When I am running, sometimes strangers make random comments (not bad as such) but it makes me wonder if the same would be said if I was either 6ft tall or a male… as opposed to a 5ft female.

For example today a man on a bicycle said ‘get those legs up’ as he rode past.

Three days ago it was said as I was running up a slope ‘you’re doing good up that hill keep it up’.

Please don’t get me wrong, it’s great that people are willing to talk to you, in the uk it is well known that friendly general conversation among strangers is lacking so this is the plus side. However I wondered if men also get these supportive messages from the public lol

My question is:

1) Do you think these things things would have been said had I been male and

2) What comments do you male runners get?

I’m not complaining just curious

Today I ran 2 miles in 28 minutes. To some this may look like an unsuccessful “run”. However, to me this is my post COVID lung reality. To be really honest, I’m embarrassed to even post this. This is the best time I’ve had since getting sick 8 weeks ago. Weeks ago, I couldn’t even make it half a mile without almost passing out. So today, I am proud of my time bc this means I am getting better. I’m just so happy I’m starting to feel normal again and was able to lightly jog. So thankful!!

For comparison purposes, I am 23F, no prior health issues & typically a 25-30 miles a week, 8 minute pace girl. So this has definitely been a change of pace. (Ha!)

This probably isn't a big deal to most people but to me it's a milestone. I have to say that it is invigorating and motivating. I started running a few weeks ago when my BJJ gym closed down because of the virus, with the goal of getting better cardio and picking up a hobby to replace the BJJ void for a while. I think I have found a new lifelong passion instead of a temporary fixation. I've been running 3 times a week. Today, I ran for 3.2 miles without stopping for a walk break and I can't describe how happy that made me. I feel like a runner now! Anyone else try running during this pandemic and accidentally fall in love with it?

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Edit: wow, thank's for all the love. You're all so kind and supportive. And thanks for the Awards!!

Last year I started going to the gym here and there but didn’t really commit, and a few months ago I struggled to run for even a few minutes. About a month ago I really started sticking to running at least 2 or 3 times a week with some cross training, and with some real progress I’ve finally reached my goal of 5k, without stopping, and made it in 28 minutes!

I’m young and at a healthy BMI, but very unfit, and my family have always smirked at the idea of me running when I said I’d started making a habit of it. Proving them wrong feels pretty good but hitting my target feels fucking great.

edit - wow, thank you guys so much for all the responses! You are all brilliant.

edit 2 - I am honestly blown away by the replies here, so much positivity and such a boost. Hopefully motivation for other people in a similar position as well!

In October of 2018 my wife and I where informed by our daughter that she was going to run the Houston marathon. I was 54 years old and 320 pounds. We were so proud of her determination to take on such an endeavor and decided we would drive down to see her cross the finish line in support. Becky and I had been talking about getting into running to better our health and shed a few pounds. We also decided to sign up for the Houston 5K that was to happen the morning the day before our daughter's marathon. We downloaded C25K. Our first day of using the C25K app left us winded and sore after logging a 32 minute mile walk. We persisted and on January 13 2018 we ran our first 5K along with thousands of other fellow pavement pounders. We finished in a time of 48 minutes and change. We decided to sign up for the half marathon in 2019. In September of 2018 I tore my meniscus on my right knee and had surgery to repair the damage. In January of 2019 we ran the Houston half marathon and finished in just under 4 hours. We have since logged numerous 5K runs both community and virtual, but have never bettered our time of 48 minutes. (danged covid) In May of 2019 I had a knee replacement of my right knee. After recovery and therapy we resumed our running and began a diet plan to get my weight off. Today I am 70 pounds lighter and this morning we decided to run a 5K distance at a local park trail where we run every Sunday. We pushed to get our time under 45 minutes and damned if we didn't do it. 44 minutes 49 seconds. I know that seems pretty pathetic in the eyes of some, but for me the accomplishment of that 5K time meant more to me than losing what weight I have over the last year. I hope to continue to improve and enjoy running with my wife until they have to put me down.

May the odds be ever in your favor!

EDIT: The odds were not in my favor but congratulations to those who scored an entry!

I have been running for ~10 years, forever in what I now know is the "grey zone". I thought of myself as a pretty good runner- dripping sweat, panting, pushing myself to my limit every single time. 2:00pm would roll around and I would be lethargic, low energy, needing more coffee to keep me going. I'm lucky I didn't get worse injuries - just some knee pain here and there. All of this is part of running!" I would tell myself. Finally breaking the 25 minute 5k I've wanted for so long and no races to look forward to, I thought, "what's next?"

I've been practicing low heart rate training for about 4 weeks now, and wow. It's like being a new runner again. Runners who I previously would have passed are now passing me. I'm stopping to take walking breaks to get my heart rate back down. Maybe I am not as good of a runner as I previously thought! Some days are disheartening when I look at my watch and see how long it has taken me to do 10k when I compare to my previous times. But I was over-worked and over-training week after week. For the past four weeks, I have felt energized, ready for the day, no pain whatsoever. And the best part, I am enjoying running again. No one else on the road knows (or cares) what you're doing. This is for me to continue running for the long-term and it has been the most humbling experience I've had since being a new runner.

I just wanted to share my experience and see if anyone else has felt the same way!

