My First 10k Run

[james_gsx 16]

Today I went out and picked up some running gear and a new pair of running shoes. I took one of my dogs out for a nice 1 mile run, and enjoyed it quite a bit. I realized the BolderBoulder event is coming up at the end of May, and I want to run in it. It's a 10k run, and it will be a challenge since I've never done anything like this.

 

I have been an athlete most of my life. I haven't done anything in 3 or 4 years, I am out of shape (sort of). I was able to run today without too much of a problem, but I couldn't run for more than 2 miles that's for sure. I have a strong heart from playing soccer so I guess that might help. My biggest problem is I am a sprinter, I have always played soccer and basketball so I tend to run too fast for any sort of long distance. Also, since I haven't run in forever I need to get myself ready.

 

Luckily I have a friend who runs cross country and he has agreed to help me. So far we put together a training program for the next several weeks, and it looks tough :o We talked about icing my shins and legs, and all the stretches. I know some of you are runners, so if you feel like you could give me some advice I would appreciate it.

 

I am very excited, as this will be a huge physical challenge to me. I know for some people 10k is nothing, but I've never done it before and I haven't done any sport in a while so it won't be easy. I will accomplish it though, regardless of the physical pain.

[ckait 10]

pretty funny when i started reading your thread I thought youd hit your first 10 k trade lol.

[james_gsx 16]

I regularly trade 10k ES contracts at a time, no biggy :o Brownsfan and those VSA boys are basically my bitch out there :rofl: just kidding of course.

 

My goal for the 10k is under 40mins. That supposedly puts me at a regional class, and would mean I should supposedly run a mile under 6 minutes.

[johnnycakes78704 10]

Start biking

 

I'm doing a 160 mile bike race in support of the Tour de Cure in May. Give that a shot.

[james_gsx 16]

160 miles? I'll drive 160 miles... per hour

 

I want to start biking though, I have a bike with flat tires in my garage LOL

Today was my day off from running. Yesterday I ran another 2 miles and my calfs were hurting during the run, but my ankles felt fine. The more I run, and the better I stretch after the run, the better I feel. It's just something I have to get used to though.

[johnnycakes78704 10]

The cardio required for biking is top notch. Fill those tires up then keep the rubber side down while doing hills for a few hours!

 

There is a saying that if you can run 2 miles you can run 26 miles.

 

40 minutes is a fairly decent pace and while you would need to keep a 6 minute mile pace, you'd need to run each mile at a 6 minute pace. Also, there is something called the runners high. I get that around the 3.5 mile mark and then my pace picks up as the body settles into the rhythm. Find out how long it is until you reach that runners high.

 

Always stretch, both before and after. And, hydrate often. Stop drinking caffeinated drinks and alcoholic drinks as those will dehydrate you. (Yes, I know it is hard to give up alcohol for some, but some sacrifices must be made for optimum performance). Also, what is your diet like? Fatty foods and lots of pasta? Trade that off for brown rice, salmon, or tuna with veggies. Sushi is an excellent replacement. Nigiri is another great replacement and probably preferred as it eliminates the not-as-healthy sauces.

 

Oh, do squats as well to strengthen your thighs. The quadriceps is the largest muscle group in the body and when it is broken down, the body secretes naturally produced human growth hormone to make the muscles stronger. But with the quads, as it is so large, there is an abundance of HGH and your other muscles will benefit/grow.

 

(I've been competing in extreme sports since I was 13 and served 5 years in the Marines. If you have questions on training routines, don't hesitate to shoot me a PM.)

[thrunner 10]

Good for you James, although 6 min miles for 10K sounds a little too ambitious for a beginning long distance runner, especially at altitude. Trading actually has something in common with long distance running. Here is a good perspective from a fellow Coloradoan and trader, Brian Shannon:

Consistently making money in the markets involves taking responsibility for your actions and implementing your plan with an iron clad discipline. Training for and competing in a triathlon are no different, you need a plan of action and you have to take ownership in the plan and implement it with discipline.

There are some good tips on training as well. Good luck and good training.

[james_gsx 16]

I changed the goal to 45-50 minutes, that brings it up to about a 7 minute mile which is more manageable for me IMO.

 

Johnnycakes - the alcohol isn't a problem since I don't drink. But quitting the soda will be tough. I have started to drink bottled water instead of Pepsi, but I won't lie I'm addicted to Pepsi. I get a craving in the back of my mouth and I act strange until I get one. But so far I have been able to limit my intake to about 1 or 2 cans a day instead of 5-6.

