Newbie's Log 18/06/04

Good for you Mel

I know what you mean about the geological anomalies - they
exist all over the UK! wait until you discover the
meteorological conundrums - the wind that remains directly
in your face on an out and back run.

Stick with it - but remember that rest is your friend
and the worst thing you can do as a beginner is too much
too soon..

Charlie (debunking after about a year or more since
last post)

"Mel Rimmer" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

As a newcomer to running (or any kind of exertion really)
I started out with the goal of running out of my front
door for 5 minutes, then running 5 minutes back. The first
day it almost killed me. The second day I paced myself
better and could still stand unsupported when I got home
(just). By day 4 I was hardly breaking a sweat, so days 5
and 6 I upped the pace some more, but kept the time to 10
minutes for now.

It's day 7 and I'm not running today. Tomorrow I'll go out
7 1/2 minutes, and 7 1/2 minutes back, and see how I do
for the rest of the week.

I'm concerned about some unusual geological activity in my
part of the world (Cheshire, England). I drive or walk out
from my house every day and I can tell you that the road
North is hilly, and the other way is flat. Of course I run
the flat way. I'm not stupid. But now when I'm running
there's a hill there that was never there before. I'm
thinking of alerting the British Geological Survey.

I'm feeling pretty proud of myself for keeping this up for
a week. It may not sound much, but it feels like an
achievement to me. I decided to invest in a pair of proper
running shoes, so I visited a specialist running shop to
get some advice. My self-esteem took a bit of a blow when
the owner made me run up and down the high street and then
told me my feet are a) wide, b) flat and c) I run with my
toes turned out like a duck. Then he charged my sixty-five
pounds for the privilege. Well, he gave me a pair of shoes
as well.

I thought running would be hard, and I'd look forward to
rest days. But It's getting close to the time of day when
I've been going out running and I'm feeling increasingly
antsy. I'd like to get out. I want to try out these new
shoes. I want to see if I can run 15 minutes. I want to
try to run with my toes turned straight. I want to see if
I can get up that hill without slowing down.
--
Mel Rimmer

"Charlie Wykes" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Good for you Mel

Umm, "Mel" is his other pesonality, the one that binges on
Twinkies and coca cola.

In article
<[email hidden]>, .
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

"Charlie Wykes" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<cavdvb$743$1@hercule
s.btinternet.com>...

Quoted message said:

Good for you Mel

Umm, "Mel" is his other pesonality, the one that binges on
Twinkies and coca cola.

Bzzzt! Sorry caller, but that's not right. I'm a woman for a
start although I didn't mention that. But I did mention I
live in England, where Twinkies are outlawed under the
"Disgusting and Dangerous Comestibles Act" of 1862, along
with Oreos and Velveeta.

Seriously, I went out for a run this morning and I found it
harder than usual - I have been running in the evenings
normally. I didn't eat or drink anything before I went out
and I wonder if that was my mistake. But I've read advice
not to eat or drink just before a run. So what do you do on
a morning run? Do you have a banana and a glass of water and
then sit around for 30 minutes before going out? Don't you
have to get up at 5am to do that? Can you have your banana
and then go back to sleep for half an hour?

Got my new shoes satisfyingly muddy. They don't look quite
so new now.
--
Mel Rimmer

Quoted message said:

Seriously, I went out for a run this morning and I found
it harder than usual - I have been running in the evenings
normally.

This could be a matter of getting used to the time. Also, I
noticed on your running program that you are adding
time/distance almost every day with no recovery days. Most
running plans call for some easy days. Easy days for a
beginning runner usually means zero running. For more
advanced runners it means cutting back on the distance
and/or speed. This gives your body a chance to "super-
compensate" or build it self back up and then some so that
the next run is easier. This also reduces the chance of an
injury. I hate to see beginning runners start out with guns
a blazin' only to quit after the first injury.

A couple of other things from your original post:

Quoted message said:

I want to try to run with my toes turned straight.

I wouldn't try too hard to do this. Altering your natural
running style to fit someone's idea of perfect form could
cause an injury.

Quoted message said:

I want to see if I can get up that hill without
slowing down.

A few times a week this is fine. It will build your
strength. However, most of the time you should slow down in
order to maintain the same effort.

Quoted message said:

I didn't eat or drink anything before I went out and I
wonder if that was my mistake. But I've read advice not to
eat or drink just before a run.

As in most things, "it depends." Since you aren't running
more than 15 minutes, then eating or drinking just before
your run may not help much.

Quoted message said:

So what do you do on a morning run? Do you have a banana
and a glass of water and then sit around for 30 minutes
before going out? Don't you have to get up at 5am to do
that? Can you have your banana and then go back to sleep
for half an hour?

On the morning of my weekly long run I get up at 6:00 AM
(mainly to beat the heat) to have oatmeal and coffee. Then,
5 to 10 minutes before my run, I have 20 oz of Accelerade.
I'm running by 8:00 AM. This gives my system a chance to
process the oatmeal and coffee as well as eliminate any
waste products (eliminating waste products during a run is
not fun). Having the fluids just before the run ensures that
these fluids will be used to replace the sweat from running
and not simply passed through my body. If my run is less
than 90 minutes, I don't worry about it. I just make sure I
am hydrated during the rest of the day.

But that's just me. For runners just starting out, I think
that extra fluids and calories just for the run (or during)
is not important. What is important is staying hydrated
throughout the day and having a well- balanced nutritional
diet. However, I think the most important thing is to
experiment with your own self. Start with the knowledge
gained from other runners (which you are doing here), then
fine tune it to suit your body's differences.