I've been a lurker on this sub for the past few months since I took up running as a hobby this summer. Prior to that I only ran what was required of me in middle and high school PE

When I first began running I read through tons of comments on here looking for advice on how to get faster, everyone just said, "Run more, at an easy pace."

I honestly thought you guys were all just playing a joke on me, because in the past I'd spent years in high school trying to improve my mile time just by doing random sprint or HIIT drills in some futile effort to get faster. Nothing worked so after maintaining around an 8:10 mile PR since my freshman year in high school I just accepted that was my mile time, and that I probably wouldn't be faster unless I lost some weight to be lighter. This is what happened previously when I lost about 15lbs and my time went from 9:50 min/mi to 8:10 min/mi in high school, so I thought if I lost 15lbs more I could improve my time again.

But the past month I actually listened to what people said on here. I've been running SUPER slowly, at what sometimes feels like a snail pace or a granny jog around 11 min/mi. But what made the difference was that at this pace, I began to be able to put in more time actually running!

The slower I went, the longer I could sustain my pace, and the better I got at being able to go up hills without stopping to walk. I found that as soon as I began focusing on "how long can I run for" and trying to increase my endurance, my mileage during those periods of running naturally increased. So I was able to put down 3mi in 33 min rather than 2.7mi in 33 min, and over time I got slowly faster and improved my endurance.

I didn't lose any weight, and actually gained a couple pounds these past few months, so it wasn't me being lighter that made me a better runner. It was just spending more time running :)

I just wanted to post this because I was actually shocked at this huge improvement in my time. I feel that next time I go for a new record I will actually be able to break this PR, because I slowed down a bit toward the end when I could have kept pushing.

Thanks to everyone on here that gives advice, and I'm sorry that I thought you guys were joking for so long!

Super slow, I know (43:10), but it’s taken me forever to get to this point and I’m trying to be happy about this win. It’s hard for me to feel happy, that’s just how I’ve always been, but lately I’ve been trying to take more time to pay attention to wins.

What are some things you guys do to celebrate wins?

EDIT: Thank you, everyone!!! You guys made me smile a ton and gave some great ideas for celebrating and for how to enjoy wins. I’m grateful for this community :)

I've been seriously contempalting running a marathon the last six months or so.

I've always thought of the running community as supportive, but I've been doing lots of research and forum reading regarding marathons and found so many runners up their butts about slow runners.

I've seen lots of horrible comments: • How anyone under six hours is walking (walking marathon distance in six hours or even eight hours is bloody impressive!) • How slow runners waddle (wtf? I feel like its a choice of words to deliberately imply slow runners are fat) • Slow runners don't deserve to be in marathons (if marathons are only about running fast, why isn't everyone competing for the win) • Slow runners don't train as hard (everyone has different training methods, slow and fast. I know some fast runners who train twice a week, I know slow runners who train daily) • Slow runners should be shot/decapitated to encourage them to speed up (I get this is a joke but really?!) • Slow runners are fat f*cks (slow =/= fat, even if a slow runner is fat who cares, and if you get that offended by fat people you have bigger problems)

I just really don't get it, and I'm really disappointed in some of the running community.

What do they gain from belittling slow runners? The pace of slow runners does not invalidate the pace of fast runners. It doesn't make it shameful to be a runner if some other runners do it slowly. It doesnt make faster runners better.

~~

On a personal level:

My target time would be about six hours. That's a slow time, around when most marathons cut off. But I think its still pretty cool.

But I also understand there will be people who are aiming for lower times, or achieve them accidentally, and that's cool too. 26 miles is a feat whatever way you put it and anyone competing will need to train hard - walking or running - which should be respected.

People might run slow for various reasons - physical impairment, disability, hot weather slowing them down, race not going as planned (injury, bad day, dehydration, headache etc), people who want to power walk it.

As a community I don't think we should ever belittle anyone trying to take on exercise. As a society we really need to do more of it and we should always encourage any sort of exercise - even if it's someone walking a marathon.

I agree that there should be cut offs because you can't close roads forever and marshalls have places they want to be too, and I think there should be a certain level of minimum fitness in place for most marathons (because its a big challenge and you'll only injure yourself if you don't have some level of fitness). But otherwise I don't see a problem with cutoffs of seven or eight hours.

Anyway, I just want to rep for the slow runners. Keep doing what you're doing, keep pursuing fitness, keep running your snail pace cos you're doing great!

EDIT: I WANT TO SAY A MASSIVE THANKYOU FOR THE AWARDS AND ALL THE WONDERFUL AND AMAZING COMMENTS ❤

You're all superstars! I've been in bed sick for a few days and its been really amazing to come back and see so many lovely comments of support!

Running is NOT always fun. I used to watch runners and think "how do they love running so much?". The thing is, sometimes, runs are rubbish, they hurt, getting motivation to go isn't always easy, and at times the elements outside can knock you off course. I've been running for a couple of years now and am as self critical as when I first started.

That is why I have a MASSIVE amount of respect for ANYONE who runs. Especially those starting out, on their 1st week of couch to 5k etc. To put yourself out there takes bravery and courage. For some it will take a great effort just to quiet those inner voices of self doubt, worries about what others will think. Dont let those thoughts beat you.

When I first began running my back ached within the first minute, and I barely made it through my first run despite it being mostly walking. At the time I was also dealing with one of the toughest emotional times in my life. It is all too easy to get demotivated.

