I'd like to hear what people have to say about getting started with running as a cardio workout mostly to increase stamina and aerobic capability. I'm 28, very skinny, and have a very fast metabolism, so I don't want to lose weight. I know I'll be burning lots of calories so I'll need to start making those up somehow.

I intended to start by walking from 1 to 3 miles the first week (4x/week). Then depending on how my feet/legs feel, I'd start jogging the same distance for about 2 weeks. After that I'd start ramping up with running 1 mile per workout, increasing over an unknown amount of workouts to 3 miles.
In other words, I want to be running 3 miles in about a month.

Does that sound too optimisic? Or does it sound like I'm setting the bar too low?

 

I think you will be surprised at how quick you will adapt to the distance. For me, if I take some time off running it takes about 3 or 4 days to get back into things. I'd skip the walking and get straight to jogging, even if you can't get more than a mile or two out. I'd also suggest doing some sprints as that will really help your cardio.

 

First, get the right type of shoes. Start off slowly. If you can run 2 miles right now without stopping - great! Do that for the first week. Add 10% to your distance weekly until you get to 3 miles. Goodluck!

 

When I was in college I took a running class for one of my required PE courses. I'd never ran in my life other than while playing sports. First day I ran I couldn't finish a mile. I was running 3 by the end of the month, not at any blazing speed, but I could do it. You shouldn't have any trouble getting there.

 

Good point - If you don't already have a good pair of running shoes, go to a shoe store that will watch you run/walk, etc to figure out what type of shoes will work best for you. Makes a huge difference over picking out shoes on your own.

 

If you are already lean and just want to add stamina with the least amount of muscle lost, I'd do this:

https://acurazine.com/forums/health-fitness-34/maximum-intensity-short-term-cardio-360475/

 

Thanks for the input guys...
I got started yesterday morning - 1.11 miles - I walked 1/2 miles, then ran/jogged the rest. Overall pace was 14 min/mile. I know it's pathetic but it's a start. I want to be running the whole mile in 2 weeks.
Nothing much hurts today other than a bit of soreness in my quads. I think I need to stretch more.

 

Good job on your initial run/walks. You'll be running a full mile in no time. I would guess that you probably will be able to run that in a week or so.

Another thing to try is a heart rate monitor to see how your heart is going. This way you know if you are pushing yourself either too much or too little.

The first mile or two are always the hardest. After that you'll settle into a zone where you really won't realize the miles...unless you start doing interval runs.

 

Sounds good so far. You should actually measure your cardio workout by time instead of distance. You know you are getting a good cardio workout when you can hardly keep a coversation with someone while running... if you can talk and breath fine, then you need to up the pace

If you decide to continue running and you get to the point where you are doing 12-14 miles a week. You should change out your shoes every 6 months or so. They lose a lot of compression after a few hundred miles and the running begins to take a bigger toll on your body.

Most people end up doing more damage to their muscles from stretching before they run if they do not know how to stretch right. Try walking a little bit first instead of stretching to warm up your legs, then start your run. Come home and do a good stretch afterwards.

Look into drinking and hydrating on amino water so that it doesnt burn off any mass.

Thats all the advice I can offer. Im still recovering from a run I did in December... Im used to running 3-4 times a week at 4-5-8-4 and thought I was ready to run a half marathon in December. At 10 miles I was in agony... kept running like a dumbass and now I havent been able to run for over 3 months. Went to a Dr and he said it was simply overuse of where the muscle attaches to the bone on the outside of my knees. Going to give it a try this week and will have to build myself up all over again.

 

Great! Thanks
I'm up to 1.25 miles - 12 min/mi pace after my first week. My "run 3mi in a month" goal may be achievable after all
Again, the first 1/4 mile is a fast walk, and the last 1/4 mi is a mix of jog/walk. This is getting in/out of the road where my house is, which sucks because coming back it's a little downhill, which I think is causing some shin pain.
I know I should be measuring time, but I feel like I need to baseline myself and get to a point where I know distances I can cover and then I can figure out where to go and run for x minutes based on area I'll be covering.

 

How's your nutrition? Getting your vitamins, minerals and such will help with healing. Taking a multi-vitamin and fruit will help, along with glucosamine. I drink Mona Vie (Active), which is a fruit drink with 19 fruits. It also has glucosamine. This drink will help your body heal itself.

Running causes inflamation in the joints and muscles. It's a natural process to help your body heal. But too much is not good either. The glucosamine will lubricate your joints and help build cartilage.

 

My nutrition and diet are near perfect. If I told you all the supps I take every day, you probably wouldnt believe me. I am very familiar with Mona Vie and acai... although $30+ a bottle is kinda expensive, I told my friend who is a rep that Ill wait until it comes out in plastic bottles, heh.

Im good friends with a nutritionist and 14 year massage therapist... both recommended I look into serapeptase which I started on a couple weeks ago. Supposed to be an incredible muscle healer but not too common in the states because its natural.

Try taking shorter and smaller steps when going downhill, less impact on your shins.