admin answers:

Here is a good link.

admin answers:

Here are some good programs

Just go to the bottom of the page and click begginner, intermediate, advanced etc. It gives you what to do to prepare for that 21k.

Http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_4/144.shtml

admin answers:

The important thing here is to get a programme that fits with your lifestyle. So for example, it is no good me saying to run 3 miles every other day and a long run on a Sunday morning since this won’t work for you.

There was some things in your question that sounds good – You Love to run and you can run a half marathon which is brilliant start.

The basis for putting together a programme is to mix regular runs with a longer run every so often and a shorter faster paced run every so often too. I would say normally to do 2 or 3 runs and a weekly longer run – the longer run being half as long again as the normal runs (so a 4 mile normal run would give you a 6 mile longer run). In between where you are now and a month before the marathon work out these distances to give you a long run of about 18 miles 4 weeks before the marathon. This gives a sort of idea of how far to run each week. Then every few weeks stop the increases in distance and have an easy week of running.

This might give you something like:
Week 1 – Run
Week 2 – Do week 1 + 10 % increase in distance
Week 3 – Do week 2 + 10 % increase in distance
Week 4 – Do week 3 + 10%
Week 5 – Easy week – do week 3 again
Week 6 – Do week 4 again
Week 7 – Week 6 + 10%… And so on

Work out the increases from what long run you think you can do now and end with a long run before marathon.

But for you specifically you might want to change it a bit. Try to get two 6 mile runs (10k) on your 4 rest days if you can’t run after work much and this will maintain your fitness. Every other long 2 to 4 days you might want to try a longer run. With the full week off this is ideal to put in some longer runs – try going for a long run at the start of that week and at the end of that week to build your stamina. The shorter runs will maintain your fitness levels

If you can run into work in the mornings then try this every other day. In fact if you can leave a little earlier and try to do a 30 minute run – if you can – once a week? Though if you want, you can use the 1.7 miles as a speed session. Warm up for half mile, run the next half fast and hard and then cool down – this gets speed into your legs and makes longer running feel easier

Summary then:
Use your 2 day ‘weekend’ to do a couple of 6 mile runs
Use your 4 sat ‘weekend’ to do a 6 miles and a longer run
Use your long week to do 2 long runs – one at the start, one at the end, and perhaps a shorter than normal run in the middle
Run to work every other day, if you can do a 30 minute run do that, if not every 2 runs try a speed run session

Build up the distance of your long runs over time to reach an 18 -20 mile peak about a month before marathon day and then ease off again

Speeds:
Long run should be at a pave where you can sing in your head or talk to people
Normal runs should get you out of breath but not so much that you need to stop
Fast speed session – fast bit should be all out, otherwise long run pace.

Hope that gives you a couple of ideas.
Last big tip is to enter a 10k race or even a half marathon before race day just to add short term goals

If you need any more specific advice, ask again or send me a mail

admin answers:

My friend, Stephanie Partridge, wrote an article on training for long distance runners. Her focus was on weight training, but it may help you some if you incorporate it with other advice here.

Distance runners who incorporate weight training into their fitness regime enjoy many benefits. Total body conditioning provides an all around toning of the whole body beyond the sport. By adding free weights or resistance machines (Nautilus and Cybex are two popular ones), or both, to their program, runners enjoy strengthening of not only their legs, but their cardiovascular system as well. Additionally, they increase their strength all over and are less likely to be injured. When they are also spending adequate time practicing their chosen sport, distance running or whatever, their endurance for their sport will be improved with strength training.
Benefits to the Whole Body
The body is broken down into three specific regions, the upper body, abdominals or core and the lower body. Each region has a purpose and supports the total body function. Therefore, each region needs to be conditioned.
Upper Body
When a runner runs, his or her arms swing. This is a natural movement in running and
runners adapt this motion and use it to their advantage as a method of propulsion.
Therefore, a runner with a strong upper body is more likely to run faster and more
efficiently than one who is lacking in upper body strength.

Abdominals or Core
The abdominal area is the core of the body. Strength in this region aids in protecting the
back while it helps the runner maintain his or her proper form. This helps them to
perform more efficiently. This protects the core from injury.

Lower Body
The lower body region is the part that propels the runner. It is also the part of the body
that the runner uses most, but there is some imbalance in the muscle groups that develop.
The runner’s hamstrings and calf muscles develop faster than their quadriceps and shins.
A good weight training program helps to counter this imbalance. As an added bonus,
strong quads and hips help to protect the lower body from injury.

