Query on newbie runner

mozattack

Hi there,

I am running 7 weeks now and at the moment I can get through 5k without stopping (tough going) and clock up around 22k per week... usually 5 runs at 5k, 5k, 6k and 6k... sometimes even more.

I dont do this to lose weight, more of a fitness thing.

Is this a decent amount or a waste of time? I am fecked after it.

Also I see a lot of overweight runners; does running do feck all for losing weight? (okay the hardcore runners are obviously thin)

RayCun

go slower in most runs, and join a club

Alf. A. Male

You're certainly not wasting your time, you're going well. You've only been at it a short while, keep running consistently and it will get even better. Don't be tempted to jump up the distances, add gradually and you'll be grand.

Krusty_Clown

mozattack wrote: »

Also I see a lot of overweight runners; does running do feck all for losing weight?

That's cos all of the fast runners run too fast for the human eye to observe. Your best hope is to try and catch them by squinting and looking out of the corner of your eye.

On a less serious note, 22k is fine starting out, but is not a very significant amount of running. You could probably expect to burn around 1300 - 1600 calories (by virtue of your running) per week (weight dependant). Your general fitness will improve, but without having some form of structure or goal, it may prove difficult to stay motivated without having a mechanism to establish progress. Best thing to do is to set a specific goal (usually a race), find a suitable training plan, execute the plan and establish a base line.

jane82

As regards the weight. Running makes you hungry. If you eat whenever you are hungry you will eat more the more you run.
Fair play to you on the effort so far its good going in a short space of time.
To lose weight you need to work out how many calories you burn in a day according to your height weight and exercise levels. This is called your maintenance.
To lose weight eat less calories than your maintenance.
A phone app called my fitness pal will tell you how much your maintenance is when you start it. Itll ask for a goal eg "lose a stone in 3 months" then itll tell you how many calories to eat a day to do this.
It takes a bit of tinkering to get used to eating that amount without thinking but its not too hard.
If you want to increase performance weightloss is a good start. What you actually eat is a better start.
A simple way of looking at it is dont eat anything that comes out of a factory or bakery.
Eat plenty of veg instead of bread.
There is a great health/nutrition forum here that will go through your diet and help you with it.
It sounds alot but its not really if you take it slow and its very worth it. I was at a stage last year where I could feel every single muscle working at full pelt before I got injured and Id put it up there with sunrises and all them other amazing feelings life gives you.

Oh and keep a good posture.

mozattack

Thanks guys...

Re joining a club, not for me I am afraid, I am the opposite, i dont want anyone to know I run for some reason.

Re motivation; my aim is be able to run 10k by the 22nd august. From then I am going to stick at that distance and work on the times. Any distance past that bores me a little.

mozattack

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

e.

On a less serious note, 22k is fine starting out, but is not a very significant amount of running..

Is that kinda disappointing; running for 2-3 hrs per week isn't significant!! I know people going to gyms 2-3 times a week and between changing and chatting they wouldnt clock in that time exercising and going to gym every second day seems a lot to me.

stirwell

mozattack wrote: »

Is that kinda disappointing; running for 2-3 hrs per week isn't significant!! I know people going to gyms 2-3 times a week and between changing and chatting they wouldnt clock in that time exercising and going to gym every second day seems a lot to me.

Don't worry too much what the running snobs say. To them your at nothing unless you are clocking up 50 or 60miles a week.
Remember you are only at it 7weeks so just give yourself a chance to enjoy being able to run 5km without stopping and before you know it you will have built up a good base to start pushing yourself.

jebuz

Don't be disappointed, it's all relative to your situation and experience really. 22k is significant to you right now but for most serious club runners who have been running years, it's not really a lot. When I first started running I thought I was great when I started running 20 miles (32k) a week but then my sister who runs in a club was doing over double that and she didn't think I was doing much, I was disappointed too but I didn't get discouraged, I kept running because I was enjoying it. I did some races and gradually got hooked into the sport and now I look back and 20 miles isn't a lot to me, so it really is relative.

