Dangit, what's that awesome quote about not running unless something is chasing you? Elija wood said it in an old movie with Jon Stewart.


Ahhh finally found it. The Faculty.
"Coach Willis: You're not much into sports.
Casey: I don't think that a person should run unless he's being chased.
Coach Willis: "Being chased." I like that"

I do the same thing. Let your mind drift, and before you know it you'll be running past what you thought your limits were.

The last time that happened to me, I swear my legs felt like frog legs, I didn't know I could move like that.

Today I realized that my calves get burned out much quicker with my newer pair of motion control shoes, as compared to my older pair. With my older pair, I can go for a long time before my calves get really burnt out, whereas with my new pair, the burn out sets in within the first half-mile (I don't stop, but the calves get tired much faster). Is there any merit to such an idea?

Sure. Newer shoes have less "give" .

Or, you know, the opposite. ;)

If you're talking about the uppers, yes. If you're talking about the striking surfaces and cushions, then no. They grow more inflexible with more use, which is why they lead to more injuries.

Are these the same model shoe or something new?

Hey Dazz, hope your baby's doing okay. :)

With respect to the shoes, they're the same model--Brooks Beast. I just noticed I tire a lot faster with my newer pair.

It was a good night, thanks.

Sounds like you're still breaking them in; I don't see any other scenarios being that likely. It also sounds like you may need to do some calf-specific exercises too.

With the next new pair, try walking around in them for a week or so before running in them. That will help mold the shoes to your feet and start the break-in process.

Kir, as awesome as Jazz's advice / despite whatever extensive experience he has... his running and the type of running you're expected to do in the military outside of the confines of an admin environment are far different creatures. If your goal is to max out simple flat terrain straight runs for PT test purposes, that'll work. After your body is ready though, you need to do trail running and shuffling under a moderate load. I ran pavement all the time before I went into the military but I still hadn't developed the go-stop-go dynamic push stuff that would have helped a lot when I was playing GI Joe.

thats why i recommended doing something in a team sport like touch rugby, touch gridiron, or ultimate frisbee to work on speed and stamina.

if you dont want running to suck so bad, find a movie that you know almost backwards and forewards (for me its wedding crashers) and put it on your ipod or whatever you have and play that so then entire time you're running, you're focused on the scene of the movie in your head instead of how terrible the person is who decided to run recreationally. either that or make a playlist of songs that make you think "yeah! grab some toast because this is my fuckin jam!"

if all else fails, run until you hurt. take motrin. drink water. repeat until you're done

Awesome. Today during our PT test I ran a 14:59 2 mile. About a week ago I ran a 17:02 2 mile, so this was a pretty big improvement. Both runs were in freezing rain.

With the 17 minute time, I started out slow to pace myself--but that really did not work. Hopefully I'll break in to the lower 14s and 13s in the coming months.

Question about calf exercises--I've heard of using the edge of a stair to lift yourself up--but are there other good exercises that you all know about?

Thanks again!

thats good going KS. you'll find that the better time is not only a result of training but also motivation.

im wondering how your shin splints are going. have you had any pain? whata re you doing to prevent them?

here's some calf exercises. there isnt a massive range of calf exercises, but theres about half a dozen here that you could do. Calf Exercises - Training & Workouts For Huge Calves!

However, since shin splints are linked to tight calf muscles, i think you should be careful that you dont train them too hard one day and go out for a hard run the next day with tight calves.

i personally think you dont need to do calf muscle exercises because you train them when you run with every step. I think in the gym you need to concentrate on core musle strength, as well as working your glutes. The glutes are forgotten muscle group that keep your body aligned and gives you drive. I found some useful glute exercises that im going to start doing myself on the Runner's World website the other day. Glute Strengthening Workout From Runner's World

i have to add that i tried Ultimate Frisbee last night for the first time. whoever thinks that running after a flying disc is a piece of piss is wrong.

If you wanted to work on your aerobic and anaerobic threshold, you should seriously consider doing something like that.

After doing long runs for the last few months, ive found ive lost that kick i had when i was playing rugby. A few sessions of Ultimate should fix that.