Benefits Beyond Running

By employing total body conditioning, the runner will experience other benefits. A leaner body due to increased fat burning capabilities occurs. The benefits extend beyond improving the runner’s abilities.

More Efficient Fat Burning
The more muscle that a person has, the more efficient the body is at metabolizing
glucose. In short, more muscle means less fat. The body becomes a fat burning machine.

Change in Body Composition
As the body ages, its composition changes. Lean muscle decreases while fat deposits
increase. Weight training and strength training slows this process.

Bone Protection
This benefit is particularly vital to women. Weight training helps to protect bones.
When the muscles tug on the person’s bone structure during weight training, the result is
a facilitation of bone regeneration.

Reduction in Other Health Risks
Weight training is believed to reduce the risk factors for health conditions such as adult
onset diabetes and heart disease.

Weight Training Guidelines
There are a few standard rules that should be followed when establishing a weight training program. For instance, when working out it is best to work the upper body one day and the lower body the next, allowing a full 24 hours for one muscle group to rest before training it again. The abdominals can be trained every day, without any breaks. It is best to use lighter weights with more repetitions as opposed to heavy weights and fewer repetitions.

When using the weights or resistance machines, use slow, controlled movement when executing the motion from the starting and when returning to the starting point. Use light weights with many reps. Doing greater weight with fewer reps adds bulk and strength. While the strength may be good, bulk will slow down a runner. In distance running, this can be a great disadvantage. Running is one sport where extra muscle bulk is not desirable.

Working the major muscle groups and achieving full body conditioning helps the body avoid late race fatigue. It also allows the runner to run faster during the first ninety-eight percent of a distance race. By getting stronger, the runner is better protected from injury and better equipped to handle the stress that a runner puts on his or her body.

Upper Body
•Bench Press
•Push Ups
•Barbell Row
•Back Extension
•Dumbell Military Press
•Front Raises
•Concentration Curls
•Kickbacks
•Dips

Abdominals/Core
•Basic Crunch
•Crunch on Exercise Ball
•Half Curl
•Reverse Crunch
•Crossover Crunch
•Plank
•Side Bends
•Weighted Curls with Medicine Ball
•Cable Crunches

Lower Body
•Barbell Deadlift
•Barbell Squat
•Plie Squat
•Lunge
•Straight Leg Raises
•Straight Leg Hip Flexion
•Hamstring Rolls

Fat vs. Muscle
Fat does not turn into muscle. This is a physical impossibility yet many people erroneously believe it can be done. A fat cell is always a fat cell, no matter what is done. Fat cells do not go away, but they do decrease in size when the body’s energy it expends exceeds its caloric intake. While a runner may take in more calories, he or she will increase muscle mass, especially is weight training. This increased muscle mass does result in a lower body fat percentage. However, the scales may not reflect a reduction in numbers. This is because the lost body fat is replaced with muscle and muscle weighs more than fat.

Don’t Forget to Stretch!
The final element to a successful total body conditioning program is to round out each weight training session with some good stretches for the muscle group that is being worked. Each workout session should be started with some stretching exercises, but after the workout the muscles should be stretched again. Some simple stretches can accomplish this, but for a more rounded program it may be a good idea to incorporate yoga, pilates or ballet into the overall program. This will offer the distance runner a true total body workout with stretching, cardio, sport training and weight training.

admin answers:

Lester and Running4yaweh are both correct. The only thing that has not been mentioned is your program. Hopefully you found in your research that the long run is perhaps the most important run of the week. While the weekday runs will help you retain endurance, the long run will help you increase your endurance.

Starting with your longest run in the past 3 weeks (probably the 5K), increase your long run by one mile per week up to 10, then increase 2 miles every two weeks. On alternate weeks run just half the distance of your long run to allow your body to recover and grow stronger.

Your run/walk strategy is a good one. With a 34 minute 5K you should have no trouble maintaining a 13:30 minute per mile pace. 13:44 minutes per mile will get you to the finish line in under 3 hours!

