Advice From Runners...?

Thank you! I read this before I went out this morning and remembered it when I finished! I stretched, but I'm still not sure that I did enough. My left hip hurts this evening! I need to strengthen those muscles!

My partner is the same way.  And he stretches all the time.  

If you come to the Exercise forum you'll get some great insights. I only happened to see this because it was on the main page. 

I had NEVER run, not as a child or any stage in my life and frankly, even a year ago I would have laughed in your face if you'd mentioned a jog to me. Now I am training for my first half marathon and have done over 50 5Ks (not formal races, but as part of my training) and that number goes up weekly. I run several a week now and it is my 'short day' run.  Last year it was difficult for me to run even the full 60 seconds the first week (I used the ZenLabs program and it was 60 seconds running/60 seconds walking the first week for a 20 minute exercise period) and the one promise I made myself was that if she said run, I'd run and if she said walk, I'd walk as fast as I possibly could. My mile time was over 18 minutes when I started timing myself. Now it is in the mid 12 range, but still varies based on distance (I have a better time per mile if I go 5 miles than 8 miles) but my goal is a consistent 11 minute mile for a half marathon. I hope to arrive at that goal by my 3rd half which is in Dec of this year. My first is in May of this year. 

Anyway...

Drink like mad before you workout and fully empty your bladder. Choose music that is encouraging but not too fast as studies have shown you'll move at the speed of tempo you are listening to. Be consistent and FOLLOW THE PROGRAM. On the Zen Labs one it is every other day. So one week I did it M/W/F and the next week Sun/Tue/Thu/Sat and so on.  I only repeated one week. On the iPhone you can move back or forward and when we made one jump in time, I think it was the 5 to 8 minute move, I did not feel I was quite there, so I repeated the week vs. pushing myself to the point that I might start bargaining on slowing down before she said so and I was NOT going to do that. But when I finished that week a second time, I was itching to do more and go longer. 

Hydrate and have some high protein afterwards. I drink half an Isopure RTD after 99% of my runs. I have thrown up if I've eaten solid food after a run and don't want any fat or carbs...just pure protein following a run. I do not eat less than 75 minutes and ideally 90 minutes prior to my runs. 

If your boobies have not run away as mine have, be sure you are fitted for a sports bra. If yours have run away, you can likely get by with a racer back bra that doesn't require fitting. But my thought is C or more...go be fitted!

Invest in some snazzy running pants. I have cheetah, camo, stripe, zebra...you name it. I LOVE putting them on and I LOVE how I feel in them! If you run in the cold, buy a base layer as well. I prefer the thin merino wool, but that is very much a choice of what works best for individuals. 

Don't wash and dry your running gear with regular laundry. I use the gentle cycle, special wash and hang or lay flat to dry.

Hope this helps...and welcome to the world of running. You are going to L O V E it if you'll give yourself a chance to ease into it and discover how fabulous it really is!

Thank you! I did swing by the exercise forum, but it looked like it hadn't gotten much traffic lately... maybe that was a fluke though. I'll swing back by for sure! 

You said that I should "drink like mad" before... Do you not feel a bit "sloshy" during the run? The last thing I want to do is be that dweeb who is retching in the bushes! Thanks for the Isopure tip. I haven't used them since immediately post op, but I'll definitely go get some more now!

As for the bra, I've never heard of getting fitted for a SPORT bra. Where can I do that? My girls haven't gone ANYWHERE, so I definitely need some good support if I'm going to do this long term. I have 1 decent bra, but I could definitely do better... And as for the clothes, it was cold this morning and I definitely need to invest in some snazzy pants ;) What would you recommend as a base layer? I'm so new to this and have no clue what to even look for!

Thank a bunch for all the tips. This is all GREAT advice.

Oh sorry--let me clarify, so glad you asked what you did!

I drink like crazy up to an hour or so before I run and then pee like crazy right before I go. No sloshing. :) 

If you have not tried the Black Tea with Lemon flavor of Isopure (it is pretty new) try at least one and see what you think. I buy it by the case now. L O V E it!

Oh yes...a fitted sports bra is awesome according to my friends with boobs. ;) The running store here, Try Sports has a fitter at each location. You could possibly call them, find out the brand and then where those are sold you in your area that might have fitters, too. I have seen them do the fitting when I've been there. If someone is a runner, they literally have them go on the mini track and try it out and then go back and adjust the fit and have them run again and so forth.  I am not going back in the next few weeks as things stand now or I would find out the brand for you. Try Sports is in Durham, Wilmington and Charlotte, NC as well as Mount Pleasant, SC. 

For me, the base layer I like very best is by Paradox. I buy the long pants and the long sleeve 1/4 zip pullover. They are actually very comfy to wear around the house, so on a run day it is common for me to put my heart rate monitor on, my running bra, base layer top and bottom and sometimes, socks and shoes. Then when I go to run I can pull my pants and shirt on and on a REALLY cold day (like 7 degrees) I wear a running jacket, too. 

The most F A B U L O U S pants I've bought are the GORE brand Ladies Air Thermal 'tights' but they are not like tights...they are like pants. My second favorite are the blue or pink cheetah pants from Nike. I have two pair of each of those and recommend them frequently!

I wear my running band with my iPhone (and the coordinating apps running) on my arm over the shirt, but under the jacket so if I do warm up as I run, I can pull it off as I go and wrap it around my waist without coming to stop and pulling things off and resetting. 

And yes--the exercise forum is a bit dead...come help liven it up. ;)