If you're happy with that amount of running, you feel fit and don't plan on competing or getting serious then keep doing that amount. If you start doing races and getting a bit more serious about it (which I have a feeling you will) then come back here and read some training logs, find a plan online or maybe you'll feel like joining a club. In the meantime don't stress over what other people think, or worrying why other runners are overweight, you don't know their story. You're out there doing it which is the main thing and most of all enjoy it.

micar

mozattack wrote: »

Thanks guys...

Re joining a club, not for me I am afraid, I am the opposite, i dont want anyone to know I run for some reason.

Well, I'm a runner and I'm in a club.

There are all sorts of levels and abilities there. The groups are all of a similar ability.

Honestly, you should check your local club out. It's always great to get new members and you'll be certainly warmly welcomed. They'll let you train with them for a few weeks and then you can decide if you want to join.

It'll put structure on your running and you'll see the improvement quicker than just running by yourself. With the club, you'll be doing speed work. I'll be hard but the felling you get after a session is immense.

You'll also make a lot of friends.

whelzer

mozattack wrote: »

Thanks guys...

Re joining a club, not for me I am afraid, I am the opposite, i dont want anyone to know I run for some reason.

Re motivation; my aim is be able to run 10k by the 22nd august. From then I am going to stick at that distance and work on the times. Any distance past that bores me a little.

I would highly recommend MyAsics app - helped me run my first 10k last Sunday (not the night run btw!). I went from fairly fit but no running to 10k (1:02) in 12 weeks - I'm still thrilled!! My next 10k race will be under an hour!

yaboya1

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Best thing to do is to set a specific goal (usually a race), find a suitable training plan, execute the plan and establish a base line.

I think this is very good advice. Maybe target a parkrun, then follow whatever plan is necessary afterwards to improve your PB. This should keep you motivated and will cost you nothing as they're free timed runs. If that leads to you wanting to enter more races or stepping up in distance, you can do that and again find a suitable plan to ensure you do yourself justice.

Cabaal

stirwell wrote: »

Don't worry too much what the running snobs say. To them your at nothing unless you are clocking up 50 or 60miles a week.

Nonsense,
Regardless of if somebody does their first 1km run or they clock 60km, 100km or more a week its all relative to that person and its equally as challenging to that person.

Nobody is belittling the op in relation to their mileage, the very fact they've taken up running and have a 10km target in mind in August is great!

Krusty_Clown

mozattack wrote: »

Is that kinda disappointing; running for 2-3 hrs per week isn't significant!! I know people going to gyms 2-3 times a week and between changing and chatting they wouldnt clock in that time exercising and going to gym every second day seems a lot to me.

I didn't say it wasn't significant. I said it wasn't a significant amount of running. Coming from a background of no running then 2-3 times a week is a great achievement and you should be proud of it. However, in terms of its impact on your overall fitness, 22 kms per week will not have as significant impact as, say for example 30-40kms per week. We all had to start somewhere and for many of us, 22kms and 2-3 runs per week is exactly where we began. The point that I'm clearly not communicating very well is that it is important to have a goal or else it can be very easy to get bored, and drop your running habit. So it is a good idea to establish some goals now before you reach that point. Useful goals might be:
Run 25 kms per week
Follow a coach to 5k plan
Participate in a 5k Parkrun
Run 8km without stopping
Make your 5km runs feel easier

stirwell wrote:

Don't worry too much what the running snobs say. To them your at nothing unless you are clocking up 50 or 60miles a week.

What an idiotic post. You should be ashamed of yourself, name calling on a thread, where a new runner is coming looking for help.

Ososlo

mozattack wrote: »

Thanks guys...

Re joining a club, not for me I am afraid, I am the opposite, i dont want anyone to know I run for some reason.

Re motivation; my aim is be able to run 10k by the 22nd august. From then I am going to stick at that distance and work on the times. Any distance past that bores me a little.

