Why am I so bad at running, but do well in other cardio related activities?
- Thread starter kmar123
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- female fitness
@benfje401 Oh no dw I'm a runner just the other advice I find walking at all kills the chance of the high
whirlygirl
New member
@kmar123 Your lungs need to get used to cold weather probably or you're not warming up enough. If I go too hard in the cold I get coughy cuz some sort of phenomenon about body temp and lung cilia and I like running, so maybe try to get your body temp up BEFORE doing anything that causes deep breathing of cold air.
@kmar123 A few thoughts.
Your boyfriend is correct that working out outside when it’s cold and you’re not used to it can be an intense adjustment. This is both for your breathing (taking in a lot of cold air) and your muscles and skin. So definitely working out in 10C if you’re used to working out in a much warmer environment can be part of what you experienced. Nothing to do but get used to it, unfortunately, although wearing warmer clothes can also help.
Running is high impact and repetitive. The shoes you wear matter. New runners shouldn’t necessarily go out and buy a super expensive pair of shoes, but if you’re using really old shoes, or shoes that don’t really work for your stride, they might not be doing you any favors. If you think the knee problems might stem from your shoes, see if you can visit a running store and get something reasonably priced for your feet and stride.
Are you using a marathon training program that recommends interval training? Marathon training for beginners is usually more focused on sustained runs, since that’s what you’re going to be doing in the actual race and you probably don’t care about setting a specific time. I would expect a marathon training program for a beginner to recommend something like a 30 minute jog supplemented by walking as needed as its first day, not a 30 minute interval. If you’re not using a training program, definitely find a few for beginners, read what they recommend, and choose one that appeals to you.
Your boyfriend is correct that working out outside when it’s cold and you’re not used to it can be an intense adjustment. This is both for your breathing (taking in a lot of cold air) and your muscles and skin. So definitely working out in 10C if you’re used to working out in a much warmer environment can be part of what you experienced. Nothing to do but get used to it, unfortunately, although wearing warmer clothes can also help.
Running is high impact and repetitive. The shoes you wear matter. New runners shouldn’t necessarily go out and buy a super expensive pair of shoes, but if you’re using really old shoes, or shoes that don’t really work for your stride, they might not be doing you any favors. If you think the knee problems might stem from your shoes, see if you can visit a running store and get something reasonably priced for your feet and stride.
Are you using a marathon training program that recommends interval training? Marathon training for beginners is usually more focused on sustained runs, since that’s what you’re going to be doing in the actual race and you probably don’t care about setting a specific time. I would expect a marathon training program for a beginner to recommend something like a 30 minute jog supplemented by walking as needed as its first day, not a 30 minute interval. If you’re not using a training program, definitely find a few for beginners, read what they recommend, and choose one that appeals to you.
kenjisan70
New member
@kenjisan70 Same here! OP, I'd say if you're going to be miserable doing it, you won't stick to a training plan, just like any other workout routines. And believe me when I say you absolutely do not want to do any long distance races without any training. This comes from experience.
@kenjisan70 haha I know, that’s a possibility for me as well! I really want to give it a try as I’ve never taken it seriously. I love how it’s so “easy” (in the sense that you need zero equipment) and completely free if you do it outdoors. So I kinda really want to like it! Let’s see how it goes.
@kmar123 I was almost exactly like you right when COVID kicked off - what better way to get out of the house safely and get in a good workout, right?
Two years and hundreds of YouTube and running forum rabbit holes later, and my orthopedic surgeon told me my knees are designed in such a way that unless I get a double knee replacement, I'll always have significant knee pain from running any distance beyond a few miles. Parts of my joints are mismatched so they rub and will swell and hurt, and then I'm at high risk of injury. It's been like that since I stopped growing as a teen....which did make me feel better about the trauma from my high school athletics coaches. It wasn't my fault!
All that to say: bodies are weird, listen to them, and if it keeps hurting...stop! See a doctor and make sure you don't hurt yourself out of any exercise at all due to overdoing it.
Two years and hundreds of YouTube and running forum rabbit holes later, and my orthopedic surgeon told me my knees are designed in such a way that unless I get a double knee replacement, I'll always have significant knee pain from running any distance beyond a few miles. Parts of my joints are mismatched so they rub and will swell and hurt, and then I'm at high risk of injury. It's been like that since I stopped growing as a teen....which did make me feel better about the trauma from my high school athletics coaches. It wasn't my fault!
All that to say: bodies are weird, listen to them, and if it keeps hurting...stop! See a doctor and make sure you don't hurt yourself out of any exercise at all due to overdoing it.
