I have Nike running shoes, but will probably get a new pair of shoes to jog in soon. I am focusing mainly on just DOING cardio, I am terrified I am going to fail to lose the weight, or fail a class I need to graduate, and if I do, idk, talk about life changing. Thanks for the help people. Also, I do HIIT with a bike, they call it "Sprint 8" it's intense, but I need jogging/running to prepare for BMT and to just help burn my fat but.
LISTEN UP RECRUIT!
.............................. No one can motivate you, you mist motivate yourself.
Now with that piece of wisdom out of the way here are some suggestions for getting into running shape.
1. First of all go to the Library (run there if you need to) and look at the exercise section. I highly recommend Runner's World "The Complete Guide to Running", but any good book that covers: Shoes, Warm-ups, Training Schedule, Injury Prevention, etc... should help. It's better to start correctly then to start incorrectly and (a) hurt yourself, or (b) screw up and loose that motivation. Books aren't that expensive so I'd actually recommend hitting Barnes & Nobles, Books-A-Million, or Borders and picking up your own copy.
2. Feet, before you buy any more shoes, determine your stride and foot impact style. Some people tend to go more straight front to back, some toward the instep, and for some people when running they tend to rock from front to back on the outside of the shoe. Different impact styles should have shoes with slightly different emphasis on support. Picking the right shoe for your step style can be important.
3. Shoes #1, Asics's makes some excellent running and they are no more expensive then similar running shoes made by Nike.
4. Shoes #2, if you are going to become a distance runner (someone who is going to include running as regular part of a workout 2-3 times per week) it's actually good to have two pairs of shoes that can be rotated in and out.
5. Shoes #3, shoes should be retried on a regular basis from the running routine. When depends on if you have two pair and rotate. Basically some of the support and the "cushion" begins to become less effective, at that point they should be regulated to daily wear.
6. Course, layout a course that you will use regularly. Take a can of spray paid and "mark" something at regular intervals (say 1/4 mile) or map the route and identify something that marks these intervals. That way when you are running you have distance/time hacks to measure your improvement against. The route should be 1/2 your target distance out, and 1/2 your target distance back if you are going to return the same way. If the route is a loop, end back where you start.
7. Build up to your target. Establish a distance goal, maybe it's 2 miles, maybe 3, maybe 4 or 5. I recommend 3 miles because it is twice the PFA distance. Once you build up to a continuous "jog" for that distance. Hold the distance and then start working on time. Maybe at first it takes you 39-minutes to do 3-miles (13 minute miles). Over the course of following weeks you want to focus on decreasing that time. 15-seconds per mile here, 10-seconds there, and over the course of time you work down to 30-minute 3-mile runs.
8. Speed v. Distance. Although the PFA is based on speed over a 1.5-mile distance, your long term workout should include distance over speed. Once you become a regular runner, the speed will come. IMHO distance is also a better cardio workout and will help with long term weight management.
9. Early preparation, start early in building up so that you have weeks and months to build progress. Which appears to be what you are doing.
10. Workouts, don't push and try to distance run every day. Go every other day, or 3-times a week. Your legs need time to recover after a run, especially when you first start.
11. Look at getting a small MP3 Player, I recommend the iPod Nano. Load it with a playlist that his high tempo workout material. You will need to checkout/research music that works for you. This will help you maintain a rhythm and help keep you distracted from the repetition of running.
12. Breathing, such a simple thing but it is crucial to control you breathing when running. When you are doing your own workout, if you find yourself getting short of breath - slow down. When your breath runs out, your legs are soon to follow. If you are getting short of breath, slow down, get your breathing under control and keep going. Your breathing/lung endurance must be exercised and increased just like the muscles of the legs.
The Navy also uses the 1.5-mile run as part of their PRT (Physical Readiness Test). I spent the first 6 years on active duty killing myself with walk-runs to make PRT standards and also tended to have a problem with percentage of body fat. After a PRT (I passed but barely) I had Chief tell me to meet him at a track after work ready to work out. I showed up and the first day we did nothing but talk: shoes, warm-ups, cool-down, hydration, etc... Never did work out that day. The next day we started at a very slow jog (not much faster than a walk) and did 2-miles. I had never done "jogged" that far in my life as I'd never passed the PRT without walking some portion. Over time we added distance and built speed. To this day I thank him for teaching me to run because I never had another problem with passing a PRT run over the next 14 years, as a matter of fact I never had a problem with percentage of body fat either.
My daughter is now in her second year of ROTC now and the det does workout two times per week with an optional 3rd availability. When she started she couldn't run a lick, barely passed the point total of the PFA but failed overall for "body mass". She watched her diet, worked out with the det and added her own distance running routine. She dropped about 25-pounds, normally does 3-miles but can do 5 without a problem and has dropped her PFA time from 16:30 to under 13 minutes.
Remember it takes time and persistence because this type of thing is a major change to how you live your life.
Good luck.
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