Aaron Tang's Running Guidelines after 1 year (ATR I)

Looking through older posts that were on 'draft' settings, I forgot I typed this during my guidelines reading phase of pharmacy rotations:

Introduction:

Congratulations on starting your first steps towards a better you. There are some pointers that I have listed; I've only run consistently for over one year so I only know a little bit in the grand scheme of things but in that year, I have learned a lot as will you. This is quite the list and took me a year to implement, so don't get shell-shocked and expect to pick it up all in one day. I hated running for 23 years so if I can change my mindset, so can you.

Aaron Tang's Running Guidelines after 1 year (ATR I)

Mindset:

Keep your chest out, shoulders relaxed, hands relaxed, head up, and think about running lightly. Run until you can't, walk until your bored. Keep your posture straight up. Keep a positive attitude; this sentence will be a joke if you continue running as you'll figure out the secret to why I ran so much; it helps to make you feel great and you can clear your mind all while getting naturally high (the "runner's high”). In fact if you keep going, you’ll get to a point where you want to run every day. I mean I just spent time to type this out not as a chore but in hopes that you too will find running to be just as great. That should say something to the power of running considering I haven’t written a paper this long since high school.

Run SLOW. Once you think you're at a slow pace, go even slower. The thing about running is it doesn't matter how fast or slow you are; people who run respect the fact that you are going out there and doing the same thing they love. Wave at a runner coming at you; 8 times out of 10 you'll be greeted by a smile and a wave. The 2 out of 10 have a stick up their butts and are running at the same time so it’s difficult.

Running like it's a race every day = injuries. That's what kept me out of running for months (and it felt like years). You should feel comfortable while running and not be on a ridiculous pace; the goal is to get to the point where you can run comfortably AND be faster; being faster comes with the miles you pile up. Patience is a trait you'll learn; you're not running JUST to run a race (hopefully), but running for a while to come. That's some big picture stuff right there.

Homework:

Yes, there is homework for running. Keeping a log of your workouts and runs will help you keep track of mileage on your shoes, what works/what doesn't work, max heart rate/ resting heart rate, keeps you motivated, and lets you know you are not overdoing it too quickly. I recommend runningahead.com (b/c I'm on that site as well so I can answer most of your questions) to help log your information online and it is free as well. It'll help me "coach" you as well as you being able to see what other runners do; there are forums on the site that have helped explain a ton of stuff to me and you’ll probably see some of the info I have re-iterated there.

Training:

There is a program that I see people who are running their first 5k called C25k, or Couch to 5k program that is a 9 week program: (coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml)

There is also this program that I used; I’m pretty sure his explanations are where I get most of my knowledge from:

(http://www.halhigdon.com/5K%20Training/5-Knovice.htm)

Take rest days. Do NOT try and run every day; that also contributed to me getting hurt. Don't increase mileage too quickly. The general rule of thumb is to increase mileage by 10% maximum a week. It will take some time for your body to adjust. In fact, your muscles/body take longer to adjust than your heart. Patience is HUGE. I wanted to do too much, too soon and that led to injury.

So do what fits your schedule. Run in the morning, at night, whenever you can. Generally, 3-4 days a week should be good. As far as scheduling, there is always time to run; 20-30 minutes in a day? I definitely spend that much time with my mouth open watching mindless tv or perusing facebook so I can replace that with a quick run.

Do NOT be afraid to take walk breaks; this is actually good as it keeps you in the cardio zone of training for a longer period of time. It took me a long time to realize this and I had to listen to my body instead of trying to look tough and try and finish every scheduled run as fast as I could.

Have one day (usually during the weekend) as your "long run" (how long? longer than the normal ones during the week but usually around half your total distance for that week or less (so if I just ran 10 miles in a week, my long run would be 5 miles or less)). This is usually scheduled on the weekend so you can rest and recuperate as well as not feel stressed about trying to squeeze in a longer time commitment during the week.