@kmar123 In addition to what others have said, you are probably running too fast even if you think you’re running slow. It’s very common for new runners (especially fit new runners) to not know how to pace themselves, because they have only run as part of another activity which often involves sprinting. In some ways, the intervals you start with in training can exacerbate this, because you CAN run that fast for 2 minutes.
Next time you go out, try running slow. Like so slow it kind of pisses you off. Try to find a pace where at the end of the session you feel like you could keep going without any issue. Even if it means you’re barely shuffling on your runs for a session or two. Once you find that pace, you can start gradually increasing to find a pace that challenges you, but doesn’t kill you. And then as you get comfortable with running more, you can do more stuff playing with speed and finding your race pace and stuff like that.
Next time you go out, try running slow. Like so slow it kind of pisses you off. Try to find a pace where at the end of the session you feel like you could keep going without any issue. Even if it means you’re barely shuffling on your runs for a session or two. Once you find that pace, you can start gradually increasing to find a pace that challenges you, but doesn’t kill you. And then as you get comfortable with running more, you can do more stuff playing with speed and finding your race pace and stuff like that.
christengine
New member
@christengine Oooooh. I somehow completely missed the C. Never mind. That shouldn’t be cold enough to hurt.
christengine
New member
. I agree with a lot of your suggestions, and what others have echoed in here as well!@christengine Here too! Lol
@christengine
[sup]I'm a bot that converts temperature between two units humans can understand, then convert it to Kelvin for bots and physicists to understand[/sup]
50°F is equivalent to 10°C, which is 283K.
[sup]I'm a bot that converts temperature between two units humans can understand, then convert it to Kelvin for bots and physicists to understand[/sup]
steveinalberta
New member
@kmar123 Running is a beast of its own.
I teach spin and have taught classes back to back and while tiring, I can get through it.
But running? That requires consistent training. It's a full body experience.
During COVID I started with runners world intro 5k program, then moved onto their bridge to 10K, and then a 10K pace training program. By the end of 2020, my long run was 11 miles. It was just consistent work and a slow and steady work stream with a LOT of stretching and recovery after.
Proper nutrition and hydration is always important, but I felt it even more so when I started running.
It's also something that once you stop you can lose quickly. I just started back up with running and am starting from the beginning again.
Best of luck!
I teach spin and have taught classes back to back and while tiring, I can get through it.
But running? That requires consistent training. It's a full body experience.
During COVID I started with runners world intro 5k program, then moved onto their bridge to 10K, and then a 10K pace training program. By the end of 2020, my long run was 11 miles. It was just consistent work and a slow and steady work stream with a LOT of stretching and recovery after.
Proper nutrition and hydration is always important, but I felt it even more so when I started running.
It's also something that once you stop you can lose quickly. I just started back up with running and am starting from the beginning again.
Best of luck!
@steveinalberta I understand now!
I know nothing about running, nor do I really know runners so I (stupidly) thought being fit in other activities would make it easier.
I’m glad to see it’s not that I’m weird, just that I have to start from scratch. Knowing this will help me be much more patient.
Thanks for the insight!!
I know nothing about running, nor do I really know runners so I (stupidly) thought being fit in other activities would make it easier.
I’m glad to see it’s not that I’m weird, just that I have to start from scratch. Knowing this will help me be much more patient.
Thanks for the insight!!
@kmar123 Running is its own thing, like anything else. If you look at a marathon training program, you'll see maybe a day or two that can be set aside for cross-training but in general your prep just means running a lot. That's because it takes running to get better at running.
So be easy on yourself. You probably did start out too fast, as most people tend to do. Slow and steady does it. I recommend following a training program of some kind: a lot of people like couch to 5k (if you'll excuse the somewhat patronizing name); hal higdon has various programs online. The point is that someone who's thought about progression and recovery will make it smoother sailing than just trying to guess.
So be easy on yourself. You probably did start out too fast, as most people tend to do. Slow and steady does it. I recommend following a training program of some kind: a lot of people like couch to 5k (if you'll excuse the somewhat patronizing name); hal higdon has various programs online. The point is that someone who's thought about progression and recovery will make it smoother sailing than just trying to guess.
@jjhyt7 yeah I thought I was being slow, but in reality I was just comparing myself to experienced runners. I will keep it in mind for the next workouts.
I was going to do couch to 5k, but I was told to find a shorter program since I’m already active - seems like that was bad advice haha. Thank you!
I was going to do couch to 5k, but I was told to find a shorter program since I’m already active - seems like that was bad advice haha. Thank you!