But I hopefully speak for all runners when I say that if you're getting out there, starting off on your running journey, no matter what you think you might look like, how unfit you think you are, what troubles you're dealing with, I personally think you are awesome and my message to you is DO NOT GIVE UP. You can do it!

Because I have not once got back from a run and regretted it. I've explored, got lost, discovered the wonders of nature (even locally) got muddy like a kid again, met some lovely people on the way, and feel really good and positive about life.

Its not always easy everyone is on their own journey and life can be tough sometimes. But for anyone who's thinking of running, I say be kind to yourself, be brave and go for it.

A lot of people here can easily do this, but for me it’s a goal I’ve had since 2013.

I’ve ran plenty of races, and all of them have been in the 40’s. I could never run the entire thing without walking a little. I include the treadmill and running at a park with decent elevation gain. Every time I’d focus on losing weight and improving my cardio, I’ve got serious about running. I’d sign up for a bunch of 5Ks, quarter marathons, and so on. I’d use them as motivation and do my best to get in shape for them, running some at the low 300’s (pounds), most of them between 250 and 300. I’ve completed the couch to 5K more times than I can even remember.

My mom died in April of 2019 and I have my first child, a daughter, less than four months later. I stopped going to the gym immediately after she died. On the road trip to her funeral, I started drinking pop again after quitting for years and bought candy and snacks as we stopped at gas stations. I was 260 pounds. By the summer of 2020, I was 400 pounds, the highest recorded weight I’ve ever been.

I decided to get gastric sleeve surgery because I was terrified of not being there to raise my daughter and see her grow up.

This time, I told myself I wasn’t going to sign up for any races, going at a comfortable pace, progressing on a timeline I could control. I started in March and could barely jog at 4mph, no incline on the treadmill, for 30 seconds. Every week, depending on how I felt, I would add 15-30 seconds to my run.

Four weeks ago, I went to my first Orangetheory class. I’ve only gone once a week. I was nervous. In the weeks leading I was vomiting every day, had to run outside of the gym to vomit once. I showed up to the first class and three more. I am the fattest guy there but I don’t let that slow me down. Suddenly, my cardio was getting rapidly better. I can’t eat a lot of calories, so getting a good balance has been difficult. I found out I went from prediabetic to hypoglycemic, and that’s why I felt terrible. I’ve dropped my metformin as directed by my doctor and that’s taken away most symptoms but they still pop up with less severity.

Anyway, every week I’ve shaved a minute or more off of my time since I’ve started Orangetheory. I finally got a sub 40 5k. It was on the treadmill with an incline. I don’t care that it was on a treadmill. I couldn’t do it in any of my journeys until today. I was 400 pounds last fall. Now I am 255 and ran my best 5K. I tacked on another mile, which I got in 53 mins. I broke my rule and signed up for a 4 miler a couple weeks ago. I want to get within 50 mins by August, when the race is.

If you read this, I appreciate you. This is a huge accomplishment for me!

Hi r/running community, I'm a long time follower but have created this new account for privacy. I've confirmed my identity with mods. I will do this 100% through Reddit with no monetization.

Like many, I have been thinking of positive ways I can give back during the COVID-19 pandemic. Aside from making donations, supporting local and small businesses, thanking grocery store workers and hospital workers, I also wanted to also contribute in my own way - coaching. I have seen running start to make a comeback as people are quarantined and it gives them an opportunity to escape, de-stress, and exercise - all the while complying with social distancing recommendations. I want to assist anyone who doesn't know where to begin, wants to improve, or achieve their best - for free.

I have been involved in running and coaching for 20 years. I feel fortunate that I've had incredible mentors and coaches in my running career who have helped me grow as a runner and a person. I've gained so much from running from affordable college to traveling the country and beyond to meeting my wife. It has helped me land jobs, unwind when stress, and continue to push myself.

On that same note, I've always felt that running to your fullest potential should never be restricted because of money. It’s one of the most primal, basic forms of exercise and competition that requires little more than your legs and a destination. Nonetheless, there is often an overwhelming amount of information and barriers that can price people out of the fundamentals for optimal training. I’ve always had a passion to remove that barrier so anyone who wants to run can have easy and low cost access to the best training possible.

In the past, I have co-founded non-profit running camps that explain the basics of running and how to write your own training plans. I have also coached at the high school and collegiate level, as well as private. As a runner myself, I have ran 4:00 for the mile and 14 low for 5k. Am I the fastest runner? No. Am I the best coach out there? No. Are there people who are more knowledgable and been around running for longer? Absolutely.

However, I want to give back in some way. I have created a website [redacted due to mods request] that allows people to submit some basic information and I will write a free 10-Week training plan and email it to them. There is no monetization. The goal isn't to make money. Instead, it's to try and give back to the running community in another capacity. If I were to later put ads on the site, allow paid coaches to advertise, or write articles, I would donate all profits to charity - I'm thinking donations to local parks, trails, and funding tracks in areas that don't have them.

The website is barebones and terrible (it's something far from my specialty), but I wanted to get something out there. I would love any suggestions from this great community to make it better and more accessible to more people. I can handle any sort of feedback you have. I won't be posting the link to any sites, but any input towards such a site would be so appreciated!