Well done in all you've achieved so far. Sounds like you caught the bug.
Also, just to say, there absolutely nothing wrong with not wanting to join a club. There are many runners around Boards running on their own with success. If you don't want to join one don't! If you don't want anyone to know you run then that's perfectly fine too! Clubs aren't for everyone. You might change your mind in the future as you get more into your running but for now just continue to do what you're doing and take the guys up on their training suggestions on how to best progress with your running.
Best of luck. You could start a log here too as you'd receive more fantastic advice from the boardsies.

TFBubendorfer

A mile of running burns about 100 calories. 22k a week would equate to about 1400 calories burned in a week.

A pound of fat is 3500 calories. Therefore you would burn a pound every 2.5 weeks at your rate, and that's assuming you don't "reward" yourself after a run.

Running has a lot of benefits, and I would definitely recommend you keep it up, but for weight loss it isn't significant unless you run a lot of miles. That's not snobbery, it's just very simple and basic maths.

mozattack

TFBubendorfer wrote: »

A mile of running burns about 100 calories. 22k a week would equate to about 1400 calories burned in a week.

A pound of fat is 3500 calories. Therefore you would burn a pound every 2.5 weeks at your rate, and that's assuming you don't "reward" yourself after a run.

Running has a lot of benefits, and I would definitely recommend you keep it up, but for weight loss it isn't significant unless you run a lot of miles. That's not snobbery, it's just very simple and basic maths.

Thanks to all above, I just did 6.2k in 35 mins with no stopping so getting better.

The post above is very interesting. I think running is very hard and I am so surprised it seems to do very little for weight loss.

huskerdu

mozattack wrote: »

Thanks to all above, I just did 6.2k in 35 mins with no stopping so getting better.

The post above is very interesting. I think running is very hard and I am so surprised it seems to do very little for weight loss.

It is a bit disappointing to discover that you are wrecked after a run and you have hardly burnt off a mars bar, but don't worry, raising your fitness levels will help you burn off calories, but you cant run off a bad diet.

In 2 posts you have said that you are tired after your runs. Running should be enjoyable. If you are going too fast, you will not enjoy it, and you have little chance of keeping up the motivation in the long run.

Most of your running should be done at a pace that you run easily and still talk. This is true for you, for me, for the guys here who can run sub 4 marathons and its true for Mo Farah.

Slow down, slow down , slow down. You will enjoy running more, you will find it easier to add mileage and you will reach your 10k goal faster.


Don't focus on calories. Focus on getting fit and cleaning up your diet. It'll all fall into place. Enjoy.

huskerdu

mozattack wrote: »

Thanks to all above, I just did 6.2k in 35 mins with no stopping so getting better.

.

To add to the above. You are running 5.6 min / km. Slow down to 6.5min / km and see how you get on. You'll very quickly progress to being able to run further than 6.2k without stopping.

Pacing Mule

TFBubendorfer wrote: »

A mile of running burns about 100 calories. 22k a week would equate to about 1400 calories burned in a week.

A pound of fat is 3500 calories. Therefore you would burn a pound every 2.5 weeks at your rate, and that's assuming you don't "reward" yourself after a run.

Running has a lot of benefits, and I would definitely recommend you keep it up, but for weight loss it isn't significant unless you run a lot of miles. That's not snobbery, it's just very simple and basic maths.

Any calculator I have seen measuring calories burned per mile would have someone burning 100 cals per mile if they were around 9/10 stone. For people running to lose weight they are by default usually a lot heavier. For me personally it works out around 160 calories per mile burned which is a little better reading for those running to lose weight. Of course there is still a lot of miles to go to hit the 3500 calories for a lb weight loss. Controlling the eating / diet is still more important.

jane82

Yes to the post above. It doesnt matter how many calories you burn. If you havnt got a handle on the eating you will just eat more to make up for the burned calories.
I do it myself in the first week of upping exercise I binge a bit. (For me a binge is a few slices of bread or some sausages nothing wild).
The next week I get back on the set calorie train and stave off the hunger for a week until Im used to it.