 

Should I just sign up for a gym like 24 hour fitness so I can exercise? Or would a home gym be a good option?

 

The diet is basically shit. I eat a TON of pasta and way too many fatty foods. I bought a ton of healthy foods the other day and have been eating that. The biggest problem is when I'm at lunch during work, there aren't many healthy places around to eat. Unless I pack a lunch everyday, even then I'm not sure what to pack.

[Trvlwanderer 10]

Use a quality treadmill (pacemaster / life fitness) in your training. Check some min/max heart rate zones for your age. Pull at 145 bpm for 5 minutes, back off to 120, back to 145 etc. Use the technology to help maximize your time and effort.

 

Do a search on 10k training plans. I know there were some good ones years ago that were sub elements of marathon training plans. 8 weeks is fine as long as you don't get injured. You soccer stamina will help with oxygen consumption, now you need to build the stride and timing.

 

Good luck...I love Boulder in the Spring!!

 

PS...on your diet comments. I wouldn't radically change anything other than adding some protein after a hard run.

[james_gsx 16]

Well I do have a few things going for me

 

1 - I have always been a GOOD athlete. I played at the Gothia Cup in Sweden if that counts for anything But I did get injured, I have long ligaments in my legs and they are prone to injury if I don't stretch well. But hey, I have good footwork

 

2 - I've done three runs, and I can already run 2 - 3 miles without much of a problem. I haven't ran in a few years, so I would imagine this is a good sign.

 

I like the idea of using a treadmill and technology. My biggest challenge I think will be finding the weights to lift and changing any part of my diet. I am stubborn, and I eat a lot.

 

I already have a training plan for a 10k run, and so far I've stuck to it.

[johnnycakes78704 10]

In my training, I have a homemade smoothie each morning for breakfast which is made up of soy milk, OJ, a banana, strawberries, blueberries, mangos, and natural honey. For lunch I have a salad with an oil based dressing instead of a cream based dressing. For dinner, it is usually a tomato based pasta with no cheeses or sushi rice, or pad thai. Before my night ride, I have another smoothie about 30 minutes before takeoff.

 

Since altering my diet from just vegetarian to more of raw foodist diet, my body feels incredibly cleaner. The smoothies also provide great sources of fuel for my body.

 

Can you time your runs? What is your pace and stride like? Do you do a cool down run?

 

I don't think a gym would be that good and don't buy any expensive home gym equipment. IMHO, I'd just get two sets of dumbbells, a light and heavy (but heavier than you can lift now, for example, if you can curl 30lbs for 10 reps, get a set of 40's and 20's). Dumbbells are very versatile and you can do many more exercises than with just a regular home gym. And they are small so they don't take up much space

 

I love to eat as well, but you must throttle back a bit and look at your diet as part of the fuel for your machine. I'm a larger guy at 220lbs, cutting down from my big weightlifting weight of 255lbs, in training for a sport dominated by 150lb guys or less. It is tough, but you can do it.

 

Oh, also do sprints and jogs alternatively. Sprint 50 yards and jog 100 for about a mile or so (dependent on you)

[james_gsx 16]

Well I only weigh 160-165, so I'm okay there. Today for lunch I had soup and a salad, and actually felt great. I've never been a fan of cream based salad dressings.

 

For your smoothies, do you get those fruits pre-cut or do you cut them up yourself before you make it? It actually sounds quite good.

 

And one more thing, any good websites you can direct me too for dumbbell exercises?

[johnnycakes78704 10]

Yes, my fruits are precut except the banana. Get the big frozen packages, more cost effective. And yes, it is delicious.

 

If you think you feel great now, wait until your body cleans itself out of all those toxins

 

Complete with animated gifs

http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/dumbbellexercises.html

 

This site has better descriptions.

http://www.building-muscle101.com/Dumbbell-Exercise-Illustrations.html

[DbPhoenix 42]

I regularly trade 10k ES contracts at a time, no biggy :o Brownsfan and those VSA boys are basically my bitch out there :rofl: just kidding of course.

 

 

Now, James..... :o

[james_gsx 16]

Thanks man. This helps a lot.

 

I'll figure out a way to time my runs. Wednesday I will go on a 3.5 mile run that includes a nice "steep" hill. I'll have to find some sort of watch to pace/time myself.

