The "I sometimes break a sweat" thread

[TrueBlueGED]

Possibly. I've also embraced the suffering (ahem). I used to have this silly notion that running would be as relaxing as a nice walk, then I was shocked that a few minutes in I was breathing hard and feeling it in my legs. Now I expect the pain. That's been pretty huge.

 

Hm. Has the pain subsided at all from the time you started running? There might be something wonky with your stride that you could correct to ease it some.

[Stoner]

Hm. Has the pain subsided at all from the time you started running? There might be something wonky with your stride that you could correct to ease it some.

Not physical pain. More mental pain. My feet and legs feel fine. I just wish I had the aerobic capacity I had 30 years ago.

[Sabel79]

 

Running is a fascinating mental exercise. I really think it's your brain that's being challenged more than your body. The wanting to stop, the wanting to sit down...

1000x this. From my own bitter personal experience, I'll chase a soccer ball for hours on end. Put me on a trail and tell me I'm running a certain distance and it never ends well. My wife runs marathons, I cry like Nancy Kerrigan after about two miles. All in my head. Working on it, but still, good on you for making forward progress.

[GoPre]

Not physical pain. More mental pain. My feet and legs feel fine. I just wish I had the aerobic capacity I had 30 years ago.

 

As said and supported by coaches at practically all levels, running is 90% mental and 10% physical. Doesn't matter what the distance is and/or pace being run. Pretty much use some type of mental strategy. Everyone is different. At times if I'm at say the 4 mile marker on a 6 mile run, Im already thinking I'm passing the 5 mile marker. Causes me to "forget" I'm only 4 miles into it. Other times I may take it 1 mile at a time. Not thinking about the entire run all at once. Really just depends on how I feel that day. There are other things you can do. Damn, even singing a song in your head can help. Just depends on you. Whatever works best. 

Edited June 10, 2016 by GoPre

[Stoner]

"If I stop, Trump will be president... If I stop, Trump will be president..."

[darksabre]

"If I stop, Trump will be president... If I stop, Trump will be president..."

 

:w00t:

[Stoner]

Jogging vs. running. Go.

[nfreeman]

 

Running is a fascinating mental exercise. I really think it's your brain that's being challenged more than your body. The wanting to stop, the wanting to sit down...

 

 

Absofriggenlutely. I legitimately enjoy running, but sometimes in the midst of a run my brain is just telling me to do about 5 million other things...if I get past that, I feel like I can run forever. Don't always get past it though.

 

Anyway, good on you for pushing through a tough stretch with the whole enterprise. :thumbsup:

 

 

As said and supported by coaches at practically all levels, running is 90% mental and 10% physical. Doesn't matter what the distance is and/or pace being run. Pretty much use some type of mental strategy. Everyone is different. At times if I'm at say the 4 mile marker on a 6 mile run, Im already thinking I'm passing the 5 mile marker. Causes me to "forget" I'm only 4 miles into it. Other times I may take it 1 mile at a time. Not thinking about the entire run all at once. Really just depends on how I feel that day. There are other things you can do. Damn, even singing a song in your head can help. Just depends on you. Whatever works best. 

 

Well done PA.  I run fairly regularly and I am a firm believer that there is nothing that is as good for stress release, sleep, other bodily functions (ahem!) and generally feeling like a million dollars as a long run is.  Just stay at it and increase your distance in small increments every 2 or 3 runs -- you'll be at 5 miles before you know it.

 

As for the mental aspect:  there is NFW I could pull off a long run without listening to podcasts.  Otherwise I'd be saying "are we there yet" to myself every 15 seconds.

[Doohicksie]

Not physical pain. More mental pain. My feet and legs feel fine. I just wish I had the aerobic capacity I had 30 years ago.

This is the curse of old men exercising.

[Stoner]

Well done PA.  I run fairly regularly and I am a firm believer that there is nothing that is as good for stress release, sleep, other bodily functions (ahem!) and generally feeling like a million dollars as a long run is.  Just stay at it and increase your distance in small increments every 2 or 3 runs -- you'll be at 5 miles before you know it.

 

As for the mental aspect:  there is NFW I could pull off a long run without listening to podcasts.  Otherwise I'd be saying "are we there yet" to myself every 15 seconds.

I used to listen to music while running, then I lost my iPod. Come to think of it, I've never run the 5K distance without music. You might be on to something. It might sound corny, but where I'm running now, there is the music of nature that I don't want to miss.