Murph_D

I find I need to gain, rather than lose weight. Anyone have any tips on that? I like bananas and bread, but there's only so much I can stomach.

jane82

Murph_D wrote: »

I find I need to gain, rather than lose weight. Anyone have any tips on that? I like bananas and bread, but there's only so much I can stomach.

Download my fitness app. Itll help you find your maintenance calories. Tell it how much weight you want to gain. Itll tell you how many calories to eat a day. Force yourself to do it.
I came out of surgery at 9 stone. Way underweight all my life. About a year later I have a pinch of fat on the belly and Im over 11 stone. Nearly all muscle.

TFBubendorfer

Pacing Mule wrote: »

Any calculator I have seen measuring calories burned per mile would have someone burning 100 cals per mile if they were around 9/10 stone. For people running to lose weight they are by default usually a lot heavier. For me personally it works out around 160 calories per mile burned which is a little better reading for those running to lose weight. Of course there is still a lot of miles to go to hit the 3500 calories for a lb weight loss. Controlling the eating / diet is still more important.

You must be using different calculators to the ones I found. According to that one: http://www.runnersworld.com/tools/calories-burned-calculator, you'd have to be WELL over 200 pounds to be burning 160 calories per mile.

However, any such calculator is just guesswork anyway. The longer you have been running the more efficient you get, which burns fewer calories and there is no calculator to take that into account as far as I know.

As has been pointed out, the exact number of calories isn't particularly relevant anyway. My point was, and that is still as valid for 160 as it is for 100, that unless you run high mileage you won't be losing a lot of weight from running alone. However, running does provide plenty of benefits that are not related to weight loss and I would highly recommend to keep at it, weight loss or not.

Krusty_Clown

Just to point out that the OP is not interested in losing weight. They are interested in gaining fitness. The points are still relevant though.

TFBubendorfer

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

Just to point out that the OP is not interested in losing weight. They are interested in gaining fitness. The points are still relevant though.

Well, the OP DID mention weight loss in the first post. Besides, the 2 things are somewhat related.

Pacing Mule

TFBubendorfer wrote: »

You must be using different calculators to the ones I found. According to that one: http://www.runnersworld.com/tools/calories-burned-calculator, you'd have to be WELL over 200 pounds to be burning 160 calories per mile.

However, any such calculator is just guesswork anyway. The longer you have been running the more efficient you get, which burns fewer calories and there is no calculator to take that into account as far as I know.

As has been pointed out, the exact number of calories isn't particularly relevant anyway. My point was, and that is still as valid for 160 as it is for 100, that unless you run high mileage you won't be losing a lot of weight from running alone. However, running does provide plenty of benefits that are not related to weight loss and I would highly recommend to keep at it, weight loss or not.

Actually that is one of the calculators I would refer to.

That's the point though. Those running to lose weight at the start at least are normally coming from that kind of weight range. I was 17 stone which is around 240lb when I started running. 4 x 10 min miles on that calculator is 180 cals per mile. Whereas a 10 stone lean and fit runner for the same distance and times would be burning a fraction over 100.

Strava / endomondo and apps like that tend to give even more calories burned than that. I believe they claim to take into account hills and effort levels along the way. Personally though I go off the lesser of any calculators when I am dieting and taking into account calories burned for my expected weight loss.

mozattack

Thanks guys for all the tips etc, very helpful.

Re losing weight; yes I did say I wasnt doing it to loose weight but did say it would be an added bonus so thanks for info on this. Appreciated again.

About being tired after the runs... I am okay with that and I actually am enjoying it. I am not sporty at all so it is actually wierd that I enjoy it. I find it difficult so every day is a challenge, e.g. will I do 6km without stopping? Will my average speed by more than 11k per hour, etc etc.

Have to say for those who are starting out I am an example that anything is possible because I seriously only made it to 600metres when I first ran (25th March) and after 2k I was actually in a bad way.

I am no Mo Farah now but 4 weeks ago I thought running 5k was a pipe dream.

cloudatlas

You shouldn't be worried about feeling exhausted after a run, if you arrive back from a run you should be out of breath and fatigued. You have to push yourself so you can progress.

