# Running advice...



## Devildoc (Dec 15, 2015)

OK, I run about 8, maybe 10, miles a week, in 3ish mile increments.  Purely for fitness and weight maintenance, I do not need to make time and I have no desire to run a marathon (BTDT).  Here's the lead-up: at the end of January I need to run an 8-mile event, which will be broken up at several points for boot-camp-type exercise stations.  Here's the question: how should I prepare and train?  I am a Clydesdale, but this event will not be fast, and will be in a group.  It's been a long time since I have had to "train" for an event.


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## x SF med (Dec 15, 2015)

Um....  you know the drill, train like you'll fight...  do a couple of run throughs run, exercise, run, exercise lather rinse repeat...  and let your body tell you if its ready.:wall:

Drive on, show them young'uns what you can do.


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## Devildoc (Dec 15, 2015)

x SF med said:


> Um....  you know the drill, train like you'll fight...  do a couple of run throughs run, exercise, run, exercise lather rinse repeat...  and let your body tell you if its ready.:wall:
> 
> Drive on, show them young'uns what you can do.



I had to laugh....a couple months ago I did a custom GoRuck event with my workout group, and they all wanted specific training advice.  I said "carry heavy shit a long way and don't quit."

Good word, Sensei.


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## Polar Bear (Dec 15, 2015)

Two things DD do you live in Indiana? What is your height and weight?


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## Devildoc (Dec 15, 2015)

North Carolina, 5'8", 190#.


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## Polar Bear (Dec 16, 2015)

You don't want to be the slowest person. I can't find the thread I posted in some time ago, it talks about how to lengthen your stride. That alone will help you get faster


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## Polar Bear (Dec 16, 2015)

Run on the side walks and watch your strides. Where do they fall? Is your trailing foot on the joint and your front foot toes fall on the next joint. Now stretch it half a foot length longer. You must do this slow and deliberate. It is not about speed it is training your legs for longer strides. Run up a steep hill trying to take the biggest stride possible, same thing down hill. If you lift don't try and be the muscle head. Train for both strength and endurance. Strip weight train to failure.


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## Devildoc (Dec 17, 2015)

Polar Bear said:


> You don't want to be the slowest person. I can't find the thread I posted in some time ago, it talks about how to lengthen your stride. That alone will help you get faster



Thanks for the gouge.  This event will not be fast, average speed about 12:00/mile, with a "boot-camp"-type workout every half-to-three quarter miles for a total of 8 miles.  I am more concerned about endurance than speed, and I am trying to figure what mileage I should build up to given the event in 5, 5 1/2 weeks.

Not a "musclehead," I work out for weight maintenance/weight loss and combine weights with crossfit/boot camp-type exercises, HIIT, etc., with occasional rucking-for-distance and OCR thrown in.  I am a bit of an overpronator, so conscientious of how my feet fall.

At 47 and a few years out of the military my exercise regimes and workout goals have changed for sure, and I am no longer the fast (relative), svelte Sailor I once was.


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## Yellow Bastard (Feb 3, 2016)

Running has always been my achilles heel. Never been a "natural" runner. Met a lot of people in the Marines that smoked a pack a day and only lifted weights but could run a 19-20m 3 mile. Lucky them. My 3 miler has always been around 22 minutes, so 7:30/mile. Above average my civilian standards but garbage in my opinion. 

My goal in the past was 5 miles in under 40, I can do that now in about 37:30. Right now I just want to be able to run longer distances in faster times.

My training right now is lift 3x a week and run 3x a week with Sundays off. My current weekly runs are...

*Run 1:* Timed run or longer interval run. Usually 5 miles in under 40 or something like 15 minute fast run, rest half that and then another 15 fast run
*Run 2:* 60 minute run. Not going for speed, just an hour of straight running. Usually cover about 7.3 miles
*Run 3:*  Shorter interval runs/Sprints. 1/4 mile repeats, 100 meter sprints, Fartlek Run, etc

Side topic. Shin splints are the achilles heel to my achilles heel. Even when I slowly ramp up the volume of running I can feel them coming. I've gotten them pretty bad in the past, it's one of those injuries where people see you as a bitch but at the same time you need to take time off or you'll get a full blown fracture. 

