Jogging Advice

[kumar5]

What's the best way to jog? I've been jogging for a few years but it's mostly been me jogging until I can't jog, then walk, then jog until I can't jog, walk... ad infinitum.

Is there a 'good' way to jog? My route has been the same mostly, but it still makes me pant and sweat.

I jog once a week. It's my only cardio. What else would be good cardio on land? (No water-related ones please, I'm rather aquaphobic)

 

Thanks.

[lobsteriffic]

That's the way I learned to jog...slowly I would increase the length of time I was jogging compared to walking. When I first started out, I would jog 1-2 minutes, walk for a couple of minutes, and repeat that over and over. Gradually I increased the jogging time (e.g., 5 min jogging, 2 min walking then 8 min jogging, etc). If you are looking to increase your running distance there are quite a few online programs to follow. Hal Higdon's seem to get recommended a lot...if you Google that it should come up. I've never used them myself.

 

As for other land-based cardio, what about cycling? Do you have a bike?

[Addai]

It depends what you're looking to accomplish. I ran competitively for years so I guess most of the routines and training I've done doesn't really translate well for most people.

 

It is all about goals though. If you're just looking to burn fat, then fartlek/HIIT is probably going to be your best friend. If you have a goal to complete a local 5k next month, then you're going to want to approach this differently, same with a marathon, or if you want to run competitively in anything.

 

One thing I would say is instead of jogging till bust, then jogging again, get yourself a watch and time yourself. I'm a big believer in not stopping to walk, unless you're in very poor shape. Even if you have to jog at 1mph, do it! I'd recommend going for a brisk 5 minute jog, stretching out, and then saying I WILL jog for the next 20 minutes, even if people are walking past me. And do that a few times a week, and once it becomes easy, then bump it up to 25 minutes, 30, etc.

 

But again, there are many different ways to train with running, and to keep things from getting boring you can switch things up. It all depends on what you want to accomplish!

[kumar5]

Thanks.

My goal is fat loss, not competition.

How do I do Fartlek/HIIT? I've heard it before...

Good idea about the watch, I can time my break now instead of following my perceived tiredness.

[Addai]

I recommend a watch because if you do set times, and keep track of it, it can become very motivating, it gives you a goal for the day, and you can track your progress. Much like how all the lifters here having training journals.

 

It's funny how crazy people are going over the effectiveness of HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training). It's like, uhh, interval training has been around for many decades longer than I've been alive. When I ran cross country we did Fartlek, which is Swedish for speed play. Same concept.

 

In HIIT you basically alternate between jogging and running really fast, most people do a 2:1 ratio. So let's say you jog slowly for one minute, then you crank it up to top speed for 30 seconds. And you just do this for 20 minutes, 30 minutes, or whatever depending on where your conditioning is. When I ran XC I'd typically jog for 2-4 minutes, then do 30-60 seconds of faster running. I dislike really short intervals like 1 minute to 30 seconds, but I've seen many people at the gym do that, and I've never done "HIIT specific" running, just a variety of other types of interval training.

 

From the studies I've seen, HIIT really is the most effective for fat loss. You can train at it less than just standard jogging, and get better results, so I'd recommend that. Really maximizes the time you're putting in.

 

I think trying to run HIIT every time might be a bit much though, and a bit boring. I'd still recommend throwing a regular easy run in there of normal jogging. So if you ran let's say Monday through Friday, then do HIIT on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and a normal light jog on Tuesday and Thursday (5 days a week is probably too much, but I'm just giving an example. 3-4 days a week should be plenty! Maybe HIIT twice a week, with a normal jog in between, all depends where you're at currently).

[TrailMinx]

Do you have easy access to a track? A track workout can be an easier way to interval train - and you wouldn't necessarily need a watch. Short intervals (100m) could be running hard during the straight portion and then jogging (or walking) the curves. Or for longer distance you can run 400m or 800m repeats (one or two laps with a jog or walk recovery in-between). For recreational runners I don't know if timing yourself is really necessary (unless you want to)...I personally have a Garmin but I only use it for overall time and distance and to check my pace while marathon training - something about being tied to my watch I just don't like.