You can progress to the point where you're doing speed work some sessions, easy recovery runs other sessions, long runs, hill work it just depends on what program you are following.

You don't know where that overweight person has come from, they could be just starting or they could have already lost a good bit of weight and what you are seeing is progress for them.

Overall you seem very impatient, relax :cool:

shergar22

mozattack wrote: »

Thanks guys for all the tips etc, very helpful.

Re losing weight; yes I did say I wasnt doing it to loose weight but did say it would be an added bonus so thanks for info on this. Appreciated again.

About being tired after the runs... I am okay with that and I actually am enjoying it. I am not sporty at all so it is actually wierd that I enjoy it. I find it difficult so every day is a challenge, e.g. will I do 6km without stopping? Will my average speed by more than 11k per hour, etc etc.

Have to say for those who are starting out I am an example that anything is possible because I seriously only made it to 600metres when I first ran (25th March) and after 2k I was actually in a bad way.

I am no Mo Farah now but 4 weeks ago I thought running 5k was a pipe dream.

Firstly, and mostly, WELL DONE. I'm someone in their late 30s who was very active when younger, didn't do much from mid-20s until mid-30s and only took up running in January 2013. I've progressed up to half-marathon and will be tackling my second one shortly. No interest in a full marathon however.

I'd agree with the pace advice from the other posters. I've a tendency to start way too quick and blow myself out of steam far too early. If you're doing 5k in the next few days, try starting slow and aim to finish the second half of your run faster/stronger.

In relation to the weight, it's a bit of a mind trick thing. 'I've just run 5k therefore I can have something to eat/treat/choc bar.' You do need proper fuel though for energy for longer runs.

Whatever about joining a running club, and I'd totally be of the same mind as yourself, there is probably an informal running groups in your area that would be good for the longer weekend runs that you are probably heading into.

I do most of my shorter mid=week runs myself (3-5 miles) but welcome the company for anything longer than that. It takes your mind off the actual run, and gives you a bit of push if you get it into your head that you want to stop.

Maybe try three 5k runs in a week, with a longer run at the weekend for a while.

Other than that, best of luck !!

Chivito550

stirwell wrote: »

Don't worry too much what the running snobs say. To them your at nothing unless you are clocking up 50 or 60miles a week.

Please elaborate on this stupid post. This is an athletics and running forum, which are sports. Krusty gave good advice. If you don't like it then maybe check out the exercise or health and fitness forum instead.

stirwell

Chivito550 wrote: »

Please elaborate on this stupid post. This is an athletics and running forum, which are sports. Krusty gave good advice. If you don't like it then maybe check out the exercise or health and fitness forum instead.

Will happily check out some other forums, thanks for the SOUND advice..

stirwell

Apologies to the op if it was taken that I was name calling. Which by the way I was not. I think people calling posts idiotic is however what might be construed as being name calling.

Krusty_Clown

stirwell wrote: »

Apologies to the op if it was taken that I was name calling. Which by the way I was not. I think people calling posts idiotic is however what might be construed as being name calling.

Look, we can play tit for tat on this thread all day, but that's no way to encourage someone who is new to running and new to this forum. If you want to think of me as a snob for giving advice (which the original poster requested), then that is your prerogative. I'd love to know what I did to warrant the insult, but perhaps that's a better discussion to hold via private message. I've been responding to new runner's requests for information on this forum for many years, so if the advice that I've been churning out is poor or deemed snobbish, it's probably high time I gave it up, and stuck to my running.

purceninho

Hey new runner.

Congrats on the progress so far. For fitness development my favourite tip is the happy birthday test or talk test. You should be able to sing happy birthday or talk to yourself as you run. If not you are going to hard. What does going to hard mean? The goal of a new runner is to develop aerobic capacity. This is best done at a certain level of effort where you are not out of breath. By testing your breathing you'll ensure your near the right level of effort.

