Let's Talk About Running

There's no one secret to breaking through a plateau. Best advice is to just change things up and see what works. Sometimes you might need to eat more, sometimes less, work out more, less, or try a different routine altogether. One things for sure, a plateau is definitely frustrating.

You have to ride the plateau out. It may take weeks. The other thing I have noticed in general is that woman may work out a lot but tend to not work out as hard. Although plenty of men do this too I do see a decent amount of men really busting it in the gym while not nearly as many women pushing the intensity. You should be sweating up a damn storm and your heart rate needs to be in the 140-165 range for 30 minutes at least. And as you said and GMscud talked about...you have to keep mixing it up. The human body is constructed to seek balance and efficiency. Doing the same exercises in the same way with the same intensity lets your body figure out the easiest way to operate. Change everything. What you do, how you do it and when you do it.

Good advice from FRPLG.

Do you have a gym membership? If you do, I'd vary your cardio workouts. Muscle confusion is a great thing. I do lots of cardio, but mix it up with running on a treadmill, running outdoors, the elliptical, and the rotating stair climber thingy.

Remember this- the first couple of days after you start your running routine, you're gonna be sore as all hell. Make sure you stretch thoroughly before and after your runs.

As far as the weight loss thing, if you don't lift weights or supplement your diet with extra protein, I would consider it.

The best hours of my day are the ones right after I'm done with a workout. Mentally sharp, totally oxygenated, feeling so great! Good luck 12th.

Well I used to use the company gym when I worked at the office, but now that I'm working from home I'm not as motivated to go to the gym. But your point is well taken, I think I definitely need to work in some weight lifting.

What's your take on push ups?

Well I used to use the company gym when I worked at the office, but now that I'm working from home I'm not as motivated to go to the gym. But your point is well taken, I think I definitely need to work in some weight lifting.

What's your take on push ups?

Push-ups are great. You can do so many different variations of them. I have the Perfect Push-up (http://www.perfectonline.com/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=PerfectFitness/prodbrws.html?lvl1=Perfect.PUSHUP), and it works really well. If I can't get to the gym, often times I'll do a push-up work out with some abs thrown in.

Push ups are called the perfect exercise for a reason. They work so many different parts and there are so many variations you can do.

I can't seem to get above 40 pushups twice a day. I think I need to do some bench presses to work up beyond 40. Maybe I should try doing them 3 times a day!

I have found running is great. I used it 5 or 6 times to remove myself from the presence of police.

In regards to exercise, its good too. Its all about finding your rhythm...

I have found running is great. I used it 5 or 6 times to remove myself from the presence of police.

In regards to exercise, its good too. Its all about finding your rhythm...

You know Baltimore was the fittest city in the Nation a few years ago for a reason... Everyone there is busy running from the police.

You know Baltimore was the fittest city in the Nation a few years ago for a reason... Everyone there is busy running from the police.

Fairfax and D.C. is were I got fit the most. Baltimore likes crack to, so that tends to help with weight loss.

Running should make you lose some weight unless you're doing intervals and/or anaerobic training. If you want to be lean but maintain or gain muscle weight in your legs (as well as get conditioning) try biking. If your knees start bothering you then biking is excellent since it strengthens the quads. They act as the "shock absorber" for the knees, so the stronger they are the more your knees are protected.
I know the weather is about to be crap, but assuming you have a bike you like, get a "Turbo Trainer", which is effectively a stand for your bike with an axle touching the rear wheel which generates resistance. I haven't checked prices lately, but I'm pretty sure you can pick one of these up for well under $200. One of the great benefits is that your position on the bike is the same as when you're outside riding (unlike those horrible LifeCycles). It can be boring, so if you can get some tapes of bike racing and put them on while you're training you'll feel like you're in the race. Putting on some tunes really helps as well.
Someone commented that you may get sore after the first few run workouts. I found that if it feels like you have lactic acid build-up at the end of the run (which will feel like soreness in the muscles) spin a small gear at fairly high rpms. What you're trying to do is get a lot of blood flow to the area to clear out the lactic acid so it doesn't degrade the muscles by sitting there, while keeping new lactic acid generation at a minimum. It's also really important to re-hydrate as soon as possible after the exercise. You want to eliminate the toxins from your system before they have time to do damage. (Think green;-)(Make sure your pee is clear afterwards.)
All of this is probably overkill if you're only going to run 2 times a week, but some of it may come in handy as variety/protection against injuries.

In relation to another post, women seem more frequently to do exercise without actually working out (i.e. not sweating.) Few people seem to use their glutes when they're running, as well as other exercises that could "really use them". By not using them, you're not using the largest muscle in the body, and losing out on the chance to burn all those extra calories, as well as firm up what a lot of people feel is the best looking muscle in the body. I happen to love the Roman Chair, which really works the "drive train" (i.e. glutes and hamstrings.) Since I'm going for endurance I usually do multiple sets with lots of reps in each set. Do NOT try this exercise if you have a bad back. Of course, since I'm getting close to 55 I'm not doing as many as I used to...

If you get more intense about it there's an excellent book by Galloway for runners over 40, but his main emphasis is how to train so you can meet your goals without getting injured.

Hope this helps.