2 years, 9 months ago
How do I learn to run at a decent pace?
I ran cross country in high school all four years, but never found running at a quick pace to be easy. I could put in sub-20 times in 5k races, but couldn't even count on keeping a 7 minute mile pace during practice, drifting dangerously close to 8 minutes very often.
I haven't been running for a while, but I've started up again. How can I learn to love running? I find that I enjoy it the best when I can jog at a good clip easily (7:30 pace, for instance), but I have so much trouble keeping a steady pace, and it's just not plain fun. What can I do?
I haven't been running for a while, but I've started up again. How can I learn to love running? I find that I enjoy it the best when I can jog at a good clip easily (7:30 pace, for instance), but I have so much trouble keeping a steady pace, and it's just not plain fun. What can I do?
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M$2 Answers
Two way, depending on your muscle cell type.
In the first place, don't worry about how fast you're running. Speed's not the issue. The point is that you're not walking.
In the second place, you'll get into stride faster and your body will like you better if you do it in the late afternoon. For most people 16:00 +/- a couple hours is best.
In the third place know if your muscle tissue is dominated by red cells (loaded with myoglobin) or white cells (loaded with glycogen).
Red cell method: First day run 500 paces. Go do something else. Second day run 600 paces. Third day run 750 paces. Fourth day run 950 paces. Fifth day 1200 paces, etc. Before you know it you'll be trotting out five klick runs without thinking about it, and a couple times a week you'll do ten klicks just for something to do.
White cell method: Trot yourself up to a strong, but not extreme, run, and go for a few paces until you feel winded. Drop to a fair walk until you've got your wind back. Run again until yourun out of breath. Walk until you've got your breath back. Before you know it you'll start to feel it in your lungs how fast to run to be able to keep running for however long you want to run that day.
I either case, stop; worrying about speed. As a human, the ability to sustain a run is one of your secrets to survival, and only other humans can plunk attitude on you about it, because as a human you can outrun any other mammal on the planet, with the possible exception of the pronghorn antelope, by whichever of those two methods suits your muscle type.
Ever wonder why natives never worried much about catching a deer, but they did worry about tracking it. It's because they'd see a deer, and they'd take an easy run towards it. The deer would freak, and bolt away, exhuasting tiself a bit. The hunter would keep trotting after it, and when he caught up to the deer, the deer would bolt away again, exhausting itself a bit more. The hunter would keep trotting after it.
Eventually the deer would exhaust itself totally, and the hunter would trot up to it and kill it and take it home, so the only problem was if the deer bolted into bush, so the main skill of the hunter was to use his brain to be a good tracker... to read clues in the underbrush telling the hunter where the deer had run.
European and asian ancestors did it the same way, but so long ago they forgot they could.
In the first place, don't worry about how fast you're running. Speed's not the issue. The point is that you're not walking.
In the second place, you'll get into stride faster and your body will like you better if you do it in the late afternoon. For most people 16:00 +/- a couple hours is best.
In the third place know if your muscle tissue is dominated by red cells (loaded with myoglobin) or white cells (loaded with glycogen).
Red cell method: First day run 500 paces. Go do something else. Second day run 600 paces. Third day run 750 paces. Fourth day run 950 paces. Fifth day 1200 paces, etc. Before you know it you'll be trotting out five klick runs without thinking about it, and a couple times a week you'll do ten klicks just for something to do.
White cell method: Trot yourself up to a strong, but not extreme, run, and go for a few paces until you feel winded. Drop to a fair walk until you've got your wind back. Run again until yourun out of breath. Walk until you've got your breath back. Before you know it you'll start to feel it in your lungs how fast to run to be able to keep running for however long you want to run that day.
I either case, stop; worrying about speed. As a human, the ability to sustain a run is one of your secrets to survival, and only other humans can plunk attitude on you about it, because as a human you can outrun any other mammal on the planet, with the possible exception of the pronghorn antelope, by whichever of those two methods suits your muscle type.
Ever wonder why natives never worried much about catching a deer, but they did worry about tracking it. It's because they'd see a deer, and they'd take an easy run towards it. The deer would freak, and bolt away, exhuasting tiself a bit. The hunter would keep trotting after it, and when he caught up to the deer, the deer would bolt away again, exhausting itself a bit more. The hunter would keep trotting after it.
Eventually the deer would exhaust itself totally, and the hunter would trot up to it and kill it and take it home, so the only problem was if the deer bolted into bush, so the main skill of the hunter was to use his brain to be a good tracker... to read clues in the underbrush telling the hunter where the deer had run.
European and asian ancestors did it the same way, but so long ago they forgot they could.
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M$Report Abuse
Running is good for you :). I guess to enjoy running..you gota just keep doing it until you like it. I'm only 14 but my parents are really fit and they always drag me out running. Of course, i dont like it. I'm like you. I dont find it one bit fun. But i know its good for me. So i just do it. And my mum and dad always say its fun. And they've been doing it for ages now. So i guess you just gota keep it up until you start enjoying it and it becomes a daily routine :)
To keep a steady pace..hmm.. i guess you could listen to a song on your I pod and jog a long to it :) But it has to be a song that could match your pace. Hope this helps! ;)
To keep a steady pace..hmm.. i guess you could listen to a song on your I pod and jog a long to it :) But it has to be a song that could match your pace. Hope this helps! ;)
You can leave an optional "tip" with Mahalo's virtual currency, Mahalo Dollars. If you are asking a difficult question that might require some research, or if you'd like a wide variety of feedback, a higher tip often leads to more answers to your question.
M$