However I understand that this can get frustrating (running slowly all the time) so I personally would speed up in the second half of your runs once a week or try a park run one in while.

Most importantly, enjoy the challenge

mozattack

Quick update.

I am up to 10k now (without stops). I ran 10k on Saturday and another 9.5k yesterday morning.

The times are cat (around 58mins) but from zero to 10k in around 50 days isn't bad!

Cabaal

mozattack wrote: »

Quick update.

I am up to 10k now (without stops). I ran 10k on Saturday and another 9.5k yesterday morning.

The times are cat (around 58mins) but from zero to 10k in around 50 days isn't bad!

Nothing at all wrong with 58min for 10km, thats alot quicker then alot of people will do it in when they first start off. Don't stress about times too much

adrian522

I agree with Cabaal, don'tr worry at all about the times in your training runs, just try to run 3-4 times per week at an easy pacer and keep the fast running for your races.

mozattack

mozattack wrote: »

Quick update.

I am up to 10k now (without stops). I ran 10k on Saturday and another 9.5k yesterday morning.

The times are cat (around 58mins) but from zero to 10k in around 50 days isn't bad!

That's brilliant!

I started a running class on 27th March. Kind of a couch to 5k class - it is excellent, I've a couple of weeks left. I ran my first non stop 5km on the 26th April. I ran my first 10km on Monday just gone (but with a couple of stops along the way). And I'm hoping to do my first 10km race on 2nd June but I'm only aiming for 1:10.

From my point of view (as a newbie runner) I'd be delighted to have made your progress. Hope I can catch up with you

Emer911

mozattack wrote: »

Quick update.

I am up to 10k now (without stops). I ran 10k on Saturday and another 9.5k yesterday morning.

The times are cat (around 58mins) but from zero to 10k in around 50 days isn't bad!

Hi mozatack
Well done on starting, on keeping going and on that 10K. That's a super time to do on your first one! Lots of people on here still looking to go under 60 minutes, so do NOT be dissing that time!!

One thing no-one has really mentioned is 'too much, too fast, too hard' will inevitably lead to risk of injury, so BE CAREFUL.

The best advice has already been discussed here but I'll summarise:
Too Much: Don't increase your overall weekly mileage too quickly. A general rule of thumb would be an increase of up to 10% per week, with a step back ever 4 or so weeks to 'consolidate' the progress.
So if you're doing 25k per week at the moment, increase by 2.5k next week, to 30k the week after, 33k the next week and back to 27.5 the fourth week, and so on.

Too Fast: Already mentioned earlier, S-L-O-W D-O-W-N. The longer run at the weekend should be very very comfortable (so being able to chat/ sing). The other runs can be a wee bit faster, but you should only be doing a max of 1 all out run in any week where you feel wrecked at the end.
For now, the effort should be going to building fitness and aerobic capacity, so slow is okay!

Too Hard: Be careful of the surface you're running on. Try to mix it up and run on grass/dirt paths/ trails when you can. It's much more forgiving on the body. Tarmac is next best, but avoid concrete wherever possible. Also, too look out for cambered roads/paths and make sure you evenly on both sides so you don't end up stretching / skewing your gait on one side.


Hope that all makes sense? Best of luck with the running career. If you aren't joining a club (and I can totally understand where you're coming from on that one), think about starting a training log here instead. I found it a great way to stay motivated when things weren't going well and there's lots of advice and encouragement on offer!

Good Luck!

Cabaal

When I think back, my first 10km distance took me 1hr 20min and I wasn't in a very good state afterwards....that wasn't even a race either

munkee

Emer911 wrote: »

Tarmac is next best, but avoid concrete wherever possible.

Not wishing to derail the thread or open the proverbial can of worms, but isn't this a myth?

Krusty_Clown

munkee wrote: »

Not wishing to derail the thread or open the proverbial can of worms, but isn't this a myth?

