For All who suck at running

[SgtQuattlebaumJ]

Some great advice for new runners. I HATE running on a track. I will be thinking about something and forget how many times I've been around and then I get aggravated...it just doesn't work for me.

SirRoundSound, you might try driving to the school you live by to see how far it is and run there and back to your house. Or if you really don't know if you can stay motivated enough to run all the way there and back, you can have someone drive you a certain mileage away from your home and just drop you off. Just make sure they know to come looking for you if you don't show up in a reasonable amount of time. And take lots of water too. Hydration bladders at Wal-Mart are reasonably priced and probably weigh about 7 pounds when full of water. I use one just so I don't have to carry a bottle when I run and maybe so it will help me get used to a pack. It also can help you remember to drink water (if that is a problem for some people) because the more you drink the less weight is on your back. Just some thoughts.

--Michael

OK, thats exactly what I was trying to inferr. Concentrating on your surroundings, instead of just, running from point A to point Z, you may forget exactly how long you've been runnning, and thats what you want. I've been in combat twice, and i can tell you there has been moments when our plt had to get to our next objective in a short amount of time with all of our gear which wasnt 2-3 miles away. We're talking 7-8 miles! Just so we can capture a High Value Target before he jumped camp. I shouldn't have to tell you how we there... (uhh-- Run) Point is, you have to find whatever works for you and literally run with it..

[coltie52]

Heres a program that i found and ive been using for a few weeks and it has helped me Alot!. I hope it helps others here who have trouble running.

http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

Thank you for this.
I will try it out over the next few days or weeks and see out it works out.

[LuDog]

no problem it works great for me, ive been running every day except sundays

[benw2200]

For everyone who doesn't have a track, doesn't like running on a track, and/or isn't good at estimating distances:

http://www.walkjogrun.net/

Type in your zip code, find your house or running area on the map, and click create route. It measures distances for you, so you can find out exactly how many miles a certain distance is.. helped me a lot in my running.

[ForeverChanged]

Thanks for that site benw2200, that sounds neat I'll have to give it a try.

Another trick for running, is no matter how tired and worn down you get during your run, DON'T STOP!!! Even if you are only picking your feet up and down fast as if running in place, once you stop, you have given up and it's very hard to continue from there.

[LuDog]

good info

[mdlangley]

...no matter how tired and worn down you get during your run, DON'T STOP!!! Even if you are only picking your feet up and down fast as if running in place, once you stop, you have given up and it's very hard to continue from there.

Amen to that Brother!

[benw2200]

no matter how tired and worn down you get during your run, DON'T STOP!!! Even if you are only picking your feet up and down fast as if running in place, once you stop, you have given up and it's very hard to continue from there.

Very true. Even if it's a slow, slow pace, keep the "jogging" motion- if you break down and have to start walking, it screws up your pace, your breathing, and everything. Also, I've found a lot of people (and I do this myself as well) start out way too fast, and finish slow and exhausted. Start out slow and controlled to get yourself warmed up, and pick up the pace every lap or every few minutes if you're not doing laps. Usually the best 1.5/3 mile runners are not the ones that dash off the starting line, but the ones that pick a good pace and stick with it.