Pains:

Listen to your body; if ANYTHING hurts, stop immediately. I tried to push through injuries and that was dumb. Do NOT try and run off an injury. I repeat, do NOT try and run off an injury. Being a hero is great in movies, but in movies, it ends after 2 hours. Running through an injury can keep you sidelined for 2 months.

RICE is not only a food I enjoy, but it will help keep your legs fresh. Frozen peas serve two purposes for me; I get a serving of vegetables AND my knees feel a lot better when I put the bag on top of my knees after a run. Cold showers for your legs feel pretty good once you start consistently running. Sounds crazy but trust me, feels decent.

Warming up/ stretching:

Runnersworld.com has great videos on stretching. Basically, stretch only if you've warmed up by running for 5 minutes or if you finished running. As far as warming up, run slowly the first 5 minutes and the last 5 minutes of your run. Stay warm with multiple layers; if it gets too hot, remove layers and voila, you will be less warm. Layers are key in the winter; I go 7 layers deep at the worst.

Shoes/gear:

General rule of thumb is 500 miles on the running shoes then get a new pair. Make sure to keep your last pair with you and go to a running store where they can analyze where the shoe wore out and what shoe is best for your feet. Certain shoes help more depending upon the way you run.

As far as clothing, look for things that wick moisture; that'll keep sweat off of your skin to help you stay dry and feeling better. I personally don't have any shirts yet that are wicking, I just use cotton t-shirts, a skullcap, and wicking shorts. Wicking also means this cloth is susceptible to snagging with just about anything.

Oh yeah, expensive gear and shoes do not mean better; I think Target has Champion wicking shirts that are decently priced and the higher end shoes are for elitists. As long as you get the right type of shoe, I'd say you can find deals online at amazon.com.

High-traffic areas in the city require the one earbud look for your mp3 player; I can’t tell you how many times I’ve almost gotten squashed with two earbuds in.

Working out:

A lot of these are on the runnersworld.com video library but I'm just sharing what I usually do. These directions are horrible so I can explain further if you need it.

Core, glutes, hips, thighs, ankles. Work these out. These will help your running form and keep you from getting injured. I tried to run without working out and that was dumb as this contributed to injury.

Hip exercises are basically doing clamshells (lying on your side and lifting your leg that's not on the ground and moving it up and down, with different variations ie knees bent, legs are straight, or knees are together, and you bend your lower leg up), and another exercise is moving your legs out in a bicycle movement while lying down with your back on the floor.

For glutes, lay with your back down on the floor with your feet on the ground and your knees up. Drive your pelvis up with your feet planted and then come back down. There's also one where you lay on your side, have the leg out that's not on the ground and stick it out perpendicular to your body. Turn the foot slightly towards the floor and lift your leg up and down. This works your gluteus medius, which helps keep you balanced.

Diet:

Ah, the other part of training that no one talks about. Some say this is more important than the exercise itself. Either way, know that both this and running will help you reach your full potential.

The key is that with lifestyle changes, it takes roughly 3 months to change according to those boring guidelines we read for school. I, on the other hand, took 2 years. I personally like the abs diet power plan (abs diet power is an acronym with each letter representing a type of food) http://www.absdiet.com/uof/absdiet/noemail/power12.html. It's simple foods that you can prepare; I mean, if I can do it, you can. I took one thing in the 12 food groups and tried to incorporate it for like a week, and saw how my body adjusted to it. Add another and another and you’re on the other end of this lifestyle change. Basically, do what you can and indulge every once in a while because we are not robots; if you remember, I did eat a ton of food on the cruise without thinking. Know that with your running you don’t feel as bad indulging but just keep it all in balance.

ANY questions at all, don't hesitate to ask. I am more than happy to answer a running question because I really really like it and hope that you catch the running bug; I almost feel like one of those Christian missionary dudes trying to convert door to door. No question is off limits since that's the only way you'll learn without having to suffer. This is kind of a rough copy of all the knowledge I have so don't take it as comprehensive.

websites:

runnersworld.com

runningahead.com

http://www.halhigdon.com/5K%20Training/5-Knovice.htm

coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml