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Originally Posted by Crompsin
Since The_Jazz is essentially "Running_Jesus: The Bipedal Messiah" here at TFP, I'll chime in with my bit: I use talcum powder on my feet and crotch before longer runs. It really keeps everything smooth. Often I coat my paws and my smoothspot thoroughly before heading out on a 10 miler.
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OK - let me dispell any mythos that anyone may have. I am not a running expert. I'm just a guy that ran a LOT of miles over 12-14 years (depending on how you count some lay-offs). I know what works for me very well. Doing exactly what I do/did almost certainly won't work for you. My best advice is to try something and then see if you can improve on it. That's what I did.
For instance, talcum powder drives me insane. I can feel it move on my skin and it creeps me out. But it works great for Crompsin. Try it yourself, but don't feel that you HAVE to keep doing it. There are other ways to prevent chaffing - one of which is to develop calusses, which is painful but eventually works.
---------- Post added at 08:23 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:52 AM ----------
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Originally Posted by LordEden
I want to run and been reading up on tips for beginning. I was running awhile 2 months ago and I really overworked my ankle. It's still sore(ish) but I'm getting fatter and need to do something. My biggest question is; what kind of stretches should I do after my run?
I've been just doing whatever my friend was doing when I ran my first 5k. I don't think I'm stretching it enough and that's what led to me hurting myself. Got any online links or picture sets so I know what I'm doing is right?
Also, treadmill vs outside?
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OK, easy question first. Outside. The treadmill is a torture device. You don't develop a sense of pace that translates outside, you run differently on a treadmill than outside (basically the explosive movement of the calf that propels you through the air as you lose contact with the ground is tempered to compensate for the moving surface), its easier to get injured on either by accident or overuse (you're running on metal), and you don't interact with your environment. Torture device.
Ankle: well, that's much tougher. What sort of injury do you have? Is it the result of a sprain? Something else? It sounds like it's impact-related (when you foot strikes the ground) and the irritation might be coming from the extra weight, but that's a guess based on one sentence. There are a few stretches you can do, but I don't know if any of them would help. If you think that it is muscular, then you can do the "push the wall", "hang your foot off the curb" (also excellent for hamstrings) or just sit on the ground and physically stretch your ankle until you feel the area you want stretched begin to respond. Assuming that you can do that. I'll see if I can find pictures/links later on.
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Originally Posted by dlish
i would reccomend a book called "Marathon - You can do it" by Jeff Galloway. it has a wealth of knowledge and is aimed at the new runner instead of the serious athletes. it gives you tips on training and finishing the marathon. time is not really a factor in any part of the book. its a well written and easy read, so you should enjoy it.
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Great book and very good for the beginning marathoner - at least I've heard. I know a lot of people that ran their first marathons based on that book and think it's great.
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Originally Posted by dlish
to get into shape you may want to do other sports in the meantime to get your fitness level up to where you want itt o be. tennis, rugby, cycling..anything that'd get your cardiovascular system up and going, and your mind away from the tedious chore of constant running. i play tough rugby 1-2 days a week and i play anywhere between 2-4 games a night for the fitness. it keeps my mind occupied on something else rather than on the "only 3 miles to go" thought.
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Cross-training can be good, especially if you're injury-prone. I know a guy that was a cross country All-American and only ran 50 miles in a 12-week season (for perspective, I did about 1000). He was in the pool and on the exercise bike instead. By the way, that 50 miles includes the 2 8k races (about 5 miles each) that he ran to qualify for Nationals and then Nationals itself.
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Originally Posted by FelixP
As far as surfaces go, I know treadmills kill my knees and hips, while concrete kills my hips and shins; my shin pain has been solved through stretching.
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Always run on the softest surface available, even if it's only 3 feet wide. That will change over a run, especially in urban areas, but if there's a sliver of grass available, run on that. If there's not, see if there's an alternate to concrete somewhere close by.
Let's assume that your shin pain was shin splints. Stretching can and will help those. Dlish asked me a few days ago in a PM about those, and I forgot to include one of the stretches that helps (at least for me). Sorry, Dlish. Take a towel or strap and put it across the balls of your feet while you're sitting with legs outstretched. Pull towards you - hard. You should feel the stretch in your calves but also slightly in your shins. Whenever trying to stretch out pain, realize that it will take days, if not weeks, to get the physiological change you're attempting.
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Originally Posted by pig
4. Have multiple pairs of running shoes, and trade off. If you are training for 6 months, you can figure out roughly how many miles you'll burn through while training and adjust your shoe number and when you purchase them to make sure you're not going to be breaking in a new pair of shoes a week before your race.
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If you're logging lots of miles (and in my head that means more than 40/week), then this is great because it make your shoes last longer (saving some money) as well as what pig pointed out. In general, shoes should be good for 400-600 miles depending on the shoe, the runner and the predominant surface.
DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, RUN A RACE IN BRAND NEW SHOES!!!! You will end up as a screaming banshee perched atop two festering blisters. Seriously.
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Originally Posted by pig
6. Give yourself a break on occasion. Pay attention to injury. Sometimes you can run through something...sometimes you're setting yourself up for a massive injury. I've ignored things like hamstring and groin pulls or tweaks, only to find that I've got a knot the size of my fist somewhere up near my ass that won't let me walk correctly. The other thing to remember is that distance running is entirely different from sprinting. If you're training for distance, you can seriously fuck yourself up going into a sprint workout or oriented game (like, I don't know...soccer) without training for that as well.
7. Build up slowly. In the short term I can probably struggle though a 6 or 8 mile run. A week later I'll feel it, and I couldn't keep it up without building. I've heard suggestions that your long run of the week shouldn't be more than 10% of your previous week's long run. I've fluctuated that a bit, but it's not a bad start.
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I think I'm just going to randomly cut and paste this in other running threads. Great advice.
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Originally Posted by JStrider
run barefoot! its great!
Running Barefoot Home
running barefoot can actually reduce impact to your knees/hips/spine... Thick heeled running shoes force your heel to land first and transfers the impact directly up your legs. When you run barefoot or with thin flat soled shoes your foot lands slightly ball first and the arch absorbs most of the impact. |
Well, yeah, sort of. We're all designed to run barefoot, and we do it better over long distances than just about any other animal. Our ancestors used to wound other animals, then chase them barefoot until they gave up and died. Keep that in mind.
But once you start wearing shoes, your foot changes subtly and adapts to the shoes. When I run barefoot, I make sure to do it only in grass. It's just too painful on just about any other surface. If you can tolerate it better than me, then JStrider's got a great point. It's just not something I can really do. :shrug:
By the way, the only advice that I can give anyone that is absolutely guaranteed to work for them to make them a better runner - get your ass out of that godamn chair, turn the computer off, strap on your shoes (or not) and go for a fucking run!