Please feel free to reply here or DM me if you want me to write you a free training plan. I am lucky enough to still be working currently but will write these plans every weekend (and nights if necessary). If you know someone starting running or wanting to improve during this time, have them also reply to contact me via DM me. Similarly, If you just want to chat running or get some advice, reach out to me on this thread or DM. It can be training, coaching, recruiting, whatever.

Note: It may take until this weekend until I get your schedule, but I will reply to EVERYONE ASAP and write your plan by this weekend if possible! You rock

Second note: it will definitely take until this weekend. I’m also going to try recruit some help from some other coaches.

UPDATE: This has blown up way more than I could have imagined. I am still reading through all the responses and will try get to any questions ASAP. The plan for now is to get multiple variances of 1 Mile and 5k training plans posted by Sunday with them set to begin the following day. I will post the entire 8-week schedules in a thread Sunday night and leave the floor open for questions. I'll also have weekly follow-up threads with that weeks training in case anyone has questions, or for others to share tips or just chat about their training.

The following Sunday, I will do the same but with 8-Week training plans for people training for the 10k or Half-Marathon. Again, I will leave the floor open for questions at that time to help the training plan have a custom feel.

Please note, there are a lot of AMAZING running coaches out there. I'm not trying to undercut any of them. Just looking to provide some basic instructions for those getting into running and looking to improve. If you want truly personalized, customized training and someone dedicated to you - there are a lot of amazing coaches out there!

Final Update: All plans have been posted here:

• First Step 5k Plan (intro for new runners): https://drive.google.com/open?id=1nerFlDz_J6cfYK9v5n1wJdoN5URavxZm
• First Step 1 Mile Plan (Intro for new runners): https://drive.google.com/open?id=19NLmto6UUZzIsE16MuQ-CCzwgB6M8bq6
• 5k Beginner/Intermedia/Advanced Training Plans: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1hgxX3RqTBD3jNF8i6XQjdxBqdFXfvW-W
• 1 Mile Beginner/Intermediate/Advanced Training Plans: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1haA9JgVkEwSfBHcah559F5lAtVtFVBPd
• 10k Beginner/Intermedia/Advanced Training Plans: https://drive.google.com/open?id=16dCND3V893_TE-XdeOKi5bayGQKKQthn
• Half Marathon Beginner/Intermediate Training Plans: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1mxF5J-N0LmXQrp1-VX5sbxrZEO3Jlf_0

Hello everyone. I understand the title/body of the post may be controversial and elicit some strong reactions for those who currently train by heart rate or got their start in running with heart rate training, but I ask you to hear me out for your sake (and it really is only for that).

Training by heart rate has become increasingly popular over the last decade with the rise of smart watches and phone apps to track data. On the surface it seems like a good thing, right? More knowledge, more power, more advancement in the science of running. Unfortunately this is not the case and the obsession with heart rate training and other forms of data are actually becoming incredibly counterproductive, particularly for newer runners.

What are the problems with heart rate training? There are several in my view.

1. In regards to zone training in particular: running TOO slow, ALL the time. A lot of new runners believe they need to stick to zone 2 or they will 100% get injured, or 100% burn out. This is not the case. What ends up happening is that you end up running extremely slow every day and not really providing much of a training stimulus. As a beginner your heart rate is going to be extremely high when running no matter what, and even if you know your max heart rate and "properly" calibrate your zones, that zone 2 heart rate is going to be very low and as a result you're going to have to crawl to maintain it. Even for advanced runners I still think that zone 2 is very low. I understand the sentiment and know that easy mileage and high volume is important for success, but at the end of the day 60% of your max heart rate is just an arbitrary cookie cutter number that has no physiological bearing. It's also a very low number and in general is far slower than you usually need to stick to on an easy day.

If you want to run faster and get better, yes, running a lot slowly will improve you as a beginner, but you will improve FASTER if you incorporate some faster running/higher quality. I'm talking only 1-2 times a week, there's no need to bash your head into a wall every day. As an advanced runner, improving will require hard running.

1. I touched on this in #1, but to expound: "Zones" are pseudoscience. Your body doesn't know what % of heart rate it's running at. All it knows is effort, and heart rate is just a function of that. Reverse engineering it does not work so well. In the same way, all you, as a runner, need to know is EFFORT. The replacement for heart rate training is training by feel. As a wise man once said:

"Easy days easy, hard days hard." If it feels easy, it's a good easy pace. If it's challenging, it is a good workout effort. That is all you need to know. Learning to feel these efforts is going to be an invaluable long term skill as a runner. Only you are you, and you ought to be the one to know how everything is feeling. The more time you spend doing this, the more fine-tuned you will be to the point where you can perfectly dole out your effort in a training week and know exactly how much you have left in the tank on a given run. That is the ultimate gold standard.

1. Over-reliance on technology and watch-staring is preventing you getting there and learning what training should feel like. You need to be the one regulating your effort, not staring at your 300 dollar Coros 4050 telling you what your lactate is at a heart rate of 153 BPM. Running is not that complicated. You run a lot, mostly easy, sometimes hard and specific to the race you are training for. That's it. If you're world class 800m runner or 5k runner, maybe you can be a bit more focused and add in things like lactate monitoring, but for 99.99% if people (and that includes some very good runners) the only thing you should be focused on is the actual training you do, not the nitty gritty details. You're gonna feel more tired some days than others, that's ok and expected. You have to learn to be able to understand what the good tired and bad tired is, and that can only come with trial and error of training by feel, not by staring at a watch.

