitive running, and ran only when ordered.

You stopped running the mile when you were less than a second from breaking 4 minutes? Why?

(06-23-2014 09:09 PM)jh Wrote:  

(06-16-2014 10:12 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  My personal best mile time was 4:00.8 as a high school sophomore. I started running cross country as a junior, and didn't run the mile after my sophomore year. Had I stuck with it, I probably could have been a very good distance runner. But after I got drafted, I quit competitive running, and ran only when ordered.

You stopped running the mile when you were less than a second from breaking 4 minutes? Why?

I started running longer distances when I became a cross country runner. I even ran in a couple of Boston Marathon's (almost 40 years ago now), and finished among the first hundred both times.

The only reason I ran that mile so fast was because I hated this one guy I was running against. He was 3 years older than me and liked to pick on me. So I ran that whole mile as fast as I could and beat him by about 100 yards. He never said a word to me after that, and nobody ever let him forget that loss either. It was sweet. But once I'd accomplished that, I had no more use for running the mile. I wasn't in it for glory, just revenge.

(06-24-2014 08:14 AM)bitcruncher Wrote:  

(06-23-2014 09:09 PM)jh Wrote:  

(06-16-2014 10:12 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  My personal best mile time was 4:00.8 as a high school sophomore. I started running cross country as a junior, and didn't run the mile after my sophomore year. Had I stuck with it, I probably could have been a very good distance runner. But after I got drafted, I quit competitive running, and ran only when ordered.

You stopped running the mile when you were less than a second from breaking 4 minutes? Why?

I started running longer distances when I became a cross country runner. I even ran in a couple of Boston Marathon's (almost 40 years ago now), and finished among the first hundred both times.

The only reason I ran that mile so fast was because I hated this one guy I was running against. He was 3 years older than me and liked to pick on me. So I ran that whole mile as fast as I could and beat him by about 100 yards. He never said a word to me after that, and nobody ever let him forget that loss either. It was sweet. But once I'd accomplished that, I had no more use for running the mile. I wasn't in it for glory, just revenge.

Bit - I don't know why but when I picture I picture young Clint Eastwood or Paul Newman. I just thought you should know.

(06-24-2014 10:45 AM)BucFyre Wrote:  

(06-24-2014 08:14 AM)bitcruncher Wrote:  

(06-23-2014 09:09 PM)jh Wrote:  

(06-16-2014 10:12 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  My personal best mile time was 4:00.8 as a high school sophomore. I started running cross country as a junior, and didn't run the mile after my sophomore year. Had I stuck with it, I probably could have been a very good distance runner. But after I got drafted, I quit competitive running, and ran only when ordered.

You stopped running the mile when you were less than a second from breaking 4 minutes? Why?

I started running longer distances when I became a cross country runner. I even ran in a couple of Boston Marathon's (almost 40 years ago now), and finished among the first hundred both times.

The only reason I ran that mile so fast was because I hated this one guy I was running against. He was 3 years older than me and liked to pick on me. So I ran that whole mile as fast as I could and beat him by about 100 yards. He never said a word to me after that, and nobody ever let him forget that loss either. It was sweet. But once I'd accomplished that, I had no more use for running the mile. I wasn't in it for glory, just revenge.

Bit - I don't know why but when I picture I picture young Clint Eastwood or Paul Newman. I just thought you should know.

Thanks, Buc. You just made my day by thinking I'm young.

(06-24-2014 11:15 AM)bitcruncher Wrote:  

(06-24-2014 10:45 AM)BucFyre Wrote:  

(06-24-2014 08:14 AM)bitcruncher Wrote:  

(06-23-2014 09:09 PM)jh Wrote:  

(06-16-2014 10:12 PM)bitcruncher Wrote:  My personal best mile time was 4:00.8 as a high school sophomore. I started running cross country as a junior, and didn't run the mile after my sophomore year. Had I stuck with it, I probably could have been a very good distance runner. But after I got drafted, I quit competitive running, and ran only when ordered.

You stopped running the mile when you were less than a second from breaking 4 minutes? Why?

I started running longer distances when I became a cross country runner. I even ran in a couple of Boston Marathon's (almost 40 years ago now), and finished among the first hundred both times.

