Squiggly

Why do you run ? You know if you get bored easily? That's no fun.

Heh, it's kind of an interesting thing, really. I get bored/lonely but there's something about it that draws me to do it when I need something to do. After I'm done I always feel wonderful, and if I don't run I get pretty depressed (had it happen this summer when I sprained my ankle and couldn't run for two months or so. I tried biking regularly, but it wasn't the same ).

What is you running goal specifically? You said you want to increase endurance, but are you lookin gto just increase how far you can run at your current pace? Or are you trying to go faster too? Do you have a goal race or anything like that that you're working towards?

I'm trying to go faster at the same distances. I don't have a goal race, but I've never really had one in all the time I've been running. I just do it for my somewhat twisted sense of 'fun'. I'm not a very competitive person.

If you're serious about increasing your running endurance, I would suggest doing a program that includes several easy runs (3-5 miles), one faster workout (intervals, total of maybe 3 miles), and one long slow run (8ish miles at >9:00/mile). Right now you're not doing enough slow running to build your aerobic endurance.

 

As far as the boredom thing is concerned, is there anyone you can run with? A campus running group maybe, or just some friends?

Thanks for the tips there. Yeah, I was doing something like that back in the spring when I was training for a half marathon and it really seemed to work for me, mixed things up well. I think I'll try going back to that again. As for finding others to run with, I am part of a running club, but thus far they've been rather inactive and I haven't heard from any of them. Maybe I'll try to hook up with some others that I know of who run.

There aren't really any trails near campus, which is a bummer considering back at home I lived half a mile from a state rec area with tons of trails that I ran on every day. The transition the past year or so to concrete hasn't been the most fun and I find I get bored a lot more quickly running around town. I try getting out on country roads but that usually requires me to run two miles to even get away from town.

Thanks for the advice on the warm ups, though. I should definitely do that considering I often have problems with my hip flexers getting strained when I do hard runs. The thing with the music is just something of mine that I've never liked. I like being aware of the sounds around me. *shrugs*

Also, how would I get enough food if I weren't to eat meals? Would I split the food up into more snacks throughout the day? About how many calories do you think I should have per snack and how many snacks in a day?

The title basically says it all. I'm female, 5'5" and (just guessing here) about 140Lbs. I used to be around 125 and would like to get back there by losing fat and gaining lean muscle in the process. I'd also like to increase endurance in running and overall strength. My exercise routine right now is as follows. Usually gym days overlap with running days.

2-3 days/week:

Medium-intensity gym workout, both upper and lower body. I use an exercise ball for many of the exercises and focus a lot on form and balance more so than increasing weight. However, I do use enough weight so that my muscles get pretty sore after eight or so reps. I generally do 10-15 reps of exercises employing weights and 20 reps of ab exercises. I go through a circuit three times, trying to hit as many major muscle groups as I can.

2 days/week:

Run 1-2 miles as fast as I can without keeling over and dying at the end. Sometimes (rarely) I'll do intervals with one minute hard, one minute easy.

2-3 days/week:

Run 3-5 miles. If I feel adventurous I might do 6-8. Generally if I'm going more than 4 miles my pace is (I'm guessing) 8:30-9 min/mi.

1 day/week (if I have time, which I often don't):

1 hour hard biking. I don't have a road bike so I use my mountain bike on the roads, but it serves the same purpose.

As for what I eat...(I'm in a dorm, so I'm a bit limited)

Breakfast:

peanut butter on bread w/agave nectar

or

1/2 c oatmeal w/spoonful of peanut butter, agave nectar, and dried berries

Lunch:

tofu and veggie stir fry w/rice or soba noodles (depending on what's served that day)

or

taco salad w/lettuce, tomatoes, beans, peppers, and guacamole

or

bean, brown rice, and veggie burrito

Dinner:

can vary a lot between veggie stir fry w/tofu (or beans)

or

taco salad (same as lunch)

or

steamed veggies w/spinach, beans, mushrooms...etc. I just kinda mix whatever's available together. Lots of veggies and usually some sort of fruit for dessert.

Snacks (one in between each meal and one a couple hours before bed):

apple

pear

1/2 Clif bar

1/2 Lara bar

handful of nuts and dried berries

soymilk (100 calorie chugger things sold in our campus Bistro)

Plus I drink 4-5 liters of water a day. Usually one with each meal and the rest throughout the day.

My main problems seem to be the following:

-not having the motivation to get out and run all the time (might be because I get bored on long runs. I don't want to have to listen to music. If there's any way to make things more interesting, please share )

-I have a major sweet tooth and b/c I rarely have sweet things, when I do find something sweet that I'll eat I tend to over-do it

-overeating in general/eating too fast

-getting hungry an hour and a half or so after eating (to solve this I usually just chew a piece of gum and that helps, but if there's any way to prevent it, I'd love to know how)

So yeah, that's basically it. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

~Shannon

I got into running a few years ago and am pretty much unable to stop. Not that that's a bad thing . Recently I sprained my ankle very very badly and couldn't run for about two months. I almost went insane. Running seems to be the only thing that keeps me going sometimes. Not only does it dampen my appetite, but it makes me feel better, sleep better, and have a better attitude in general. Sometimes I have trouble motivating myself to get out and go for long runs, as I'll get lonely at times, but once I get back I always feel amazing. Right now my top distance is about 8 miles, but I used to do 14, though if I was alone on such long distances I got very depressed despite the fact I was doing something I loved. Running a long ways with a buddy is always good, but most people I know think I'm crazy for wanting to run that far. My favorite running weather is probably twenty degrees Fahrenheit with snow on the ground but a sunny day. That and absolute downpour with mud everywhere. I can never decide

Hey all! I was shown this site by a friend in a roundabout sort of way and thought that it had some really good info on it. My name's actually Shannon; Squiggly's a sort of personal joke name that has become something of my identity online. Anyways, I've only been vegan since May of this year but am loving it, despite the difficulties sometimes. I became vegan for three specific reasons:

1) I do not believe animals were created to be treated as machines and commodities, as unfeeling beings. As such, I will eat meat that has been hunted (legally, of course) or if I can see how the animal is raised and killed. Life is cyclical and in nature there is death. I believe that humans are part of that cycle but with our industrial farming techniques we have bastardized it, much to our own disadvantages. If an animal is raised and killed ethically, both environmentally and humanely, I will eat it. Same goes for milk and eggs. But if I do not know where it came from, then I do not partake.

2) The environmental effects of raising animals the way agricultural corporations do are horrendous and I do not wish to be part of that destructive machine. I do recognize that the growth of produce is just as harmful and I try to buy locally and organic as much as possible, though doing so is difficult as I'm a student on a low budget.

3) My personal health in general has greatly increased as a result of my change in diet. I feel so much better than I used to and my brother, a personal trainer, commented on the fact that I seem much more vibrant and energetic than I used to be even though I was just as active before becoming vegan.

Basically I joined the site in order to find a community of people who shared my interests and ideas and who could help me out with any dietary/fitness problems I ever encounter.

I'm not too new to fitness, as I've been a runner for three years and enjoy working out, but I'm interested in what I can do better and in seeing what others are doing as well.