[james_gsx 16]

My friend thinks I might have a slight case of tendenitis. The flat part that connects my knee cap to my shin hurt like hell the other day after I ran slightly harder than I should have. I was able to rest the last two days, and I'm going to try another run tomorrow and see how it goes.

 

Are there any stretches I can do for that? I am fairly certain this was one of the injuries that plagued me during soccer.

[Trvlwanderer 10]

My friend thinks I might have a slight case of tendenitis. The flat part that connects my knee cap to my shin hurt like hell the other day after I ran slightly harder than I should have. I was able to rest the last two days, and I'm going to try another run tomorrow and see how it goes.

 

Are there any stretches I can do for that? I am fairly certain this was one of the injuries that plagued me during soccer.

 

Jim, place your ankles and knees together and go from small circles to large circles before and after each run. Do thi in both directions.

 

After many years of rucking and running, this warmup has been key in keeping my knees healthy.

 

Speaking of that, time for a run!

[johnnycakes78704 10]

Another item that may help is a knee band or tendon strap

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002EQ3FA

 

http://www.amazon.com/Knee-Pro-Tec-Patellar-Tendon-Strap/dp/B0009V7X78/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_k2a_3_txt?pf_rd_p=304485601&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-2&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0002EQ3FA&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1T2A3SD43W55JYAJ0HDX

 

Knee stretches: http://www.comgri.com/ouch/knee3.html

 

Did you time the run? How'd you do? I had some doughnuts in an department supervisor meeting yesterday morning and was hurtin' bad on my ride. Big no no

[james_gsx 16]

I didn't run this morning, my knee hurt too much and I don't want to push it if I do in fact have tendinitis. I'll try to give it a shot tonight and see how that goes.

[johnnycakes78704 10]

Stop running. Seriously. Stop running and give your tendons a chance to heal up. How have you been taking care of your body after the run? Do you soak in a tub? After every long ride, I soak in a bath of sea salts, hinoki oil, along with various other oils and minerals. You MUST rest your body as much or more than you exercise it. It must have a chance to regrow the damaged tissue as with exercising, that is what you are doing. Tissue and cells are broken from stress and grow back stronger. As you are working with a shorter time span, you must accelerate that process as much as possible.

[james_gsx 16]

Yeah, I thought I would give it a shot today and ran for 1 mile. I got a knee brace which actually helped a lot. But now I seriously have a hard time walking. So I'm done running for a while. Could I start biking to help get my body in shape?

 

And after a run I stretch (obviously) for a long time and my muscles feel great. I then take a hot shower and then I have been icing my knees too.

[johnnycakes78704 10]

Biking, especially on hills, will certainly increase your cardio and help you get in better shape. And, depending on your foot placement on the pedal, will make your calves much stronger. So start pedaling, and do so with the balls of your feet and the toes.

[james_gsx 16]

Sounds good. There are a few hills around here that I know off the top of my head that I can bike on. The only problem is the amount of traffic, so I might be better off using one of the many trails around here.

 

I have a doctors appointment later this afternoon. I couldn't walk this morning and my knees are in constant pain, so my mom did what a mother does. I'm just glad I get all day to rest today.

 

I have extra long ligaments in my legs, so I am more prone to injury. But I'm not really sure if this has anything to do with that?

[johnnycakes78704 10]

Well, if you could walk before you picked up running again but can't after, I think that is a pretty clear cut problem.

 

Use trails. I've had 4 incidents with cars within the past 3 months and none were fun times and just last week programmed my lawyers phone number into my cell as I might need it fairly soon. If you do not know the cycling laws where you are and are uncomfortable with the amount of traffic, certainly stick to the trails. Besides, trails have all the hills whereas in comparison, roads are mostly flat.

[thrunner 10]

Sorry to hear about your training problems. Doing some water aerobics may help:

1. No impact running. Your body weighs about 10% of its land weight when up to your neck in water. If you weigh 200 lbs. when standing on land, you weigh only 20 lbs. in water. With the addition of a buoyancy belt like the AquaJogger, you can run with your head comfortably out of water, breathe normally, and accomplish most of the same workouts you perform on land.

 

In the water your musculo-skeletal system is no longer bearing weight, so it can be recovering from all the pounding of your land based programs while you focus your conditioning on the cardio-pulmonary system. No pounding...no impact.