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Post by abowls on Oct 4, 2007 9:53:44 GMT -5
Anybody on here run? I absolutely HATE dieting. I try to be good about what I eat but it's really that effective for me unless I add a bunch of exercise to the mix.
I ran a couple of marathons a couple of years ago and was 30 pounds lighter then. I'm thinking of getting back into it. Anybody else interested... at all? Maybe in shorter distances? I have a really hard time keeping up with it without knowing other runners. It's just to easy to go home and lay on the couch instead.
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Post by FlipFlop on Oct 4, 2007 10:19:57 GMT -5
Me! I'm a (slow and chubby) runner! I've run a bunch of 5ks (slowly) and now I want to train for a half-marathon they have here in March. Its pretty flat so I thought it would be a good start and its right along the snake river so it will be very pretty. I'm finding it hard to get back into in after taking a week off last week when I was sick-doesnt help that the days are now shorter and colder
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Post by Deb on Oct 4, 2007 10:28:00 GMT -5
abowls, I so wish that I was still the physically active younger person I once was. I'm in my late 50's now, but in my 20 and 30's I jogged 8 miles a day; 4 miles on my lunch break; 4 miles in the evenings , played Tennis 3 evenings a week, did aerobics, swam, water skied. Worked at a physically challenging furniture manufacturing plant 40 hrs a week; sometimes doing overtime to 50 hrs a week and still did the other physical things, too. My body has now decided to do "pay backs" for all the "over doing it" I did. I now have Degenerative Disc Disease and Facet Joint Syndrome in my lumbar spine; a left shoulder that I had to have operated on and went back for a diagnosis of debilitating arthritis by an orthopaedic surgeon. As an adolescent I had Osgood-Schlatter Syndrome in my knees which now have large over grown bone growth in them. Well, I just have to accept that growing old is no fun, none some 'atall. I hope you can find someone to run with you!!!
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Post by janebo on Oct 4, 2007 10:29:08 GMT -5
Now that my knees and I are older, we jog ;D, sometimes outside, sometimes on the treadmill. Start slow, alternating speeds and build up stamina gradually. Don't forget pre and post stretches and Icy Hot for stiff spots. Good luck! There are lots of 5K walk/runs around this month.
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Post by alisonph on Oct 4, 2007 10:46:45 GMT -5
Yep, I run a bit. I'm goal oriented, so this fall I signed up to run in the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer run in Parkville, MD. It's a 5K. A friend in my office who's on Weight Watchers is doing it as her first race. we are on a team of 60 people who are all running in memory of a friend who at the young age of 40 died of breast cancer this summer. She left behind 3 very young childre. So far we've raised $6000.00 for cancer.
Anyway, I ran a ton before I had my ACL reconstructed and now I can't do more than 6 miles. Training for a marathon was the best weight control EVER! On the days we ran 16 miles I could eat 1600 MORE calories:) I could eat an entire pie and not gain an ounce!
Do you need a virtual running partner?
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Post by abowls on Oct 4, 2007 10:47:30 GMT -5
I have bad knees from past running fun. I'm still able to do it, I just have to be careful to stay in good shoes and Glucosamine/Chondroitin is wonderful. Every time my knees start to bother me I buy new shoes. I'm dying to get back into it. I now live in the mountains (really just HUGE hills) though and it makes every run more challenging. I used to run 8 miles/day when I lived on flat land at 10min/mile pace. Now I run 7 - 7.5 at my house and it takes me 1.5 hours. I'm sure if I could lose the 30 pounds that I've put on in the last 2 years I'd be faster. FlipFlop, I know exactly what you mean. I haven't been running for about 2 years because I hurt my foot in a marathon Nov 2005. The orthopedic doctor was convinced that it was a stress fracture and insisted that I take 4 weeks off. It wasn't a stress fracture but I had taken several weeks off before I found that out. It was also starting to get cold and I lose some motivation in the cold too. I haven't been running consistently, I just broke the habit and I'm having trouble getting going again. For me it is kind of an addiction (I like to think that it's a healthy one since it's great for my heart and weight). I think that I'm going to look for a running group around here. FlipFlop, have you looked online for a training program or a running group? Running group fees are usually really low and training programs are available online for free. I like Hal Higdon training programs. If you want to try a half marathon you might want to look into it. Your speed, of course, doesn't matter at all (Heaven knows I'm in no danger of winning a race) but it is so much easier to enjoy the scenery of a pretty race like that if you aren't thinking of how you can't breath or your muscles are cramping.