We have a number of road (and path) surfaces in this country, including macadam, asphalt, concrete, polished concrete, loose gravel and surface dresssing. Each has their own unique hardness and in many cases it not just the hardness, but the uniformity of the surface that can increase the impact and wear on tear, particularly for high mileage runners. For instance, the East Pier in Dun Laoghaire has a polished concrete surface. Running on this surface feels quite jarring, and I despair a little every time I see a runner on this surface. Macadam paths on the other hand are quite a yielding surface (typically laid on top of earth). Most road surfaces are either asphalt or concrete (though some are tarmac). I don't think there's any significant difference between asphalt and concrete (though Runner's World seems to suggest that conrete is 10 times harder than asphalt (I'm a bit sceptical), but there are certainly more yielding surfaces than those two.

Emer911

^^That^^

...and if it's a myth, go for a hard run on a soft packed trail, and do the same type of run on a concrete path (or even better, polished concrete) and tell me your shins can't tell the difference?!?! :eek:

If you can't feel any difference, then you're a bit of a superman! :cool::P

munkee wrote: »

Not wishing to derail the thread or open the proverbial can of worms, but isn't this a myth?

Cabaal

Gota say I notice the difference if I run on concrete,
I mostly run on tarmac but last time I did any amount of running on concrete footpaths I ended up starting to get shin splints again, soon as I stopped things went back to normal

jane82

Thats funny.. I find grass or muck hardest to run on. I find the extra bit of cushion absorbs the power in the legs abit. There was a time I could run all day on concrete but a k or two on grass Id feel tired.

Emer911

jane82 wrote: »

Thats funny.. I find grass or muck hardest to run on. I find the extra bit of cushion absorbs the power in the legs abit. There was a time I could run all day on concrete but a k or two on grass Id feel tired.

Yip, running on grass is slower/ tougher/ takes more effort, but it's far gentler on the body - and you're building strength without knowing it.
Plus you'll feel like you're flying the next time you run on a smooth path/track. Bonus!

mozattack

Thanks for all the postive feedback... i had set a target of august to run 10k (without stop) so it was a bit wierd to be able to have done it twice last weekend.

One question; yesterday and the day before my legs have been "heavy" making it a struggle. I really didnt want to keep running or even go running but I am worried about starting to dip out like that with excuses so I plod on (almost literally).

The point is when does someone know that enough is enough for a while at least? I have a sore leg, upper thigh, and kicks in after 2k and really knocks any enjoyment out of it

lbucko

If you're sore like that during a run then it would be no harm to step back from it for a short while. You've run two 10Ks in a row so take a break and listen to your body. You won't lose any fitness by resting for a few days. If the niggles persist then get a physio to take a look.

DubOnHoliday

mozattack wrote: »

Thanks for all the postive feedback... i had set a target of august to run 10k (without stop) so it was a bit wierd to be able to have done it twice last weekend.

One question; yesterday and the day before my legs have been "heavy" making it a struggle. I really didnt want to keep running or even go running but I am worried about starting to dip out like that with excuses so I plod on (almost literally).

The point is when does someone know that enough is enough for a while at least? I have a sore leg, upper thigh, and kicks in after 2k and really knocks any enjoyment out of it

I'm in a simlilar situation to you, new runner, just reached 10ks recently. Sometimes I feel issues with the legs in the early stages, but normally have been able to run it off. Hopefully its the same for you.
Have you set yourself a race as a target? That was important for me to keep focussed.

jane82

mozattack wrote: »

Thanks for all the postive feedback... i had set a target of august to run 10k (without stop) so it was a bit wierd to be able to have done it twice last weekend.

One question; yesterday and the day before my legs have been "heavy" making it a struggle. I really didnt want to keep running or even go running but I am worried about starting to dip out like that with excuses so I plod on (almost literally).

The point is when does someone know that enough is enough for a while at least? I have a sore leg, upper thigh, and kicks in after 2k and really knocks any enjoyment out of it

If its the muscles getting sore upping your protein will help repair them faster.
If its general fatigue some extra veg(carbs) may help.
You are getting to a stage where good diet percentages and clean foods are really going to affect how you feel day to day.