I try to stretch my calves out good and sometimes where compression sleeves over them. Yes, I stretch following all runs.


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## CDG (Feb 3, 2016)

This has been covered time and again in this sub-forum.  Did you search around at all before posting a new thread?


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## digrar (Feb 3, 2016)

66% of your running training is not aimed at improving your perceived problem area. You probably want to look at doing two of your run 3's, doing combinations of 1/4 and /12 mile intervals adding up to 3 miles.


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## Red Flag 1 (Feb 3, 2016)

n


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## Diamondback 2/2 (Feb 3, 2016)

Old pack a day grunt secret...

Albuterol Inhaler: Uses, Dosage & Side Effects - Drugs.com

But really, stronger legs and form...


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## Yellow Bastard (Feb 3, 2016)

CDG said:


> This has been covered time and again in this sub-forum.  Did you search around at all before posting a new thread?



My bad. A mod can delete the thread if they want to


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## Devildoc (Feb 9, 2016)

Red Flag 1 said:


> Funny thing about smoking and running. It is supposed to make your times longer because of, well it srews up your lungs. While in Ca @ VAFB, there were miles and miles of running trails over about any surface you can think of. When I stopped smoking, my times got worse during the first month. All I was looking for was 8 min/mile. after a couple of months, I could drop into sub 8 min miles with no trouble at all.



When I was a corpsman I was astounded at how many Marines could turn out a 1st class PFT with a sub-18:00 3-mile run who also smoked like a chimney....


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## Yellow Bastard (Feb 9, 2016)

Devildoc said:


> When I was a corpsman I was astounded at how many Marines could turn out a 1st class PFT with a sub-18:00 3-mile run who also smoked like a chimney....



Some people are just natural born runners. Everyone is not created equal. 

I never saw anyone run sub 18 who never ran on his own but definitely sub 20. I hated it when they made fun of other Marines who ran slower. Some people just don't know how lucky they are


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## Etype (Feb 10, 2016)

x SF med said:


> Um....  you know the drill, train like you'll fight...  do a couple of run throughs run, exercise, run, exercise lather rinse repeat...  and let your body tell you if its ready.:wall:
> 
> Drive on, show them young'uns what you can do.



the most relevant exercise theory to all athletic events is specific adaptation to imposed demands. In a nutshell, do more of what you want to be better at.

You want to bench press heavy weight? Bench near your max as often as you can recover from.

Want to run a faster 2 mile? Run 2 miles as fast as you can, as often as possible.

It really is pretty simple, until you get up to the elite level in a given sport.


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## Brill (Feb 10, 2016)

Etype said:


> the most relevant exercise theory to all athletic events is specific adaptation to imposed demands. In a nutshell, do more of what you want to be better at.
> 
> You want to bench press heavy weight? Bench near your max as often as you can recover from.
> 
> ...



Exactly why I never believed in the 20-mile marathon training plan.


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## CQB (Feb 11, 2016)

1. Smoking has to do with recovery, not in the physical act itself. I used to smoke 30-40 a day, smashed a 20 miler and offered a smoke to the guy who came second, which he accepted. 
2. To build endurance increase distance incrementally: run 2 miles then 2.5, then three. Viola! You're a stud.


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## Devildoc (Feb 11, 2016)

Since I started this I am up to 7ish miles now.  Like riding a bike.


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## Etype (Feb 12, 2016)

CQB said:


> ...To build endurance increase distance incrementally: run 2 miles then 2.5, then three. Viola! You're a stud.



Amen.

Anyone who wants to be half decent at anything physical would be well served to have a basic understand of SAID and linear periodization/progressive overload.

Humans have understood both principals since that Greek guy started picking up a calf everyday... supposedly he could still pick it up when it was a full grown bull. 

Probably not the case, but it outlines both-
a. Specificity- pick up a bull to get better at picking up a bull.
b. Linear Periodization- slowly make something progressively harder/faster/longer to attain the results you desire.

It probably won't get you to the Olympics, but it's better than being lost in the sea of random exercise.


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