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Post by sarafina on Oct 4, 2007 12:14:43 GMT -5
hey - i used to run back in my grad school days, and loved it. i was also 20 some pounds thinner then....sigh... i used the book "the courage to start" by the "penguin" guy that writes for runners world. there was an article floating around called "from couch to 5K' that i really enjoyed. i'd be up for starting again. now that my life is less stressful by, um, a micron or two....
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Post by Kim on Oct 4, 2007 13:57:48 GMT -5
I think I'll give it a shot. I'm not athletic at all, but I've gotta lose some weight, and dieting just ain't working!
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Post by elizabeth_h on Oct 4, 2007 14:38:15 GMT -5
I run some, on and off. Mostly because hubby is an avid runner and he encourages me. The most important things I think in keeping to a program are to have a goal, and to have a realistic plan in place to achieve that goal. There are lots of workout calendars you can follow to train for a 5k or other distances. Plus you can join a running group if you find that motivating. I find that if you don't have a goal set and you are just running to keep in shape, it is more difficult to stick with it regularly. And of course if you do not run regularly, running is more difficult.
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Post by Lam9 on Oct 6, 2007 12:19:23 GMT -5
I started running quite a bit over the past several years. I lost about 40 pounds in grad school running 5 miles a day, but gained some of it back when I stopped in Utah. I started again this spring. What I found, however, was that my legs and rear got pretty strong, but my core, shoulders, and arms remained super weak. I was also slowly losing flexibility with age. So I'm now doing a combination of weights, cardio, and yoga, and feel more balanced.
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Post by abowls on Oct 9, 2007 12:39:26 GMT -5
I have always mixed weight training in with my running for the upper body strength. The last time I was running obsessively I was also doing Yoga once a week. Runners have notoriously tight hamstrings and personally I've noticed that when my mileage gets up over 30 miles a week I start to hunch while running and my lower back sometimes hurts. The yoga fixes the hunch, lower back pain, inflexibility, and it strengthens my core muscles which have always been my weakest. I'm abysmal at yoga, I can't come close to doing some of the positions correctly but just the attempt does my body worlds of good.
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Post by lvwre on Oct 11, 2007 18:56:18 GMT -5
Well, barring the results of my standing spine x-rays, I get to start running short distances (I am going for that being 5 k) on padded surfaces. First time in 8 years! Of course, I have heard the spine x-rays don't look so good, but the little bit of walk / jog I have done so far have not hurt.... I am getting ready to read a book called "Chi Running" by the Dreyers. It is supposed to provide a way of running that is not so hard on the body. Also, for those that are looking for either suggestions / tips on getting started, or who are looking for a group of other (sorry men, it's only for the women) women to run with, check out Health Magazine's website. They have a really nice set-up to get women into shape.
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Post by alisonph on Oct 11, 2007 20:52:03 GMT -5
Cool, Laura! Are you shooting for a 5k race?
Have you used an elliptical extensively? I used one once while staying at a hotel and LOVED it, but don't know how it would be on a daily basis.
Anyone use an elliptical?
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Post by Kim on Oct 11, 2007 22:08:43 GMT -5
Oh my gosh, I LOVE ellipticals. When I had my membership at the Y, I used them about 4 times a week maybe? I'm looking into buying one for the house.
They are a workout and a half, for sure. I started out barely making it through 5 minutes, and when I finished, I was able to go for 90 minutes. I really lost a lot of weight, and I loved it. I definitely recommend it!
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Post by lvwre on Oct 14, 2007 18:16:56 GMT -5
Alison -- yes, I would love to get back into 5ks. Just for grins I helped a co-worker run 1 1/2 miles for her physical fitness test (technically, I was medically exempt from the run, and had already passed the rest of the test). She jogged really slow, and still had to walk about 2/10th of the distance, but we did it in 19:09. She shaved 70 seconds off of her run and hugged me twice.
The best part was that my back did not hurt afterward. It does now, but you will have to check the horse related thread for the sad story.
And I have an elliptical at home, and my office has 2. I love them. My spine doc doesn't recommend them for me, unless I am really careful not to go twisting and flinging my body around.
Kim-- you are right, they really are a great workout!
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