Running to get fit

[Meanqueen]

Last Saturday I did the Park Run for the first time. It starts at 9am, is 5k, and free to join and go each week. We have to do two laps, and people of all abilities can take part. I ran the first lap, then got stitch, walked a bit then ran again. My time was 41 minutes 18 seconds.

Is anyone else doing it? You have to sign up on the web site and you get a bar code to print off. When you get to the start, you don't sign it, everyone starts at 9am, then you check in at the end and your bar code is scanned. You can go on the web site and keep track of your progress. I hope to go every week and try and run a bit faster each time.

If anyone is interested here is the web site
http://www.parkrun.org.uk/
It's good fun, there are all ages, you can run and walk, people with dogs and buggies, families and groups, it's ever so friendly. Check to see if there is one near you.
Ilona

[Meanqueen]

Did the second run yesterday, some walking as well again. Better time, 38 mins 48 secs. I spoke to a woman who looked a similar age to me, she has been doing it for a year. I asked her if it had made a difference to her fitness. She said it has, she feels a lot fitter since starting. I hope to keep up with it now I have started.
Ilona

[boosmummy]

Well done, that's a good time. I'm completely off the running at the most :-( xx

[Sunny B]

Sounds good. I did some running last year, and thought I was doing well to be able to run for 20 minutes in one go! Stopped over the monsoon season, and the other day only managed 4 minutes, which was very sad.

Do you just do the one run a week?

[fabindia]

I did a bit of running on holiday but not a much as usual. Need to get back into it this week. I really feel unfit if I don't run 4 or 5 times a week.

[Meanqueen]

Sounds good. I did some running last year, and thought I was doing well to be able to run for 20 minutes in one go! Stopped over the monsoon season, and the other day only managed 4 minutes, which was very sad.

Do you just do the one run a week?

Hi. Yes, just once a week on a Saturday morning. I don't want to do any more because I don't want to damage my knees. My joints are all fine at the moment, I'd rather keep it that way, so I can do long walks.
Ilona

[Meanqueen]

My fourth Parkrun yesterday. 35 minutes 34 seconds, so I've knocked 6 minutes off in four runs. Want to try and get down to 30 minutes. I wore shorts for the first time, it felt a lot better, going to try some different trainers next time.
Ilona

[Totally Scrambled]

I saw a report the other day saying that joggists of Middle Age and upwards were costing the NHS a fortune by needing their worn out joints replacing.
Dom

[Meanqueen]

I saw a report the other day saying that joggists of Middle Age and upwards were costing the NHS a fortune by needing their worn out joints replacing.
Dom

I don't think mine are wearing out anytime soon, only doing 35 minutes once a week. Don't run any other time.
Ilona

[Mo]

I think Morris dancers have problems too. I do gentle folk dancing so can keep going (the oldest dancers at our club was doing every dance at 92, and still dancing at 95).
But my sister says that impact exercise protects against osteoporosis - compared to cycling which is non-impact. So I suppose it's a balance.
Sensible attitude Ilona.

[fabindia]

I saw a report the other day saying that joggists of Middle Age and upwards were costing the NHS a fortune by needing their worn out joints replacing.
Dom

There is a lot of debate around this issue, the belief being that the more you run, the more you wear your joints. I think the reality is not quite so simple, as may be the case with a car engine for example. Your body constantly re-news and repairs itself.

In the past 50 years of fairly serious running, I reckon I have clocked over 52,000 miles of running, an average of 20 miles per week, but on occasions when training hard, up to 60 to 80 miles per week. And, I don't have an ache or pain in any of my joints, now at 61 years old. I think where people have problems is getting injured, even minor injuries cause you to run slightly awkwardly and that means joints don't move quite in line and areas start to wear unevenly.

Just my two pence worth, and I could be totally wrong, and go out tomorrow and just seize up :-)

[Meanqueen]

Wow, that's a lot of running. Good to hear you are ok after all that. I take your point about injuries causing problems later in life, I've heard several people say their old injury is playing them up. I'm lucky that I haven't had a bone break, or a sprain, or any such injuries. I am trying to be sensible about my exercise, a little and often works for me. I will never attempt a marathon, too old and not fit enough now. I could easily walk the 26 miles though. I shall be going off on a long walk soon, hoping for seven days, 130 + miles. I'm more suited to longer distances at a steady rate, rather than a sprint.
Ilona
PS, I'm 65 next month, hoping that my good health continues.

[Mo]

PS, I'm 65 next month, hoping that my good health continues.

Just a youngster, Ilona.

[Meanqueen]

Another personal best yesterday, 34 minutes 43 seconds. Keep chipping away at it, would like to get it to 30 minutes.
Ilona

[Kuikentje]

I saw a report the other day saying that joggists of Middle Age and upwards were costing the NHS a fortune by needing their worn out joints replacing.
Dom

Well, that just sounds like a bit of an excuse to me and it isn't going to cost as much over time as trying to minimise the effects of all the health problems caused by lack of exercise. Our bodies will tell us when to stop and we have to learn to distinguish between the pain that's saying "Oh, you haven't used that bit of you for a while" and the pain that's saying "You'd better stop." People whose joints need replacing are generally not the fit ones but the unfit ones, and joints are more likely to be damaged by overweight and underuse than they are by healthy usage, which is what they are designed for.
The worst thing for me is that if I do hurt myself it takes me longer to recover than it did years ago and it is frustrating to have to take things easy to give an injury time to heal up. Running/jogging is a healthy way of exercising, we just need to make sure that we have comfortable shoes and build up gradually.