Good luck.

admin answers:

Eat bananas.
The potassium in them helps your body to retain water.
This, in turn, will help to prevent cramps.

admin answers:

I see your problem as the following: shin splints usually occur due to overtraining, that is running too fast for your conditioning or running too many miles for your conditioning. The pain of the shin splints forces you to change your running pattern (form). This tends to lead to injuries in other parts of your body, the reason being is that due to a series of factors specific to you and that you have grown up with (your weight, your height, the size of your feet, the width of your hips, the strength of the muscles in legs), you run with a certain gait or stride and your body has grown stronger in given areas (muscles, tendons, ligaments) to support that gait. Now due to the change to your stride because of the shin splints different muscles, tendons and ligaments, which aren’t used to the strain of running, are being used and as theyhaven’t been built up over the course of your life they are breaking down.

While I don’t tend to be critical of people and circumstances I am not familiar with, I feel comfortable in saying whoever sold you the concept of these light shoes being a good idea because they build up your feet is an idiot and the proof is in the pudding. That is like telling you to do the workouts of a 13 minute 5k runner because it will make you a stronger runner. Running shoes are made specifically to protect your feet and in doing so they protect the rest of your body. To get the proper shoes go in to a running shoe store and say you want running shoes, period. They would have you run in a shoe to see how you run, which would indicate what type of shoe you need, a stabilization shoe, underpronation or overpronation, etc. Once they have an idea of what you need they should pull out several models and have you try them for comfort, have you put both pairs on and jog around the store to see which you like best. They should be half a size to a full size larger than your street shoes. If you go to a shoe store and they don’t ask to see you run first thing to get an idea of your needs, find another store.

Once you heal and have shoes that won’t injure you, you should be able to return to running. I don’t know how long your season lasts or if you will be able to regain (or gain) some competiveness but continue training at your level (there are no short cuts, trying to “catch up” will only get you injured, and get ready for indoor track (if your school has it) and outdoor track. If you are still into running after the litany of injuries you have suffered you certainly have the determination to be successful. Good luck!

admin answers:

Your taking the approach a little bit too complex. Breathing is a natural process so don’t think too much about it. When you run you should actually try to focus very little on the running itself because then you will lose your focus which will make you lose your balance, then your speed, etc. I just take two breathes of air in and then exhale hard. When I’m about to pass someone or try to tail someone I take one huge breath in and then exhale when I have reached my goal. Hope that helps.

admin answers:

I would check with your physician first to see if you should be running at all, because this may not be the best time to start running (not to say you shouldn’t do XC but maybe outdoor track when it is a bit warmer would be better.)

However, if you are going to run tomorrow I find that putting a scarf or cloth over my mouth works well when running in very cold weather. You may find it becomes a bit damp after awhile when you are constantly breathing into and against the scarf/cloth but it really does help in stopping that feeling of breathing in ice and it traps some of the heat you are going to breath out.

Best of luck

admin answers:

Some ppl might think I’m crazy for sayin this, but its actually a good thing to get a little cocky on race day. Not so much that your a jerk but just enough to take the edge off and as long as your not too stuck up you can actually crack jokes about the compitition and stuff to lighten the mood and make the race more enjoyable. After all, CC is supposed to be fun not stressfull although it can be at times.

admin answers:

Eat bananas.
The potassium in them helps your body to retain water.
This, in turn, will help to prevent cramps.

admin answers:

I see your problem as the following: shin splints usually occur due to overtraining, that is running too fast for your conditioning or running too many miles for your conditioning. The pain of the shin splints forces you to change your running pattern (form). This tends to lead to injuries in other parts of your body, the reason being is that due to a series of factors specific to you and that you have grown up with (your weight, your height, the size of your feet, the width of your hips, the strength of the muscles in legs), you run with a certain gait or stride and your body has grown stronger in given areas (muscles, tendons, ligaments) to support that gait. Now due to the change to your stride because of the shin splints different muscles, tendons and ligaments, which aren’t used to the strain of running, are being used and as theyhaven’t been built up over the course of your life they are breaking down.

While I don’t tend to be critical of people and circumstances I am not familiar with, I feel comfortable in saying whoever sold you the concept of these light shoes being a good idea because they build up your feet is an idiot and the proof is in the pudding. That is like telling you to do the workouts of a 13 minute 5k runner because it will make you a stronger runner. Running shoes are made specifically to protect your feet and in doing so they protect the rest of your body. To get the proper shoes go in to a running shoe store and say you want running shoes, period. They would have you run in a shoe to see how you run, which would indicate what type of shoe you need, a stabilization shoe, underpronation or overpronation, etc. Once they have an idea of what you need they should pull out several models and have you try them for comfort, have you put both pairs on and jog around the store to see which you like best. They should be half a size to a full size larger than your street shoes. If you go to a shoe store and they don’t ask to see you run first thing to get an idea of your needs, find another store.