Here's a good calf exercise:

(i am not down with the homophobic comments below it, though)

I'm bumping this thread because it semi-fits my question.

I'm a fatty and I really need to start running. I've got a work out routine and proper stretches set out.

My question is this: Is it ok to run after dinner or should I run before I eat? I've tried the "get up early and run" thing and I just fail at it. Lunchtime is out for me and so I'm thinking after work run. Thing is, I usually cook dinner the minute I get home and would like to run after dinner in the cooler parts of the day. If I can get father into the running program, I'll try doing it in the morning, but for now after work is the best time for me.

Is it better to run before or after eating? I'm usually hungry after work so I'd like to eat before hand but if the TFPrunners say it's ok after food, I'll do it then.

What's every one's opinion on that?

Back in High School, off season, sometimes I'd come home, eat some food, then go for a run--however, I'd often end up with some bad stomach cramps on the run--my dad (a physician) attributed it to blood going in to your legs instead of your stomach (to aid in digestion). Now, how true that is is beyond me--I'm a lawyer.

I usually eat *after* I run--sometimes, light juice is nice since it gives you sugar to burn during your run. I also remember reading that your muscles are particularly absorbent of sugars post run (again, I don't know the veracity of this).

Do you get home around 6pm? That's usually a pretty ideal time for a run--in my experience, the air temperature usually peaks around 3pm, but drops off from there....

/Don't know anything.

this is just coming from personal experience but running makes me hungrier so if i run before i meal, i end up feeling really weak mid-run. my advice is to have half a meal about an hour before you run and the other half afterwards.

Dammit Aberkok! I thought this was a serious video....wow....:lol:

In a nutshell, the answer is definitely run before you eat. I find any feelings of hunger quickly subside (as long as I've had a meal within the past 4 or 5 hours), and the feeling of lightness and buoyancy from being empty is more fun to run with.

You won't be doing yourself any harm. Rest assured there is enough energy to do the run even though your feelings of hunger maybe telling you otherwise.

Now I answered that way because you said you need to start running. So your runs ought not to take that long. When they get over an hour or so (if you are interested in pursuing longer distances), you will want to manage your eating more, so that there is a little more in the tank. But that's another thread. I find a half a banana or so is more than enough to keep me going on the 1h30mins plus runs.

Final point: running shouldn't be the only component of your fitness plan. There should be some strength/resistance training in there. Even more important than running.

Oh and Kirstang - If you want explosive calves, incorporate some hill training. If you want them to look huge, then I'm not sure.

Yea, I just want my calves to stop being girly-men and burning out much faster than my quads. Hills it is.

Hey TFP,

I'm in a bit of a bind. About 2 months ago, I ran a 15:15 2mile during a diagnostic PT test. I vowed to break in to the 14s in May and June. However, right after, I became pretty ill (nose and throat infection, a lot of phlegm and sore throat; I literally used up all the tissues in the apartment), and it was in the middle of my final exams that I needed to graduate, so I put running on the back burner.

I also had graduation and moving, so I didn't get a chance to start running again until late May and early June. Anyway, because I wore my old pair of running shoes, I injured my left heel--and injured it pretty bad where walking around on it hurts for a day or two after a run.

Here's the problem: I have my record APFT that I need to get a good score on in order to go in to accelerated OCS, or to even go in to traditional OCS. The PT test is on July 9th, so about 2.5 weeks from now. I was planning on biking this Friday or Saturday, then doing some light jogging all next week. Then taking a week off right before the run...am I shit out of luck, or is there some means for me to get a good run time and train before the PT test without further aggravating my heel?

injuries suck man.

my advice? dont risk further injury. do non/low-impact work.

do your running in the pool if you can. you will still get your cardio workout without the jarring effects of running.

out of curiosirty, what was your heel injury diagnosed as? if its your heel, it could be plantar fasciitis, which could be an overuse injury or that you introduced too much too soon. id be very careful as this type of injury takes a lonnggg time to heal.

if you havent been running much, i dont think running all next week is going to help with a PT test only 2 weeks ago. i say ease back into it for fear of re-injury or inflamming the injury even further.

i also have no idea what OCS and APFT mean.

dlish: Officer Candidates School and Army Physical Fitness Test.