Why am I having such difficulty running?

Question

I am 51 and fit. I weight train 3 days a week and do cardio using the elliptical and walking on the treadmill with no problem. I cannot run more than about 2 minutes. What is the biggest factor in running, legs, lungs or heart? I'm trying to work all aspects but I'm having no luck in building running stamina.

Answer 1

A couple of possibilities spring to my mind:

1. In my experience the biomechanics of elliptical machines and - especially - treadmills are different from running outdoors. Your body may need time to develop the "push off" you need to run effectively outside.

2. You may be running outdoors at an intensity level that is too great for your present aerobic fitness level. Invest in a heart-rate monitor or regularly check your pulse when you run. If your heart rate is too elevated you won't be developing the aerobic systems that build stamina. (All this is a fancy way of saying you may need to slow down during your runs, but at least now you have a good way to rationalize the slower pace.)

3. If you are on a high-intensity body building program you may find running is too much for you and that your individual body does better with rest days of gentle walking. If your performance with the weights stagnates or starts to slip you may be working it too hard on your off day from the gym. (Another fancy way of saying slow down the running)

4. What you might find is that you need to alternate running and walking at first. Head outside and walk a few minutes. The jog/run for a couple of minutes or until you feel winded. Then walk again until your breath recovers and pulse comes back down. Then run again. Keep up the run-walk cycles for the same amount of time as your elliptical/treadmill workouts, finishing with a walking cool down. As your fitness level increases you'll find the running segments naturally get longer and the walking segments naturally get shorter until you are running the entire time.

Answer 2

The biggest factor in running are your "energy pathways:" the way your skeletal muscles take advantage of energy sources. There are about four levels, and each level is "exhausted" before your muscles recruit the next pathway. Muscle fibers play a big role as well; some are recruited more easily than others.

Fitness should have a direct functional benefit. Walking on a treadmill DOES NOT improve your running. Using an elliptical will not equate into better running times -- different muscles. Somehow, all the exercises you do should relate to how move your body on a regular basis. For example, the dreaded leg extensions on a machine. Where else in your daily life will you reflect that movement?

If you want the BEST fitness program that will increase your overall fitness and you will become amazingly strong in all aspects, check out www.crossfit.com. There are many affiliates throughout the world. However, you do not need to access a particular affiliate to take advantage of the Workout of The Day. The site was developed and maintained by one man, so sometimes his personal views are reflected there and it is up to you as to whether or not you're interested in that. HOWEVER, if you're looking for the best overall fitness, this is it.

Answer 3

What's your biggest problem while running? Legs burn? Crushing chest pain? Or just plain out of breath?

Legs are often the first to feel the burn during jogging exercises because they are the first muscles to convert to anaerobic metabolism. Pyruvate and lactic acid build up and the pH of the cells drops. This can be avoided by slowing the pace and breathing more efficiently. Increase the difficulty of your runs over long periods of time and don't miss workouts.

A crushing type chest pain with exercise should concern you the most if that is the case, it can be a prelude to an Infarction (heart attack). Get it checked out with your physician!

Poor lung ventilation/perfusion will obviously decrease the O2 in the blood and cause symptoms like acidosis. This can arise because of exercise induced asthma, or COPD. If you have a history of smoking, then this is likey the case.

It's hard to say without any details, but regular, controlled exercise is never a bad thing. Keep it up.

Answer 4

All the factors that you mention effect the period of work. How fast the heart can pump blood to the body. Since you are 51 yeas old, lung capacity might to be as big as when you were young.
Best thing to do is take small stepts such as:
-Start runining every day and incerase the time little by little.
-Eat good food and drink lots of water.

Answer 5

You may be trying to run too fast. Especially since it seems that your other activities have made you feel that you're in great shape, you may have an overly ambitious sense of how fast you should be running. I would suggest that you force yourself to run slowly enough that you can keep it up for five minutes and try alternating five minutes of running with five minutes of walking. After a couple weeks of doing this, I bet you will feel that you can make the running intervals longer and the walking intervals shorter.

Answer 6

You just have to jog. Plain and simple. Walking is great, but it's not going to make you a runner. Just do a light, half mile jog every day for a week. Then try to jog a mile. You have me worried that it's not a medical issue. You might want to consult a physician, because if it is painful or seriously physicall difficult, I would talk to a medical professional.

Answer 7

Running is an endurance activity. You have to build up to it. Start with your 2 minutes (make sure you go slow so you don't get winded) and the next time you run, add another minute.

Answer 8

In order to improve in running, you need to actually run. Run capactity is a factor as well as muscles (heart included). If you want to improve in running, you should follow the Couch to 5K training plan on www.coolrunning.com. It is a nine-week program to get you from no running at all to able to run a 5K. Check it out here:
http://www.coolrunning.com/engine/2/2_3/181.shtml

Answer 9

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Answer 10

you just need to go out there and jog! tahts the only way your gonna be able to go for longer. maybe go on the machines for a longer amount of time but just run!