2. Over-complication of what should be relatively simple training theory can lead to paralysis by over-analysis. I believe I touched on this in #3, but again, the beauty of this discipline is its simplicity. Speed and results are a function of the volume and quality of volume you put in. You hit your 30 miles this week and your tempo and long run went well? Awesome, that's great, keep plugging along. Instead what I'm seeing is people who have barely set foot out of the door asking what the ideal cadence and heart rate is, and if they gained any benefit from a run because it was 2 bpm over zone 2. No. Again, these things are products of the function you put in. Form and cadence will iron themselves out over time as you get fitter from running more and training harder. Heart rate will depend on how hard you are running but it is not the thing you should monitor. Paralysis by over analysis. Throw the HR monitor and Stryd in the trash, and be rid of it.

3. Heart rate is incredibly inconsistent and dependent on a multitude of factors. Didn't sleep well? You're going to have a high heart rate. Stressed out? You're going to have a higher heart rate. Taking certain medications? Going to have a lower heart rate. Sometimes, even for an indescernible reason, your resting heart rate will be off of what it usually is. Now what? If your resting heart rate is 10 BPM higher for no discernible reason, and you feel ok, is it really logical to then go out and run even slower to stick to that coveted zone 2 because your heart rate is high on this particular day? A metric that has constantly shifting goal posts is in general not a good metric and it is no different here.

4. This isn't so much a demonstration of the shortcomings of HR training, but more of a case study. Take a look at the top 10 finishers at your local marathon major. Or the top 30 in the world rankings for the 5k. Look at the names of all these men and women, and then go do some research on them. Check out their social media. What are you not going to find? Any mention of heart rate. I posit, NO, and I mean ZERO, world class runners train by heart rate, because they know what a bad and unimportant metric it is. Everybody's hero, Eliud Kipchoge, what about him? Nope, doesn't train by heart rate. There is a phenomal channel on YouTube called Sweat Elite which goes in depth in the training of pros and has filmed many sessions with Kipchoge training with the Kenyan National Team. Guess what, no HR monitors or runners training by heart rate to be found. Just some guys bashing out repeats at a prescribed pace based on their current fitness ability, or doing some long runs at a "steady-medium effort". If the best in the world aren't doing it... how would it possibly benefit a new runner?

Of course at your local park run, there are undoubtedly going to be many poor blokes that train by heart rate. Why? Lack of knowledge and also the fact that these people are likely newer runners that have started training in the last 10 years when heart rate training began to be marketed and wrongly popularized. Essentially, they have been, unbeknownst to them, caught up in what amounts to a pseudoscience fad. As time passes and the world becomes more technologized and capitalism continues to grow, we are going to see more of these tech products being sold and marketed. Just because it seems like cutting edge science or training theory does not mean that that is reality. These watch companies are making a killing off these 300 dollar smart watches with heart rate features, so of course they are going to continue to be marketed.

Of course, some people will argue that heart rate shouldn't be a crutch but just another little tool/metric you can keep an eye on to "keep easy runs honest" or something of that nature. I think that position is more fair; however in all honestly I still don't think I'd go as far as to make that compromise. If you understand the basics of running periodization; base phase with the higher mileage and aerobic workouts, racing phase with some race specific sessions and races, peaking phase with the peaking workouts and taper, and that you do all of these workouts at the appropriate effort/prescribed pace, you already have everything you need. I don't see why you need to add more metrics and more nitpicky little details.

Still more people may argue that since a few of their favorite YouTubers train by heart rate (Stephen Scullion or James Dunne or whoever else) train by heart rate, and that these runners are "pretty good" (again, I emphasize not world class) that it is a valid method, and that the echo-chamber of Youtube comments might confirm their sentiments to them. To that I say that just because someone is doing well with something does not mean it is optimal or even good - Stephen Scullion is obviously an elite runner but I argue that that is largely a result of his extreme talent, and that he could be even faster if he did not subscribe to the notion of heart rate training as no world class marathoners faster than him do.

I'm fully aware how controversial this will be and I welcome the discourse to be had.

Next day edit: the battle lines have been drawn. I won’t be responding to any more comments on here at least for a while. I have learned that PERHAPS there are situations such as mountain or trail running where heart rate can be useful. I have also learned of many differing and well-researched opinions that have come to different conclusions than me, and that these view points are not necessarily wrong. I will cede these points. Have a good day everyone

I hope in my goals and progress that i might motivate others who like me used to dream of running like i did today. I used to always believe as i was obese that a man like me was never meant to run, it was painful, hurtful and injuries were coming left and right. But honestly speaking with failure comes growth and ones understanding over your own bodies needs.

In my journey I've been called crazy for running an immense amount, i've been called anorexic, i've been called many names in pursuit of wanting to lose my weight. Losing my weight was more or less a running joke for the rest, as my failures were in the dozens and i kept on failing at my weight loss. But here i still am, and i finally run free without worry, and those who questioned my own sanity are no longer criticizing me.

I have a special relationship with running, it has taught me an immense amount of lessons for life, and most importantly, it has grown me into something else. Its incredibly mediating, some days are pure hell when it comes to running, some runs is me smiling widely, but it has shown me so much and it has given me a life.

