New to running!

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Erinnikita
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Joined: Thu Nov 15, 2018 10:39 am

New to running!

Postby Erinnikita » Thu Nov 15, 2018 3:23 pm

Hi there,

31 year old female here who’s newly discovered the wonderful world of running and would love to know what’s what. Simply doing it for anxiety and to burn off steam. I just finished my initial walk/run intervals and am wondering what people have found most helpful in terms of transitioning into longer runs.

So of course I picked the beginning of winter to start! I live in Calgary so I’m in need of advice for good footwear with good grip and well-suited for terrain. I also register at a million degrees once I get going so I’m curious what people like to wear when it’s around the -10 or even -20 range.

Any advice/suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Dstew
Bill Crothers
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Joined: Wed Aug 10, 2005 7:41 pm

Re: New to running!

Postby Dstew » Wed Nov 21, 2018 8:01 pm

The thing to remember is that you are an experiment of one. So something that may work for someone else, may not work for you. There is a ton of good running programs on the net. My suggestion is take a look and see what one works best for you and do not be afraid to modify. There are programs with up to 7 days of running per week and others with as little as three but you have to cross train. I did a long run program that was longer and much faster - the last 5 K at marathon pace. There are other marathon programs with no long runs. But the same applies to shorter distances as well.

Having said that, there are some very general rules to follow. That is do not add too much mileage at once - either for the week or on any given run. A general rule of thumb is 10%. So if your longest run was 5 K, then 5.5 K the next week. And you have to have a drop back week or two thrown in. The mistake I made and it still haunts me is too fast. It got me to Boston but 14 years later, but I still have chronic issues. Again, a rough rule of thumb is 80% should feel easy. This is a fun hobby and so you do not have to stick exactly to that. When I was training to qualify for Boston, there were weeks I only ran twice. Other weeks, I added a run or distance or speed work. Listen to your body as the program you pick may have you do too much or too little.


When I was fast, in my 40s, I would run 15 minutes and walk 30 seconds. Now, I jog 7 minutes and walk 1 minute. I stumbled upon both of these through trial and error. The general rule is 10 and 1s or 10 minutes of running and 1 minute of walking but there is no hard and fast rules. Some do 3 and 2.


The key to winter running is layers. At one time I could go out when it was - 40. A very good quality underwear and socks from head to toe. I have a favorite Underarmour top that is darn near thermal. Then a running technical shirt. Maybe a cotton shirt and finally a Mark's Work Wearhouse jacket for really cold, a cross country ski for less cold and about three other jackets depending upon temperature. For me, a good trail shoe for the snow and if you have an old pair of runners, you can stud them with kits available at Running Stores.

I would to one of the two Strides or Gords as these are people who run and much better to suit your needs. But I have also bought stuff from MEC and as noted, Mark's Work Wearhouse as one does not NEED running specific gear. One of the best things I had was this over sized fleece bright red hoodie. It was near perfection but was blinded by the need for running specific gear, gave the hoodie away and the running specific jackets I tried were not even close and were 5 times the price, at least.



The one key and where I had my best experience and success was just doing what seemed to make sense to me. If I got too tired or too sore, I cut back frequency, intensity and/or duration. Runnign is how fast, how far and how often so not extremely complicated. And keep it in perspective - I lost mine several times attempting to reach performance goals and as a result, have an enlarged heart with bradycardia, a compensation fracture in my lower back that acts up, a bad right hip and a left calf that was never the same after a stress fracture. So if you are "slower" than the program says you should be. Or skip a run or ten. Or ... do not be too hard on yourself. This is a fun hobby and one can be a lifetime if you remember this is a ultra marathon and not a sprint.

k8
Johnny Miles
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Joined: Fri Sep 26, 2008 5:55 pm
Location: kw-ish

Re: New to running!

Postby k8 » Sun Nov 25, 2018 12:41 pm

my fave for winter running https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5017-316/ ... ion-Device
A nice running down front vest is helpful, I got one on sale last year from Eddie Bauer, then you can layer the long sleeves underneath that.
I think in Calgary in the winter you might want a balaclava at times to protect your face. I don't use one in Ontario but it's a different cold here.

My take, trails are more fun than sidewalks.. you should have lots of options out there!

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marymac442
Jerome Drayton
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Location: Burnaby, BC

Re: New to running!

Postby marymac442 » Mon Nov 26, 2018 10:03 am

All my running is in Vancouver area so I don’t have any advice for -20 weather. As others have indicated layers are key.
The few -10 runs I’ve done have been pretty much variation on my usual running gear. Heavier tights, some kind of shell or wind breaker , a thicker long sleeve shirt/sweat shirt and probably a base short or long sleeve shirt. Toque or warm head band and gloves.
Our running routes generally leave us with a commute to get home so it is critical to try and keep sweating in check so clothing can retain warmth for post run.
Wind will be the factor that can hard to deal with. -10 and still is perfect winter weather but throw in a wind and it’s no longer much fun.
Ice is also a pain, especially with road running as it can really erratic making traction devices like slip on spikes,etc less usefull. Trail shoes are good in winter as they tend to have better traction.
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Joe Dwarf
Bill Crothers
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Location: Saskatoon, SK

Re: New to running!

Postby Joe Dwarf » Thu Nov 29, 2018 11:37 am

Hi, Erin. I run in Saskatoon, so similar conditions but generally colder. I wear the same shoes (Brooks Adrenaline) summer and winter. If it's icy I will add some spikes, the pull-on kind. Normally on packed snow or cold pavement I don't have traction trouble. You might like trail shoes better but to be honest I have such a hard time finding a good fitting shoe I run with what I know.

I wear 3/4 length wool socks. MEC has a good selection. For the really cold days I like their "Woolie Bullie" which is actually a cycling sock. It needs to be long enough to cover the gap between your shoe and your tights.

As dstew said, you are an experiment of one and what works for you may not work for others. I will be out in a long-sleeve T and light tights while others are wearing windpants and heavy fleeces.

I find I need to change something about my outfit about every 5 degrees difference or so. On the bottom I have 3 different weights of tights ranging from light to quite heavy (Sugoi Firewall 180). I will combine them with no base layer, a light poly base layer, or a heavy merino wool base layer. On the top I have long-sleeved poly running shirts that double as base layers on colder days, heavier long-sleeved shirts, lightweight fleece, medium-weight fleece and winter running jacket (Sugoi Firewall 180 again). On my head I will wear a thin running toque, or a thin balaclava or a fleece balaclava. Fleece gloves, on cold days I have mitts that go overtop that I can remove as I heat up.

So for a -25 or colder run, I am wearing my woolie bullie socks and trusty Adrenelines. Bottom is Sugoi heavyweight windblocker briefs (important for guys), helley-hanson heavyweight merino base layer under Sugoi Firewall 180 tights. Top is long-sleeve poly shirt under lightweight fleece under Sugoi Firewall jacket. Head is fleece balaclava over thin balaclava, extra thin one in my pocket as the inner one gets wet. Fleece gloves under shell mitts completes the picture.

Dstew
Bill Crothers
Posts: 3463
Joined: Wed Aug 10, 2005 7:41 pm

Re: New to running!

Postby Dstew » Sat Dec 01, 2018 12:35 am

One other tip, when you run on a cold day with wind, start the run into the wind. The problem is if you run down wind, you get into a good pace, maybe even work up a little sweat and so when you turn around and go into the wind, it can be a rather nasty shock to the system.


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