If there's no track - be careful about jumping into speedwork if you've only been running one day a week...it's easy to get injured running faster, especially if concrete and asphalt are your only choices for running surfaces.

 

I too think that 3x a week is about the perfect amount of running - have you ever checked out the myriad of training plans available on Runners World? I know quite a few people that have found success with those from all different distances 5k to marathon. Or just running faster/further - it's not like you have to enter a race, although it's sometimes fun just to have a goal to train for.

 

http://www.runnersworld.com/subtopic/0,7123,s6-380-381-386-0,00.html

[kumar5]

I don't have a track, only roads. Thanks for the advice. I plan to do a 4 min jog and 1 min sprint. Let's see how far I can go. I jog once a week but if HIIT reduces my time outside, I might increase it to twice a week.

[hsorlando]

My one piece of advice would be to cross train, for injury prevention. So many people that I know that only run for cardio, and do nothing else are always having some sort of injury, like stress fractures, shin splints, broken toes, etc. Do something with lateral movements to it, or ride a bike.

[kumar5]

Jogging is going to be a once a week thing for me.

My other training is kickboxing and weight lifting.

[Addai]

I don't have a track, only roads. Thanks for the advice. I plan to do a 4 min jog and 1 min sprint. Let's see how far I can go. I jog once a week but if HIIT reduces my time outside, I might increase it to twice a week.

 

That's alright. Time is the best measure. Distance only matters as a measure if you're going to get competitive. Some people might prefer it to looking at a watch I suppose, as visual markers are easier for them, but time is really the way to go!

 

Also, upping your cardio to two days a week would probably be good. Once probably isn't enough, but could possibly be depending on the intensity of your weight lifting and kickboxing. You don't want to do anything so infrequently that you can't carry over progress from one training session into the next.

 

Someone mentioned running injuries, which is a serious consideration. If you haven't experienced them up to this point, and with as little mileage as you're actually getting in, you're probably fine. If you start feeling any signs of injury, be sure to post here or look around online for what to do--don't wait, and do NOT run through an injury.

 

Good luck with everything.

[kumar5]

No injuries so far. I tried my first HIIT 2:1 and it was hard. But my heart worked harder and I sweat more. I use my mobile to time myself as my watch can't be timed, but it's ok, I'm more disciplined by the clock.

As for twice a week, I'll have to see my weight training, how much and how hard...

[Tasha]

Remember if you haven't forgotten stretching is very important !

 

If I don't stretch my calfs and hams tighten up,

Which makes it really difficult to train my legs.

[Addai]

oh definitely! i take the approach of a little warm up, however much it takes for you to really get the blood pumping, then stop, stretch out, and then start your real run. and if you're trying to increase flexibility, it's even more important to strech after the run. stretching before is merely for injury prevention. to be fair though, it's pretty hard to pull a muscle jogging, but for some people they do tighten up.

[durianrider]

I started off jog/walk/jog and now im running halfs, marathons and did my first ultra trail marathon a few months ago. Patience is key cos its easy to get hyped up and overtrain and get an impact injury. Cross train with a bicycle helps a lot cos you still get cardio without hammering our newbie runners legs.

 

Have some really good cushioned shoes. Running in lightweight runners or barefoot on tarmac is begging for an injury!

 

My best half marathon is 1:22:35 and marathon is 3:06. Im in training for a sub 3hr this july. Its been like a bonobo on my back!

 

Michael Arnstein is a vegan runner and recenly did a 2:35 in NYC marathon. Vegan Scott Jurek has won badwater more times than anyone I think.

[BodhiDave85]

Have some really good cushioned shoes. Running in lightweight runners or barefoot on tarmac is begging for an injury!

 

I really respect what you have to say and how you say it,durianrider. Most of the stuff you say is right on. Although, what you said here about barefoot running is widely disproven. Almost all runners with leg pain/injury who converted to barefoot/minimalist running have been healed. Being one of those people, I can attest to the power of barefoot running. I run faster and longer now and all injuries/pains have completely dissapeared. There are studies that the more cushioned your shoes are the higher risk of injury! Where did you get your information from?