In the end i suppose i wouldn't need running, but i am forever grateful for it to have saved my life, and i will never forget this. Until then i still have a dream to attain which is to run ultras.

Here is my Strava run of the 39:59 10k run: https://www.strava.com/activities/3151124347 Do note that this was a training run, in an attempt to PR as it was my birthday.

Also since my last post people wanted to see before and after picture,

Thank you for reading this, and i truly hope the best for all of you who seek to lose weight and begin running as well, like me. Before it gets better it has to get worse and i think i'm finally getting to a better place.

Edit: i wake up and see that the top comment is about my ass! Thank you, this is a bit unreal to wake up with 2k up votes. Also my birthday was my 25th one!

I’m doing /u/Arve ‘s 24 hour running thing (adjusted a little). Every hour, I’m running 1 mile. I started at 6am, it’s currently 11:45am. It’s getting hot out!! I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep tonight, so if anybody wants to talk, let me know. I’m just doing this for fun btw.

edit 1: about to start run #9. my legs are super heavy and i don’t know how i’m gonna make it through but whatever!!

edit 2: just finished run #12. i feel pretty terrible in fact. i can’t believe i’m only halfway through. back 12 are gonna be pretty awful, but i’ve got my head up.

Edit 3: fyi, i’m USA 17M, run around 40mpw, i’ve done a 1:44 half marathon. i’m also an XC and track captain when sports aren’t cancelled. here’s the pizza i’m eating: https://imgur.com/a/WFyBxyR

Edit 4: eating that whole pizza was a mistake. i just finished (18:49) and i have a run in 11 minutes. wish me luck.

Edit 5: I’m gonna try to do more updates because they make me feel more awake. I actually checked this post at like 20 upvotes and then i checked again and it was ya like 400 hahaha. I’ve been trying to respond to everyone. It’s currently 19:21 and I’m pretty tired but i’m doing alright!! Garmin progress: https://imgur.com/a/5rCCI54

Edit 6: I just finished run #14. it’s 8pm. i’m super tired actually, but i’ll be able to pull through. maybe a quick nap... NO! sleep is for the weak. (jk, i’ll probably get a nap or two in xD). i’m feeling alright but also terrible.

Edit 7: Just finished 9pm run. I’ll be able to pull through to 5am. I’m feeling good!!

edit 8: just got back from 10pm. nighttime is beginning and if anybody wants to pm/dm me to talk about anything you want to talk about, that would be appreciated.

edit 9: in between runs right now! calling with my friend jimmie. i have 6 more runs left, super excited to fall asleep for a super long time after this.

edit 10: i just finished my midnight run. https://imgur.com/a/0iBiLqL here’s a link to today, super weird chart. i’m feeling great!! only 5 more runs left.

edit 11: heading out for 1 am right now. i feel so exhausted. night runs under the moon are amazing

edit 12: omg i’m so close. it’s currently 3:23am. in an hour and a half i’ll be done!!

edit 13: i can’t believe i’m so close. it’s 4:17am. cognitively, i feel awful. physically, i’m extremely sore and tight. in an hour, i’ll be asleep in my bed. i haven’t slept at all, i don’t think i’ll need to. i can’t wait...

edit 14: alright everyone. this is it. i’m writing this before i head out for my final run: 5am. i want to thank everybody for all the support, motivation, kind messages, and love. the running community is so supportive, it’s seriously amazing. thank you for the nice comments and messages. these runs have been so mind boggling, and i feel so out of it right now, but i know i’m happy. my legs and knees and calves hurt but i’ve pushed myself so hard for so long. thanks for everything. i haven’t slept but that’s okay, it’ll just make the big sleep even sweeter. i’m glad i was able to finish this. in the future i want to make running videos and stuff on youtube, and this really made me think about that a lot. i can’t wait to continue to share stupid and fun runs i do with you folks. i’m now going to run a mile and then sleep for as long as my body allows. <3

With an increasingly busy personal life I’ve resorted to running before 7am twice a week. Oh man... I’m struggling to find the enjoyment! I’m sure when the summer comes it will be amazing but right now in the UK the weather is foul. It’s also the first time I’ve run fasted so my body is adapting to that as well. I’m finding the mental resilience involved very intriguing though!

For anyone else running early mornings in horrendous weather and in the dark I salute you! Who needs that warm bed and 45 extra minutes sleep anyway!

In March of 2020 I had to quarantine for 14 days after coming back from Berlin (I guess sharing gelato with strangers at Berghain really does catch up to you). The world was beginning to shut down and through my isolation I was desperate for fresh air and going stir crazy in my house. So when my 14 days were up, I took a walk outside and discovered there was a track a few miles away from my house. And I started going every day. I started running one mile a day on the track. Then I worked up to running two miles a day on the track. And eventually I was plateauing at 2 miles for almost a year.

Then came 2021, I moved to a new neighborhood and I started running in pavement instead of a track. I started adding more distance to my runs and trying to challenge myself. Eventually I was able to run 6 miles, granted at paces between 10-11 minute miles. I then injured my knee and went to physical therapy for 4 weeks. When I saw other people running, I got so jealous, so I made sure to do my PT exercises and I was able to rehabilitate my knee. I learned the importance of foam rolling my quads everyday, stretching, and replacing your shoes the hard way.

