Whenever I start a long run, for the first 1-2, I almost always feel as if I'm running out of breath, and my heart burns. But after that, it's all easy....for the next 6-8 miles my heart rate goes back down and I feel very relaxed/comfortable for the rest of the run.
And I don't start off fast and slow down, I keep a consistent pace throughout the entire run.
Does anybody else here experience this initial pain at the start of their runs?
Reported.
Your body is warming up. Even at a moderate/slow pace your body needs to get use to the demand you're putting on it.
yep happens much more often then not for me
splash wrote:
Reported.
Reported for being a stupid troll. 1/10.
Yep, I believe that is why some people recommend starting your runs significantly slower, and then gradually increasing the pace until you reach your normal training pace after 5-15 minutes.
You are probably young and can get away with it now, more or less. It can be hard on your body, though, especially as you get older or ramp up the mileage.
If you are uninjured, and otherwise improving/feeling good then great. If you are battling any lingering pains, or you stop improving/feeling good, I would strongly recommend making that first 10 minutes or so of each run a more gradual warmup.
Legend has it the Kenyans start their runs very, very slowly as well.
And, to answer your question, no - I don't feel that inital pain anymore since I switched to the gradual speedup. I almost always felt it when I used to get right into the normal pace like you do.
this fastest wrote:
Yep, I believe that is why some people recommend starting your runs significantly slower, and then gradually increasing the pace until you reach your normal training pace after 5-15 minutes.
You are probably young and can get away with it now, more or less. It can be hard on your body, though, especially as you get older or ramp up the mileage.
If you are uninjured, and otherwise improving/feeling good then great. If you are battling any lingering pains, or you stop improving/feeling good, I would strongly recommend making that first 10 minutes or so of each run a more gradual warmup.
Legend has it the Kenyans start their runs very, very slowly as well.
And, to answer your question, no - I don't feel that inital pain anymore since I switched to the gradual speedup. I almost always felt it when I used to get right into the normal pace like you do.
I will second the above.
I will also add that a sign of overtraining is feeling crappy the first 15-30 minutes of a run and then feeling a lot better after that.
If you are mesmerized by your garmin, a good trick is to go jog a short loop for 10-15 minutes without worrying about how far or fast you ran. After that, start your watch and do your timed run.
I think that the older you get the longer it takes to warm up. I'm talking about the breathing not the body.
When I started running I was 31 years old and could start off at a fast pace. Now it takes 4-5 miles before my breathing isn't labored. I have to begin my run 1-2 minutes slower.
My body feels fairly smooth after a mile or so, it's my breathing I have trouble with.
It's the same with racing...my legs can always move faster, it's my lungs that determine my pace. I've wondered if this was the case for most people.
I did train with a friend years ago who never breathed hard during our mile repeats. When I asked him why he didn't run faster he said his legs wouldn't move any faster. (He was a great uphill runner, but a terrible downhill runner)