Started running again yesterday...

[southpawed]

Do you all mean to say... that ONE night of partying can pretty much reverse the benefits of months of running and cardio excercises?

smokings a killer.

[Douglas]

Do you all mean to say... that ONE night of partying can pretty much reverse the benefits of months of running and cardio excercises?

smokings a killer.

Yeah, I imagine it'd be pretty much impossible to smoke and still be a regular track runner. Well, at least not be a very sorry one.

[RP33]

if i have one ciggarette, i feel it for at least a week when i run.. there is that "catch" when i take a deep breath..

anyway, clubber, if you haven't ran in a long time, then take a day or two off after you run man.. your body is sore and needs time to recover, it's not used to it..

i'll normally do a quick mile 5.5-6 min, twice a day every other day, and every day i don't do that i'll run about 3-4 miles at a decent pace.. but there is no way i could run 3-4 miles everday.. my body would ache.

[Scrap]

While were on the subject, how many do any preperation to run. A very forgotten aspect , run or do anything and fail to prepare at the end you better be prepared to fail .

[Sharla]

Hi Scrap,

I have to admit that I don't actually prepare specifically for running much other than to make sure i have a good 20 to 40 minute walk warm up.

Apart from that i used to do a few static stretches before a run but I've read a few contrasting ideas about whether or not that actually prevents injuries at all.

I'd be really interested to hear about what other preparation you'd recommend though because I'm trying to build my kms up again at the moment and while it feels good my muscles are not liking me very much sometimes.

[ICB]

Hi Scrap,

I have to admit that I don't actually prepare specifically for running much other than to make sure i have a good 20 to 40 minute walk warm up.

Apart from that i used to do a few static stretches before a run but I've read a few contrasting ideas about whether or not that actually prevents injuries at all.

I'd be really interested to hear about what other preparation you'd recommend though because I'm trying to build my kms up again at the moment and while it feels good my muscles are not liking me very much sometimes.

Hi Sharla how you been ?? i haven't seen you in awhile hows the boxing coming along ??

[Sharla]

Hi ICB, thanks for asking I've been trying to get some uni work done but not achieved as much as I hoped so i'm probably just a minor Saddos member for the next few months until I've got things under control.

Boxing is going ok I guess. I asked my coach last night what we'd decided about the nationals - which are only 2 or 3 weeks away - and it turns out we might nominate - if it's not too late to organize.

I think he was hoping to get me a bout before the nationals to help me prepare for it but it's crept up quickly because they usually have the nationals later in the season.

Apart from that there haven't been any matches around at all this year and i've had trouble juggling uni work and training and been sick for a week and a half so I doubt i'll be the most hard core boxer there.

I guess it's all experience though and i think my understanding of a few things has improved since last year.

[Douglas]

While were on the subject, how many do any preperation to run. A very forgotten aspect , run or do anything and fail to prepare at the end you better be prepared to fail .

I've gotten to where I do a bit of stretching.

[Sharla]

Ok Scrap you've got me thinking about it - although I admit to complete laziness and stupidity for not really having put a lot of thought into it before apart from concluding that a longish walk warm up seems to make running easier .

I googled and found this:

The four key elements that should be included to ensure an effective and complete warm up are:

1. The general warm up
   This phase of the warm up consists of 5 to 15 minutes of light physical activity. The aim here is to elevate the heart rate and respiratory rate, increase blood flow and increase muscle temperature.
2. Static stretching
   Next, 5 to 15 minutes of gentle static stretching should be used to gradually lengthen all the major muscle groups and associated tendons of the body.
3. The sports specific warm up
   During this phase of the warm up, 10 to 15 minutes of sport specific drills and exercises should be used to prepare the athlete for the specific demands of their chosen sport.
4. Dynamic stretching
   Dynamic stretching involves a controlled, soft bounce or swinging motion to force a particular body part past its usual range of movement. The force of the bounce or swing is gradually increased but should never become radical or uncontrolled.

At this web site:

About.com: http://www.thestretchinghandbook.com/archives/stretching-warmup.htm

Is this more like what you'd recommend?

I'm also not sure I haven't over simplified what you might have been talking about.

If you just google running preparation you get hits that refer to mental preparation, programming your running as well as the stretching and warm up aspects.

I do try to have a time table for the types of runs I want to do and a gradual build up of kms leading up to a specific event. I'll also assume my training will have phases. I'm trying to increase my kms fairly dramatically at the moment but to let my body get used to the extra mileage I'm not worrying about speed training at all.

I'm also doing most of my running on surfaces which are much softer than concrete - loose sand, grass and firmer dirt / running track type surfaces.

I figure this will help not only to reduce impact but to develop some muscle groups. I met a runner in Japan a few years ago who was a firm believer in running on snow and ice for the same reason. Not much of that here though.

[Sharla]

right well I searched you past posts to try to see what you're getting at Scrap.

I noticed you had included a lot about warming down - is warming down and post workout stretching a part of preparation that's missed too often? Is that what you were referring to?