So now I checked my total miles for last year on the Nike running app was 1,589, 245 runs, 11'53" was my average pace, and I spent 314:56 hours on the app. In the beginning of the 2021 I made a resolution of doing a ~8 minute mile at least once. That did not happen, but I am not upset about it. I have been able to add 8 mile runs to my routine without throwing me off. I actually like the pace that I run at because it allows me to get out there 5 times a week without feeling tired and be consistent. I also love how meditative it is for me. I love getting so lost in an idea or thought that eventually you realize you are not thinking about anything at all. I love the people I see everyday on my runs who we now exchange a wave or hello with everyday. I love embracing the rain, sun and wind.

My goal for 2022 is to go on some longer runs ~10 miles or maybe even a half marathon. I would love to improve my pacing but I guess that's not so much of a priority anymore. I would also love to get more comfortable running in group settings.

Do you run to manage any ADHD symptoms?

Do you set a goal for your distance and always reach it?

Do you love running, but get bored after 5km and stop, and it has nothing to do with fatigue?

I'm really curious about some of these things.

I'm also super interested in what are some good things to listen to while running to keep it interesting? Does music help you get that extra distance, or does an audiobook help you keep a pace?

SO curious! Hoping for lots of feedback!

My brother and I used to jog together. He was a phenomenal naturally gifted runner, but he would always come back for me.

His golden birthday would have been September 30. He always said he wanted to do 30 miles on his 30th and we'd do it together. He committed suicide in 2017, and I haven't run since. I finally read his note he left me (a few days ago), and in it he asked me to play the playlist he left me for my run and he'd be there with me step by step.

I'm 5'2 and 200 pounds. Is it realistic for me to build up to the 30 miles by his birthday. It's the last thing he left for me to do, and I find it incredibly important.

Anyone have any recommendations on remote running coaches? I'm okay with paying a professional if it isn't scammy, or should I just be prepping for a long walk?

Hey Runnit,

Over the years I've run a project called "the Boston Qualifier Questionnaire" (or BQQ for short) where I ask runners who've qualified for Boston a series of questions. Many, many runners of reddit have taken part. With the new year here, I thought I'd share a bit of what I've learned. You can read all the individual responses, (and submit your own!) here.

A warning before we get started -- this post contains discussion of body weight and its possible effect on qualifying. I want to be 100% clear that runners can qualify for Boston at a range of weights but feel that it is an important topic to discuss. If talk of body weight is triggering for you, you may wish to skip "The Vitals" section.

The Vitals.

I asked participants in the survey for some basic biological facts, including their height and weight. Runners came in all shapes and sizes from huge, like Michael H, to small, like Laura S.

If we can generalize, however, BQ runners tend to be lighter (for their height) than the average American and slightly shorter.

The average weight for male respondents was 157 pounds. The average height, 5’8”. For comparison, the average American male is (allegedly, these statistics may be inaccurate) approximately 5'9 and thirty three pounds heavier (190 pounds).

The story is similar for women — remarkably so in the weight differential. The average respondent is roughly 5’4” and weighs 125.4 pounds. By comparison, the average American woman is approximately 5’ 4” but weighs about 33 pounds more (159 pounds).

On a personal note, I’m six feet tall and currently weigh about 175 pounds. That puts me about fifteen pounds heavier than the average six foot respondent. Clearly, I have work to do on the weight front.

Training

Alright, enough height and weight. Let’s get down to what really matters — the training.

Most runners had been running for less than six years before they first qualified, and had run less than ten thousand miles when they qualified. Of course, there are outliers, like pro-runner Sage Canady, who’d been running a relatively short amount of time, but racked up some serious miles, or John who’d been running for over twenty years before he qualified.

For mileage in the year before the race, there appears to be a fair amount of consistency across the responses. Almost no runners ran under 1,000 miles, and few ran above 2,500. The average is the difficult, but not unreasonable, standard of 1,750 miles.

On a personal note, the only year I ran that much was the year I set my marathon PR. Clearly, mileage matters.

No surprise that for most of us, it takes more than miles to qualify. The vast majority (84% of those who answered the question) say that speed work played a role.

While the vast majority of respondents used speed work in their training, the majority of runners (about 60%) didn’t use a canned program.

Similarly, the majority (64%) of runners didn’t run with a coach or club, nor did they engage in cross training.

Finally, when I started doing this, I wondered if there was a correlation between a background in running, such as those afforded by high school and college teams, and getting a BQ. As this is still a small, and self-selected group, it’s hard to know. But what we do know is that the majority (63%) of respondents did not run either in college or high school.

Some quick takeaways.

What can we take away from these results? Here are some initial thoughts, most of which are obvious. I’ll be curious to hear your thoughts in the comments.

• You need to put in the miles – very, very few of the respondents did this on low mileage.
• You need to do speed work – similarly, the vast majority of runners utilized some form of speed work.
• People with lots of different body weights and compositions can BQ, but Boston Marathon Qualifiers tends to be lighter than the average American.
• Getting a BQ happened to most respondents early in their running lives, usually after having run only for five or so years, and less than 10,000 miles.

