Questions on Running...?

Question

Ok so I'm starting to run to get/stay in shape to play soccer in High School. How many miles or minutes should I run each day? What stretches should I do before and after I run? I've only started to run each day for about a week and I think some advice might help because I seem to run and then get cramps in my calves and near my ankle. So I'm kind of easing into running right now. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

Oh yea... I'm a 14 yr. old female.

Answer 1

when your first start running remember to take it slow and build your endurance up over time. you are a soccer player so you dont have to start up as slow as the average person. you will start getting really good results when you hit 5 or 6 miles or in time just running 45min to an hour, but it will take a month or so to get there. it would be great to know how far or long you ran in that first week to understand what level of running you are capable of right now.
if you want to run for time then start at 20min a day and increase the time by 5min after three days. every time you add time also add a day. so when you hit 50min, you should have ten days in between until you step it up to 55 minutes. one day every week you should rest or if you feel overworked from soccer and running then take more rest, but space them out like every other day. give yourself an easy run in between (of about 30-35min) when you start running 45min and up. you should top off at around 65-70min depending on how you feel. start tapering down a little when the soccer season gets close to the end so you can be more fresh for the games. when running either training plan always start off slow (60%) and in the middle speed up (75%-85%) and end at a slow pace.

if you want to run for mileage then it is a little bit harder unless you have the right equipment to measure a mile. if you use a car for recording miles or know how many miles a run is then you are set. for you start off at two-three miles and work up to 8-9 miles with the same idea as the timed training then you should be fine.
since you are a soccer player then you should know some stretching like flamingos and the butterfly/budas. also throw in some plyometrics to stretch and strengthen at the same time (warning you will look funny to others while performing plyometrics, but they help greatly). the most important time to stretch for a runner is after the workout so you dont tighten up and get really bad cramps or worse you might get injured after the run or on the next run.
for your cramps it could be five things: you dont have the proper type of shoe, your running shoes are worn out, you jumped into too much mileage too fast, you dont stretch after workouts, or you are not getting the required amount of water which would cause cramping all over your body.

try to run with another person or it may get a little boring later on and they sometimes can push you to a higher level of intensity.

ATTENTION to all people who read this. this workout is modified to be cross training for soccer. training schedules vary for each sport. even though this can be used for a committed runner i highly suggest a different training plan.

I noticed that my touch on the soccer ball became greatly better after picking up running.
Swimming will also get you in great shape for soccer.
And keep juggling that soccer ball.

Answer 2

YES, ease into running because it's different than running on a soccer field. However, a good off-season running program will help your soccer endurance immensely. Your recovery will be much quicker.

But because the two are different, you will need to be extra careful and take extra care to work on your stretching and flexibility. Find some good books on stretching for both running and soccer, and keep your flexibility.

Good Luck

Answer 3

well dude a good warm up is always good, once after that you would do all types of stretching: hamstring, groin, calves, there is many kinds of stretching you can do before running.
a good running workout would be your speed improvement which consist, just to start , sprint 100 yds, jog 100 yds. do this like 8 times if its too easy deacrese the jogging distance and increase the sprint distance.an other good work out would be not so much to run a distance but to run as fast as you can for as long as you can jog 3 minutes and do again till you cant do it any more. and then after that you need to stretch.

Answer 4

Well training for soccer your going to want to do two different kinds of running, your going to want to build your endurance and your speed. For the endurance you'll probably want to do get you mileage up to about 5 at least and for speed you should use a track and do a leader of 4 100's, 3 200's, 2 300's, and 1 400's, and when your mileage is up your going to want to up and down that leader. If you tired after doing this a few days you could do sets of 8 80's and 5 150's or this could be your ease in and then go to the leader.

stretches do with arm cross overs, touch your toes together, right over left, and left over right, butterflies, legs extended, tree huggers, quads.

Answer 5

I would suggest 1-2 miles every day. and 5-10 miles once a week.(the average soccer player runs 2 miles every game)

Stretches:
Quads - pull your foot towards your back by pulling on the front of your ankle
Calf stretch - I would suggest laying on the ground in the push-up position and cross one foot over.
Groin - Feet more than shoulder width appart lean to one side bending the knee on the side your bending towards and placing your hands on your waist extending.
Also sit on the ground with the bottom of your feet facing towards each other press down gently on the outside of your knees and pull them towards your groin.
Ensure that you are not bouncing this is not good for you.

Answer 6

If you want to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume. Calories measure the energy required to move a particular weight a particular distance -- other factors like pace have minimal impact. You want to cover as much total distance as you safely can, generally regardless of pace. And that means over multiple sessions, not just in a single session. You might cover a lot of distance in a single session, but if knocks you off your feet for 3 days or something, it's not worth it. You also generally want to remain active for a minimum of 30-45 minutes per session to see benefits. You'd likely get more out of your slower, 30-minute minimum sessions as long as you do them regularly. It's good if you can occasionally throw in faster days so your body also doesn't adapt to a single routine as well, however.

Answer 7

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