[JJFIVEOH]

Well done PA.  I run fairly regularly and I am a firm believer that there is nothing that is as good for stress release, sleep, other bodily functions (ahem!) and generally feeling like a million dollars as a long run is.  Just stay at it and increase your distance in small increments every 2 or 3 runs -- you'll be at 5 miles before you know it.

 

As for the mental aspect:  there is NFW I could pull off a long run without listening to podcasts.  Otherwise I'd be saying "are we there yet" to myself every 15 seconds.

 

I hear that. Nothing makes a run (especially on a treadmill) worse than counting down the miles left. As soon as you start thinking about how long you have left, it'll be 10x worse. It's like a long road trip. If you see a rest stop is 30 miles ahead and think about peeing, you'll barely be able to hold it. But if you don't think about it, you can go for two hours and not have to piss. 

 

Anything to keep your mind occupied. 

I listen to Lex & Terry. 

[ubkev]

I loathe running. But when I must run, I plug in Metallica -...and justice for all. Listen to the first 3 songs and 3 miles are done. Those first 3 songs are a combined half hour long. That really makes the run easier.

Edited June 11, 2016 by ubkev

[sabills]

Currently my workout plan is "have puppy". Doing a solid 1-2 hours of walks with him a day essentially. Its working splendidly.

[TrueBlueGED]

I don't understand how anyone runs listening to something. I've tried a variety of ear buds and headphones, including wireless, and they all drive me nuts. Not to mention having the phone strapped to me. All I can think about is how much I hate having that stuff on me. Totally screws up the mental aspect for me.

Edited June 11, 2016 by TrueBlueGED

[Stoner]

I don't understand how anyone runs listening to something. I've tried a variety of ear buds and headphones, including wireless, and they all drive me nuts. Not to mention having the phone strapped to me. All I can think about is how much I hate having that stuff on me. Totally screws up the mental aspect for me.

It make might sense if you can tie the music closely to the pace you're trying to set. I ran once with a certain song by Queen playing and my imagination, and feet, took off. I also think there's something to be said for hearing your footsteps and breathing. (There's also something to be said for not hearing them, if they become a sort of Chinese water torture.) Plus, I think most events prohibit the use of headphones.

[josie]

d4rk and I played a soccer tourney this weekend. The promised rainshowers and cloudiness never came, and instead we won the championship in 6 games in the blazing sun. We won because one of the finalist teams said "screw it" and went home. Got an ancient 1918 trophy originally awarded for Tent Pegging (you can google that at work, I promise) and some nasty sunburns/heat exhaustion for our efforts. 

 

My legs are still in hell, my ankle gave out after the third game, but I still managed to do some basing for acro yesterday at my aerial studio's picnic. Helps that Kira is all of 100 pounds soaking wet.  

[ubkev]

So, I've been riding my bike for a little over 2 months now. Man, it feels so freaking good just to be active again! I had gotten pretty lazy over the last 2 years when my work schedule changed and i couldn't play hockey anymore. I just stopped doing everything. I'd play softball on Sunday afternoons, but i would only go about once every 3 weeks, and I'd feel awful after. My body was a wreck from decades of punishment that I put it through (Baseball, all summer, every year from age 10-19, skiing all winter long from  age 4-21, tried to get on the X-Games roster. Football in junior high and high school, kung fu, boxing, I haven't been kind to my body.) Everything would hurt after 2 hours of slow pitch softball. That shouldn't happen at 29 years old. Now that I'm actually doing something again, my body doesn't hurt at all, and I'm playing better! I've always been able to hit, but my fielding had gone to sh!t! I didn't want to bend over. Now I'm diving all over the field, and my range factor is improved by like 200%! It feels good not to be a lazy, fat f*** anymore.

 

I owe a lot of it to this thread. I used to be completely self driven, and I had fallen out of that in favor of doing nothing. I knew i was being lazy, i just didn't care. I justified it by using my family as an excuse not to do things. Now, i take them with me. I've been feeling damn good lately! Thanks, guys and girls.   

[JJFIVEOH]

Congrats! If only some people knew how much of a difference even a little bit of exercise does for them. Just like everything else, at first it's so difficult to stick with it because it's not routine. But once it becomes a routine you find yourself feeling guilty if you miss a day.

 

It has to be difficult for those of you up north having to keep up during the winter months when it narrows down your options.