Once you heal and have shoes that won’t injure you, you should be able to return to running. I don’t know how long your season lasts or if you will be able to regain (or gain) some competiveness but continue training at your level (there are no short cuts, trying to “catch up” will only get you injured, and get ready for indoor track (if your school has it) and outdoor track. If you are still into running after the litany of injuries you have suffered you certainly have the determination to be successful. Good luck!

admin answers:

Your taking the approach a little bit too complex. Breathing is a natural process so don’t think too much about it. When you run you should actually try to focus very little on the running itself because then you will lose your focus which will make you lose your balance, then your speed, etc. I just take two breathes of air in and then exhale hard. When I’m about to pass someone or try to tail someone I take one huge breath in and then exhale when I have reached my goal. Hope that helps.

admin answers:

I would check with your physician first to see if you should be running at all, because this may not be the best time to start running (not to say you shouldn’t do XC but maybe outdoor track when it is a bit warmer would be better.)

However, if you are going to run tomorrow I find that putting a scarf or cloth over my mouth works well when running in very cold weather. You may find it becomes a bit damp after awhile when you are constantly breathing into and against the scarf/cloth but it really does help in stopping that feeling of breathing in ice and it traps some of the heat you are going to breath out.

Best of luck

admin answers:

Some ppl might think I’m crazy for sayin this, but its actually a good thing to get a little cocky on race day. Not so much that your a jerk but just enough to take the edge off and as long as your not too stuck up you can actually crack jokes about the compitition and stuff to lighten the mood and make the race more enjoyable. After all, CC is supposed to be fun not stressfull although it can be at times.

admin answers:

Eat bananas.
The potassium in them helps your body to retain water.
This, in turn, will help to prevent cramps.

admin answers:

I see your problem as the following: shin splints usually occur due to overtraining, that is running too fast for your conditioning or running too many miles for your conditioning. The pain of the shin splints forces you to change your running pattern (form). This tends to lead to injuries in other parts of your body, the reason being is that due to a series of factors specific to you and that you have grown up with (your weight, your height, the size of your feet, the width of your hips, the strength of the muscles in legs), you run with a certain gait or stride and your body has grown stronger in given areas (muscles, tendons, ligaments) to support that gait. Now due to the change to your stride because of the shin splints different muscles, tendons and ligaments, which aren’t used to the strain of running, are being used and as theyhaven’t been built up over the course of your life they are breaking down.

While I don’t tend to be critical of people and circumstances I am not familiar with, I feel comfortable in saying whoever sold you the concept of these light shoes being a good idea because they build up your feet is an idiot and the proof is in the pudding. That is like telling you to do the workouts of a 13 minute 5k runner because it will make you a stronger runner. Running shoes are made specifically to protect your feet and in doing so they protect the rest of your body. To get the proper shoes go in to a running shoe store and say you want running shoes, period. They would have you run in a shoe to see how you run, which would indicate what type of shoe you need, a stabilization shoe, underpronation or overpronation, etc. Once they have an idea of what you need they should pull out several models and have you try them for comfort, have you put both pairs on and jog around the store to see which you like best. They should be half a size to a full size larger than your street shoes. If you go to a shoe store and they don’t ask to see you run first thing to get an idea of your needs, find another store.

Once you heal and have shoes that won’t injure you, you should be able to return to running. I don’t know how long your season lasts or if you will be able to regain (or gain) some competiveness but continue training at your level (there are no short cuts, trying to “catch up” will only get you injured, and get ready for indoor track (if your school has it) and outdoor track. If you are still into running after the litany of injuries you have suffered you certainly have the determination to be successful. Good luck!

admin answers:

Your taking the approach a little bit too complex. Breathing is a natural process so don’t think too much about it. When you run you should actually try to focus very little on the running itself because then you will lose your focus which will make you lose your balance, then your speed, etc. I just take two breathes of air in and then exhale hard. When I’m about to pass someone or try to tail someone I take one huge breath in and then exhale when I have reached my goal. Hope that helps.

admin answers:

I would check with your physician first to see if you should be running at all, because this may not be the best time to start running (not to say you shouldn’t do XC but maybe outdoor track when it is a bit warmer would be better.)