Long post warning! TLDR at the bottom

I’ve noticed a trend on this subreddit that I disagree with. When I’ve seen people asking for advice on how to get better at running, the responses generally fall along the lines of: increase weekly mileage, slow down and do more miles, etc. Sometimes folks will ask if strength training will help them improve, and I feel as if the general consensus here is that it won’t. I want to change that!

Disclosures: I’m a physical therapist. I only have access to publicly available resources (google scholar and pubmed). This isn’t a formal lit review or systematic analysis.

The evidence I found on my search: One of the most comprehensive things I found was a great meta analysis from 2017, a meta analysis from 2010, and some more recent randomized controlled trials 2016-2020, which continue to support the conclusions of the 2017 meta analysis by Blagrove et al “Effects of Strength Training on the Physiological Determinants of Middle- and Long-Distance Running Performance: A Systematic Review”.

The conclusion of the study:

Whilst there was good evidence that [strength training] improves [running efficiency], [time trial], and sprint performance, this was not a consistent finding across all works that were reviewed. Several important methodological differences and limitations are highlighted, which may explain the discrepancies in findings and should be considered in future investigations in this area. Importantly for the distance runner, measures relating to body composition are not negatively impacted by a [strength training] intervention. The addition of two to three [strength training] sessions per week, which include a variety of [strength training] modalities are likely to provide benefits to the performance of middle- and long-distance runners.

In my profession I’m very focused on injuries and rehab of injuries. So I wondered what the evidence might support in regard to strength training preventing injuries.

Currently there is strong evidence for two approaches to injury prevention: reducing weekly mileage and reducing training errors. The first seems pretty obvious: stop running so much and it won't hurt to run. But that won't make you a better runner. There is good evidence for eccentric strength training when it comes to treating tendonitis, but no primary prevention studies have been performed in runners- according to the article by Fields et al “prevention of running injuries” in 2010.

According to Field’s et al: on average, 40-50% of runners will face injury in any given year. Both this review and a paper from Wilk et al in 2009 state that there are two main extrinsic factors that determine injury risk: training error and prior history of injury. Training error could be a drastic change in weekly miles, a change in running surfaces, or increasing frequency/intensity too quickly. Some intrinsic factors were also noted, such as having flat feet and different leg lengths- but these were weak factors compared to the extrinsic ones.

Some studies from the past couple of years examined the effects of foot strengthening on injury rates- it reduced them. But, a cohort of 720 runners at the 2020 NYC marathon who participated in strength training prior to the race showed no difference between control and strength training groups. A few studies (elite teenage soccer players and 5K runners) looking purely at performance metrics supported the theory that strength training improves performance.

When I take courses/seminars for continuing education and learn from a physical therapist who works with professional runners, like Matthew Walsh, there is a big emphasis on diagnosing weaknesses and strengthening the muscles responsible for breakdown in form. The idea that strength training might not be helpful in the prevention of injuries seems unfathomable to me. Yet, the literature is mixed. Why is that? I think it’s because it's difficult to know what to do as an average recreational athlete and the human body is insanely complex. What works for one person might not work for another.

TLDR: Strength training improves running efficiency, time trial, and sprinting speed and this is well supported by current literature. If you are serious about improving your performance you should implement strength training. Evidence is mixed in regard to preventing injury. I believe that in the future we will be able to say that strength training reduces injury- but the research isn’t there yet.

Late 30s. Male. Never ran in high school. Didn't go to college until early 30s. Ballooned up to 25% body fat. Started running casually at age 33. Started running consistently (20 MPW) at age 35. Fixed my diet at age 37. Currently down 55lbs and running 45-55MPW.

Working towards my first sub-5 minute mile (current: 5:20).
Working towards a sub-18 minute 5k (current: 19:52).
Working towards a sub-40 minute 10k (current: 42 flat).
Also, I'm saving this one for a few years from now, but I'd be ridiculously happy with a sub-3hr marathon.

Note: described as "hardcore" as these times and this mileage are very hard to come by in my demographic but will win age group awards and routinely place in the top 5% of races with 500+ people.

Currently feeling pretty accomplished as I sit in an epsom salt bath. What: goal was to just run for four hours this morning in preparation for my 24 hour race in May. Total miles-34.2 Passed the marathon in 3:07:xx Passed 50k in 3:42:xx Overall pace 7:02 per mile

Where: Wissahickon park in philadelphia, I wanted a relatively flat place that I could park my car near and use as an aid station.

Went with the alpha fly’s. I was apprehensive due to the surface of forbidden drive, which is a mix of packed dirt and gravel, but they really held up and didn’t need to change socks or shoes.

Started around 8:20am, weather was clear about 40 degrees when I started and slight gusts of wind but nothing too bad.

Nutrition- I use the Maurten gels on the hours as they passed with the 2nd hour being a caffeinated one. Additionally salt cap pills once an hour.

Course-basically went back and forth on a section of the road/ trail never going more than 2.5 miles total from the car, when the hours came up I would hover around my car, pop the trunk and have a gel while doing small circles so I could throw them away afterwards.

Nothing ground breaking, but my first time doing that type of distance completely solo with no support. Really happy with the pace and the performance of the shoes.

I mean, I’ve run 4 halfs and the same distance many other times. My pr is 1:35. Every time I’m finishing a half my mind cannot comprehend how could my body continue to run for another 21k.

Is it just training, I run 5 times per week. Still I don’t think I’ll ever be able to finish a marathon. Something my mind cannot understand