Running Tips?

**Stina** · 02-04-2010 12:05 PM

I'm gearing up (or at least trying to) for a 10 mile run in May. I've never run at long distances before, no more than a mile or two at a time. I'm pretty active, walk a lot, do yoga and am in my healthy weight range. I'm hoping some of you seasoned runners could give me some tips.

Here's my issue: My legs are fine. Most of my strength is in my legs, so they feel like they can go on forever. My lungs? Not so much. About 3/4 of a mile in, I hit this awful wall where my chest tightens up, and on a few occasions, I've gotten that fainting feeling, where my senses start to go one at a time - hearing first, then vision gets all fuzzy. What is going on?!

I've pushed through it before, but I feel like this shouldn't be happening so severly. I've never had asthma, so I'm a little confused. I can spend hours on an elliptical or a step machine with no problems.

Does this happen to anyone else? Anyone have any good tips for training?

**sourpuss** · 02-04-2010 02:16 PM

I had that happen before when I first started running. You just need to get your heart in anerobic shape. Set out on some longer runs, maybe 2-3 miles to start. Start out slow and add in bursts of running at a high pace that really gets your heart-rate up. Then slow back down to an easy recovery jog pace. A good start would be, in a two mile run, to do 5 or 6, 30-second bursts. So that would be a few bursts for each mile. So in total you'll only be running fast for a few minutes out of about 20 minutes of jogging.

Continue that way for a few weeks and slowly add distance, more intervals and a bit faster jog pace. In a month or two you should be just fine.

I've found that the first mile is always the hardest. I've done some really hard trail races in the past couple of years. (the hardest was a 25k run over a mountain pass 8,000 ft and a ton of snow) and for some reason the first mile, on flat ground was harder than any other part of the race. If you have the stamina to just break through that you'll feel pretty good.

Be sure to warm up really good too, that always helps me. Even if it's a brisk walk, some jumping jacks, etc for a good 10 minutes.

Good luck on your race, let us know how you're coming along.

**WildChild** · 02-04-2010 05:47 PM

I would vary running with power walking. Try as much as you can to breathe through your nose, you get the air deeping into your lungs that way. Make sure are getting enough potasium - a banana day may help.

Power walk to get your muscles warm, then run until your heartrate is up and you are breathing hard, then go back into the power walk. As soon as your breathing normalizes run again. If you are going for distance rather than speed you want to learn to keep a fairly steady pace. When you really get into the right pace you just hit a spot where you feel like you could go forever.

**Stina** · 02-05-2010 09:39 PM

Thanks so much for the tips! I really appreciate it.

I'm going to attempt my routine once again with the running intervals you both suggested, once this whole Northeast snowstorm subsides. I guess I just never expected that my heart and lungs would have such a hard time catching up with my legs.

My boyfriend is a runner, so whenever we try to do it together, I feel like he's waaaaaay ahead of me and doesn't really get what my poor lazy lungs are going through!

I'll let you know how it works out!

**smiley414** · 02-13-2010 03:08 PM

just some things i do

stay hydrated all the time. eat healthy meals. stretch before and after you run. usually the first mile is the hardest for me but keep running and you'll feel better. take deep breaths when you're running. when you've finished running, walk alittle which steadily decreases your heart rate. oh, and i agree with the post above, run longer distances and your body will get used it. GOOD LUCK!!

**johndavid1804** · 02-15-2010 02:51 AM

don't run too fast at the start.
increase your stamina slowly day by day.
Eat 2-3 Banana before you start running.

**KassandraCarissaMurray** · 03-03-2010 04:01 AM

don't run too fast at the start.
increase your stamina slowly day by day.

**KateDesiraeReid** · 03-04-2010 02:49 AM

When you start running you eat 2-3 Banana.

**JulietMylaOwen** · 03-05-2010 04:13 AM

don't run too fast

**Stina** · 03-05-2010 07:48 AM

I could totally be wrong here, but those last 3 or 4 responses seem like spam.

Different posts, pretty much the same phrases, word for word.

Hmmm...