[Stoner]

Congrats! If only some people knew how much of a difference even a little bit of exercise does for them. Just like everything else, at first it's so difficult to stick with it because it's not routine. But once it becomes a routine you find yourself feeling guilty if you miss a day.

 

It has to be difficult for those of you up north having to keep up during the winter months when it narrows down your options.

There's no reason to hibernate. I still walk all winter, the only exception being when trails and sidewalks are impassible or too dangerous because of ice. Pretty rare. It's a much better workout than during the summer. Skating, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, even sled riding are good exercises. And hockey! Ice-biking? We've got ice-biking. (Well, those of you who can get to Canalside do.)

[darksabre]

There's no reason to hibernate. I still walk all winter, the only exception being when trails and sidewalks are impassible or too dangerous because of ice. Pretty rare. It's a much better workout than during the summer. Skating, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, even sled riding are good exercises. And hockey! Ice-biking? We've got ice-biking. (Well, those of you who can get to Canalside do.)

 

Snowshoeing is a hell of a workout. This past winter sucked for it. Hoping for better snow this winter. 

[JJFIVEOH]

There's no reason to hibernate. I still walk all winter, the only exception being when trails and sidewalks are impassible or too dangerous because of ice. Pretty rare. It's a much better workout than during the summer. Skating, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, even sled riding are good exercises. And hockey! Ice-biking? We've got ice-biking. (Well, those of you who can get to Canalside do.)

Good points. I just figure winter makes it more difficult. I know I spent a lot of time with indoor soccer and floor hockey during the winter. I agree, it does make for a better workout. The cool, crisp air makes it a hell of a lot easier to breathe. Summer down here makes a strenuous workout outdoors very difficult.

[Hoss]

I've been at my new gym for about four and a half months now and I love it. The equipment is great and plentiful and there's never a suffocating crowd.

Everybody keeps to themselves for the most part and moves from machine to machine with little hovering.

 

I've been running at the beginning of every workout which has always been a challenge for me due to asthma but it's a breeze now. It gets me sweating and kicks everything off so well. I am definitely noticing a lot of small muscle growth throughout (I generally work everything out throughout the week).

 

And the biggest transformation has been mentally. I don't feel nearly as much (at the risk of revealing a personal matter) depressed and don't feel so easily defeated throughout the day.

 

Oddly I also feel way less hungry which is probably due to the protein shakes and being too exhausted to overeat.

[Eleven]

I've been at my new gym for about four and a half months now and I love it. The equipment is great and plentiful and there's never a suffocating crowd.

Everybody keeps to themselves for the most part and moves from machine to machine with little hovering.

 

I've been running at the beginning of every workout which has always been a challenge for me due to asthma but it's a breeze now. It gets me sweating and kicks everything off so well. I am definitely noticing a lot of small muscle growth throughout (I generally work everything out throughout the week).

 

And the biggest transformation has been mentally. I don't feel nearly as much (at the risk of revealing a personal matter) depressed and don't feel so easily defeated throughout the day.

 

Oddly I also feel way less hungry which is probably due to the protein shakes and being too exhausted to overeat.

 

 

JCC?

[darksabre]

I've been at my new gym for about four and a half months now and I love it. The equipment is great and plentiful and there's never a suffocating crowd.

Everybody keeps to themselves for the most part and moves from machine to machine with little hovering.

 

I've been running at the beginning of every workout which has always been a challenge for me due to asthma but it's a breeze now. It gets me sweating and kicks everything off so well. I am definitely noticing a lot of small muscle growth throughout (I generally work everything out throughout the week).

 

And the biggest transformation has been mentally. I don't feel nearly as much (at the risk of revealing a personal matter) depressed and don't feel so easily defeated throughout the day.

 

Oddly I also feel way less hungry which is probably due to the protein shakes and being too exhausted to overeat.

 

These are all good things.

 

Exercise does suppress appetite. Just make sure you're getting enough protein when you are eating. 

 

The mental thing is huge. I always feel better when I'm getting to the gym regularly. 

[Hoss]

JCC?

Correct.

These are all good things.

 

Exercise does suppress appetite. Just make sure you're getting enough protein when you are eating.

 

The mental thing is huge. I always feel better when I'm getting to the gym regularly.

I probably have a minor excess of protein since chicken, eggs and the shakes are a regular part of my diet, but I could do better with my overall diet.

 

And the mental thing is probably the main reason I keep myself going.