Running / Jogging - How do *you* do it ? (distance, speed, indoor/outdoor, trail ...)

[Prime Winner]

I take glucosamine tablets for knee pain. got a bottle of 250 from sams club for about $12-$13, take 2 a day.

so with me 3-4 weeks in, and only slowly jogging 2 miles / 3 times a week, would it be a good idea to do 1 mile jogs between the days of 2 mile jogs? or should I leave the time for recovery. I know, muscle recovery from 2 miles .

[weaponX]

Do whatever you feel comfortable doing. You'll know when you've done too much. I have two dedicated rest days each week, but it's not like I simply sit around doing nothing. I'll go for a walk with the dogs and baby or something like that just to get the blood pumping.

[bruceames]

I run in the streets 2-3 times per week, for 2-3 miles (I'll do a few longer runs later in the season. I generally start in May and run thru October. In the winter months I go to the gyms to lift weights, so I concentrate on aerobics half the time, and maintain muscle mass the other half (I'm 54 and can't do both since I have a physical job as well). My pace is around 9:00 to 9:30 a mile, and it used to be quite a bit less than that in years past.

Also during the summer I do long distance day hiking, culminating in hiking to the top of Mt. Whitney every year (22 mile round trip and 6,300 ft. elevation gain). I do 4-5 long hikes to build up to that one, and that goal of doing Whitney every year (this year will be 17 years in a row for me, 12 for my wife) is a big part of keeping me motivated.

I don't have any joint pain and I credit the weight work for keeping the muscle surrounding my joints strong (or maybe I'm just lucky so far).

[Dweedlebug]

I ride a stationary bike about 18 miles a day. Running is murder on your knees hips and lower back.

[timbobarry]

I try to run daily. I used to run outside on a track or path but recently been told that my skin type has a high risk of developing skin cancer so I limit my outdoor time. I usually run on a treadmill for 2 miles with it set to 8 mph and a 1 incline. Every 5 days I'll run outside in the evening around a 6.4 mile path. I used to be 100 pounds heavier and hated to run. After getting into an exercise routine and joining the military (10 years ago), I now love running.

[HuskerGuy]

I have flat feet so shin splints have always been a problem for me until I got the shin sleeves.

Shin sleeves?

I have finally got back into the gym after a long while as we have a couple of 5Ks that we signed up for and I'd prefer to run them more than walk them. I do a mix of track running at the gym and then the elliptical (not the same as real running, I know) to ease my knees and shins while keeping up the cardio. After that I mix in some weights on the circuit training setup at the gym.

Been at it for nearly three weeks now and have seen some improvement with the shin splints and was happy to jog fairly quickly for 9 straight laps today (11 laps - mile). I blame some of on my shoes, so I went and picked up the Reebok Realflex today. It was between those and a pair of New Balance, but the Reebok's were just so damn light and comfortable. Hopefully they work out and hold up.

First race isn't until the first week or so of June and the one after that is July. Looking forward to both.

[Onslaught X]

Is this the thing where you run for an extended period of time?

[paaron46]

Shin sleeves?

Yes. These: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...nandscathed-20

[HuskerGuy]

Yes. These: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...nandscathed-20

Cool, thanks for the link.

[Badger3920]

I also highly recommend Asics for shin splints. They've worked wonders for me.

You won't have any trouble getting ready for 5k. The run isnt that long, so a short stint of training should have you there!

[weaponX]

I ride a stationary bike about 18 miles a day. Running is murder on your knees hips and lower back.

Only if you do it wrong. Hell, swimming is bad for you too if you don't know how to do it the right way (sarcasm intended).

Here is the study of the biometrics of running Barefoot. It's an interesting read if you're so inclined.

http://barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu/index.html



Like I said before, I had tons of joint discomfort when running long distances with traditional shoes. I switched to Vibrams and instantly the pain is gone, I'm faster, and can run longer. It could be coincidence, but, the research seems to back me up. Also, if I had to exercise on a stationary platform I'd go insane from boredom.

Yes. These: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...nandscathed-20

I've used these in the past for calf muscle recovery. They're expensive, but they're also refelctive which is something I look for because I run mostly at night/early morning.

http://www.amazon.com/2XU-Unisex-Adu.../dp/B003LPU40W

[nmcmahan52]

i think my realflex are going to be done in about a month or so, i don't want to go as extreme as the vibrams, was looking into the new brooks pure line

[weaponX]

i think my realflex are going to be done in about a month or so, i don't want to go as extreme as the vibrams, was looking into the new brooks pure line

Honestly, the sole of the vibrams is as tough as tire rubber. Other shoe makers use that stuff. The one i like is the NB minimus 2 trail. Just because it's a trail shoe doesn't mean you can't run on the road. It's minimal drop (heel to toe 4mm) and the tread is made by vibram. Vibrams aren't all that extreme, wearing nothing is extreme, lol! I was not a fan of NB until that minimus shoe... now, it's one of me faves.

The real flex are made for the gym, soft surfaces. I found their durability on the road and sidewalk to be poor. However, they are comfy.

[nmcmahan52]

brooks has always been my go to, unfortunately it's nearly impossible for me to try anything on since i wear a 14, so most of my shoe buys are online trial and error

[weaponX]

Try and find a New balance store or a specialty running store and have them measure your feet/stride/gait. A LOT of people aren't just wearing the wrong type of shoe, but they're wearing the wrong size/width. I went, got measured, took those measurements and bought a pair I liked the first time. Then, I shopped around for my second pair online and it's wash/rinse/repeat. The only reason i bought my first pair in store and overpaid was because the guy in the store was really helpful, knew his stuff and it was a small business. But, I got a kid to feed and a mortgage to pay so, paying a small shop mark-up wasn't in my future on repeat buys.