The only reason I ran that mile so fast was because I hated this one guy I was running against. He was 3 years older than me and liked to pick on me. So I ran that whole mile as fast as I could and beat him by about 100 yards. He never said a word to me after that, and nobody ever let him forget that loss either. It was sweet. But once I'd accomplished that, I had no more use for running the mile. I wasn't in it for glory, just revenge.

Bit - I don't know why but when I picture I picture young Clint Eastwood or Paul Newman. I just thought you should know.

Thanks, Buc. You just made my day by thinking I'm young.

LOL I know you're one of our older posters but that's just my mental image of you.

(06-24-2014 12:12 PM)BucFyre Wrote:  

(06-24-2014 11:15 AM)bitcruncher Wrote:  

(06-24-2014 10:45 AM)BucFyre Wrote:  

(06-24-2014 08:14 AM)bitcruncher Wrote:  

(06-23-2014 09:09 PM)jh Wrote:  You stopped running the mile when you were less than a second from breaking 4 minutes? Why?

I started running longer distances when I became a cross country runner. I even ran in a couple of Boston Marathon's (almost 40 years ago now), and finished among the first hundred both times.

The only reason I ran that mile so fast was because I hated this one guy I was running against. He was 3 years older than me and liked to pick on me. So I ran that whole mile as fast as I could and beat him by about 100 yards. He never said a word to me after that, and nobody ever let him forget that loss either. It was sweet. But once I'd accomplished that, I had no more use for running the mile. I wasn't in it for glory, just revenge.

Bit - I don't know why but when I picture I picture young Clint Eastwood or Paul Newman. I just thought you should know.

Thanks, Buc. You just made my day by thinking I'm young.

LOL I know you're one of our older posters but that's just my mental image of you.

That's one of the wonders of living in the Imagination, the most wonderful nation of all.

So my most recent 5k was on Saturda. Same course as the last but about a week before I developed this amazing summer cold that I still haven't shaken. It's the first time I've ever run with serious congestion and a cough. I hope to never repeat this again. It took me longer and I felt far more gassed this go around. I'm hoping over the next couple of weeks to shake it since I have another race coming up on August 2.

For those of you that run frequently do you have any tips on what to do when you're sick like that?

I also got my first injury in that I sprained my ankle somewhere past the 2-mile mark. I'd be kind of proud if it didn't hurt so damn bad :)

May want to day a couple of days off and drink lots of water.

I've been fortunate in not having had a cold before any of my races. It's hard enough without that, I don't think I would be happy with the result.

I have a 5K coming up this weekend. Hoping to go to the track and do a fast mile, hopefully get my lung power improved a bit, need to knock a couple minutes off of my times still.

Ran a 5K this morning. Almost 4 minutes slower than the same race last year. It was mild, but incredibly humid. I'm not blaming that, though. I just wasn't ready.

Ran a 5k this morning in support of the Wounded Warrior project. Huge turn out of almost 1300 people. Hit another personal best today so I'm feeling pretty great. Next event in 3 weeks. Different course so that will be nice to shake things up.

Congrats on your increase of speed.

I don't mind tooting my own horn a little, but after my heart surgery in 2001 I started power walking daily for at least an hour - I used to go for over 100 minutes. So far I've gone 11.6 years or 4,245 days only missed one, single day in all that time. No matter what is going on in my life, or how hot, cold, rainy, or whatever, I get my 60 minutes in every day.

(08-02-2014 12:56 PM)smn1256 Wrote:  I don't mind tooting my own horn a little, but after my heart surgery in 2001 I started power walking daily for at least an hour - I used to go for over 100 minutes. So far I've gone 11.6 years or 4,245 days only missed one, single day in all that time. No matter what is going on in my life, or how hot, cold, rainy, or whatever, I get my 60 minutes in every day.

Nice work, man. You're adding years to your life.

I'm ramping up for my first half-marathon in November. Ran 9 miles this morning and my left knee is bitching something fierce.

Smaug or any other experienced runner - How do you train for running up hills? I've got my first trail run next month and the finish line is at the top of Kennesaw Mountain. I want to be able to finish it running but holy crap it's hard.

Gosh, if somebody's got something try to deal with hills, I'd love to hear it, too. I just put my head down, lean forward and grind it out as best I can.

The only way I know to train for them is by running them.