Quoted message said:

Got my new shoes satisfyingly muddy. They don't look quite
so new now.

I have multiple pairs of running shoes. Several just for
running, a few for yard work, and a nice clean pair for
going to the mall. ;-)

Phil M.

--
"I gotta go. You're killin' me."

My first jogging log....boy that brings back memories. Mine
was full of corn and carrots.

Mel Rimmer said:

In article
<[email hidden]>, .
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

"Charlie Wykes" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<cavdvb$743$1@hercule
s.btinternet.com>...

Quoted message said:

Good for you Mel

Umm, "Mel" is his other pesonality, the one that binges on
Twinkies and coca cola.

Bzzzt! Sorry caller, but that's not right. I'm a woman for
a start although I didn't mention that. But I did mention
I live in England, where Twinkies are outlawed under the
"Disgusting and Dangerous Comestibles Act" of 1862, along
with Oreos and Velveeta.

Seriously, I went out for a run this morning and I found
it harder than usual - I have been running in the evenings
normally. I didn't eat or drink anything before I went out
and I wonder if that was my mistake.

Shouldn't make a whole lot of difference unless its a long
or hard run.

I usually do 2-a-days, and even though I'm used to doing
this, I am often very sluggish on my morning run. You may
be a little stiff after getting out of bed. This is fine,
but it does take longer to warm up. Just do the first
mile very slowly. Do some stretching before the run if
you find it helps.

Quoted message said:

But I've read advice not to eat or drink just before a
run.

Eating before a run is fine, just don't eat anything that
gives your stomach trouble. The safest bet is a dose of
simple carbs. The problem is that getting enough carbs to
make a substantial difference isn't that easy.

Quoted message said:

So what do you do on a morning run? Do you have a banana
and a glass of water and then sit around for 30 minutes
before going out?

Sometimes I have a shot of espresso. Helps get me out the
door. Sometimes, I have a couple of waffles (I don't put
anything on them). I'd skip the "sitting around for 30
minutes" part.

Quoted message said:

Don't you have to get up at 5am to do that? Can you have
your banana and then go back to sleep for half an hour?

You could, but it's probably not worth the trouble.

Cheers,
--
Donovan Rebbechi pegasus.rutgers.edu~elflordOpen ↗

Mel Rimmer <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Bzzzt! Sorry caller, but that's not right. I'm a woman
for a start

I need further proof. Pics will suffice. And to be sure
there's no monkee business, the less clothes the better!

Quoted message said:

although I didn't mention that. But I did mention I live
in England,

Oh god, one of THEM?

Quoted message said:

Seriously, I went out for a run this morning and I found
it harder than usual - I have been running in the evenings
normally.

Did you run the evening before? If your used to a 24 hr
break between runs, and you suddenly go 12 hours between
them, you'll notice it.

Quoted message said:

I didn't eat or drink anything before I went out and I
wonder if that was my mistake.

12 hour rest period.

Quoted message said:

Can you have your banana and then go back to sleep for
half an hour?

If you "have your banana" in bed if you catch my drift, and
if you do it right, a nap afterwards is in order. Nothing to
do with running though.

Quoted message said:

Got my new shoes satisfyingly muddy. They don't look quite
so new now.

Pics please! Keep them on for the pics, nothing else
though. :?)~

Phil M. said:

On the morning of my weekly long run I get up at 6:00 AM
(mainly to beat the heat) to have oatmeal and coffee.
Then, 5 to 10 minutes before my run, I have 20 oz of
Accelerade. I'm running by 8:00 AM. This gives my system a
chance to process the oatmeal and coffee as well as
eliminate any waste products (eliminating waste products
during a run is not fun).

Especially oatmeal.

Cheers,
--
Donovan Rebbechi pegasus.rutgers.edu~elflordOpen ↗

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Don't you have to get up at 5am to do that? Can you have
your banana and then go back to sleep for half an hour?

You could, but it's probably not worth the trouble.

You have a point there. For my last long run (17 miles) I
had a late dinner the previous night (heavy on carbs). I got
up early, had only coffee about an hour before the run, then
Accelerade 5 minutes before the run. That seemed to work out
fine. It cuts down on the sitting around and gets me out the
door before it gets too hot.

Phil M.

--
"I gotta go. You're killin' me."

"Mel Rimmer" <[email hidden]> wrote in message >

Quoted message said:

Seriously, I went out for a run this morning and I found
it harder than usual - I have been running in the evenings
normally. I didn't eat or drink anything before I went out
and I wonder if that was my mistake. But I've read advice
not to eat or drink just before a run. So what do you do
on a morning run? Do you have a banana and a glass of
water and then sit around for 30 minutes before going out?
Don't you have to get up at 5am to do that? Can you have
your banana and then go back to sleep for half an hour?

I have found that I need to eat before I run in the morning
- I was a beginner in the fall and I recently ran a half
marathon. I usually have a piece of toast with pb. and a
banana. Depending on the run length I take water or gatorade
with me or nothing at all. I found that my appetite
increased more when I was a beginner runner and doing 20 min
at a time then it did when I went from that to preparing for
the half marathon!! I think it's best to trust your body-
some people from my running group wouldn't eat at all.
Listen to your body and figure out what you need to succeed!

Good luck, and congrats on getting yourself out the door.
Kat