However, if you are going to run tomorrow I find that putting a scarf or cloth over my mouth works well when running in very cold weather. You may find it becomes a bit damp after awhile when you are constantly breathing into and against the scarf/cloth but it really does help in stopping that feeling of breathing in ice and it traps some of the heat you are going to breath out.

Best of luck

admin answers:

Some ppl might think I’m crazy for sayin this, but its actually a good thing to get a little cocky on race day. Not so much that your a jerk but just enough to take the edge off and as long as your not too stuck up you can actually crack jokes about the compitition and stuff to lighten the mood and make the race more enjoyable. After all, CC is supposed to be fun not stressfull although it can be at times.

admin answers:

Running shoes help absorb the shock put on your muscles and joints when you run, where weightlifting shoes help your body position into a more natural and efficient weight lifting form.

P.s. Using the wrong shoes for running may injure you, but using the wrong shoes for weightlifting should not do any physical harm!

admin answers:

HI. I’ve worn quite a lot of running shoes, mainly Nike, Puma, and Asics. I’d have to say i prefer asics the most. My current ones are Asics Gel – 105. I’ve also switched to Asics for footy boots too. I used to get real painful knee and achilles soreness, but since asics, they’re not nearly as bad. There’s players in The AFL (Australian Football League) who swear by asics. Tyson Stenglein, wears asics, despite Puma sponsoring his team, he just put the puma logo over them. Joel Selwood, an absolute gun, is a personally sponsored by Asics, and had severe shin splints when he was younger, and with asics, the pain was rapidly reduced. They certaintly don’t make you any slower, and they’re great for your feet and legs. Only shoe i know of reccomended by “Sports Medicine Australia”. When i was younger, i tried to wear puma, as they sponsored my Favourite team, but they just werent that great, and i had to much pain. Since Asics, i havent looked back. Im always going to get Asic from now on. Hope this helps.

admin answers:

Last year my girlfriend had shoes that were to narrow. After a month of wearing them she ended up with a bruised bone in her foot. The shoe was squeezing the bones near her toes together and cause the damage. These were not running shoes just everyday shoes. It took about 3 months to heal. I would suggest getting the size and shape you need.
Be Well!!

admin answers:

How odd, Saucony are generally known to be some of the best shoes for running, although I never wore any, having instead had experience with Asics and Nike.

If a running shoe is good you should, generally speaking, not notice it, that is it shouldn’t be too heavy and it should ergonomically aid your running in a way that does not harm your joints, tendons and ligaments, and it sounds like this is not what this shoe is doing for you.

If you feel the shoe is defective absolutely do take it back.
But if you’re not sure you may want to try to search for other user’s experiences with that shoe, maybe the sole needs to be worn a little, but it does sound weird.
It might also help to know what Saucony model you have purchased.

admin answers:

You have to get individually fitted in a running specialty shop. You’re worried about things like fit and function first and foremost, not brand. What’s best for you is going to vary with your individual arch, pronation, shape of your foot, etc.

Nobody else can truly recommend a model, or even brand, for you.

admin answers:

Hi sebastian,
You can buy supinator running shoes on Amazon,
get adidas Women’s Supernova Glide Running Shoe
The Adidas Women’s “Supernova Glide” Sneaker is specifically designed for a woman’s stride, using Geofit for custom fit and for motion for adjustable cushioning. These shoes are ready to hit the ground running
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001I444U4?ie=UTF8&tag=digitsy-post3-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B001I444U4

admin answers:

Ahhh frequent runner and shoes are 2 years old?! You should get new shoes every like 300 miles

hmmm, maybe try going to a store like Famous Footwear or Payless or even Footlocker and trying on a pair of the Nike shoes or the Adidas to get a feel for your size

Or, just get ones in the store! Currently famous footwear and payless have buy one get one 50% off and I just got my new pair of Nike trainers theyre, and they are cool looking too!

admin answers:

In my opinion – ordering shoes on line and you if get the wrong size then you have ordered wrongly and there is nothing the retailer has to do to change the shoes for the correct size…. So accept those blisters with good grace when you get the wrong size……

The only advice I can really give is to try them on in a REAL shop to make sure that they fit you well, and since the shop is giving up their time to give you good advice, then it is only fair to buy from them

admin answers:

Give me a clue for where you are – it is tricky to give you a good answer otherwise

admin answers:

You can buy best running shoes for cheap price from this website .
Http://womenshoesbuy.com/Running-Shoes/